"Your Highness, this matter is likely dire," Lin Shuang said anxiously, knowing the sordid methods used in the palace. "It's clear someone is trying to harm us. What if someone sends in just any random man in a moment..."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a series of hurried footsteps outside.

Ji Fengyao quickly gestured for Lin Shuang to be quiet, then pulled her to lie down on the clothes rack, pretending to be drugged and unconscious.

The sound of a lock being opened came from outside the door.

Immediately following was the sound of a heavy object hitting the door frame, accompanied by a muffled groan from a young man.

"Be careful, or you'll knock him unconscious and cause a disaster," a woman said anxiously in a low voice.

“He looks strong, he’ll give that bandit a run for his money this time,” another woman chuckled.

"Pah, you slut!" The woman in front said as she approached Ji Fengyao and Lin Shuang, shaking them. "Oh no, is the medicine too strong? These two have fainted."

"Give her less of the antidote. If she doesn't wake up, the show won't be interesting later," another woman suggested.

So the two of them each took a bottle of antidote, waved it under Ji Fengyao and Lin Shuang's noses briefly, and then took it away. They then dragged Ji Fengyao and Yuan Zhisheng to the bed in the inner room.

Seeing Yuan Zhisheng crawling blushing toward Ji Fengyao, the two palace maids smiled with satisfaction and left.

This time the door wasn't locked from the outside.

Seeing with his own eyes that they were all under control, he felt relieved.

Yuan Zhisheng had already climbed to Ji Fengyao's side and put his arm around her shoulder. Unexpectedly, the person who had been motionless suddenly opened her eyes. Those clear, obsidian-like eyes brought a moment of clarity to his hot and confused mind, and he was momentarily stunned.

In that moment of surprise, Ji Fengyao propped herself up and covered his face with her sleeve.

An unusually pungent fragrance wafted into Yuan Zhisheng's nose, making his nose itch and his eyes sting. His muddled mind quickly regained its senses.

Ji Fengyao silently calculated the time and quickly slipped away before he sneezed for the first time.

Yuan Zhisheng sneezed violently, and upon seeing everything in the room, his face changed drastically. He scrambled out of bed, trembling with fear, and said, "My name is Yuan Zhisheng. I was brought here by a villain. If I have offended the two young ladies..."

"What young lady? This is Princess Consort Su..."

Ji Fengyao stopped Lin Shuang from dwelling on such trivial matters as how she was addressed: "What position do you or your father hold in the court?"

When Yuan Zhisheng heard the words "Princess Consort of Prince Su", his eyes widened slightly.

Everyone in the capital knew that the Ninth Prince had married a bandit.

He had imagined how vulgar and ugly the Ninth Prince's wife would be, and how frustrated the Ninth Prince would be, but he never expected that this female bandit would be no less beautiful than the well-bred ladies of the capital.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Yuan Zhisheng remembered to kneel down and reply, "Your Highness, my father is Yuan Zhouhan, the Minister of War. I am currently serving in the Ninth Prince's army and have not yet assumed any official position."

Ji Fengyao raised an eyebrow knowingly; it was indeed another case of using the Ninth Prince's left hand to beat his right.

These people are so unoriginal.

"I see your skills are mediocre, but I suppose capturing a member of the Imperial Guard or a bodyguard would be a piece of cake," Ji Fengyao said.

"Huh?" Yuan Zhisheng looked completely bewildered.

"Someone is so eager to harm you and the Ninth Prince, don't you want to take revenge?" Ji Fengyao smiled maliciously.

Yuan Zhisheng's eyes widened in surprise, then his expression darkened, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes: "If there is an opportunity, we will naturally return it. Does Your Highness have a way to achieve both goals?"