You really have quite a talent!

Dongfang Liren grew secretly anxious. As her leg brushed against Ye Jingtang’s cheek, she could clearly feel his face growing hotter and hotter, and his hand patted her leg twice more.

If Ye Jingtang were to pass out from holding his breath, he would surely float up right beside her, and she certainly couldn't just step on him and drown him.

Dongfang Liren gritted her teeth, hardened her heart, and looked up behind the Empress Dowager.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager unsuspectingly turned her head to look.

Dongfang Liren immediately raised her hand, intending to commit the treasonous act of knocking the Empress Dowager unconscious!

Fortunately, her elder sister wasn't too thoroughly setting her up, as a voice finally drifted in from outside:

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty says he is unable to come. He has just acquired a few fine poems and asks the Empress Dowager and Her Highness to move to the Yongle Palace to appreciate them."

Dongfang Liren hurriedly retracted her ill-intentioned hand, feeling a sense of relief wash over her.

The Empress Dowager turned her head back, looking slightly bewildered:

"What is it?"

Dongfang Liren smiled brightly and said, "Nothing at all, my eyes just played tricks on me. Please go ahead, Empress Dowager. I will wait until my hair is dry before joining you."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager lingered no longer, and rising to her feet, she left the Canyang Pool accompanied by her maids...

Tap, tap, tap...

The sound of footsteps gradually faded into the distance. The palace maids, who had approached the entrance to assist the Prince of Jing with dressing, were once again shooed away.

Dongfang Liren’s face alternated between shades of pale and flushed. Before she could calm her racing heart, she noticed that the man pressed beneath her leg was stirring slightly, instinctively struggling to break the surface of the water.

Fearing she might suffocate Ye Jingtang to death, Dongfang Liren swiftly leaped out of the bath, grabbed a thin blanket, and wrapped it tightly around herself, cocooning herself like a caterpillar.

Dongfang Liren wanted to stand straight and project the majestic, towering demeanor of a dignified female prince, but whether it was from soaking in the water for too long or not, her legs felt unsteady, and she ended up sitting down on the daybed.

Seeing no movement from the water, Dongfang Liren flicked her finger and tossed out a Go stone.

Splash—

When Ye Jingtang still failed to emerge, she tossed another one in.

Splash—

Swish, splash...

Before long, Ye Jingtang broke the surface of the water, gasping heavily for air:

"Hoo... Hoo..."

After glancing left and right and seeing her seated on the daybed, he scrambled ashore:

"I..."

"Get over here right now!"

Wrapped tightly in the thin blanket down to her very toes, Dongfang Liren flushed a deep crimson, her slender brows arched in fury.

Ye Jingtang wiped the water from his face, tried his best to maintain a calm and composed expression, and approached the daybed:

"Your Highness, I truly did not mean to..."

"Is there any difference?!"

***

Dongfang Liren bit down hard on her lower lip, unable to meet Ye Jingtang's gaze, and averted her face:

"You spied on me while I was bathing, and even made me... in front of the Empress Dowager... If not for the fact that you once saved my life, I would skin you alive!"

Ye Jingtang felt quite wronged as well, but under the circumstances, he could only offer a sincere apology:

"I beg Your Highness for your forgiveness."

Dongfang Liren cast a glance at Ye Jingtang, paused in momentary silence, and then shifted her gaze elsewhere, her lips moving silently as she struggled to find the right words.

Noticing that the Prince of Jing's face was still covered in water droplets, Ye Jingtang turned, picked up a towel from the table, and handed it to her.

Dongfang Liren initially wanted to raise her hand to take it, but the moment she moved, her chest felt a sudden chill, exposing a vast expanse of snowy white. She hurriedly tightened her grip around the thin blanket:

"Why are you still lingering here? Waiting to watch me get dressed?"

Ye Jingtang gestured toward the outside: "Didn't the Prince of Jing say there are hidden guards stationed outside? Can I just walk out now?"

"..."

Dongfang Liren was left speechless.

With her here, the hidden guards would undoubtedly be patrolling the perimeter of the Canyang Pool. To slip away unnoticed, she had to be the first to leave.

After a brief moment of thought, Dongfang Liren stood up and, hopping like a stiff-legged hopping corpse, bounced behind the screen to dress herself in privacy.

Tap, tap, tap—

The scene was rather comical, but knowing he was already on the verge of being dragged off to the castration chamber, Ye Jingtang didn't dare crack a smile, choosing instead to turn his back entirely.

Peering through the translucent screen, Dongfang Liren saw that Ye Jingtang was behaving quite conscientiously, which allowed her to heave a silent sigh of relief:

"I assigned you to patrol the palace grounds, and look at this—on your very first day in the palace, you sneak a peek at me taking a bath. You really have quite some nerve!"

Ye Jingtang also felt that the palace was abnormally bizarre, and offered a helpless explanation:

"It truly was an accident. From now on, I will strictly patrol the outer walls and will never let such a thing happen again. Um... why did Your Highness come here anyway? I assumed nobody would be here in the dead of night..."

Dongfang Liren could hardly confess that she had been tricked into coming here by her unconscionable elder sister. She said coldly:

"I worked up a sweat practicing my saber technique, so naturally I came here to bathe. You... well, you won't need to patrol the palace anymore. If I let you run amok any longer, who knows, you might end up offending the Empress Dowager tomorrow..."

"..."

Ye Jingtang felt as though his chance at claiming the Dragon-Singing Scroll had just slipped away through his own fingers, but seeing that the scatterbrained woman didn't seem inclined to punish him was already a massive stroke of luck. He promptly replied:

"Very well. From now on, I shall not step foot half a step into the imperial city without Your Highness's permission. Ah... regarding today's incident, I will definitely redeem myself through meritorious service..."

"Redeem yourself through meritorious service... Fine. From this day forward, you are the Vice Commander of the Black Yamen. You will honestly serve me—"

?!

Ye Jingtang hurriedly turned around to stop her:

"Your Highness, you cannot..."

The moment he turned, he spotted a tall, alabaster-skinned beauty standing right behind the translucent screen.

Though separated by the thin gauze screen, the view wasn't as direct as it had been underwater, but beneath the water, the darkness had obscured much of it.

Now, with the candle stand positioned right beside Dongfang Liren, the warm light illuminated her mutton-fat-jade-like physique down to the finest detail. The curve of her lower back resembled a half-moon, radiating taut tension. The delicate peaks of her chest even bore glistening droplets of water...

***

(⊙_⊙)！！

Ye Jingtang’s expression froze, and his words cut off abruptly.

"You!"

Just as Dongfang Liren had lowered her guard, Ye Jingtang turned around and took in every detail, angering her so much that her brows stood on end. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest, using the thin blanket to shield herself.

Ye Jingtang swiftly turned back around and deftly changed the subject:

"Ah... well... sharing burdens for the Prince of Jing is my bounden duty. But I only know martial arts and can handle some heavy or tiring labor at best; I am truly unequal to an official post. Besides, I've only just arrived in the capital, and to be suddenly appointed to such a high and important office—if people say there's no special relationship between the Prince of Jing and me, nobody in the Black Yamen would believe it. As a man of seven feet, if I am to forge a career in officialdom, I must do so through solid, tangible achievements so that I can convince the masses."

Clutching her body tightly, Dongfang Liren waited until she was certain Ye Jingtang wasn't going to turn back around like a madman before finally letting out a breath of relief:

"Very well. Then tomorrow you will take on cases and build up your merits. If you dare to slack off—"

Sensing that the Prince of Jing’s thoughts were somewhat scattered and rambling incoherently, and finding it difficult to refuse outright, Ye Jingtang replied with tact:

"That's not a problem. However, I still have a few personal matters to attend to for my family. Can we start from next month?"

Without answering, Dongfang Liren slipped into a clean white robe, covering her exquisite figure, which finally allowed her heart to settle. She slowly walked out from behind the screen:

"Done."

Ye Jingtang glanced back, and seeing that the Prince of Jing had finally dressed, he felt a wave of relief wash over him as he stepped forward:

"Regarding today's transgression—"

"Say no more. Let it end here."

Dongfang Liren raised a hand to cut him off, regaining her usual regal and cold demeanor as a female prince:

"If you dare to breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll have you sent into the palace as a grand eunuch!"

A chill ran down Ye Jingtang's spine, and he gave a slight nod:

"Your Highness may rest assured, my lips are sealed."

Though Dongfang Liren maintained a majestic and noble bearing, she couldn't entirely mask her flushed, apple-red cheeks. Unwilling to lose face, she needlessly searched for conversation:

"Since you guarded me, the Green Bandits will view you as one of my people. They will inevitably target you given the chance. When you are out and about, you must mind your safety."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

It took a long while for Dongfang Liren to suppress the turbulent emotions crashing within her heart before she finally turned and walked toward the door.

"Your Highness..."

Dongfang Liren’s footsteps paused. Expecting Ye Jingtang to utter some absurd remark like "I will take responsibility for Your Highness," her body stiffened slightly. Not daring to look back, she asked coldly:

"Is there something else?"

"Shall I still go to the Jingfu Palace later to teach Your Highness saber techniques?"

?

Dongfang Liren drew in a deep breath, causing her chest to heave noticeably. Without a word of reply, she strode heavily out the door...