I will definitely punish you, you wicked woman.

Hearing this, Chen remained silent as before, standing as unshakeable as a mountain. He quietly gripped his sword and waited. Jiu'er curled her lips in a slight pout, retreated to the side, and also began to wait.

By this time, the young miss should be waking up.

Before long, the sounds of shifting and drowsy murmuring drifted from inside.

"Where is this?"

Jiu'er hurriedly pushed the door open, rolled up the bed curtains as she spoke, and said, "Miss, you're finally awake. This is the Cuiyi Palace. Miss, you haven't eaten a single bite all day today. Please get up quickly and have something to eat."

Without washing her face, Mu Luoxiao only felt as though a layer of wax had been smeared across her skin, making it quite uncomfortable. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked with a still-drowsy drawl, "Has the Fifth Imperial Prince not returned yet?"

"Miss Mu, please bathe and change your clothes. The meal has already been prepared. His Highness gave instructions that Miss Mu may freely amuse herself within the estate; His Highness will return shortly."

Mu Luoxiao looked toward Chen. She had some impression of him, though it was tied to the mystery of his gender. She stood up and walked around him to inspect him closely. "Who are you?"

"This subordinate is named Chen."

"A personal bodyguard?" That meant he was a man, then!

His voice sounded quite neutral, and his neck was blocked by his collar, so she could only deduce his gender from his status. Thinking of this, Mu Luoxiao nodded.

"Please bathe and change, Miss."

"Alright, Chen~ Hehe."

Life was far too dull; the only way to manufacture amusement was to tease handsome men. Only by doing so would one's life not be lived in vain.

Humming a tune, Mu Luoxiao casually grabbed a towel and walked behind the screen to wash by herself. She waved a hand to stop the maidservant who attempted to follow her in to serve, stepped straight into the wooden bathtub, and asked casually, "What did your Highness go off to do, staying away for so long?"

"Replying to the Miss, His Highness is currently at the West Suburb Military Camp, sparring in martial arts with Prince Qi and Lord Mu."

As soon as those words fell, the wooden ladle in Mu Luoxiao's hand dropped into the water with a splash, wobbling as it drifted away.

Mu Luoxiao was stunned at first, then grew furious, gritting her teeth. He had made her sit on a cold bench—this fellow surnamed Gu had definitely done it on purpose!

At that moment, Xiao Yi deliberately added, "Today, the Third Princess commanded this subordinate to relay a message to the Miss: she has prepared some pastries to deliver to the Prince and will be unable to entertain the Miss, and she hopes the Miss will not take it to heart."

Mu Luoxiao could not help letting out a dry laugh. Were they all coming to anger her? Going about in pairs, yet coming to ruin her good time—did they take her for some soft persimmon to be kneaded at will?

Pui!

After a brief internal struggle, she chose to remain calm, settled back down into the bathtub, and instructed the people outside with steady composure, "Xiao Yi, tell San'er and Si'er to go prepare the things needed for a barbecue. The more ingredients, the better. Also, prepare a set of men's outer robes and have a carriage ready."

Jiu'er detected the gunpowder hidden in those words. The Miss was about to "go to war" again. "Miss, where are we going?"

"Camping."

...

In the main hall of Prince Qi's Manor.

Shuixian softly called out to Dan Tongjiao, who was propping her chin and dozing off. "Princess? Princess?"

"Hmm?"

"It's almost dark. The Prince likely has matters to attend to and won't be returning today. Shall we head back first?"

Dan Tongjiao lifted the lid to take a look at the pastries, but they had already lost their shape, and the greater part of her good mood vanished with them.

"Very well, we shall come again tomorrow."

The moment she returned to the palace, Dan Tongjiao was struck by a sense of unease brought on by the quiet atmosphere. Surely it couldn't be...

"Where is Miss Mu?"

"Replying to the Princess, Miss Mu left an hour ago."

"With my Imperial Brother?"

"No, His Highness did not return to the palace today. He is with the Prince at the West Suburb Military Camp, and Miss Mu hurried over there as well..."

Before the maidservant could finish speaking, Dan Tongjiao hurriedly mounted a horse and dashed off toward the camp.