She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Shao Yunting, however, had a different guess: "No! I could tell that she was resistant to the Regent's approach before, just like she was to me."

Xie Lanheng advised him, "Yun Ting, Lord Jiang and the Regent are already on the same side. I think you should give up on getting close to Miss Jiang!"

Shao Yunting: "These are two different things!"

Xie Lanheng thought of a term he had overheard on the roadside: "love-struck".

"..."

Shao Yunting mounted her horse and galloped quickly for a while, then followed leisurely behind the carriage carrying Xiao Che: "Did you see a woman disembarking with the Regent just now?"

Xie Lanheng nodded: "It seems there was a woman wearing a cap following him." He paused, then added, "You suspect that woman was Miss Jiang?"

Shao Yunting couldn't see the woman's face or figure, but he had a strong intuition.

It's Ningning!

Xie Lanheng shook his head: "Impossible! Not only would Madam Jiang never allow a young woman to travel with the Regent, but even if she did, she should be home with Lord Jiang by now. How could she possibly go with the Regent?"

Shao Yunting twitched his brow twice and nodded, saying, "That's true."

The Regent's carriage was ostentatious and prestigious.

Pedestrians gave way.

The guard at the end of the procession rode forward and whispered a few words in Shi'an's ear.

Shi'an pulled on the reins, approached the carriage, and tapped it twice.

The tightly closed carriage windows were opened.

The carriage curtain was lifted slightly.

Jiang Ruining's pointed chin was revealed: "What's wrong?"

Shi An turned to the side and leaned closer to the carriage window: "Master, Miss, the Jiang family's people are secretly following us. Should we deal with them?"

As Jiang Ruining expected: "No need."

Her value will be her father's bargaining chip in choosing between her and Madam Jiang, and it will also be the capital for her future status in the Jiang family!

Why not let them know?

Shi An agreed, glanced back, and added, "Duke Shao and Lord Xie have been following at the back of the group."

Jiang Ruining was taken aback.

Only then did I belatedly realize that it was the male lead.

Yesterday, the male lead happened to pass by and rescued his adoptive father. This time, he didn't save anyone and wasted time, so he went straight back to the capital. After they met up, they set off immediately, so they arrived at the shore one after the other!

"The road is wide open, let each go their own way. They can go wherever they want, it's none of our business."

Shi'an wanted to see his master's expression, but the carriage curtain had already been lowered, so he couldn't see it and naturally had to follow Jiang Ruining's orders.

He gave his brothers a wink, letting the tails behind them continue to follow.

Xiao Che's fingers touched the ice mirror inside the carriage, his eyes reflecting the icy chill: "A persistent ghost!"

Jiang Ruining grabbed a red fruit and gnawed on it, speaking indistinctly: "My father is someone His Majesty wants to win over, so there must be His Majesty's spies around him. Even without Cui Shengan's ambush, someone would pretend to be an assassin and act as his savior."

"Shao Yunting and Xie Lanheng should be the ones who received this mission. Since they failed, there's no need for them to linger outside any longer, so it's expected that they'll return to the capital at the same time as us."

She picked up a tempting-looking fruit and held it to Xiao Che's lips.

Xiao Che opened his mouth: "You've got a brain now."

Jiang Ruining knew he wouldn't say anything nice, so she forcefully shoved the fruit, slightly smaller than an egg, into his mouth: "You might as well not have a mouth!"

Xiao Che was about to spit out the fruit.

Jiang Ruining quickly covered his mouth.

Xiao Che moved his tongue and pushed the fruit to his left cheek.

Jiang Ruining saw him glaring at her with puffed-out cheeks, looking like an angry hamster—a stark contrast to his usual elegant, aloof, and arrogant demeanor. This unexpected cuteness made him look exceptionally adorable!

I poked his puffed-out cheeks and blurted out, "I want to learn painting!"

Xiao Che chewed the fruit, and bright red juice spilled from his lips, staining his pale pink lips red. The light inside the carriage was dim, and the contrast between the bright red and the cold darkness made his face look eerily succubus-like: "Hmm?"

Jiang Ruining was a little flustered by what she saw, and tugged at his cheek: "Draw a picture of you like this! It's such a precious image!"

Xiao Che easily grabbed both her wrists with one hand, pulled her up from the bed, and dragged her towards him: "I've spoiled you too much, you're getting bolder and bolder!"

Jiang Ruining lunged forward and nestled in his arms, trying to sit up, but she was ticklish, and his hands were pinching the ticklish spot on her waist. She couldn't struggle at all, and could only laugh incessantly!

"You...hahaha...you jerk! You pinched and tickled me...it's so itchy!"

The people standing on both sides of the road heard the laughter coming from the carriage, and when they saw the jade plaque hanging on the carriage, which was clearly engraved with the character "摄" (she), they were all astonished. It was obviously the reliance of the regent.

The rouge shop owner, patting his round belly, asked in surprise, "Isn't the prince supposed to be averse to women?"

The antique shop owner twirled her pipe, exuding charm without being vulgar: "What do you roughnecks know? Powerful and influential people don't get close to women because they're particular and have high standards. They just haven't met the right one yet! Once they do, they'll spoil her rotten, wishing they could pluck the moon from the sky and give it to her."

"What an unapproachable person His Highness the Regent is! But the more unapproachable and ruthless a person is, the less restraint they have when it comes to spoiling their wife, seeking only to make her happy!"

"Take the late Emperor's reign, for example. His concubine was greatly favored, interfering in politics, building the Star-Picking Tower, and making annual trips to the south... The officials of the Censorate were flying around with memorials, but the late Emperor managed to suppress them all!"

Everyone agreed that what she said made a lot of sense, and they all lowered their heads.

"The proprietress is right!"

"I wonder which lady is inside the carriage!"

A young lady from an official's family emerged from a cosmetics shop. Hearing the laughter from the carriage, she recognized it: "It sounds like... Jiang Ruining!"

Everyone turned to her with gossipy eyes: "Who is she?"

The housekeeper's daughter shook her head again: "But it can't be her! She fell off a cliff a while ago and is already dead."

The carriage moved smoothly forward, and Shao Yunting, who was at the very end of the procession, was able to hear the people's conversation.

His brow twitched.

It was immediately confirmed that the woman wearing a cap who got into the Regent's carriage was Jiang Ruining!

She faked her death and left the capital, but she didn't let Jiang Huai know, so she didn't return to the Jiang residence.

What exactly happened to the Jiang family during his time away from Beijing?

……

It was agreed on the ship that after arriving in the capital, Jiang Ruining would stay with Princess Xinyang for a while.

After entering the city, the carriage traveled for a long time without stopping.

Jiang Ruining lifted the carriage curtain and saw, "Good heavens, we've left the city again!"

"Xiao Che, you're not thinking of selling me out, are you?"

Xiao Che, having somehow picked up her habit of chuckling when she was speechless, chuckled, "With your level of vigilance, anyone who wanted to sell you out could do it several times over!"

Jiang Ruining retaliated, while also flattering the man: "I'm trusting you! I don't trust just anyone!"

Xiao Che found it pleasing to the ear, and his sexy, thin lips curled up subtly.

Her tone was arrogant and disdainful: "With your little body, how much are you worth? You'd be better off keeping it to use your brain; that would be more valuable."

Jiang Ruining's face fell, and she glared at him: "Speak like a human being!"

Xiao Che rubbed his nose: "The young couple has been separated for a long time and is in the prime of their time to be affectionate. It's not appropriate for you to move in."

"Ah! That's true!" Jiang Ruining said with a hint of worry, "But what does that have to do with you sending me out of the city again?"