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

"This servant will go and see right away." Jin Yu came in carrying several scrolls of paintings, put them down, and quickly went out to investigate. She soon returned and said, "Miss, a wild cat rushed out and beat up the mandarin duck cat that Princess Cui was holding."

"Some people are looking for the cat right now, and Princess Cui has already arrived with the other group."

Jiang Ruining frowned.

Not only did they show up uninvited, but they also brought a cat?

It was clearly intentional; they wanted to let him go after he entered the inner garden so they could search and investigate discreetly!

As for the stray cat that suddenly rushed out...

What a coincidence!

Either Xiao Che's people did it on purpose, or Chu Jin found out and was buying her time.

"Go and hang up all the scrolls first."

Jin Yu nodded and went to hang the painting.

Xiao Che's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw what was in the portrait.

Jiang Ruining saw it, but pretended not to, guiltily looking away: "..."

The scroll has just been hung up.

Yun Mi knocked on the door, poked her body in, and urged in a low voice, "Princess Cui and her entourage have arrived outside the courtyard gate. Your Highness, please leave quickly!"

As they were talking.

A voice came from outside, greeting, "Greetings, Princess and ladies! Our young lady has caught a cold and is truly unfit to receive you all today. Please come another day!"

Jiang Ruining knew that Cui Jingwei would definitely barge in!

Sure enough.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the door of the dormitory.

"We've been friends with Ningning for years. Now that we're here, how could we not visit her? When we get back, we'll each take some medicine and be careful. It's nothing serious."

"Open the door!"

Yun Mi stood in the doorway: "It's because I know that the princess and all the ladies care about my young lady that she can't see you all. If she were to infect you, my young lady would feel guilty."

The slender-faced woman at the front didn't stop; instead, she pressed herself against the bedroom door: "We've seen Jiang Ruining in all sorts of disheveled state. She just hasn't done her makeup yet, what's there to hide from!"

"My maid just learned a new fashionable hairstyle from Jiangnan. Let her style Jiang Ruining's hair; she'll look amazing! It'll attract the attention of Duke Shao and the Regent, and she'll thank me!"

A single glance.

Her maid stepped forward and pulled Yunmi forcefully.

Yun Mi, skilled in martial arts, possessed great strength and a steady gait, preventing the other party from pulling her away from the doorway. She frowned angrily, saying, "Are you here as guests or to cause trouble? My young lady is of noble birth; how can she be watched while washing and changing?"

Chen Anran sneered sharply, "What time is it? Whose junior is still sleeping? Your young lady is hiding and won't come out. Perhaps she's hiding something shameful in the house and is too afraid to open the door!"

"I heard from people outside that they saw a man climb over the wall and come in last night!"

Yun Mi was both shocked and furious: "How dare you! How dare you spout such nonsense and maliciously ruin my young lady's reputation!"

Chen Anran sneered and pushed her from behind: "Am I slandering her? The whole place already knows! If you keep trying to cover it up, aren't you just confirming that she's hiding a man in her house?"

Jiang Ruining frowned as she listened inside.

The woman speaking was named Chen Anran. Her father was Chen Luo, a second-rank general and concurrently the deputy governor of the capital. He was a man of great military merit. If Xiao Che had not returned to the capital and massacred the Cui family officials, the position of first-rank Grand Governor would have been his.

Now that Xiao Che has control over the entire Grand Commandery, Chen Luo tried to win over the officials of the Grand Commandery on behalf of Cui Sheng'an, but failed and was sidelined. He wanted to be transferred out of the Grand Commandery, but Xiao Che refused to approve it, so he could not leave. He went from being a general with real power to a figurehead with only an empty title.

He was not reconciled.

His family members, having lost their former glory, were naturally unwilling to accept it.

Whenever they encountered officials from Xiao Che's side, the whole family would pounce on them like mad dogs, tearing them apart. They were dealt with every time, begged for mercy every time, and then continued their madness afterward.

No wonder Cui Jingwei brought her along.

It must have been implied that she had private dealings with Xiao Che. In that case, Cui Jingwei doesn't need to say or do anything today. She only needs to subtly stir up trouble to achieve her goal and maintain her image as a graceful and kind person!

Jiang Ruining turned her head and asked Xiao Che in a very low voice, "What were you and your people thinking? Why didn't you take care of this family of mad dogs?"

Xiao Che curled the corner of his lips: "Keeping them has its uses."

Fine!

Jiang Ruining didn't ask any more questions, but seeing that he didn't make a move to leave, she hurriedly turned back and pulled him, saying, "Quickly, find another place to hide!"

If so many people were to see that she was hiding a man in her house, even if she wasn't drowned in spittle by the world, Madam Jiang would use the excuse of "upholding the family's reputation" to kill her openly and brazenly!

"What are you dawdling about? Stop causing me any more trouble!"

Xiao Che sat calmly, raising an eyebrow at her: "Please, Your Highness!"

Jiang Ruining gritted his teeth.

But to save her precarious reputation, she could only grit her teeth and force a fawning smile, clinging to his arm and swaying softly and sweetly, "Master~ please, let's hide away, okay?"

"As long as no one discovers you're at the Jiang residence, feel free to ask for anything you need in the future, okay?"

Let's get them out of here first, and deal with the rest later!

Xiao Che watched her feigning innocence, which was clearly affected yet inexplicably cute, making him unable to resist teasing her further. He clicked his tongue and said, "You're not really paying attention."

Jiang Ruining gasped in anger.

She's already strained her voice to the point of hoarseness, how much more heartfelt do you expect her to put in?

Gritting her teeth, she roared, her voice choked with rage: "Xiao Che! You're playing me!"

Xiao Che raised an eyebrow: "How is it?"

Jiang Ruining glared at him, but didn't have the guts to hit him.

bump!

Someone slammed the door of the dormitory.

If Jinyu hadn't bolted the door first, the person would have already barged in, and it would have been too late for anything!

Jiang Ruining shuddered in fright and tightened her grip on his arm.

His strong arm was pressed against a soft mass, and Xiao Che's body tensed slightly: "You..."

Jiang Ruining really hated his constantly opening and closing mouth! She grabbed the man's collar, pulled him forcefully in front of her, and shut him up.

Xiao Che's expression froze for a moment, then his eyes widened suddenly.

As Jiang Ruining kissed him, she bit his lip hard.

Xiao Che winced in pain and frowned, but seemed to forget to push her away.

Jiang Ruining tasted the blood and noticed his surprise and tension. She pulled her lips away, cupped his face, and kissed him lightly with a smile: "So, Your Highness wanted me to kiss you! If you want a kiss, just say so. I love Your Highness so much, I'd be willing to kiss you eight hundred times a day!"

Xiao Che pursed his lips, feeling a slight stinging sensation at the spot where she had bitten him.

Then he jumped up, opened the back window, and leaped out.

Jiang Ruining tilted her head and watched the person disappear, swallowing back the words she was about to say.

"Give him the innocent one! It's like I'm flirting with a virgin!"