The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Little girl, I'll tear your mouth apart! What nonsense are you spouting!" Shen Qingluan blushed and her heart pounded.

The story of Princess Guangping is widely circulated, especially the various touching anecdotes that inspire imagination.

If only I could be like her, living an unmarried life and establishing my own household...

There are many good men in the world, and they all vie for your favor like concubines in a harem, showering you with affection. Her mouth grew increasingly dry, but her mind began to race. Why fixate on just one among countless talented men?

"Host, the wingman you chose is really good!" The little white cat lay sprawled on his desk, relaying what it had overheard from Shen Qingluan and Honglian, and sincerely praised, "This little girl will soon be able to fool the female lead into a limp."

Chapter Eleven teaches her—she wants it all!

Jiang Chen, busy with carpentry work, chuckled and said, "The example of the former dynasty princess that the little maid mentioned is quite good."

Originally, I was thinking of letting her do whatever she wanted in the manor, but it seems that having her own manor would allow her to be more independent.

Since the male lead's plot armor is unavoidable, let's find another way to embolden the female lead. Only children make choices; as the younger sister of an arrogant and powerful minister, she naturally wants it all!

The Mary Sue female protagonist stories I taught those down-on-their-luck scholars to write are almost ready for printing.

When she 'accidentally' sees it, how could a naive young girl resist the allure of a Mary Sue story? Once she's hooked, she'll soon be dissatisfied with Shangguan Xuanyu's sweet words.

"That's true! After all... when it comes to making a young girl's heart flutter, a domineering CEO definitely wins!" The fluffy dumpling laughed so hard she almost fell over. "Host, you're using this trick to help the female lead resist the male lead's PUA, isn't that a roundabout way to achieve your goal? So what are you busy with now?"

He picked up the small cube he had already carved, blew off the wood shavings, carefully examined it and found it to be almost finished before placing it in a box on the table. He explained, "I started making these to give His Majesty in the palace something to do."

Little white cat: Σ(☉▽☉"a

Meow meow meow? I'm a little confused about what the host is doing...

"Someone come here!" Jiang Chen shouted, raising his voice. Xiao Wu pushed open the door, bowed, and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Give these things to the craftsmen I found in the backyard and tell them to make sure they do what I wrote down." He handed the box to Xiao Wu and then instructed, "Tomorrow Qingluan is invited to go on a spring outing outside the city. Take some men and accompany her."

"Yes!" Xiao Wu took a few steps back and was about to leave when Jiang Chen suddenly asked, "What do you think of that girl, Hong Lian?"

The other person's hand visibly trembled, and he stammered, "It's...it's very good! I mean...she takes very good care of Miss, and she acts very appropriately."

How do you know she's considerate and thoughtful?

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Honglian is Qingluan's personal maid, and she will be marrying with her mistress in the future. Unless Qingluan doesn't marry and follows the example of the princesses of the previous dynasty to establish their own residence, there is no reason for the two of them, mistress and maid, to stay in the residence indefinitely."

"Alright, you can go now!"

Xiao Wu, whose secret had been exposed, was trembling with fear. He took a few steps back to the door before turning around and going out to do his errand.

He was a rough man who practiced martial arts, but having served the shrewd and calculating prince for many years, he naturally knew his master's temperament well. His words just now seemed to suggest that he was also reluctant to see his young lady marry?

Xiao Wu hurriedly went to the backyard to give instructions to the craftsmen, and then ran all the way to the corner gate of the Agarwood Pavilion where the young lady lived, peering inside.

"Cough cough!"

Seeing Honglian passing by in the courtyard from afar, he coughed twice and waved to her.

The other person skillfully handed the bird's nest soup to the maids and told them to take it into the room first, then turned and walked towards the side gate.

"I still have to serve Miss, so speak quickly!"

"His Highness has already discovered what's going on between us!"

Honglian was so shocked by Xiaowu's words that her face turned pale and her voice trembled as she asked, "Really? Then... what did the Prince say? Will he punish you?"

"No, not at all." He waved his hand and hurriedly relayed what he had said before verbatim, "Tell me, what exactly does Your Highness mean? I've been ordered to accompany you and your servants to go on a spring outing outside the city tomorrow."

Honglian lowered her head and pondered for a moment before guessing, "Judging from the prince's words, it seems he wants to bring us together. However, if Miss gets married, there's no reason why I, her personal maid, wouldn't follow her."

I cannot, by reason or emotion, be betroth myself to you.

So, Your Highness is showing us the right path.

I understand. Just focus on your work and don't worry about it. Leave the rest to me. Whether we can end up together depends three parts on our efforts and seven parts on fate.

Xiao Wu scratched his head and pressed on, "Could it be... that His Highness wants me to pass on a message, instructing you to subtly inform Miss that she is establishing her own household? What kind of logic is that? What woman doesn't get married?"

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense!" Honglian glared at him, waved her hand, and lowered her voice, saying, "This is complicated, you wouldn't understand! Remember not to talk nonsense, leave the rest to me."

Seeing that she was about to leave, Xiao Wu hurriedly took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, stuffed it into her hand, blushed slightly, and turned to run away.

When Honglian saw how silly he looked when he almost tripped over her while running away, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

Inside the small cloth bag was an exquisitely crafted and adorable red jasper ring. She blushed and hurriedly put the item away.

Previously, while pondering her own thoughts, she mentioned Princess Guangping when advising the young lady, and unexpectedly, her thoughts coincided with those of the prince!

If that's truly the case, both mistress and servant will be content, but I wonder what the young lady thinks...

"Wow, these two really are a couple." The little white cat, who had followed Xiao Wu out out of curiosity, saw this scene, stroked its whiskers, and meowed, "No wonder that little girl kept urging the female lead to become a princess of the previous dynasty."

So, if she wanted to be with Xiao Wu, she couldn't be a dowry maid, and Shen Qingluan couldn't be betrothed to someone else.

I didn't dare say it before, but later I learned she was in love with a spy from the enemy country. She established her own household, kept male concubines, and refused to marry—a perfect solution!

Having sorted out the relationships and satisfied her gossipy nature, the little dumpling leisurely strolled to the backyard to catch sparrows and watch the craftsmen at work.

The next morning, Jiang Chen went to court as usual to review memorials and handle some important government affairs.

After finishing his work, he sent the eunuch on duty with two large wooden boxes and a stack of memorials to the emperor.

This time, His Majesty sat alone in a pavilion deep within the secluded Tingtao Garden, brewing tea by himself with a table and a pot of tea. Seeing him approach, His Majesty hurriedly and excitedly greeted him, "Minister Shen, you've come at the perfect time! This is freshly brewed Zhuyeqing tea; I personally pruned the branches and boiled the water to make it. Please try it and see how it tastes!"

"Shangguan Xuanyu invited my younger sister to go on a spring outing outside the city today, and I have dispatched my personal guards to accompany her."

After bowing, Jiang Chen sat down opposite the emperor and reported truthfully: "I have revealed his true identity to my younger sister. She wants to try to do her part for the country. Whether it is to pass on false information or to subvert the government in the future, she should try to make contact with him first."

His Majesty picked up the small pot and poured him a cup of tea, then sighed, "Your sister is righteous and devoted to the country. She truly deserves to be called Shen Qing's sister! Rest assured, my dear minister, if anything bad happens because of your association with young men, I will take care of you two."

"Your Majesty," Jiang Chen said, bowing respectfully, "I have already devised a plan and am thinking of seeking Your Majesty's decree first."

Seeing the other party nod, he continued, "My sister's actions will surely spread all sorts of rumors. Some people with ill intentions will even slander the young lady's reputation. If Shangguan Xuanyu's identity is exposed in the future, there will be people spreading rumors that my brother and I have committed the crime of treason."

Your Majesty, please do not believe rumors in the future;

As for my younger sister, with such a stigma, she may find it difficult to marry. If it becomes unavoidable in the future, I beg Your Majesty to grant her the privilege of establishing her own household and relocating her to a secluded place in the capital. She can then either find a husband to live with her or remain unmarried for life; let her be as she pleases.”

The emperor was clearly very moved.

The young woman, who was not yet married, was willing to risk her reputation to appease the head of the enemy's secret service and the future head of the Imperial City Guard. She might have to remain unmarried for the rest of her life with a stigma. Her choice to be so devoted to the country is truly admirable.

"Rest assured, my dear minister, if that is indeed the case, I will not only issue an edict allowing her to establish her own residence, but I will also order scholars and writers to clear her name!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After the emperor and his minister finished discussing important matters, Jiang Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and couldn't help but grin before putting the teacup down.

Chapter Twelve: LEGO and Puzzles

"What? You don't like the tea I brewed?"

"May I ask if Your Majesty uses water boiled with damp firewood to brew tea?"

"Of course!" the emperor said with a hint of pride. "I've heard that in their spare time, farmers in the countryside fetch spring water, cut tree branches for firewood, and boil the water to make tea. It's a unique experience of nature!"

Jiang Chen sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Your Majesty, when farmers in the countryside are tired from working, they use tree branches as firewood to boil water in large pots and drink tea in large bowls!" He gestured to indicate the size. "It's for at least five or six people to sit around and drink together, so naturally the bigger the better! Your Majesty, the small pot you are using must be boiled with smokeless charcoal."

"If you don't believe me, try it yourself. This little bit of water, smoked by the branches, tastes like smoke; how can you possibly taste the tea aroma?"

Emperor: (￣□￣；)

Really? Did they use the wrong kettle?

He picked up his glass, took a sip, and spat it out immediately. "Pah! It tastes awful! What a weird flavor! Sigh... I just wanted to find some natural flavor, why is it so hard?"

“Your Majesty wishes to seek the natural world, but that’s certainly not possible within these palace walls.” Jiang Chen handed over the two wooden boxes he was carrying. “However, seeing that Your Majesty finds woodworking quite difficult, I made you some little trinkets to amuse you.”

"Once the assassination is successful, I will use Shangguan Xuanyu to dismantle the enemy's intelligence network operating in the capital. I will then personally accompany and protect Your Majesty on your inspection tour, enjoying the natural scenery and observing the people's lives along the way. It will surely be a wonderful tale!"

"An imperial tour?" The emperor's eyes lit up at the mention of the tour, but then dimmed again. He waved his hand helplessly and said, "I can only dream about it. Whether I can successfully assassinate Emperor An is still unknown."

With border tensions high, the national treasury strained, and repeated disasters in recent years, where would we find spare money for my lavish imperial tours?

He pulled the wooden box in front of him, opened it, and said quietly, "It's more reliable to get some little gadgets to pass the time."

What is this?

Upon opening the box, the emperor saw it filled with small wooden blocks of various colors, some red, some green, and some yellow, all brightly colored. Though small, the objects were exquisitely crafted, with even and delicate coloring.

“There are blueprints inside. Your Majesty can try to assemble them according to the blueprints.” Jiang Chen picked up two small wooden blocks, stuck them together, and placed them on the table. “These little gadgets can be assembled according to the blueprints, or they can be assembled however you like.”

The emperor was immediately captivated and opened the drawing to see a magnificent palace.

"These small, similar-looking wooden blocks can be assembled into a miniature palace?" He was shocked and found it unbelievable. "Where did you get these trinkets, my dear minister? Were you perhaps tricked?"

"I designed the blueprints, and I asked skilled craftsmen to quickly produce them and present them to Your Majesty. I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Your Majesty is free to try. If you cannot assemble them, I will bear the consequences of Your Majesty's judgment!"

After Jiang Chen finished speaking, he opened another wooden box, which contained a pile of wood chips of various shapes.

"This box is called a jigsaw puzzle. I ordered an artist to draw a beautiful scene on one side of a thin wooden board, and then draw the same lines on the back. Slowly, it was cut open to create the fragments Your Majesty sees. Find the right pieces of wood and piece them together to complete a picture. This is a jigsaw puzzle!"

Emperor: w(°ｏ°)w

Although I didn't quite understand it, I was still deeply impressed; it sounded like a lot of fun.

He pointed to the box of small wooden blocks and asked, "What's this called?"

“LEGO!” Jiang Chen thought for a moment and then replied, “It can also be called building blocks.”

The emperor suddenly realized, "A stack of small wooden blocks, hence the name 'building blocks.' I understand now, but what exactly is this Lego?"

"It's just a name, Your Majesty need not worry about it. These two items are just little gadgets that I made on a whim. If Your Majesty likes them, I will think of more ways to amuse myself when I have some free time."

"Your ingenuity and dedication are truly admirable; you deserve a reward!" The emperor, pleased, waved his hand and bestowed upon the emperor many ornaments and trinkets.

The fluffy little dumpling laughed and rolled around in its host's arms, "Hahaha, this emperor is really ignorant! He gets this excited over a puzzle and a box of Lego, how interesting hahaha~ Host, your trick is brilliant!"

"Your Majesty, I have made these two little trinkets for you to try first. If you find them interesting, we can consider having the workshops mass-produce them. At that time, the royal family can control a trading company to sell these exquisite items. Perhaps we can earn some money to fill the national treasury, and Your Majesty will not have to worry about the expenses of your travels."

He glanced at the little white cat as he spoke, and it immediately understood, waving its paw and saying, "Understood! I'll go keep watch for my host!"

The emperor curiously played with Lego and puzzles, and the two enjoyed themselves immensely.

Xiao Wu and his guards had just left the mansion to protect Shen Qingluan.

The little white cat quickly caught up and lay down in the comfortable carriage, swaying back and forth, playing with the tassels on the curtains as it listened to the mistress and servant whispering to each other.

"Honglian, when you see Young Master Yu later, you must listen to him for me." Shen Qingluan was nervous, excited, and a little thrilled. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand and whispered, "I don't know why, even though I know I can't kneel down and fawn over him, some hesitation keeps flashing through my mind."