Huaiyu was quite pleased as she admired his expression.

She had been dealing with Jiang Xuanjin for several years and knew him well—he was rigid, conservative, stubborn, and utterly dull. In terms of verbal sparring, he was leagues behind her.

In the past, their differing political views and opposing stances had led to sharp confrontations whenever they met, and she had no interest in engaging him in conversation. But now, having transformed into someone else, she felt a mischievous urge to tease him. To her surprise, Jiang Xuanjin’s typically expressionless face, when angered, revealed a unique charm.

Unable to resist, she propped her chin on her hand and stared at him.

This face, which had remained unchanged for over twenty years, was now unable to maintain its composure. It turned from pale to purple, then green, and finally flushed a shade of red, reminiscent of the evening glow, illuminating his pale cheeks.

“That was just a coincidence,” Jiang Xuanjin said stiffly. “I won’t take it to heart, and you needn’t either.”

“No way!” Huaiyu shook her head vigorously. “I’m taking it to heart!”

With that, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the cart’s yoke, adopting a stubborn, defiant posture.

Jiang Xuanjin had never dealt with someone like her before. He frowned at her, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

“Miss,” the driver, Cheng Xu, interjected to help his master out of the predicament, “it’s getting late. Don’t you need to go home?”

Home? Huaiyu was taken aback, her face filled with confusion.

Oh right, since waking up, she hadn’t figured out the identity of this body, not even knowing who she was, let alone where her home was.

With a pitiful droop of her head, she muttered, “I can’t find my home.”

Jiang Xuanjin shot her a sidelong glance. “You’re lying again. The place you came from, wasn’t that your home?”

The place I came from? Huaiyu thought carefully and suddenly realized, “Oh right!”

That residence looked like an official mansion, suggesting that her current identity was not lowly. If so, she might have a chance to get closer to Jiang Xuanjin in the future.

With her eyes crinkling in a smile, she said, “Will you take me home?”

Jiang Xuanjin abruptly pulled down the cart curtain. “Go back by yourself.”

“My foot hurts; I twisted it when I fell and can’t walk,” she said, lifting the curtain and pouting at him while batting her eyelashes. “You’re at least half a lifesaver; can’t you repay me a little?”

According to the Jiang family’s etiquette, saving a life warranted great gratitude. But the person outside the cart… Jiang Xuanjin sneered. Not only would that knife not have taken his life, but even if it had been a genuine life-saving act, he had no desire to express gratitude.

Her intentions were suspect, and her motives were impure!

“If you won’t take me, then I’ll just go to your house,” Huaiyu huffed. “After all, it’s quite comfortable sitting on this yoke.”

As a young lady, if she didn’t care about her reputation, why should he? Jiang Xuanjin turned his head away and spoke in a deep voice to the outside, “Let’s go.”

“Yes,” Cheng Xu replied, taking his place on the other side of the yoke and driving the cart forward.

Seeing that he was at a loss for how to handle her, Huaiyu happily let down the curtain and settled beside Cheng Xu, swinging her legs over the side of the cart in a rather unladylike manner.

Cheng Xu glanced at her and found her quite amusing, so he quietly reminded her, “If you truly admire my master, you should tone it down a bit. He prefers well-mannered and sensible people.”

“Who said that?” Huaiyu raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the cart, “Are there so few well-mannered young ladies in this world? Look at who he talks to the most.”

Cheng Xu was momentarily speechless, staring at her in surprise. Upon reflection, it was indeed true. Over the years, no proper young lady had managed to speak more than three sentences with the Prince of Ziyang. Yet this audacious girl had already spoken more in one day than others could in a year.

However… his master’s attitude toward speaking was quite poor.

With a mix of amusement and exasperation, Cheng Xu said, “Are you trying to go against the grain to catch my master’s attention?”

“Exactly!” Huaiyu clapped her hands, grinning widely. “Look, I’ve succeeded! Your master is sitting in the cart, listening to me talk, and I bet his face is as dark as thunder. He won’t forget me for years!”

Inside the cart, Jiang Xuanjin sat in silence, his face a stormy shade of green.

If it weren’t for his upbringing, he would have kicked her out of the cart by now. He had seen many shameless people, but this was the first time he encountered someone so brazenly unashamed. Among men, such behavior was rare, and for a young lady, it was even more astonishing.

Whose family raised her?

Today marked the seventh day since the passing of the Grand Princess, and his mood was already complicated. After being disturbed by this series of events, he now felt a headache coming on. Rubbing his temples, he leaned against the cart to rest for a moment.

However, the chatter outside continued, as if she had an endless supply of words.

“Hey, young man, how’s your martial arts?”

“…It’s passable.”

“Your master must have offended quite a few people, right? Are you with him day and night?”

“…Miss, that’s confidential; I can’t discuss it.”

“I’m just asking casually; don’t be so stingy. Oh, your physique is really solid; you must have been training for a while, right? Look at those arms—wow, they’re as hard as iron. Can I touch the other one…?”

Veins bulged on Jiang Xuanjin’s forehead as he opened his eyes, pulled back the cart curtain, and barked, “If you keep talking, I’ll throw you out!”

Huaiyu outside was startled and turned to look at him. “What’s wrong with your voice?”

It had sounded fine just a moment ago, but now it was unusually hoarse.

The person inside the cart sat upright, maintaining an elegant posture, but his complexion…

“Are you shy?” she teased, raising an eyebrow as she leaned into the cart to examine him closely. “Your face is so red!”

“Who let you in?” Jiang Xuanjin was annoyed and shouted in a hoarse voice, “Get out!”

“Hey, don’t be so fierce.” She boldly pressed down on his wrist and, with a daring move, placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

It was burning hot.

“Oh my, so you can get sick too.” Huaiyu laughed, withdrawing her hand and patting him cheerfully. “Everyone says the Prince of Ziyang is as tough as iron, attending court every day for eight years without fail, rain or shine. How is it that you’ve come down with a fever?”

Jiang Xuanjin was momentarily stunned. He reached up to touch his forehead, his brows knitting tighter.

The Grand Princess had passed away, and there were many subsequent troubles to deal with. He had slept less than five hours in the past seven days, and it seemed he had worn himself down.

“Cheng Xu,” he called, “change course and find a pharmacy.”

“Yes!” Cheng Xu replied, immediately turning the cart around.

Having thought he was just suffering from a headache due to anger, he now realized he was ill, and his mind felt even more muddled. Jiang Xuanjin clenched his fists and coldly addressed the person beside him, “Can you please go outside?”

“I can’t,” Huaiyu shook her head, generously patting her thigh. “The cart is bouncing so much; you’re swaying all over the place. Here, let me lend you a soft pillow to lie on!”

With a darkened expression, Jiang Xuanjin replied, “I don’t need it.”

“I’m a young lady and don’t mind; why are you being so fussy?” She pouted and suddenly reached out, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him halfway into her embrace.

“You…” Jiang Xuanjin was taken aback and instinctively tried to push her away. However, this girl had surprising strength and even knew some grappling techniques. With her hands gripping him, he felt weak and couldn’t break free for a moment.

“Don’t worry, no one can see us,” Huaiyu said with a mischievous smile, looking at his flushed face with a sense of excitement as if she were a rogue teasing a virtuous woman.

The “virtuous woman” in her arms was not amused, frowning deeply at her, gathering strength to resist.

“Hey, let me make this clear,” she said wickedly, “if you dare to move, I’ll scream that you’re assaulting me. I don’t care about my reputation, but let’s see if the Prince of Ziyang wants to protect his pristine reputation!”