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Shen Chuwei lifted her head to look at Ye Haoting, slightly relieved that her tastes were somewhat similar to Feng Wuyou’s.

"Because the meat is delicious," she declared.

Ye Haoting, hearing her words, laughed heartily again, "Right, the meat is delicious."

After Shen Chuwei had eaten four bowls of rice, Ye Haoting still asked if she was full.

Suddenly, she thought of Xiao Jinyan, who had commented on how large a girl’s appetite could be...

"I’m full," she said.

Ye Haoting nodded, "Good, rest early tonight. Tomorrow the Crown Prince will take you to get reacquainted with the Imperial Palace."

Shen Chuwei had been in Nanzhao Country for several days and still didn’t know who the Crown Prince of Nanzhao was, but it didn’t matter who it was; after all, she was an impostor with amnesia—

After Ye Haoting had left, a Palace Maid came forward to ask, "Princess, shall we prepare the warm water for your bath now?"

Shen Chuwei nodded, "Yes, please."

"This servant will have it arranged," said the Palace Maid before she withdrew.

Once Shen Chuwei saw that all the maids had left, she took out some paper and a writing brush from her Space, scribbled a few words, and folded it up. Seeing Xuetuan, who had eaten its fill, she called, "Xuetuan."

Xuetuan was lying comfortably, but upon hearing its master’s call, it sprang up neatly and trotted over on its small stubby legs, "Meow."

"Take this to Xiao Jinyan, okay? Though the road is long, I believe in your ability. You can do it," Shen Chuwei said as she put the note into a small Lotus Pouch and hung it around Xuetuan’s neck. It was tied neither too tight nor too loose, so it wouldn’t cause any discomfort or get lost on the way.

Xuetuan was a cat that would rather be carried than walk—that would be asking for its life—

But when it came to tasks assigned by its master, Xuetuan was willing to die a thousand deaths.

Shen Chuwei patted Xuetuan’s head, and the dutiful cat slipped out into the night.

Xuetuan’s nose was even keener than a dog’s, so there was no fear it wouldn’t find Xiao Jinyan.

The Palace Maid came in to report, "Princess, the warm water is ready."

"Oh, I’m coming." Shen Chuwei suddenly realized she hadn’t brought any clothes—what was she supposed to wear after the bath?

As Shen Chuwei was worrying about this, several maids approached with clothes, "Princess, please choose your clothes."

Shen Chuwei looked at the clothes in the maids’ hands—reds, yellows, greens, blues, purples, all shades of pink...

At first, she was curious about the pre-prepared clothes, but then she realized with so many clothes in the palace, there surely were spares.

She picked a pink one and then moved behind the screen to see fresh petals in the bath. One might think she was about to be served in bed...

Two Palace Maids, one on each side, bowed their heads respectfully, "Princess, shall we assist you undress?"

Except for Chun Xi, Shen Chuwei wasn’t used to anyone else serving her so closely.

"No need, you all may leave," she said.

"As you wish," the Palace Maids replied and withdrew.

When Shen Chuwei sank into the bath, her body enveloped by the warm water, it was indeed very comfortable.

Meanwhile, out on the streets,

Xiao Jinyan had scoured every nook and cranny of the Main Street but still hadn’t spotted Shen Chuwei. He was nearly frantic—if something had happened to Shen Chuwei because they came to Nanzhao, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

Night had long since fallen, and every household had lit their lamps.

With darkness enveloping the city, could Chuwei have gone back to the Inn?

Thinking that Shen Chuwei might have returned to the Inn, Xiao Jinyan headed there without rest.

By the time he reached the Inn, half an hour had passed.

He hurried upstairs and pushed open the door, only to find the room still empty, and he was seized by an unprecedented fear.

He had never been this afraid, not even when he suffered leg injuries or went blind in the past.

Just as Wu Tan arrived upstairs, he saw Xiao Jinyan’s distraught figure heading towards him and asked, "Haven’t you found her yet?"

Xiao Jinyan shook his head, "No."

At that moment, Xiao Jinyan had no attention to spare for Wu Tan, much less to observe his subtle expressions. His only desire was to find Shen Chuwei quickly.

Wu Tan’s brows furrowed upon hearing this. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to run back down the stairs.

Xiao Jinyan stepped out of the Inn, saw Qin Xiao returning, and immediately asked, "Did you find her?"

Qin Xiao shook his head, "No."

Xiao Jinyan stared at the unfamiliar surroundings, wondering where Shen Chuwei could have gone.

As Xiao Jinyan was blaming himself, he saw a snowy white figure running towards him. As he looked closer, he realized it was Xuetuan. He had just crouched down when Xuetuan leapt into his arms.

"Meow." The sound of Xuetuan’s meow was tinged with urgency.

Xiao Jinyan’s hope was rekindled when he saw Xuetuan, and he was about to ask Xuetuan to lead him to Shen Chuwei when he noticed a small Lotus Pouch hanging around the cat’s neck. Thinking that Shen Chuwei must have put it there, he eagerly opened it.

As he took out the note within, his heartbeat became unsteady. Unfolding the note, relief washed over him when he saw the handwriting—Chuwei was alright.

The note contained only a few short sentences but informed him that Shen Chuwei was in a safe situation for now, although it did not clarify what she was doing inside the palace.

Xiao Jinyan was still not at ease. He had Qin Xiao get him a set of clothes suitable for moving stealthily at night, and then had Xuetuan lead him to Shen Chuwei.

Xuetuan was as tired as a dog, hadn’t even taken a sip of water, and now it had to start running again—

Xiao Jinyan obviously couldn’t care less about how Xuetuan felt at that moment; all he wanted was to see Chuwei and make sure she was truly safe.

So, without getting the chance to catch its breath, Xuetuan began to run for its life again—

Infiltrating the Imperial Palace at night was no small feat. Xiao Jinyan was extremely cautious, but fortunately, with Xuetuan guiding him, he managed to avoid all the Guards.

When Xiao Jinyan slipped into the Bedchamber of Wuyou Palace, even though the light was dim, he could make out that the person on the bed was Shen Chuwei.

He walked over slowly and sat down beside the bed.

Shen Chuwei had been waiting for Xuetuan to bring back a message, but she had fallen asleep from the exhaustion of waiting. As she was in a drowsy state, she felt someone enter the room.

She strained her eyes open and saw a figure seated by the bedside, which nearly scared her off.

After the initial shock, she became somewhat more alert and saw a hand reaching towards her. Instinctively, she grabbed the hand while another hand retrieved a silver needle from her Space, ready to strike at a vital point, only to hear a familiar voice echoing in the pitch-black night.

"Chuwei, it’s me," the voice said.

...

...ps: It’s hot in August, my dears. I’m begging for your monthly tickets to climb the rankings!