Shen Pin stopped.

  He pushed his body up and looked at her.

  “Really?”


  “Yes.”


  Shen Pin thought for a moment. “Fine.”


  Ming Shu felt relieved. “Antidote. Give me the antidote.”


  Shen Pin said, “This is a secret drug from the palace. There is no antidote. Maybe I’m the antidote. If you want…… I can continue.”


  Ming Shu: “.……”
……

  Shen Pin squatted beside the bathing pool. He reached out and made to touch Ming Shu’s hand.

  “Don’t touch me.” The moment he touched her, her efforts would be wasted.

  Shen Pin retracted his hands. “When are you going to marry me?”


  Ming Shu didn’t want to talk.

  I need

  time alone.

  Shen Pin waited for a moment but Ming Shu didn’t reply. He might have realized that he went a little overboard just now so he didn’t probe further. He silently waited at the side.

  Ming Shu came out of the pool after she felt more comfortable.

  Shen Pin was asleep on the soft couch.

  Ming Shu wasn’t able to hit him……

  The next day……

  Shen Pin opened his eyes and closed them again. His brain started functioning.

  He touched the blanket on him and scanned the surroundings.

  This was her room.

  Ming Shu came back after breakfast and saw Shen Pin sitting on the bed with a stupid smile on his face. Her mouth twitched. “Get out of here and go back to your palace.”


  Shen Pin’s clothes were a mess. If an outsider saw him, he would think that Shen Pin did something unspeakable.

  He got down from the bed and hugged Ming Shu.

  “Prime Minister, you will get rid of Huan Li, right?”


  “.…… Yes.”

  Shen Pin hugged Ming Shu’s neck and kissed her.

  “Don’t kiss me.” Ming Shu was scared. She leaned back.

  Yesterday night, she thought about what happened and felt that the drug could only be applied on his lips. He must have applied a layer of honey over it so that he wouldn’t eat it accidentally.

  Shen Pin blinked. “You ate all of it yesterday.”


  He licked his lips. “See.”


  Ming Shu: “.……”


  Shen Pin leaned forward shamelessly. “I can only see you tonight. Give me a kiss please.”


  “No.”


  “Please.”


  “No!”


  Someone knocked on the door. Shen Pin didn’t want to let Ming Shu go so Ming Shu had no choice but to kiss him. Then, she threw him out of the window and went to open the door.

  “Lady.” Shen Pin lay on the window ledge. Ming Shu held onto the door frame and looked back at him.

  The sunlight shone on his body. He said, “I really like you.”


  Shen Pin disappeared from the window. Ming Shu opened the door.

  Jing Yu’s hand almost knocked on Ming Shu’s head.

  “Lady, I heard someone talking just now. Were you talking to someone?”


  “You heard wrong.”


  “No, I really……” Jing Yu looked at Ming Shu’s serious face and swallowed her words. “Maybe I heard wrong.”


  Was Lady hiding someone in her room?

  Last time, Lady asked her about marrying a woman……

  She couldn’t interfere with Lady’s affairs. She was only a servant. If Lady asked her anything, she would answer her. If she didn’t ask anything, she would just keep quiet.

  “What’s the matter?”


  Jing Yu quickly gathered her thoughts. “This is the clothes for the banquet tonight. I just got them back. You can try them out and see if they fit you.”


  Ming Shu nodded. “Shen Pin……”


  Jing Yu was puzzled.

  “What does Shen Pin like?”


  “Princess Seven likes……” Jing Yu thought for a moment. “I’m not sure what she likes specifically, but I heard that she likes to collect rare ornaments. Are you planning to send her a gift?”


  That main lead for tonight was Princess Seven. Hence, Jing Yu didn’t think much.

  Ming Shu thought about the things in her mansion. She didn’t give a definite answer to Jing Yu.

  “Lady, why do you think Prince Huan Li wants Princess Seven?”


  “Princess Seven is pretty but……”


  “To the people from other countries, Shen Pin is a good choice.” Fengqi State was a female-ruled country, but Beiyue Country wasn’t.

  Jing Yu: “.……”


  That made sense……

  Since there were ambassadors from another country, this imperial banquet was more extravagant as compared to the other normal banquets.

  The people who could attend the banquet was specially chosen. Those that were ugly didn’t have the right to be here.

  “Prime Minister.”


  “Prime Minister……”


  “That is Prime Minister? I heard that she doesn’t have a male concubine at all.”


  A few men who never saw Ming Shu before gathered together and pointed at Ming Shu.

  Someone even walked up to her. “Prime Minister, I……”


  “Your Highness……”


  Voices came from the entrance.

  “Your Highness.”


  “Your Highness……”


  Ming Shu looked over. Shen Pin was dressed luxuriously. He walked straight in and went toward Ming Shu.

  Just as he was about to reach her, he paused. He waved to the man who wanted to talk to Ming Shu. “Come here.”


  The man widened his eyes.

  His family had reminded him that he must never get together with Princess Seven no matter how beautiful she was. If not, he would be looked down upon.

  The man didn’t know why the princess called him. He was worried but he had to follow the princess’s order.

  “Your Highness.”


  The others didn’t dare to look at Princess Seven directly, but still secretly observed her. They wanted to see what she intended to do.

  Shen Pin smiled at the man and said gently, “I left my cloak outside. Please help me get it.”


  “Yes…… yes.” The man bowed and ran out of the hall.

  Everyone: “.……”


  They thought that there was a good show to watch.

  Shen Pin winked at Ming Shu secretly. He wanted her to stop interacting with other men. He was watching her.

  Ming Shu felt that it was funny.

  She was surprised that he didn’t rush toward her and hug her.

  But……

  If he was a man, he might really pounce on her.

  The entire hall was like a huge staircase. The empress sat right at the top. The princes and princesses sat on the second step. The third step consisted of important ministers like Ming Shu. The family members of the ministers sat behind them.

  Shen Pin’s seat was a step above Ming Shu’s. He could arrive later, but he wanted to see Ming Shu.

  However, he realized that it was useless to come early.

  He couldn’t talk to her even if he saw her.

  Shen Pin placed his hands on his chin and stared at Ming Shu. He looked as though he was in a daze. Princess Seven was always like this in public so everyone was used to it.

  “Your Highness, your cloak.” The man had brought the cloak back.

  Shen Pin raised his eyes slightly. “Put it down.”


  “Yes.”


  The man put down the cloak and rushed back to his seat. He had forgotten all about Ming Shu by now……

  A few minutes later……

  Huan Li and Shen Yu came in together. Huan Li was the prince of Beiyue so his status was the same as the princess’s.

  Ming Shu looked at the man in red as he sat beside Shen Pin. She wasn’t sure if this seating arrangement was done on purpose.

  Ming Shu glanced at Huan Li a few times.

  She felt that he was dodging her for some reason……

  Dodging her……