Ji Xiaofu had secretly gone over to Yang Yan's side.

　　On this day, Yan Anning, who rarely had any free time, was resting with her eyes closed in the courtyard. Suddenly, a spring breeze blew, disturbing her thoughts.

　　"Why wouldn't I look? The Princess is the most beautiful woman in the world. To catch a glimpse of Your Highness's grace, even if Ji Xiaofu dies, it would be worth it."

　　Yan Anning suddenly recalled Ji Xiaofu's words from that day.

　　Perhaps she had seen too many timid and hesitant men; someone like Ji Xiaofu was truly rare.

　　She didn't know why she would think of Ji Xiaofu's words from that day, even the slightly teasing look in his eyes.

　　These were clearly words that teased her, and Yan Anning knew that. Logically, she should have been angry, yet at this moment, not only was she not angry, but she even felt a touch of pride.

　　"Someone come!" Yan Anning called out.

　　"Your Highness, what orders do you have?"

　　"Prepare a sedan chair for me."

　　Her subordinates immediately prepared a fine sedan chair for Yan Anning. She changed her clothes, touched up her makeup, and then got into the sedan chair.

　　Where was Yan Anning going?

　　It turned out that the place she was heading to was none other than Ji Xiaofu's home.

　　Sigh, how to put it!

　　Women always love the admiring glances of men, especially a beauty like Yan Anning.

　　They were born with a silver spoon in their mouths, received an excellent education, and held supreme power.

　　With looks as beautiful as flowers, elegant clothing, and profound knowledge, such women usually have a certain degree of narcissism—even arrogance. They always enjoy the feeling of being admired and pursued.

　　Yan Anning was outstanding in both talent and appearance, and skilled in strategy; she was no less than any man, a true standout among women. Logically, such a woman should be very popular, right?

　　However, because her heart was cruel and vicious, people only felt fear towards her—how dare they get close?

　　Most people, when they saw Yan Anning, would act like mice seeing a cat: obsequious, trembling with fear, avoiding her sharp gaze. Who would dare to openly appreciate her beauty, let alone tease her?

　　Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Yan Anning had such a deep impression of Ji Xiaofu.

　　In fact, when Ji Xiaofu first saw Yan Anning that day, he was also somewhat afraid. It was only later, when he saw the disdainful look in her eyes, that he changed his mind.

　　Ji Xiaofu knew that although Yan Anning was malicious, there was one thing about her that deserved respect: she valued talented people.

　　She was a woman of great talent, and had extremely high demands on both herself and others. She looked down on those who were uneducated and incompetent, but showed extraordinary respect to learned scholars.

　　Ji Xiaofu had secretly observed every move Yan Anning made, trying to figure out her thoughts—that was why he dared to act as he did.

　　When Ji Xiaofu spoke teasingly, Yan Anning appeared very angry, but in reality, her heart was filled with pride!

　　As Yan Anning thought about what happened that day, before long, the sedan chair arrived at the Ji Mansion.

　　"Young Master!" Qin An hurried into the room.

　　"Qin An, what's the matter?" Ji Xiaofu, seeing Qin An's flustered state, asked in a hurry.

　　"Yan Anning is here!"

　　Ji Xiaofu was shocked and hurried out to greet her.

　　At a glance, Ji Xiaofu noticed that she had changed her outfit—she looked less stern, but her makeup was still as exquisite as ever, and she was just as stunningly beautiful. She was like a blooming peony, standing proudly above all other flowers in a garden.

　　"Thank you for honoring this humble abode with your presence, Your Highness! Ji Xiaofu is deeply grateful that the Princess has come to visit!"

　　Ji Xiaofu hurriedly bowed to Yan Anning.

　　"Lord Ji, no need for such formality!"

　　Yan Anning replied with a smile, then returned Ji Xiaofu's bow.

　　Seeing Yan Anning return his bow, Ji Xiaofu was taken aback.

　　"Lord Ji, has your injury improved?"

　　"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My injury is no longer a problem!"

　　Ji Xiaofu smiled brightly on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

　　It was clearly Yan Anning who had stabbed him, and now she had come to visit—wasn't this like a weasel coming to pay respects to a chicken (meaning someone with malicious intentions pretending to be kind)?

　　"What on earth does she want?"

　　Ji Xiaofu silently tried to guess Yan Anning's thoughts, carefully observing every move she made.

　　"Could it be that she found out about me going over to Yang Yan's side?"

　　"Has she come to warn me?" Ji Xiaofu wondered secretly.

　　"This is a small token of my regard. Please accept it."

　　Yan Anning's voice interrupted Ji Xiaofu's deep thoughts. As she spoke, she signaled to her subordinate, who stepped forward carrying some tonics.

　　Ji Xiaofu took a look—there were ginseng, bird's nest, and other fine tonics, all of the highest quality.

　　"Your Highness, it is already a great honor for this official to receive your visit. How dare I accept such valuable gifts from you?"

　　"It is impolite not to reciprocate. Lord Ji, if you refuse to accept, could it be that you are still holding a grudge against me?" Yan Anning asked with a smile.

　　Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaofu had no choice but to accept.

　　He looked at Yan Anning again—she appeared very gentle. At that moment, Yan Anning's gaze met his, and she smiled charmingly.

　　"It seems she doesn't mean me any harm."

　　"Then what is her purpose in coming here today?"

　　"Could it be that she wants to win me over?"

　　Ji Xiaofu continued to speculate.

　　Although Ji Xiaofu's official position was not high, the power exercised by the Censorate (an imperial agency in ancient China responsible for supervising officials) was enough to make all court officials fear him. Using him would allow her to eliminate political rivals.

　　"Lord Ji, let's play a game of chess," Yan Anning said, dismissing all her attendants except for a beautiful young woman around her age who stayed by her side.

　　"A game of chess?"

　　Ji Xiaofu was shocked.

　　That day, he had taken the initiative to invite her to play, but Yan Anning had refused—and he had even been stabbed with a sword. Now, she was taking the initiative to invite him?

　　"Should I win against her or lose?"

　　As Ji Xiaofu thought about this, a sudden realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

　　That day, during his confrontation with Yan Anning, he had only focused on turning the tables from a passive position to an active one, pressing forward step by step, but had ignored Yan Anning's feelings.

　　"Ji Xiaofu, Ji Xiaofu—you deserved that sword stab."

　　Yan Anning cared deeply about face. Since he had dared to invite her, he must have been skilled at chess.

　　If Yan Anning had refused the invitation, where would her dignity be? If she had accepted and won, that would have been fine, but if she had lost, how could she have swallowed her pride?

　　Therefore, she had drawn her sword and stabbed him, using her authority to cover up her inner cowardice.

　　Thinking of this, Ji Xiaofu immediately relaxed and couldn't help but break into a smile.

　　If his previous smiles had been a protective mask he had worn after years in official circles, mixed with too much pretense, then this smile was a natural expression of his happy mood—so bright and sincere.

　　"Lord Ji, let's begin," Yan Anning's voice interrupted Ji Xiaofu's thoughts.

　　Ji Xiaofu looked up and saw Yan Anning staring at him intently, without blinking, as if she was captivated. Ji Xiaofu felt a little embarrassed.

　　"Your Highness, it's your turn," Ji Xiaofu said softly.

　　"Oh, right," Yan Anning replied, somewhat distracted.

　　And so, the two began their chess match.

　　When Yan Anning played chess, she was meticulous and careful, planning every step, and skilled at setting traps. If one wasn't careful, they would fall into her trap—one wrong move, and the entire game would be lost. After a long and intense struggle, Ji Xiaofu finally won.

　　"Lord Ji is highly skilled at chess. This Palace admires you," Yan Anning said with a smile.

　　"Your Highness is too modest! Your Highness's skill is excellent—you are truly outstanding among people," Ji Xiaofu replied.

　　Ji Xiaofu knew that although Yan Anning had lost, she was still a top-tier chess player, and he had only won by a narrow margin.

　　After the chess game, Yan Anning chatted with Ji Xiaofu for a while, but their conversation was only about daily trivial matters and did not touch on court affairs. Once they finished chatting, Yan Anning left.

　　"Shuang'er, it seems you were right to leave me. I have already been drawn into the struggles of the court, and there are many things that I cannot control on my own," Ji Xiaofu said silently.

　　"Shuang'er, I also want to be an upright official, only doing things I am willing to do. But I am a low-ranking official with little influence—I have no way to control the current situation."

　　Ji Xiaofu recalled every little detail of the time he had spent with Ning Shuang. He stared longingly at the hairpin she had left behind when she left, then carefully placed it in a delicate small box. From that moment on, he deeply buried his love for Ning Shuang and embarked on a new journey.