A warm face pressed against a cold behind.

His skin was smooth as jade, almost blending seamlessly with the moonlight—he was the same man who had appeared at the night banquet, soaring above the crowd. Now, up close, he looked to be barely in his twenties, his features imbued with the cool elegance of wind and moon. His lips, shaped like a delicate bow, were pressed together in a way that exuded sensuality; his nose was high and straight, and his every movement radiated an intoxicating charm. Lingran was utterly bewitched, her heart aflame, eyes nearly bursting with adoration.

He must be a spirit born of moonlight—how could such a creature exist in the mundane world? A demon has descended, and the world will never be the same!

“You… you… what are you doing?” Lingran, seeing where he stood—the stone was crafted to jut out, and he was at the very tip, his toes barely touching the edge—felt panic rise. The wind seemed ready to knock him off at any moment. She pointed at him in a fluster, whispering, “Even if you’re troubled, there’s no need to end your life! You’re so young, and you look… so breathtaking that even the heavens and ghosts would weep—dying would be a terrible waste!”

Her heart burned with fervor, but the white-robed man stared at her coldly and asked, “What did you say?”

His look seemed as if he wanted to devour her alive! Yet his voice was deep and magnetic, so pleasing it was almost fatal—a gift from heaven, truly!

Right, with skills like his, how could he possibly fall to his death? She was worrying needlessly! Lingran thought he might have been sent here as a spy, or perhaps he harbored a deep grudge against the old villain. Maybe he wasn’t truly eager to become a consort—just another lost soul in the world! Seeing his lonely, desolate expression, she felt compelled to comfort him.

So, she flashed eight perfectly aligned teeth in her brightest smile and walked over. “Brother, don’t be so down! No matter the reason, it’s not worth climbing into Chu Liuxiang’s bed. He’s only infatuated with Master Hongxiao now—that’s your blessing! You still have your whole life ahead of you; the world is vast, there’s nowhere you can’t go. I can’t escape even if I want to, yet you choose to trap yourself in misery—where in the world will you find someone as foolish as that?”

A chill flashed across the white-robed man’s eyes, but he said nothing for a long time.

Lingran thought, I must have hit a nerve! So she pressed on, “Your lightness skills are excellent—why not take me with you and escape this Prime Minister’s residence? I promise you’ll eat and drink well; don’t fret over gains and losses. Most of life is disappointment. If you dwell on it, your life will be ruined…”

Before she finished, a cold, powerful hand gripped her throat, lifting her off the ground. Lingran’s legs kicked wildly, terror surging in her heart—this man was mad! She’d barely begun to enjoy her reborn life, and now a lunatic was going to kill her!

Suddenly, the pressure eased and her feet touched the ground. The white-robed man released her, his eyes so icy they could freeze a soul.

“I’m not dead yet!” Lingran blinked her big, dark eyes, rubbing her neck as she gave her most invincible youthful grin. “If squeezing my neck made you feel better, I won’t hold it against you. But really, it’s dangerous—if I’d died, you’d have a murder on your hands! After all, we’re in the Prime Minister’s residence; you might not escape the consequences!” This man wasn’t completely crazy, so she figured she’d better reason with him and appeal to his emotions.

“Who are you?” His gaze flickered slightly as his lips curled in a way that was both doubtful and mocking—so seductive it could kill.

“I’m Lingran. What's your name?” She reminded herself not to swoon again—just treat him as a perfect computer-generated animation. Still, her heart refused to calm.

She thought to herself: He’s absurdly handsome—no celebrity or idol could even compare!

He looked at her coldly for a long time, then snorted. Without so much as a leap, he was gone, gliding away on the wind.

“Hey! Hey! Take me with you!” Lingran called out urgently in a low voice, reaching for his robe.

He vanished so swiftly that in a blink he disappeared into the dense forest. Lingran, fixated on grabbing him, failed to notice a stone underfoot and stumbled, falling flat on her face.

She got up and stood dazed for a while, wondering why she lost all sense of shame around this man. He was aloof and indifferent—why keep trying to win his favor? Have some backbone!

Hmph!

His deep nasal tone seemed to linger in her ears. Standing with hands on her hips, she clenched her fists and declared, “If I see you again, I’ll walk the other way! What’s so great about being handsome?”

After grumbling to herself, she remembered why she’d climbed the hill in the first place. She quickly scanned the area and spotted a small platform atop the hill, with a refined pavilion built on the inner side, pitch-black and uncertain whether anyone was inside. Not daring to meddle, she looked down at the golden-roofed Mirror Garden palace glowing in the night, finally finding her bearings, and hurriedly ran down.

By the time she reached the side courtyard, dawn was breaking. The yard was silent—even the night guards were asleep. Lingran wisely decided not to wake the plump woman from her dreams; it would only bring trouble. So she hugged her knees under the eaves of the corridor and took the opportunity to nap.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! How disgraceful—drooling in your sleep!”

Lingran, half-awake, felt a sharp pain in her ear and reflexively covered it, but was still yanked up. A voice as rough as a cracked gong bellowed in her ear, “How did you end up sleeping in my territory alone? Trying to run away?”

“Ow, ow!” Lingran rubbed her nearly rabbit-shaped right ear, now fully awake, and saw that it was Mrs. Li—the steward whom Director Yu had mentioned. The woman was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, her arm bigger than Lingran’s thigh; it was a miracle her ear survived the ordeal. Behind her stood two other matrons, staring at Lingran with curiosity.

Lingran widened her eyes. “Where am I? The Prime Minister’s residence! Who would dare to run away here?” She grabbed Mrs. Li’s arm, feigning delight. “Oh! Isn’t this Mrs. Li? I finally found you—Director Yu told me to come find you.”

“Director Yu?” Mrs. Li folded her arms, sizing Lingran up as if doubting her words.

“Yes, Director Yu told me to find Mrs. Li, the steward, and arrange for a maid’s post in a secluded garden. If you don’t believe me, send someone to ask. Even if I had the courage of a bear or a leopard, I wouldn’t come looking for trouble with you at dawn, right?” She smiled obsequiously, realizing that after months living in ancient times, she’d mastered the local dialect.

Mrs. Li’s chubby cheeks quivered as she laughed heartily. “Ha! Didn’t you say you’d be a beauty after dressing up? How come you’ve been sent out to be a maid?” She clapped her hands at the two matrons behind her. “I told you, our Prime Minister’s residence is full of beauties—not just anyone can get ahead here. So, which garden is the most secluded?”

One matron, dusting clothes with a feather duster, paused, her expression turning sly. “If it’s seclusion, nothing beats the Lanze Mountain House or the Snow Fragrance Cottage.”

Lingran thought both names sounded elegant, so perhaps they weren’t bad places. She looked at Mrs. Li to see if she would agree.

Mrs. Li gave the matron a knowing smile. “The Snow Fragrance Cottage belongs to the Prince of Xiang’s estate—without Madam Sun’s approval, I wouldn’t dare meddle there. Well, you’re in luck; you’ll go to the Lanze Mountain House.”