But if he rashly went in and disturbed the Princess, he would not escape a scolding.
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to wait for another stick of incense. If the Princess still hadn't come out after that, he would go in directly.
Thus, he waited anxiously.
At the same time, he kept silently counting the time in his heart.
By now, the sky was growing darker, and oil lamps had been lit in the courtyard.
Chen Fan could not wait any longer. He pushed open the door but did not see either of them.
His heart sank, and he thought, "This is bad!"
His gaze shifted, and he saw the lit room, from which he heard voices. He tiptoed over, curious about what they were saying.
Halfway there, he clearly heard their conversation.
"Young Master, this inkstick of yours is too hard; my hand doesn't feel comfortable touching it," the girl's voice was melodious and pleasant.
Chen Fan's eyes widened instantly, and a storm raged in his heart.
Too hard? Uncomfortable?
Thankfully, it was an inkstick; he almost got the wrong idea.
"This inkstick of mine was refined using ancient methods, so it's naturally much harder than previous ones," Shangguan Chen's voice sounded at the opportune moment.
"Indeed, it's even bigger than my hand."
"The more you use it, the less it gets consumed."
"Ah! It's starting to move; so much ink is coming out! But why is it spraying out???"
"Haha, I told you not to grind too fast. Now look, your face is all black. But don't worry, even though it looks black, it won't be poisonous if you eat it."
"Really? It seems so, and it even tastes sweet."
"???" Chen Fan's pupils dilated, his heart trembled, and he almost fainted on the spot.
Although they were grinding ink, the description was too easy to misunderstand!
Princess, can you be a bit more reserved? It's too scary!
It wasn't his fault for misunderstanding; it was just... too obvious.
Even an old hand in romantic affairs almost got the wrong idea.
"Good, good, they're grinding ink." Chen Fan wore a relieved expression, his heart pounding, afraid that something had gone wrong.
If he hadn't clearly heard the words 'inkstick,' he really wouldn't have known what to do.
"Young Master, do you still need some?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll continue!"
As Chen Fan was lost in thought, voices came from the room again.
This made his whole body tremble, and he instantly sobered up.
But on second thought, they were grinding ink, so it was nothing. It was nothing.
If it really were something indescribable, he probably wouldn't have enough lives to die a thousand times over.
But he was still a little worried, as it was getting late.
Thinking of this, to prevent anything from truly happening between them, he turned and rushed into the room.
At the same time, truly afraid of seeing something he shouldn't, he closed his eyes.
He also spoke at the same time: "Third Prince has good taste; still doing business late at night!"
Inside the room, both of them looked at Chen Fan, who had pushed open the door and still had his eyes closed.
A look of confusion flashed across their faces.
"Daoist Chen, it's not a big deal to come in; you don't need to close your eyes," Shangguan Chen kindly reminded him.
Chen Fan was a bit cautious and dared not open his eyes rashly.
After all, what if those words were just to mislead him, and they were actually doing something else?
If he saw the Princess's unclothed body, he would probably have to commit suicide on the spot to atone for it!
Even if it wasn't that, kissing and hugging were not something he should see.
"Third Prince, don't worry. I just got sand in my eyes, which is why I'm like this. You don't need to mind."
Xuan Yingxue's gaze was strange; she didn't know what he was up to, so she also said, "This adult is quite peculiar. Why is he closing his eyes?"
It's here, it's here!
Chen Fan's heart tightened. He knew this was probably a trap.
If he opened his eyes now, it would be over. He absolutely couldn't be caught with a handle!
He said calmly, "I don't know what kind of sand it is, but after it got in my eyes, I can't open them for a while..."
Both of them knew he was joking.
With his cultivation, how could he be blinded by mere sand?
It was probably some unspeakable Hobbies.
Shangguan Chen shook his head and ignored him, continuing to speak to Xuan Yingxue, "Let's continue."
"Okay," Xuan Yingxue softly responded.
Chen Fan was silent for a moment. Could it be that they were really grinding ink?
"Third Prince, it's getting late. Why don't we grind tomorrow?"
He was still a bit worried and couldn't help but speak to stop them.
"Hmm? Why not?" Shangguan Chen looked at him with a hint of amusement, already having some guesses in his heart.
Seeing Chen Fan's nervous expression, Xuan Yingxue also suddenly realized something. Her face flushed slightly, and then she said angrily, "Why is this adult stopping us?"
"Well... it's getting late... both of you should also take care of your bodies. After a day of toil, you should get a good rest," Chen Fan said unhurriedly.
"Could it be, Daoist Chen, that you think we are doing something unspeakable?" The smile on Shangguan Chen's lips grew wider.
"Of course not. Third Prince, you're only seventeen this year, right? The young lady next to you is probably also seventeen," Chen Fan said with a serious expression.
Before coming here, Xuan Yingxue had specifically instructed him not to reveal her identity.
"At this age, you're still growing, so you should rest early."
"But Daoist Chen, at this age, one doesn't grow much more."
"You can still grow a little, can't you?"
"But... does Daoist Chen really understand what we're doing?"
"Hehe, is Third Prince looking down on me too much?" Chen Fan unconsciously puffed out his chest and said proudly, "I've lived for decades; what haven't I seen? Even that... ahem, I've said too much. In short, it's time to rest."
"I didn't realize this adult was so caring," Xuan Yingxue also understood that her words just now must have caused him to misunderstand.
"Alright, Daoist Chen, you should open your eyes. I think you've misunderstood something," Shangguan Chen also stopped teasing him.
Chen Fan still shook his head: "No, no."
"This adult is truly stubborn. Young Master, how about we kick him out?" Xuan Yingxue said lightly.
Chen Fan's heart trembled. How could he not hear the warning in her tone? If he didn't open his eyes again, he would probably be in great trouble!
He immediately opened his eyes, still feeling a little uneasy.
But what he saw was a very normal scene.
Both of them were dressed appropriately, with no impropriety, and there was no bad atmosphere in the room. Instead, it was filled with the fragrance of books, giving a sense of peace.
Looking again, Xuan Yingxue held a black, stone-like object in her hand. It was indeed very large and looked very hard.
They were indeed grinding ink... Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, yet he also felt ashamed of his wild thoughts.
"This inkstick is made by me with special Materials, it has a unique ink fragrance that lasts for a long time and can be preserved for a long time. Although it's a bit hard, it's a top-grade ink. When grinding, it shouldn't be too fast, otherwise, the ink will spray out, and if you're not careful, it will splash onto your body. Since the Materials are all Spirit Medicine, it doesn't matter even if you eat it, and it won't affect your body."
Shangguan Chen silently explained from the side.
Chen Fan's face flushed, showing even more shame. He lowered his head and said with embarrassment, "It's all my fault for having impure thoughts and only thinking about vulgar things. I've misunderstood both of you and made a fool of myself..."
At this moment, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. This was too shameful; he couldn't remember the last time he felt so ashamed.
"It's not your fault; our words were indeed a bit ambiguous." Shangguan Chen thought about it carefully now and realized it was indeed very easy for people to misunderstand.
"Since that's the case, I won't bother you anymore." Chen Fan silently bowed and was about to leave the room.
But he found that Xuan Yingxue didn't react, which made him a little impatient. He frowned and asked, "It's so late, is this young lady not planning to go home yet?"
Xuan Yingxue smiled and said, "I am Young Master's maid, so naturally, I don't need to leave."
Moreover, this courtyard was originally hers, so there was even less need to leave.
Chen Fan's eyes widened, and he said somewhat uncertainly, "Maid... maid???"
Is it real or fake? The dignified Great Xuan Princess has become the maid of an enemy country's Prince??
Was he dreaming, or had this world become incomprehensible to him?
He looked at Xuan Yingxue with a serious expression, wanting to see if she was joking.
Unfortunately, all he saw was an extremely serious expression.
It's over... this is probably real.
Chen Fan gasped, completely numb.
In just less than half a day, the Princess had become someone else's maid?
If the Emperor knew about this, would his head still be safe?
He took a deep look at Shangguan Chen, thinking to himself, "This kid probably doesn't know the Princess's identity... what great fortune!"
"Third Prince has great skill; in just half a day, you've made her your maid."
"Daoist Chen, you flatter me." Shangguan Chen still had that nonchalant smile: "This was Miss Qin's own request."
Miss Qin, what a Miss Qin!
Chen Fan gritted his teeth. How could all these good things fall to this kid? It was truly enviable!
He didn't understand. His own Princess was beautiful, noble in status, and outstanding in talent, the dream lover in countless men's hearts.
How many Young Masters from aristocratic families wanted to win her favor?
But she had never had any thoughts about those men, not even wanting to acknowledge them.
Yet, she was deeply in love with a Prince from an enemy country and even became his maid.
He seemed to understand why this Third Prince of Da Yan could live in this place.
He just didn't know... if the Emperor knew... Chen Fan felt that this was a serious matter and needed to be reported. Who knew what this kid was planning?
He might be full of bad intentions! Most importantly, he was envious!!!
"But speaking of which, I need to ask someone to send a message to my family so they don't worry. Can I speak a few words with this adult?"
Xuan Yingxue asked Shangguan Chen.
Shangguan Chen nodded and said, "Go ahead."
With that, he continued to write.
Outside the room, Xuan Yingxue regained her cold demeanor and ordered, "General Chen, this matter must not be leaked. Do you understand?"
"Understood," Chen Fan said respectfully, not daring to disobey in the slightest.
Xuan Yingxue handed over a small box and said, "Help me give this to my Imperial Father."
"I will go immediately..."
"That's good."
