The woodshed was dimly lit.
In Zongzheng Zhan’s clear peach-blossom eyes reflected Sang Wanwan’s face, still smeared with blood, yet impossible to hide its stunning beauty.
He looked at Sang Wanwan.
Then he looked down at the hard, stone-like black bread bun in his hands, sour with age.
It seemed he went through an intense internal struggle.
Finally, he scooted forward and carefully held the dirty bun out to her.
“Wife… eat?”
His voice was pleasant, carrying a faint husky undertone, but his tone was as innocent and pure as a three-year-old child.
Sang Wanwan’s eyelid twitched.
This man possessed a face capable of toppling kingdoms.
Yet his eyes were as naïve as a newborn puppy’s.
With soot smeared across his face, messy hair hanging everywhere, and that eager, pleading expression…
He looked exactly like a giant stray golden retriever desperate for someone to take him home.
“Not eating. Take it away.”
Sang Wanwan leaned back in disgust and slapped the moldy bun aside.
The thing rolled across the floor and disappeared into a moss-covered corner.
If someone ate food that spoiled, they would end up with food poisoning.
Was this foolish prince not only mentally impaired but also incapable of tasting anything properly?
Zongzheng Zhan stared at the fallen bun.
Instantly, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes filled with tears.
His lips drooped pitifully.
Wrapping his arms around his knees, he curled himself into a miserable ball.
“Wuu… bun’s gone… Wanwan won’t eat it… then I’ll eat it…”
Muttering to himself, he actually started crawling toward the dirt-covered bun.
“Enough. Don’t pick it up.”
Sang Wanwan grabbed the back of his collar and hauled the giant man, who stood at least six feet tall, straight back.
She sighed.
Fine.
Consider it her good deed for the day.
Feeding a stray dog, more or less.
Pretending to reach into the oversized sleeve of her wedding robe, she silently focused her consciousness on the Infinite Space.
With a thought, she appeared before the premium fruit section inside the refrigerated produce area.
Every fruit here was top-grade produce imported by air freight from the modern world.
Her eyes landed on the largest, reddest Fuji apple on the shelf.
The fruit glowed with a tempting sheen and released a sweet fragrance.
The next instant, it appeared in her palm.
Back in reality, Sang Wanwan held the enormous apple before him.
“Open your mouth.”
She spoke in the tone one would use when ordering a child.
Zongzheng Zhan sniffed.
A sweet scent unlike anything he had ever encountered drifted into his nose.
His head shot up.
His eyes lit up instantly.
“Ahhh!”
Obediently, he opened his mouth wide.
Without hesitation, Sang Wanwan stuffed the giant apple straight into his mouth, effectively silencing any further whining.
Crunch!
The crisp sound echoed through the quiet woodshed.
Sweet juice burst across his tongue.
The unprecedented sweetness and freshness left him completely frozen.
“Sweet!”
Zongzheng Zhan cheered through a mouthful of apple.
Hugging the fruit with both hands, he began devouring it enthusiastically.
Juice dripped all over his face.
His cheeks puffed out like a giant hamster storing food.
Every inch of him radiated pure happiness.
The women imprisoned in the woodshed turned their heads at the sound.
The fragrant aroma of fresh apples spread through the air.
Having gone hungry all day, the noblewomen, once accustomed to luxury, couldn’t stop swallowing their saliva.
“What… what fruit is that? Why does it smell so good?”
An elderly Dowager Consort in the corner stared greedily at the apple in Zongzheng Zhan’s hands.
Her eyes practically glowed green.
Even the finest tribute fruits in the imperial palace had never possessed such color or fragrance.
Gathering her courage, she stretched out a hand toward Sang Wanwan.
“You… do you have any more? Give me one! This Dowager Consort commands you!”
Leaning against the broken wooden door, Sang Wanwan didn’t even bother opening her eyes.
“Want one?”
She let out a cold laugh.
“Go pick up that moldy bun in the corner. Maybe if you chew long enough, you’ll imagine it tastes like meat.”
“You insolent girl!”
The old woman trembled with rage.
Pointing at Sang Wanwan, she launched into a furious tirade.
“You’re nothing but a disaster-bringing curse who just married into the family! If not for you, how could the Prince’s Manor have suffered such calamity?”
“Just wait until we’re on the exile route. I’ll make your life miserable!”
Sang Wanwan closed her eyes.
She couldn’t be bothered with idiots who only knew how to bully those weaker than themselves.
Instead of wasting energy cursing people, they should save their strength for tomorrow’s journey.
She needed rest.
Tonight, she had a much bigger performance to put on.
Outside the woodshed, faint sounds of armored guards changing shifts drifted through the darkness.
“Keep your eyes open! The people inside are state criminals!”
“The commander said not even a fly is allowed to escape!”
Listening to the commotion outside, Sang Wanwan’s lips curved into a mocking smile.
Did these ancient soldiers seriously think they could imprison a top-tier modern special agent?
Ridiculous.
Time slowly passed.
Night deepened.
Cold autumn winds slipped through cracks in the door, causing the women inside to shiver uncontrollably.
The curses gradually turned into quiet sobs.
The sobs eventually faded into heavy breathing.
Zongzheng Zhan had long since finished the apple.
He had even chewed the core clean.
Now he slept soundly atop a pile of hay beside Sang Wanwan, an idiotic smile still lingering on his face.
Now.
Sang Wanwan’s eyes snapped open.
In the darkness, they gleamed as sharply as blades.
Without making a sound, she rose to her feet.
Her consciousness entered the Infinite Space once more.
This time, she headed directly to the pharmaceutical section.
Rows upon rows of advanced medical equipment and drugs lined the shelves.
Her gaze swept across them before stopping at a cabinet containing anesthetics.
“Premium Medical Ether.”
Highly volatile.
Capable of knocking someone unconscious within seconds of inhalation.
A perfect tool for travel, infiltration, and various other… professional activities.
Sang Wanwan retrieved a bottle of concentrated ether.
Then she cut a length of flexible medical tubing from a nearby supply rack.
Preparation complete.
Silent as a cat, she approached the drafty wooden door.
Peering through the crack, she saw two Imperial Guards stationed outside.
The men hugged their halberds and stomped their feet against the cold while grumbling.
“Damn bad luck. Standing guard in this freezing weather.”
“Quit whining. Once they’re handed over to the exile escorts tomorrow, we’ll finally be free to enjoy ourselves.”
They were still talking when a faint hissing sound drifted through the crack.
Moments later, a mildly sweet yet pungent smell entered their noses.
“Huh? What’s that smell? Kinda swee…”
Before the guard could finish speaking, the world spun around him.
His eyelids became impossibly heavy.
His mind instantly shut down.
Thud!
He collapsed onto the ground like a felled tree.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you?!”
His companion was startled.
Just as he bent down to check, the ether reached his lungs.
Thud!
He hit the ground moments later.
Two elite Imperial Guards, each over six feet tall, crumpled like sacks of grain.
Within seconds, thunderous snores filled the air.
Inside the woodshed, Sang Wanwan put away the ether bottle and tubing.
Then she removed a rusty silver hairpin from her hair.
Inserting it into the crude copper lock, she casually manipulated the mechanism.
Click.
The lock opened immediately.
Pushing the door aside, she stepped over the unconscious guards.
A breath of cold, free night air filled her lungs.
She glanced back once.
Zongzheng Zhan and the others remained fast asleep.
Without the slightest hesitation, she turned away.
A gentle push from her toes launched her forward.
Like an arrow released from a bowstring, she vanished into the darkness of the Prince’s Manor.
As a former world-class operative who had stood at the peak of her profession, the ancient city’s patrol routes and defenses looked laughably flawed.
Avoiding every patrol with ease, she moved across the rooftops like a phantom.
Less than fifteen minutes later.
The imposing gates of the Marquis Zhen Guo’s Manor appeared before her.
Unlike the silent Prince’s Manor, the Marquis Manor remained brightly lit.
Red lanterns still hung proudly from the eaves.
The imperial decree earlier that day seemed to have affected them very little.
After all, they had successfully thrown out the “curse-bringing daughter” and preserved their wealth and status.
Standing atop a towering tree outside the estate, Sang Wanwan looked down at the magnificent residence.
A chilling smile slowly spread across her lips.
“What you owe me…”
“Tonight, you’re paying it back with interest.”
Her figure flashed forward.
She drifted effortlessly over the towering walls without alerting a single guard or lookout.
Relying on the fragmented memories left behind by the original owner of the body, she navigated the estate with ease.
Avoiding servants and patrols, she headed straight for the heart of the inner compound.
Sang Deben’s study.
Not only was it where her scumbag father handled the manor’s affairs.
It was also the entrance to the hidden treasury beneath the estate.
The night wind carried a chill.
Like a bat hanging upside down, Sang Wanwan silently suspended herself beneath the study’s roof outside the window.
The window was partially open.
Warm candlelight spilled out.
From inside came Sang Deben’s undisguised laughter, along with Sang Rourou’s sweet voice.
“Father, your plan was brilliant.”
Excitement practically overflowed from Sang Rourou’s tone.
“That idiot Sang Wanwan is finally getting what she deserves.”
“Hmph. A wild country girl raised in the countryside dares compete with me?”
Sang Deben snorted disdainfully.
“She’s now a state criminal.”
“By tomorrow morning, she’ll be on her way to Kuhan Province, eating sand and freezing to death.”
“For the rest of her life, she’ll never set foot in the capital again.”