7 – The big shot the butler mentioned is her alias
Gan Song’s large forehead pressed close to the camera lens, his facial features magnified several times over.
Lu Xiao Ning quickly moved her phone away, patting her chest to calm herself.
She wasn’t a timid person—ghosts and monsters didn’t scare her, but she couldn’t stand being startled by someone’s ugliness.
“Third Princess-Consort, this is His Highness’s private imperial retreat. It is not appropriate to disclose its details publicly. I hope the Third Princess-Consort will refrain from taking random photos to avoid information leaks, which could bring unnecessary trouble to His Highness’s personal safety.”
“Don’t worry, I am, after all, an Imperial Consort now, with a noble status. I’m also afraid of being kidnapped by others.”
Gan Song twitched the corner of his mouth speechlessly, took a moment to compose himself, and then continued, “Nowadays, hackers are rampant. This humble officer is concerned that the information on the Third Princess-Consort’s phone might be stolen. Therefore, I request that the Third Princess-Consort delete the photos taken just now.”
Upon hearing the word “hacker,” Lu Xiao Ning’s blood instantly surged with excitement.
Seeing her eyes widen in surprise, Gan Song thought this commoner Imperial Consort might be a country bumpkin who didn’t understand the meaning of “hacker.”
Patiently, he began to explain.
“Hackers are skilled at operating computers and adept at uncovering users’ passwords and other private information… If the Third Princess-Consort is interested, you can look up a hacker with the codename Goshawk online. Over the years, it has been active in the political arena of our T Country, stealing numerous classified intelligence…”
“Pfft.” Upon hearing Gan Song’s words, Lu Xiao Ning almost couldn’t hold back her laughter.
She, a genius hacker girl, had now been reduced to being lectured by someone else?
Moreover, the Goshawk he was talking about was none other than herself—Chu Ke from her previous life!
“This Goshawk is that impressive?” Lu Xiao Ning blinked her eyes, pretending to know nothing about it.
Gan Song nodded earnestly. “It is a terrifying existence that threatens the entire T Royal Family. So, for safety’s sake, the Third Princess-Consort must exercise caution.”
“Alright, I’ll delete the photos right now.” Lu Xiao Ning tapped the delete button right in front of Gan Song.
Only then did Gan Song look relieved and satisfied, nodding his head. “Third Princess-Consort, shall we proceed into the imperial retreat?”
“Could you tell me more about this Goshawk?” Lu Xiao Ning asked curiously as she walked.
She wanted to hear how others evaluated her.
Seeing her interest, Gan Song began his explanation. “Rumors say this Goshawk is hermaphroditic and has an ugly appearance.”
“Uh…” Damn it, Lu Xiao Ning’s face darkened with annoyance.
As expected, rumors were unreliable.
“So, is this Goshawk alive or dead now?” she continued, hoping to extract some useful information from Gan Song.
Gan Song frowned. “T Country has issued an S-class kill order for Goshawk, with a bounty of one hundred million. However, no one has claimed the reward yet. It can access the latest global databases in real time, so killing it is probably impossible.”
Yes, who could kill her?
Yet she had died anyway!
Killed by the person she trusted and loved the most!
If outsiders knew that such an omnipotent Goshawk could be taken down so easily, wouldn’t they find her laughable?
At this thought, Lu Xiao Ning’s eyes darkened, a shadow of gloom flashing across them.
Her death was truly the height of irony!
…
As they walked along the path, rows of Royal Guards stood on either side.
Under their respectful gazes, she made her way step by step toward the castle.
The three-meter-high double doors were pushed open by four palace attendants, revealing a scene of dazzling splendor.
With a ten-meter-high ceiling that reached straight to the top.
A crystal chandelier several meters long hung in the center of the hall.
The floor, paved with glazed tiles, was incredibly smooth, occasionally emitting a dazzling glow.
Apart from “magnificent,” Lu Xiao Ning truly couldn’t think of any other word to describe the sight before her.
This castle retained the grandeur and opulence of royalty while also incorporating some of Zong Zheng Ye’s personal style.
For instance, many abstract paintings hung on the walls, completely incomprehensible to anyone.
And the retro furniture inside unmistakably reflected the owner’s refined taste.
This place was simply like a temple of art.
As Lu Xiao Ning reached the entrance hall, two palace attendants knelt on the floor, preparing to remove her shoes.
The attendant held her foot, making her so uncomfortable that she immediately pulled her leg back.
“No need, I’ll do it myself.”
But Gan Song stopped her, “Third Princess-Consort, this is a palace rule. You cannot remove your shoes yourself. Normally, even bending over should be avoided. Your waist should only bend on important occasions.”
“Uh…” Lu Xiao Ning was speechless upon hearing this bizarre rule.
Is this what life among the upper class is like? Even taking off shoes requires someone to serve you?
“I think this rule is quite awkward… For example, if I’ve been wearing shoes and moving around all day, my feet would definitely have some odor. Knowing your feet smell and still having someone change your shoes for you is awkward, and I don’t think it’s very polite either.”
Gan Song was left speechless by Lu Xiao Ning’s unconventional remarks.
This is the royal family, after all!
There are hierarchies, and people have their ranks!
Forget it, she’s just a commoner. No point arguing with her!
“These palace attendants are well-trained and will not mind any foot odor issues of the Imperial Consort. Moreover, in the future, your shoes will be specially maintained, and your feet will only be fragrant, not smelly.”
Lu Xiao Ning: “…”
She was utterly convinced.
“I’ll change my shoes myself. I have hands and feet and don’t like troubling others.”
Although T Country has strict royal hierarchies and class distinctions, among commoners, there is no distinction between high and low.
Ignoring the rules, Lu Xiao Ning took off her shoes herself, stepped into soft slippers, and walked inside.
Gan Song was helpless but decided to let it go for now.
“His Highness will be traveling abroad for a month. During this month, he has instructed me to supervise your diligent study of royal etiquette. So, please proceed to the study, Princess-Consort.”
“OK.”
Lu Xiao Ning nodded and followed Gan Song. After walking for ten minutes, they finally reached the so-called study.
With a three-meter-high ceiling, rows of bookshelves were densely packed with books.
This wasn’t a study at all—it was clearly a library!
Soon, Gan Song led Lu Xiao Ning to the ladder.
A person stood on the ladder, carefully handing down a thick book from above.
That book was as thick as three bricks stacked together.
Gan Song put on white gloves and carefully held it in his hands.
“Third Princess-Consort, aside from three meals a day this month, please stay here. This is the ‘Royal Family Rules and Regulations.’ Please put on gloves and study it with me.”
Lu Xiao Ning put on the thick gloves handed to her by a palace attendant and sat on a nearby two-person sofa.
Gan Song handed her the book and stood beside her.
Lu Xiao Ning flipped through it casually, first reading the parts that interested her.
When she pointed at the table of contents and saw that even going to the bathroom was regulated, she immediately flipped to that page.
Gan Song glanced at it, already intimately familiar with its contents.
“Royal Family Rules and Regulations, Article 18: Daily defecation shall occur twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Designated times are from 6:00 to 7:00 in the morning, and from 9:00 to 10:00 in the evening…”