The Princess’ Shadow Guard Cannot Be Too Clever

n she put on her socks and shoes, and draped her outer robe, following the maid out of the room.

Murong Can, who couldn’t sit still, paced back and forth in the side hall with his hands behind his back, and the tiger cub followed him with its big head, swaying from left to right along with his steps.

When Murong Yan calmly entered the study, Murong Can broke into a big smile and helped her to the soft chair by the side.

“Is there something that brings you here today, brother?” the woman spoke calmly and didn’t reach for the teapot to boil water.
Instead, she pushed a plate of snacks in front of the man.

“Yue’er, Father will return to the Northern Territory next month,” Murong Can grabbed a mung bean cake and stuffed it into his mouth as he reported, “but I will stay in the capital as the commander of the army.”

“That suits you well,” Murong Yan nodded calmly as she looked at her brother.

“And…Murong Wen has been expelled from the family registry.
The edict was issued by His Majesty himself yesterday afternoon, and the historians all heard it,” the man scratched his ear and spoke with a hint of regret, “but even so, he will follow Father back to the Northern Territory mansion as a commoner.”

“But don’t worry!” Murong Can gestured, seemingly concerned that his sister would feel upset, “He has already been beaten up and won’t be able to get up for ten days or so.”

Raising her gaze, Murong Yan said, “Brother, behaving like this will only invite gossip.”

Rather than letting his sister think of him as a violent and impulsive person, Murong Can stubbornly waved his hand.
“No, no, no… It wasn’t me! He was just beaten on the street by someone else, it really wasn’t me.”

“Maybe he was beaten because he’s too ugly,” Murong Can retorted, trying to find an excuse.

Hearing his retort, Murong Yan suddenly thought of something and her lips curved into a smile.
She pursed her lips and murmured in agreement, “…Maybe that’s true, he’s really too ugly.” There was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Not understanding why his sister suddenly seemed happy, Murong Can could only smile along with her.

“Brother, be careful during your stay in the capital,” advised Murong Yan.
“Although the Emperor trusts you, the complexities and sly people in the official circles are harder to guard against than hidden arrows.
You must be cautious with everyone, in your words, actions, and even with the charming beauties.
If someone presents a woman of unknown origin to you…”

“Yu Yu Yu’er…Yu’er! What are you talking about?” Murong Can interrupted.

He seemed surprised that his sister would discuss such a embarrassing matter with him.
The innocent Murong Can blushed and stammered, “I-I-I won’t casually share a bed with any other woman!”

“Oh?”

The man’s words made Murong Yan realize a different meaning.
She arched her eyebrows, “Brother, are you saying… that you already have someone in your heart?”

Murong Can stood up suddenly, his face turning as red as a crab.
He was clearly not ready to discuss this topic with his own sister.
He thought of the woman he had unintentionally seen in the palace a few months ago, the one who had been haunting him in his dreams.
He nervously fidgeted with his fingers.

“Sister, it’s getting late,” he said, stumbling over his words.
“I’ll leave now, you rest well.”

Watching her brother leave with his head down, almost colliding with the door frame, Murong Yan couldn’t help but feel amused.

Oh well, her brother’s affairs were not her concern.

The woman stood up, patting the head of the tiger cub by her feet.
She walked confidently out of the corridor, but her composure was shattered as soon as she stepped into the room.

Through the screen, she saw the mist-filled room, and two maidservants were helping Ming Qin change clothes beside the bathtub filled with water.

The young shadow guard just stood there obediently, allowing the strangers hands to touch her skin.

Murong Yan’s face darkened, and she raised her hand to flick her sleeve.
With a swift motion, she knocked over the jade teapot filled with flowers worth a thousand taels on the table.

“Princess!”

“Princess Chongwen!”

The two maidservants quickly walked out from behind the screen upon hearing the loud noise, and they saw Murong Yan’s cold face and the shattered pieces on the floor.
They nervously lowered their heads and stood in front of her.

“Who allowed you to come in?”

The woman asked through clenched teeth, suppressing her anger.
“I thought I had made it clear that no one is allowed to enter this room?”

“Princess…” The two girls’ faces turned pale, and they trembled as they replied, “It was… it was Shadow Guard Ming, she shouted outside and wanted to take a bath, so…”

As Murong Yan looked at the hands of the girls clutching their sleeves tightly, images of their fingers brushing against Ming Qin’s skin kept flashing in her mind.

Her extreme possessiveness was at play, and the overwhelming sourness and jealousy in her chest made her involuntarily contemplate unreasonable punishments for the two people in front of her.

She knew it was wrong, she knew she shouldn’t, but the twisted envy was so pathological that she couldn’t restrain it.

“…You two?”

“Are you still here?”

“Excuse me… is anyone else here?”

The hesitant call from Ming Qin behind the screen interrupted Murong Yan’s malicious thoughts and made her forget everything else, wanting only to quickly return to her beloved.

“If you want to be safe, decide whether you want to be transferred to another palace or the outer courtyard.
Don’t let me catch you here again,” the woman ordered in a low voice to the two maidservants in front of her, trying to maintain the little bit of rationality left in her.

“In any case, leave this place.”

Before her rising jealousy overwhelmed her.