Zhu Xiao sat down with a smile, poured himself a cup of tea and gulped it down in one go. Then he frowned. "Alas! It's no good. I could drink a whole pot of this stuff at once and it still wouldn't do. My wine tastes much better."
"No one invited you to drink it," Han Fen muttered. "You came here on your own initiative, didn't you?"
"Your Highness, look at this lad," Zhu Xiao pointed at Han Fen. "He may be a bit simple, but he's loyal to you. He's even guarding your tea for you."
Song Yinghuai nodded in agreement. "That's his only redeeming quality."
Han Fen: …
Zhu Xiao laughed heartily and drank another cup. "The traps are fixed. That Miss Caiyu is really something. Those trap wires were hidden so high and densely. How did she manage to pull them down in the middle of the night? It took me ages to fix them... Is she a female monkey in disguise?"
A glint flashed in Song Yinghuai's eyes. "Maybe she's a fairy from the Spider Cave. In her eyes, spider silk knots are nothing special, so no matter how high or densely they're hidden, she can easily take them apart."
Zhu Xiao burst out laughing. Then he lowered the excitement in his eyes and asked, "I heard you've put her in the side hall. What? Are you planning to keep a mistress?"
Song Yinghuai didn't answer directly. With a faint smile on his lips, he also took a sip of tea.
Zhu Xiao shook his head. "Although I'd like to see you re-enter the world of love, it's not the right time yet. You're not really interested in her, are you?"
Song Yinghuai lowered his eyelids slightly. His eyes sparkled. He twirled the teacup gently with his long, slender fingers, looking nonchalant. He exuded an air of nobility and charm.
"How do you know she won't fall for me first?"
How do you know she won't fall for me first?
Both Zhu Xiao and Han Fen were stunned. They stared at Song Yinghuai's face for a long time.
So Song Yinghuai was still holding a grudge and wanted to win Caiyu over instead?
Zhu Xiao quickly gulped down a mouthful of tea. He hesitated, then said, "… Do you know she may be a spy... I advise you not to play with fire. You might get burned in the end."
Song Yinghuai let out a soft snort and sipped his tea.
Zhu Xiao put the teacup down heavily. "It's getting late. I'm going to bed."
After Zhu Xiao left, Song Yinghuai drank three more cups of tea before returning to his bedroom.
Han Fen was tidying up the tea set behind him. He muttered, "Drinking such strong tea in the middle of the night. Does His Highness not plan to sleep?"
After Song Yinghuai entered his bedroom, he turned his steps towards the side hall next to it.
The yellow glow shone through the hollowed-out parts of the celadon lotus lamp, creating a web of light that filled the room.
Under the lamp, a young woman was sitting at a desk, holding a short purple writing brush and writing furiously.
From Song Yinghuai's angle, the woman's waist was slender. She was graceful and charming. Her thin white dress spread out behind her like a snow lotus in full bloom.
Her body swayed slightly as she copied the text, like the water in the clear spring being blown by the wind, rippling with small waves.
The celadon lamp covered half of her face, revealing only a pair of bright fox-like eyes.
Song Yinghuai's heart skipped a beat. He walked forward leisurely.
A dark shadow fell from above. Caiyu finally noticed someone was coming.
However, she didn't even raise her head and continued copying.
Song Yinghuai stood still. Seeing that he was being ignored, he felt a bit embarrassed. He said with a hint of anger:
"How many times have you copied it?"
Caiyu finally fluttered her long eyelashes and replied, "Your Highness, ten times."
Song Yinghuai chuckled. "It's only ten times. I guess you won't be sleeping tonight."
Caiyu still kept her head down and didn't look at him. She said with a straight face, "This servant has also stayed up at night since entering the mansion. It's just one night without sleep. This servant can bear it. But Your Highness is precious. It's better to go to bed early."
Song Yinghuai raised his eyebrows slightly.
He always felt there was a hint of sarcasm in this girl's words.
It was late at night and there were only the two of them in the bedroom. The golden light was so ambiguous that it had long since dispelled his anger.
Now seeing her awkward appearance, he actually found it quite interesting.
Seeing that Caiyu was still kneeling at the desk, he felt a pang of pity in his heart. He said, "Get up and copy."
Hearing his tone soften, Caiyu finally deigned to raise her eyes. "This servant doesn't dare. This servant made a mistake today and doesn't dare not accept the punishment."
Song Yinghuai was almost amused by her. "You girl, you still try to argue even when you're in the wrong. Will you show mercy when you're in the right? Don't be too coquettish. Which of the words I said to teach you today was wrong?"
"This servant doesn't dare to say Your Highness is wrong. It's all this servant's fault." Caiyu also knew she had to stop being coquettish. She knew very well that she didn't have much status in Song Yinghuai's heart.
But she didn't know if it was because of the lamp or the night.
She suddenly couldn't help but want to be more reckless and angry for a while.
Seeing that she was stubborn and wouldn't get up, Song Yinghuai wasn't in a hurry to persuade her anymore. Instead, he pulled over a coral round stool and sat down.
"Pour tea," he ordered naturally, gesturing with his chin at the tea set on the small lacquered table.
Caiyu followed his gaze. The tea set was a few steps away from the desk. She was stunned.
Song Yinghuai said leisurely, "What? Can't you even serve your master?"
Caiyu was so angry that she had no choice but to get up with her hands on the table.
Song Yinghuai watched her get up slowly with great interest. Maybe she had been kneeling for too long. She didn't feel anything when she was kneeling, but as soon as she moved her legs, the blood rushed through her veins and she felt a sharp pain in her legs. This made Caiyu's mouth twitch.
With great difficulty, she managed to get up, but her vision was filled with stars.
Caiyu swayed a few times and quickly grabbed the desk to steady herself. From the corner of her eye, she saw Song Yinghuai's half-smile and got even angrier.
She gritted her teeth and endured the pain in her legs as she walked over to pour a cup of tea.
The round stool where Song Yinghuai was sitting was another few steps away from the small table. He stared at her coldly.
Caiyu moved her legs a few times. She felt as if her legs were filled with lead. She had no choice but to grit her teeth again and move towards Song Yinghuai step by step.
She held the teacup in her hand shakily. She had to take care of both the cup and her legs.
The three steps seemed as difficult as a long journey. Song Yinghuai frowned and said, "Hurry up!"
His sudden cold voice scared Caiyu. She tripped over her feet and fell straight towards him with the teacup in her hand!
Caiyu let out a scream. She flailed her arms and legs but still couldn't stop herself from falling. Seeing that the teacup was about to leave her hand and the tea inside was about to spill on Song Yinghuai.
Song Yinghuai slightly tilted his body. He caught the teacup in mid-air with one hand and caught the girl falling into his arms with the other.
Caiyu only felt a big hand on her lower back. She crashed into Song Yinghuai's solid chest. Her nose ached again.
There was a "splash" sound.
The tea that had been splashed into the air fell accurately into the teacup.
Song Yinghuai held her in front of his chest with one hand. He raised the teacup and gulped down the cold tea in one go.
Caiyu tilted her head slightly in his arms and happened to meet his bobbing Adam's apple.
A drop of tea slid down his sexy lips, passed in front of her eyes and fell into his loose Buddhist robe.
Caiyu was stunned. For a moment, she forgot her anger and her mission. She was only indulged in the man's charm.
Who would have thought that Song Yinghuai's handsome brows would frown slightly. His eyes became three degrees colder. He said impatiently:
"You can't even pour tea properly. Where did you come from, girl? You're clearly a delicate young lady."
As soon as he said this, Caiyu woke up. A flash of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
She wasn't just any servant girl!
She was a young lady from a noble family. If it weren't for his father! His unreasonable emperor father!
She would still be the eldest miss of the Lan family, riding horses and shooting arrows in Yanmen Pass, watching her father and brother train soldiers, and seeing the majestic pass and the deep valleys covered in snow!
If it weren't for his bastard father, would she have to humble herself and even sacrifice her body to do this despicable seduction?