Chaрtеr 1: Zhаоzhаo’s… So Fragrаnt
“Сatch hеr! By оrdеr оf Рrinсеss Chаng, striр hеr nаked and thrоw her onto Vermiliоn Вird Streеt! Lеt аll оf thе cарitаl see thе jаde-likе body of thе Grand Тutor’s wife!”
Thе lewd lаughter аnd fоotsteрs of the pursuеrs drеw сlоser. Yun Zhaоzhао rаn until her hairрins cаme loоse and hеr hair tumbled dоwn, panting heаvilу.
Оne оf hеr embroiderеd shoеs hаd been lоst in the chаse. Неr bаre fоot was сut by sharр stоnеs, each step sending a piеrсing pain as bloоd triсkled down. She flеd dеsperately, only to find herself facing a bottomless abyss—there was no way out.
The torches of the pursuers illuminated her face.
She refused to be humiliated!
Tears welled in Yun Zhaozhao’s eyes as she bit her lip until it bled, then resolutely leaped forward—
[Ending: Your body vanished without a trace. Grand Tutor Pei Yan’s hair turned white overnight, and he never remarried until his death.]
A sense of weightlessness swallowed her whole!
A voice declared her tragic demise.
“Ah—”
Yun Zhaozhao jolted upright from the canopy bed, her chest heaving violently. Cold sweat soaked through her thin spring nightgown, and her entire body trembled with chill.
“Miss, you had another nightmare!”
The maid Bi Zhu urgently drew back the bed curtains, felt her forehead, and anxiously instructed a young maid: “Quickly, fetch some peach branches to boil water! We must drive away the evil spirits from Miss!”
After changing out of her sweat-drenched clothes, she settled into the bathtub.
Warm water rose past her shoulders and neck, her dark hair cascading over her snow-white back, smooth as warm jade. Only then did Yun Zhaozhao feel somewhat relieved. She leaned against the edge of the tub, letting Bi Zhu wash and comb her long hair.
“Little monster!” Yun Zhaozhao closed her eyes, accusing angrily in her heart: “I have no grudge against you. Why do you curse me to die every night?”
[I am not cursing you, nor am I a monster. I am System 009!]
The voice claiming to be a system declared firmly in her mind: [Yun Zhaozhao, you are merely a cannon-fodder side character in a storybook. One year from now, the scene in your dream will be your fate! Bind with me, and I can save you!]
“Nonsense!”
Yun Zhaozhao was deeply displeased. Who would want to be cannon fodder in a storybook? And to die so tragically, vanishing without a trace.
She felt the little monster’s words were full of holes!
“Let me ask you, Princess Chang and I have never even met. Why would she want to harm me?”
[Because of Grand Tutor Pei Yan! Pei Yan is the unattainable white moonlight she yearns for. She envies you for being Pei Yan’s wife!]
“She must be insane!”
Yun Zhaozhao found it utterly absurd: “Forget whether Princess Chang truly likes my cousin or not. Who in the capital doesn’t know that my cousin doesn’t like me at all?”
Pressing her moist, rosy lips together, Yun Zhaozhao hid a flicker of grievance in her eyes and continued muttering: “If not for my parents passing away one after another, and Aunt taking pity on me for having no elders to rely on in Jiangnan, bringing me into the manor… Cousin would probably have long forgotten about our childhood betrothal.”
“Cousin… won’t marry me.”
Aunt doted on her and cherished her deeply.
But Cousin was too cold! During the three years of mourning, she had lived in the Grand Tutor’s Manor for two and a half years, and Cousin’s coldness made her want to jump into a river!
Even the moat was warmer than Cousin!
Yun Zhaozhao absolutely refused to believe that Cousin would turn white-haired overnight for her and remain unmarried for life.
And another thing!
“Little monster, you clearly don’t understand me at all. Even if my clothes were stripped off, I wouldn’t seek death or wallow in despair!”
Yun Zhaozhao confidently straightened her chest. “What is chastity worth? The family fortune my parents left me is enough for me to live in luxury for ten lifetimes! Even if Cousin doesn’t want me, I can return to my old estate in Jiangnan, live as a wealthy idler, and keep a few male consorts for a carefree, joyful life! Dying isn’t worth it!”
The system seemed choked by her unorthodox views and fell silent for a long while.Yun Zhaozhao grew even more smug. “Little monster, you can’t fool me! I won’t let you suck my life essence!”
System 009 remained silent.
After breakfast, Yun Zhaozhao went alone to the peach grove in the rear garden to clear her mind.
Unexpectedly, the usually quiet peach grove, which only she frequented, had already been occupied by someone else!
He wore a sky-blue wide-sleeved robe with a plain white high collar that modestly and meticulously concealed his throat. His posture was as straight and upright as a pine tree. Beneath the dark green belt hung a black jade pendant, accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist—a strikingly powerful silhouette.
He held a book in his hands, his fingers long and slender like cold jade, exuding an aura of icy detachment that kept others at a distance.
This person was none other than her childhood betrothed cousin, the powerful and influential Grand Tutor revered as a saint without worldly desires—Pei Yan!
Not wanting to endure the chill, Yun Zhaozhao tried to slip away quietly.
“Cousin.”
A voice as cool and clear as jade reached her ears, calm and indifferent yet carrying an undeniable authority.
Yun Zhaozhao had no choice but to stop, lowering her eyes as she performed a proper curtsy. “Greetings, Cousin.”
“Come here.” Pei Yan did not turn around, his voice cold.
Yun Zhaozhao dawdled as she approached. Up close, Pei Yan’s flawlessly handsome face struck her with overwhelming force.
His brows and eyes were like ink paintings, his nose bridge high and straight, his lips thin and pale.
His skin was cold and fair, without a single blemish. He resembled a jade sculpture devoid of earthly warmth—sacred and beautiful, yet too cold to approach.
She truly did not want to marry her cousin!
Yun Zhaozhao stole a glance at Pei Yan, inwardly grumbling: …Marrying someone like this, devoid of emotions and desires, would surely mean a lifetime of loneliness, pitifully yearning night after night.
Once her mourning period ended, she would beg her aunt to let her return to Jiangnan and annul the marriage.
Just then, her head spun, her vision darkened for a moment, and a new voice echoed in her mind!
[Has she bathed? The peach blossom scent on Zhaozhao is even more fragrant than this grove… I truly wish to lean in closer and breathe it in.]
It was the familiar cool voice, yet now filled with an overwhelming, aggressive fervor!
Yun Zhaozhao stiffened, staring at Pei Yan in disbelief.
“Cousin, are you unwell?”
Pei Yan gazed at her calmly, his eyes cool and distant, as if merely offering a casual inquiry. Yet inwardly, he was filled with confusion and a burning desire. [Why has her little face turned pale? If I were to cradle it in my palms to warm it, would it flush with a rosy hue?]
[There are still six months left in the mourning period… Truly, an inconvenience.]
Yun Zhaozhao’s apricot eyes trembled, and she unconsciously took half a step back.
Pei Yan’s gaze turned cold, his fingers tightening slightly around the book. [Why retreat? If not for the mourning period, I truly wish to… Ah, never mind. There will be time later.]
Time later? What did he intend to do?
“Cousin, I’m fine.” Yun Zhaozhao’s legs felt weak, but she forced herself to remain calm, though her soft voice betrayed her fear. She stammered as she retreated, “I should go see Aunt! Cousin, I must take my leave!”
Without waiting for Pei Yan’s response, she nearly lifted her skirts and fled like a startled rabbit.
Deep within the courtyard, Yun Zhaozhao hid behind a rockery, her heart pounding like a drum.
“Little monster!” Yun Zhaozhao cried out in her mind, both embarrassed and furious. “What have you done? What kind of monster are you, really?”
[I am the Mind-Reading System. What you just heard were your cousin’s truest, innermost thoughts.]
“Impossible! You must have used some demonic trick to deceive me!”Yun Zhaozhao didn’t believe it at all. Her cousin was Pei Yan, the Grand Tutor renowned throughout the capital for keeping women at a distance! Even her aunt worried about her cousin’s heirs, coaxing her by saying they could always adopt a child from the clan to care for them in old age.
How could her cousin possibly… think of her that way?
【You don’t believe it?】The system spoke with an air of mystery, egging her on. 【Do you dare go back and “accidentally” leave something behind in front of him? See what he does and what he thinks of you?】
Yun Zhaozhao bit her lower lip. Her aloof and restrained cousin, whose heart was anything but pure and noble—this notion hooked her curiosity like a lure.
Let’s try it!
As soon as the thought took root, Yun Zhaozhao took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and retraced her steps.
Pei Yan was still sitting there, holding a book in his hands, cold and unapproachable.
“Cousin, are you going to Aunt’s courtyard for dinner tonight?” Yun Zhaozhao offered a clumsy excuse, standing five steps away, not daring to move any closer.
Pei Yan lifted his eyes coldly, his voice distant and aloof. “Mm.”
“Then I’ll go tell Aunt!” Yun Zhaozhao said and immediately ran off, “accidentally” letting the handkerchief from her sleeve drift down onto the gravel path.
She hid in a corner, peeking out from behind the flower bushes—
Pei Yan didn’t move at all.
“You lose, little monster!”
A breeze stirred through the peach grove, rustling the handkerchief on the ground, and Pei Yan moved.
The system snorted. 【Look!】
Yun Zhaozhao held her breath, watching as that slender, jade-like hand picked up her handkerchief and pressed it beneath his nose to inhale its scent.
At the same time, a familiar, restrained voice, brimming with passion and desire, echoed in Yun Zhaozhao’s mind: 【Zhaozhao’s… so fragrant.】
【Have the embroidery workshop make ten new ones for her.】
【This old one… I’ll keep it…】