Watching the two walk back, Jiang Shun quickly ordered people to fetch water.
Back in the room, Jin Wang scanned his surroundings. The decor was simple yet elegant and unique, and the potted plants in the room added a touch of graceful charm.
He walked over to the large bed carved from Huali wood and sat down. He looked at the young woman before him; under the lamplight, she appeared even more exquisitely beautiful and refined.
Her eyes, in particular, looked clean and pure, as if they could not tolerate any of the world’s filth.
Feeling Jin Wang’s gaze fixed upon her, Bai Fei Wan felt completely out of her element.
This man’s presence was too overpowering, and his gaze was intensely aggressive. The aura of a ruler that emanated from him was especially hard to ignore.
Looking at the young woman before him, her face flushed like a peach, resembling a frightened little rabbit with her head bowed low, Jin Wang felt that if there were a hole in front of her, she would probably dive into it without a second thought.
The feeling was quite novel. The women around him, including the Wangfei, all fawned and flattered him, hoping to gain more of his favor.
But this woman just stood there woodenly, not saying a word, looking very nervous and afraid of him.
If Bai Fei Wan knew what Jin Wang was thinking, she would have surely said: Drop the “looking.” I am afraid! In two lifetimes, I’ve never been this close to a man other than my family. Plus, he’s a prince, so of course I’m nervous and scared.
Just as Bai Fei Wan felt she might suffocate if this continued, Jiang Shun’s voice came from outside the door. “Your Highness, the water is ready.”
At that moment, Bai Fei Wan felt that Eunuch Jiang’s voice was a sound from the heavens. She instantly felt a wave of relief wash over her.
“I will bathe first,” he said, heading toward the adjacent bathing chamber.
The novels said that male leads always needed someone to attend to them while they bathed. Did that mean she also needed to serve this man? With this thought, Bai Fei Wan asked aloud, “Your Highness, does this servant need to attend to you in your bath?”
Hearing this, Jin Wang was somewhat surprised. The person who had been too afraid to even lift her head was now so bold as to curry favor, wanting to bathe with him. It seemed you truly couldn’t judge a book by its cover.
If Bai Fei Wan knew Jin Wang had misunderstood her, she would have spat at him in contempt. Who’s currying favor? Who wants to bathe with you? I said serve! Serve you in your bath.
“No need. I can manage on my own.”
Hearing that Jin Wang didn’t need her to serve him, Bai Fei Wan was delighted. The thought of serving a man while he bathed felt very strange to her.
But when she thought about what was to happen later, she grew tense again. The idea of doing that with a strange man made Bai Fei Wan want to cough up blood.
In her past life, Bai Fei Wan had been a genius student with perfect scores in logic and learning, completely devoted to her studies. She was, however, dense when it came to matters of the heart, her reaction time a bit slow, which was why she had been single for all twenty-six years of her previous life. Now, she had skipped dating and marriage entirely.
Nervous. She was just too nervous. What should she be doing now? Oh, right, a pre-exam review. She had to take a quick peek before Jin Wang came back.
She immediately pulled out the book Mother Bai had given her and began to study it intently.
Just as she was engrossed in her learning, she heard footsteps at the door. She hastily stuffed the book under her pillow.
When Jin Wang entered, he saw her nervously hiding something in the bedding. Pretending not to have seen anything, he said calmly, “I’ve finished bathing. You go wash up. I’ll read on the chaise lounge for a while.”
Seeing that Jin Wang hadn’t noticed her actions and had no intention of getting into bed, Bai Fei Wan breathed a sigh of relief. She would quietly put it away after her bath.
“Alright, this servant will go now,” she said, scurrying toward the adjacent bathing chamber.
Once Bai Fei Wan was gone, Jin Wang rose and walked to the bed, searching for what she had just hidden.
He pulled it out and saw it was a book. The cover was blank. He opened it and discovered it was a Fire Prevention Diagram. The first few pages had been marked up, with occasional notes in the margins. The handwriting was quite elegant.
This was the first time Jin Wang had ever seen someone mark up and take notes on a Fire Prevention Diagram. He was curious to see what she had noted.
So, he sat on the bed and began to read it slowly.
When he came of age, the palace matrons had also given him a Fire Prevention Diagram. He had found the illustrations crude and the content overly vulgar.
But now, looking at this copy that Bai Fei Wan had marked up with notes, he suddenly felt it wasn’t so bad after all.
When Bai Fei Wan returned from her bath, she saw Jin Wang holding the book she had just hidden. Her face instantly flushed crimson.
Jin Wang had actually found the book! Didn’t he not see her before? How did he find it? This was social suicide! Could she just not go in? Asking online, very urgent!
Seeing Bai Fei Wan hesitate at the doorway for a long time without entering, he said, “Still not coming in? Are you planning to be a door god?”
Bai Fei Wan walked in hesitantly, stopping a few steps from Jin Wang. She lowered her head, her eyes darting about, not daring to look at him.
Jin Wang leaned against the headboard, looking at Bai Fei Wan who stood a few paces away. “Come here.”
At his word, Bai Fei Wan slowly shuffled to the bedside. Jin Wang pinched her chin, studying her face carefully. “Why aren’t you looking at me? Shy? Weren’t you studying this quite intently? You even took notes.”
Bai Fei Wan nervously bit her lip, her gaze flickering, not daring to meet Jin Wang’s eyes. “This servant… this servant was afraid of not serving Your Highness well, so… so I studied a little.”
Jin Wang’s eyes fell on the lip she had just bitten. It was red without any rouge, luscious and succulent like a ripe peach. As she spoke, her lips parted and closed, making one want to pluck them.
What a temptress, Jin Wang thought, his throat feeling dry. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he teased, “Oh? So, has my little concubine learned her lesson?”
A look of pure naivety mixed with her shyness, Bai Fei Wan said in an uncertain tone, “I think… I think I’ve learned it.” Her voice trailed off, losing confidence with the last few words.
Jin Wang’s interest was piqued. “Good. Then let’s begin. I’m eager to see just how well you’ve learned.”
Hearing Jin Wang say “begin,” Bai Fei Wan nervously climbed onto the far side of the bed, then slowly leaned in to kiss his cheek.
Jin Wang felt a jolt, as if struck by lightning. His pupils dilated, and he let Bai Fei Wan do as she pleased.
He had never kissed a woman before, not even his Wangfei.
In the bedroom, he had always gotten straight to the point.
He felt that all those flowery tricks were superfluous and useless for producing heirs. On the battlefield, the principle was a single, fatal blow, so in life, he also preferred things to be simple and direct.
Bai Fei Wan had stirred a fire in him, but she made no further moves. Jin Wang grew a little impatient. “Let me teach you instead.”
“It hurts…”
It was truly too painful. She felt like she was going to die from the pain.
Her hands were pinned tightly above her head by Jin Wang, so she opened her mouth and bit down on his shoulder.
Feeling Bai Fei Wan’s protest, Jin Wang paused.
He waited for her to recover before continuing.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, but Bai Fei Wan felt like she was truly about to die. “No more, I really can’t take it anymore.”
Jin Wang kissed the tears from the corner of her eye, his tone gentle and coaxing. “Be good. We’ll learn all three of the points you marked today. There’s only one left. We’re almost there.”
By the end, Bai Fei Wan had completely passed out, unaware of when it had all finished.