“Your subject pays respects to Your Highness.”
The white-haired Director of the Astronomical Bureau was panting heavily. Trembling, he bowed his head in salute, then slowly raised it.
One look was all it took—he turned to stone on the spot.
What was before his eyes…
Shen Wan’s clothes were disheveled, her hands clinging to Pei Changli’s neck, her head resting lightly against his chest.
The two of them looked for all the world like things were about to reach a climax, brimming with passion.
The Director stared blankly, and only when he came to his senses did he hurriedly lower his head, his heart filled with dread.
What was he to do? He had interrupted the Prince Regent’s intimate moment—his life was likely forfeit!
“Forgive me, Your Highness. Your subject saw nothing… Your subject…” The Director was so frightened he stammered, unable to get out a complete sentence.
Pei Changli cast a disdainful glance at Shen Wan’s chest and gave a light scoff, waving his hand. ”No matter. Her figure is mediocre… there was nothing worth seeing anyway.”
The Director breathed a sigh of relief.
So he had escaped disaster this time?
But Shen Wan was anything but calm. Her gaze followed Pei Changli’s as it swept lightly over her body.
This figure… wasn’t it fairly shapely?
How was it mediocre?
She quickly wrapped her clothes tightly around herself, then lifted her foot and stomped hard on Pei Changli’s instep to boost her own momentum.
“You’re the mediocre one! Your whole family is mediocre!”
Shen Wan felt somewhat guilty saying this.
After all, from her close contact just now, she knew that although Pei Changli looked tall and slender, like a frail scholar, his muscles were actually firm—he was a genuine martial artist!
But she was too angry at the moment to care about any of that. As the saying goes, a man fights for his dignity, and a Buddha fights for his incense!
Besides, she could load a save at any time, so there was no need to swallow any humiliation.
Pei Changli’s eyes turned cold and dark. He reached out and gripped Shen Wan’s chin, applying hidden force.
Shen Wan felt as if her bones were about to be crushed.
“Let go… let go…”
She tried to resist, but quickly realized it was futile.
Load a save—load a save, quickly!
Pei Changli was furious beyond measure.
Just how many more times did he have to walk this path to Shen Wan’s room?
Suppressing his rage, he decided to act first and pushed the door open, striding straight in.
Shen Wan was in the middle of changing when a draft of cold air whooshed past.
Every hair on her body stood on end.
“You pervert! Don’t you know how to knock?”
Startled, Shen Wan fumbled and tied her clothes wrong in her haste.
This… seemed different from what had happened before.
Shen Wan had no time to think it over. Pei Changli stepped forward directly, seized her arm, and squeezed out a sentence almost through gritted teeth.
“A pervert? Everything on your body belongs to this prince’s household. What is there that this prince cannot look at?”
Pei Changli yanked her toward him, his voice deep and oppressive.
“Not only will this prince look—I’ll take you right here, on the spot!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Pei Changli moved to tear at her clothes.
Shen Wan clutched her garments tightly, silently calling for the Director of the Astronomical Bureau.
Why wasn’t he here yet? That old fellow was walking far too slowly!
“Wait, Your Highness!” Shen Wan said with an ingratiating smile.
In a direct confrontation, she was clearly no match for Pei Changli.
Given the situation, she could only use her wits and stall for as long as possible.
Pei Changli watched the little fox smile so sycophantically—the smile was anything but sincere.
He didn’t call her out on it. He would simply watch and see how she performed her next act.
“You’re unwilling?” Pei Changli asked in return.
Shen Wan instinctively wanted to nod, but meeting Pei Changli’s murderous gaze, she could only smile and wave her hand.
“No… more than willing… it’s just… this hardly seems like the right place.”
Shen Wan glanced around.
The room was filled with the damp, fragrant warmth of a recent bath, and the atmosphere was truly rather intimate.
“Is that so?” Pei Changli snorted coldly.
Shen Wan steeled herself and nodded.
But Pei Changli changed his tune. “I, for one, find this place perfectly fine.”
With that, Pei Changli let out a muffled grunt and buried his head in the crook of Shen Wan’s neck.
Shen Wan froze in terror, her mind going completely blank.
“Your servant greets the Prince.”
The voice of the Director of the Astronomical Bureau was, at that moment, sheer music to Shen Wan’s ears.
Her savior had finally come.
Before the faint smile could even appear at the corner of Shen Wan’s mouth, Pei Changli had already grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him.
His movement was so sudden that Shen Wan stumbled twice before steadying herself by holding onto his arm.
“You’ve come at just the right time.” Pei Changli cleared his throat, a flash of restraint and embarrassment quickly passing through his eyes.
For some reason, though the Director of the Astronomical Bureau heard the Prince Regent say this, he felt inexplicably uneasy.
“I want you to read someone’s fortune.” Pei Changli said.
“Your servant obeys. But may I ask whom Your Highness wishes me to read?” When the Director had looked up earlier, he had noticed no one else present, but now, with his head lowered, the corner of his eye seemed to catch a glimpse of a woman’s dress peeking out from behind Pei Changli.
“The person behind me.” Pei Changli said.
Yet even as he said this, Pei Changli showed no intention of letting Shen Wan behind him be seen.
This put the Director in quite a bind.
Reading fortunes was no difficult task for him.
But if the Prince Regent insisted on hiding the person, how was he supposed to read anything?
The Director dared not say more—after all, the Prince Regent had a fearsome temper, and he could not afford to provoke him.
So he had no choice but to do his best, roughly observing the mostly hidden Shen Wan from behind Pei Changli’s blocking figure.
“Well?” Pei Changli asked.
The Director had intended to muddle his way through, but the moment his eyes met Pei Changli’s sharp, hawk-like gaze, all his nerve evaporated.
He stammered for a long while without producing anything coherent, his whole body trembling like a sieve.
Seeing him in this state, Pei Changli could only wave a hand and dismiss him.
Shen Wan, who had been hiding behind him the whole time, couldn’t make sense of it.
What on earth was wrong with Pei Changli?
He actually wanted to have her fortune read?
Shen Wan was lost in thought, failing to notice that she had been leaning on Pei Changli’s arm the entire time.
Now, without a word of warning, Pei Changli slowly strode away. Shen Wan, finding nothing to lean on, nearly toppled over.
Pei Changli shot her a quick glance, then lowered his eyes. “From now on, you will sleep at the foot of my bed.”
With her placed right under his watchful eye, he would see just what tricks she could pull.
Shen Wan was utterly bewildered.
Sleep… at the foot of his bed!
Little green dragons… hairy crabs…
Shen Wan was reaching out to grab a big bite when an urgent shout rang in her ears.
“Shen Wan! Shen Wan! Get up right now and sweep the courtyard!”
Nanny Wang’s voice was stern.
The mountain of delicious food vanished in an instant. Shen Wan blearily opened her eyes, thoroughly reluctant.
Disturbing such a lovely dream first thing in the morning!
“If you don’t get up, you’ll be punished with the cane!”
Nanny Wang threatened.
Shen Wan simply couldn’t wake up, her eyes refusing to stay open.
Left with no choice, she loaded her save, and loaded it again.
Loading… until she finally slept her fill.
Shen Wan skillfully loaded her save and went back to sleep…
Pei Changli had just stepped out the door—only to find himself back in the room again!
Back and forth, he had already gone out so many times!
At this moment, Pei Changli’s eyes were rimmed red, the fury in his heart bursting forth!
“Shen Wan!” Pei Changli ground out through clenched teeth.