The Mirror of Startling Beauty: Her courtiers are everywhere

Come here.

Tang Xixue's voice fell in the silent study.

Qingdai silently retreated to the outside of the door, gently closing the carved door to shut out the warm light and surging undercurrents within.

"Yes."

Pei Yanchuan stepped forward as instructed.

His steps remained light and steady, even carrying an almost ritualistic calmness, as he stopped on the other side of the desk.

"Your Highness, regarding the matter you entrusted to me last time..."

The candlelight cast a dim light on his pale face, and his usually downcast, silent eyes finally lifted to look at the princess on the throne.

Deep within his eyes lay a dark and inscrutable tranquility of resignation.

"Are we doing it tonight?"

His long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles slowly unbuttoned the top two buttons of his pale blue school uniform.

The fabric rustled softly against each other, making a distinctly clear sound in the silence.

"Hmm? Last time? What happened?"

Tang Xixue was still looking down at her book when she asked a question in confusion.

"You called Yanchuan over here just for that matter, didn't you?"

Pei Yanchuan's robe was slightly open, revealing a section of his equally pale and clearly defined collarbone, which gleamed with a cold, jade-like luster under the candlelight.

He did not continue, but maintained this posture, and then, surprisingly, he bent his knees and slowly knelt on the soft carpeted ground, right at her feet.

"I'm not very good at these things... but... I'll make sure you have a great time..."

He reached out, his movements carrying a subtle stiffness and determination, and grasped her hand, which still smelled of ink from the pages she had just touched.

His palms were cool, with a rough texture from thin calluses.

"???"

Tang Xixue was stunned and unable to react for a moment.

The next moment, he lowered his head, his slightly cool lips trembling, and gently approached her warm fingertips, then very lightly and tentatively licked them.

The touch was wet and abrupt, like a scorching hot iron landing on ice and snow.

“Pah!”

Tang Xixue almost instinctively pulled her hand back sharply and delivered a crisp slap to his pale cheek.

The force was not great, yet it burst into a startlingly crisp sound in the silence.

The cool fragrance of crabapple blossoms emanating from her palm wafted over as well.

"Your Highness, I've washed myself clean, I'm not dirty."

Pei Yanchuan was knocked to the side, his head turned slightly, a few strands of black hair falling down and obscuring his eyes and brows. Only the faint red finger mark that quickly appeared stood out starkly against his pale skin.

He didn't flinch, nor did he even raise his hand to touch the painful spot.

Do you know what you're doing?

Tang Xixue's voice carried a hint of shock.

"Does Your Highness not like this?"

Pei Yanchuan simply turned his head slowly and looked at her again, his eyes deep and still as an ancient well, as if the palm strike just now was merely a gentle breeze brushing the surface of the water.

The feeling of being broken all over was not lessened by this humiliating posture; instead, it gave rise to a sharper, heart-wrenching vulnerability.

"Then... Your Highness, tonight... how would you like Yan Chuan to serve you?"

He spoke, his voice lower than usual, yet unusually magnetic due to the suppression of his emotions, slowly spreading in the silence.

Tang Xixue's hands were still trembling slightly, her fingertips still bearing the lingering coolness and dampness of that touch.

Mu Liang wrung out a hot towel and personally wiped Tang Xixue's fingers clean.

"Your Highness, you previously invited Young Master Pei to serve you in bed."

He whispered a reminder, knowing that His Highness had been experiencing frequent amnesia since falling ill.

If he hadn't already known that Pei Yanchuan was the person the princess wanted to sleep with, he would have already slashed the lecherous man who had defied the princess with a single sword stroke.

"..."

After her initial shock, Tang Xixue looked at Pei Yanchuan's kneeling posture, like a little white flower ready to be picked...

She abruptly closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down, her consciousness sinking into the chaotic sea of ​​memories stirred up by the transmigrated woman.

Countless fragmented images, chaotic perceptions, and flippant words flashed by—

"Tsk, such a pretty little thing, it's a shame she's a servant..."

"It's pleasing to the eye to keep it right in front of you."

"Teach him well, and he will be useful in the future."

The last clear memory came from the previous time-traveling woman, her fingertips tracing the boy's tense jawline with a drunken, frivolous laugh:

"Next time... wash yourself clean before you come to serve me in bed."

"Yanchuan, you have to be obedient to stay in Lintai, understand?"

"You don't want to fall into the dust again, do you?"

Snap out of my reverie.

Tang Xixue rubbed her forehead. What's all this about?

Those transmigrated women were busy chasing after even more dazzling chosen ones, and one after another they fell like moths to a flame.

They hadn't even had a chance to touch this fragile little white flower, and now it was presented to her.

Pei Yanchuan assumed that the princess had summoned him to bed tonight.

He even... had already washed himself clean.

Tang Xixue took a deep breath, the air sinking into her lungs, carrying the cool fragrance of ink and books.

She slowly raised her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, and finally gently touched the faint red finger mark on his cheek.

Did I hurt you?

Her voice was extremely soft, like snow falling on plum blossoms.

Pei Yanchuan was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting such a question.

He shook his head, his black hair swaying slightly: "It doesn't hurt."

The voice was calm and even, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with him.

He was raised here by Princess Mirror, a servant branded with ownership. Whether humiliated or rewarded, enduring it was his only duty.

Physical pain is now the least significant of all pain.

Not to mention, the force she used was hardly painful for him.

"Just now... I was startled by you."

Tang Xixue looked away, got up and walked to the nearby multi-treasure pavilion, and took down a small, exquisite carved red lacquer round box.

Upon opening the lid, a slightly bitter medicinal aroma wafted out.

She picked up a little bit of the glistening ointment with her fingertips, returned to him, bent down, and very gently and slowly applied the ointment to the red mark with her fingertips.

Her movements were exceptionally gentle.

The cool ointment created a strange contrast with the temperature of her fingertips.

"It was my fault."

Pei Yanchuan remained kneeling, his back straight, motionless, like a statue offered on an altar. The soulless jade sculpture quietly accepted this sudden comfort.

He felt no unease, and was even more vigilant.

He had heard far too much about Princess Mirror's infamy and arrogance.

The tenderness of the previous moment may just be the beginning of more torment.

He lived a life of constant anxiety and hardship, and he had long since learned to give up hope.

"Get up."

After applying the ointment evenly, Tang Xixue withdrew her hand and gently placed the carved lacquer box on the table.

"Sit here and button up your clothes first."

She pointed to the embroidered stool on the other side of the desk.

Pei Yanchuan's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he got up as instructed.

As he moved, he silently fastened the unbuttoned buttons on his shirt, and the pale blue fabric once again wrapped around his thin body.

He walked to the embroidered stool, but did not sit down immediately. Instead, he stood with his hands at his sides, his posture respectful, waiting for the next instruction.

Tang Xixue's fingertips brushed over the pile of brand-new, dazzling books on the desk, letting out a barely audible sigh.

"You don't need to take the exam for me tomorrow at Lintai."

"At that time, you just need to focus on answering your own question."

Pei Yanchuan suddenly looked up, a look of undisguised astonishment flashing in his eyes for the first time.

The taut shoulder line loosened almost imperceptibly, and then the sudden pardon gave rise to even deeper doubts.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he finally responded with a low, "Yes."

Tomorrow, the Imperial Preceptor will personally preside over the examination. If he is caught taking the exam for someone else, being expelled from the Imperial Academy would be the least of his worries.

He was initially worried about this matter, but to his surprise, the princess let him go.

"I summoned you here so late at night because there is something else I need to discuss."

Tang Xixue met his probing gaze and pointed to the mountain of books.

"I need to sort out the coursework I've missed over the past five years in Lintai overnight. Tonight, I need you to give me a concise overview, pointing out the most important and likely test points."

"As you know, the Imperial Preceptor will be the examiner tomorrow, so I'm going to take the exam myself."

His gaze followed her fingertips and landed on the pile of books that were almost spotless.

The initial shock gradually subsided, transforming into an even more incredulous bewilderment.

No?

Princess Mirror never reads books, so what kind of tricks can she figure out in just one night?

She really does things on a whim.

Summoned urgently in the dead of night, I washed myself clean and waited, only to find out it was all for... my studies?