CH 22

In the Baishao Courtyard, Cui Dai with a mischievous grin plastered on her face strode back to her lavish home and impulsively knocked over the tea tray that the servants had so diligently prepared.

The scalding water spattered all over the servant girl's chest and hands, and some water fell on Cui Dai's cheeks. 

She winced in pain and uttered a soft hiss, "You dumb b**h!.”

The nanny attempted to calm her down, but Cui Dai's anger flared up, and she pointed her finger at the hapless servant girl: "Drag her out and give her thirty lashes! She's so clumsy!.”

Cui Dai continued to rant and rave, blaming the servant for her perceived incompetence, and vented only a fraction of her pent-up frustration. Suddenly, another maid entered the room and announced: "Miss, the madam is here."

As soon as Mrs. Xining set foot into the Courtyard, she spotted a group of hefty women supporting a sobbing girl, who was pleading for mercy. 

Afterwards, Mrs. Xining stuffed a rag into the poor girl's mouth to hush her sobs and impatiently waved her hand and exclaimed, "Release her! Why is she crying?.”

"Mother!" Cui Dai stormed out, clutching her damp handkerchief. "Why are you helping her? She has offended me, so I can't let her off the hook!.”

The servants retreated discreetly, and the young girl prostrated herself before Cui Dai and then caught up with the group of servants.

"Who are you punishing, and for what? You have no idea what's going on here!" Cui Dai welcomed her mother into her home, continuing to scold er.

But Mrs. Xining looked at her and exclaimed in shock, "What's wrong with your face?."

"It wasn't that young girl's mistake!.” Cui Dai declared tearfully.

"Never mind, let mother have a look," Mrs. Xining said, stepping forward to examine her daughter's face.

Seeing Cui Dai’s face, Mrs. Xining asked casually, "Why are you making a big deal out of a pimple?.”

“B-but!.”

Seeing that her words weren’t making a dent in her mother, Cui Dai gritted her teeth angrily and remarked, "Look how proud she is! A blind man married the prime minister's son and climbed to a high branch. It seems she is pretending to not know who gave birth to her and raised her. Besides, what does brother-in-law like about her? I, I really can't figure it out!.”

For this reason, she still felt ashamed of her, and thinking about her intimate actions at the dinner table, Cui Dai felt like vomiting!.

Mrs. Xining was speechless for a while, regardless of other things, with Pei Xuan's dignified status, no matter how arrogant they were, their reputation would soar and they would be held in a higher regard.

Pei Xuan's attitude was within her expectations, but her kindness and intimacy to Cui Ti was beyond her.

The mother and daughter were silent at the same time, looking at each other in blank dismay, there was nothing they could do.

…

In the afternoon, the sun was high and the Chenxiang Courtyard fell into silence.

Pei Xuan lay sideways on the bed that Cui Ti had slept in before she got married, admiring the begonia seeping in the ground out in front of her window.

She remembered when she first met Cui Ti, she found her sitting on the steps of a dilapidated tile-roofed house in the south courtyard. Her calm demeanor didn't match that of a blind person, which made Pei Xuan feel both uneasy and depressed when she found out about her condition.

Sitting on the brown chair inside the courtyard, Cui Ti was drowsy with her chin propped up, wearing a pure white silk blindfold, and her hair blowing in the wind. Her lips were moist and slightly parted, giving her a relaxed appearance as if she were about to fall asleep after a satisfying meal. 

Pei Xuan couldn't help but suppress a smile at the sight.

Though Pei Xuan didn't usually indulge in voyeurism, she found herself drawn to watching Cui Ti. She silently mouthed her name with great interest, calling out "Ti’er." 

Blushing with embarrassment, Pei Xuan carefully rolled over to the other side of the bed, and the soft fragrance emanating from the sheets reminded her of Cui Ti's scent. 

Holding back her desire to hug her wife, she glanced at Cui Ti again, and seeing her drowsiness, she walked over and asked, "Wife?.”

But, Cui Ti didn't reply.

She was dreaming about Pei Xuan who helped her up just in time before she fell and acted very affectionate, and her eyes displayed obsession, as if she wanted to do nothing but hold her.

"Wife…?.”

Pei Xuan called out to Cui Ti several times, but she didn't respond. 

Her eyelashes lightly quivered and she spoke in a gentle tone, "Wife, it’s not comfortable to sleep here. Let me take you back to bed to rest.”

For a moment, Pei Xuan felt nervous as she wrapped her hands around Cui Ti's waist, and a fresh and clear fragrance softly lingered on the tip of her nose, making her feel a pleasant itch. 

Despite her initial surprise, the feeling of joy and excitement was overwhelming. She experienced that same euphoric feeling she had whenever she was around Cui Ti, a sensation that is difficult to ignore.

At that moment, Bai Tang approached the door to deliver the flower vase. 

However, before entering, she peeked through the window and caught Pei Xuan holding Cui Ti in a loving embrace. Seeing this, Bai Tang was so embarrassed that she abandoned the idea of refilling the vase and quietly left.

Pei Xuan's expression was serious as she examined Cui Ti's delicate features. Despite her slender appearance, Cui Ti possessed all the qualities of a beautiful woman.

"Husband..." Cui Ti's voice trailed off as she woke up, blushing at the realization that she was nestled in her husband's arms. Through the sheer silk of her clothes, she could feel Pei Xuan's chest and a wave of embarrassment wash over her. 

"Wh-what are you doing?," she asked nervously.

"Shh, wife," Pei Xuan whispered tenderly, "please keep your voice down." 

Cui Ti fell silent, completely captivated by her husband's gentle voice.

Although taken aback by Pei Xuan’s sudden move, Cui Ti had just woken up from her dream and did not want to reject her advance.

Her lips trembled as her fingertips lingered on her chest, remembering Pei Xuan's whispered instructions to keep quiet.

Her consciousness was hazy, and when Pei Xuan noticed her chest moving, she blushed like a flame, then wrapped her arms around her slender waist and gently brushed away the pesky bee. But as she flicked it away, Cui Ti winced in pain.

The little bee knew better than to mess with the fierce and blushing Pei Xuan, so it flew out of the window and into the garden to collect nectar.

(T/L: It is a bee! Not her hands, for anyone trying to read between the lines!)

Cui Ti couldn't see the bug as it flew out, but she knew that her husband was probably right.

"I didn't mean to...Wife, are you alright?" Pei Xuan stammered, her face still red with embarrassment. 

But Cui Ti didn't blame her and instead wrapped her arms around her neck as she helped her onto the bed. 

It was, admittedly, a beautiful misunderstanding.

Pei Xuan couldn't help but feel embarrassed, her fingertips still tingling with the touch of Cui Ti’s skin. 

Looking down at her wife’s embarrassed face, she knew she needed to explain the misunderstanding from earlier, but she couldn't find the right words. 

As a result, she cursed the bee that had caused all this trouble.

Pei Xuan leapt out of bed with a fiery passion burning within her, then she went to close the window. Seeing this, Cui Ti's heart raced with embarrassment. 

Why close a window during the daytime?.

Pei Xuan rubbed her nose, realizing the impropriety of her behavior. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of self-doubt, wondering if she was just a lustful pervert.

…

Bai Tang, who had gone back and forth, looked at the closed windows and gasped in disbelief. 

Was this man really so consumed by desire?.

She ran away lightly holding the vase of flowers.

Sure enough, how could a normal man be able to bear his desire when seeing her Mistress? Not to mention just taking off her clothes, looking at her face should make anyone feel aroused.

As a young maid walked towards the courtyard carrying stewed chicken soup, she ran into Bai Tang who was holding a vase of flowers with a sly grin.

Seeing this, she asked curiously, "Why are you still holding the vase? The young Madam wants—.”

Bai Tang quickly cut her off, "Mr. Pei is not available right now. He and the Madam are busy.”

She then winked at the young girl, seeing this, she immediately realized and blushed, then gave Bai Tang a scolding gaze: "Why are you being so honest about it!?.”

"..."

The young girl walked away shyly, and Bai Tang who was scolded for no reason did not know the reason why.

…

Pei Xuan was struggling with her desires, wanting to show her love for Cui Ti, but not wanting to come across as too aggressive.

Finally, she mustered up the courage to confess her feelings, hoping to ease her worries. "Wife, I am deeply in love with you. I want to make you happy, so I'll have a drink," she said in a husky voice, trying to sound seductive.

It was hard for Pei Xuan, a refined man who rarely drank, to admit that she was getting drunk for the sake of her wife's happiness. 

She knew that her drinking buddies would tease her if they found out. Nevertheless, she couldn't bear to see her wife cry, and so she reached for the wine bottle on the bedside.

"Wife, would you also like to taste the wine?.”

Cui Ti knew that she spoke in a direct way and tried to act uprightly. In order not to embarrass Pei Xuan too much, she nodded in response: "Yes, please.”

As Pei Xuan uncorked the wine bottle, its sweet aroma filled the room, creating a romantic atmosphere.

Pei Xuan found herself in a bewildering situation and she couldn't help but think of the pesky bee that caused all this trouble.

As she frowned, her gaze drifted to Cui Ti's face, relieved that the latter couldn't see her fear of the winged insect. 

Pei Xuan had developed a phobia of bees ever since she was eight years old when one stung her and left her in pain for several days. Besides, seeing how small and timid her wife was, she felt that it was her duty to protect her.

With a bold move, Pei Xuan tilted her head back and savored the smooth taste of the wine before offering it to her wife mouth to mouth, who was eagerly waiting for her.

The heady aroma of the wine teased their senses, and the intense flavor swirled against their teeth and lips, making it hard to ignore. 

Despite the frivolous act of feeding wine, no one dared to speak about it.

From Cui Ti's perspective, Pei Xuan had taken the lead today, and she couldn't bring herself to refuse. 

From Pei Xuan's perspective, she knew that her wife needed her company and she was happy to oblige.

"Is it tasty?,” Pei Xuan asked, her voice laced with a seductive tone.

The spicy warmth of the wine enveloped Cui Ti's senses, making her feel dizzy and disoriented. 

She had never tasted wine in her past life, and she found herself enjoying this newfound intimacy with Pei Xuan. As the warmth of the wine spread through her body, she giddily replied, "It's delicious." 

Cui Ti found herself liking Pei Xuan more and more, especially when they shared moments like these.

As they engaged in such intimate acts within the confines of her wife’s boudoir after their marriage, Pei Xuan felt a certain itchiness that she could not resist. 

She grazed her fingertips across her water-stained lips, marveling at their softness. 

Even for someone who prided themselves on being a seasoned drinker, the sensation was otherworldly.

Pei Xuan’s smile was as light and elegant as the most beautiful white pear blossom on a branch. Her gaze held the gentle drizzle of spring, gradually soothing Cui Ti's shy heart.

"Do you want to?" Pei Xuan's question hung in the air, prompting Cui Ti to groan softly as she clung onto her tightly. 

At that moment, she was truly drunk and weak. 

Yet, Pei Xuan's heart swelled with affection, responding to her passion with a fiery intensity that would not be denied. She whispered tirelessly into her ear, "You are here, my wife, and I am here with you."