CH 13

Meng Huan looked as though he was immensely in love with Lin Bozhou and was anxious to sleep with him.

But he was making a bet, betting that Lin Bozhou would not actually touch him.

Lin Bozhou’s arrogance was evident in the book, and he once uttered the following sentence.

“For half of this prince’s life, I am the best at making unyielding spines bend, hard white jade shatter, and clear waters dry up. Those who hate me kneel and arrogant people submit, but I don’t like to force others to like me.”

This was his condescension. The crowd deeply loathed him, and he deeply hated others. Only the strong were worthy of his eyes, and the submissive was simply unworthy.

Meng Huan, who played the submissive, waited quietly after finishing, with an unspeakable tightness in his spine, locking gazes with Lin Bozhou.

Lin Bozhou’s eyes reflected the firelight like dark blood. After a long time, he lifted his finger and gently pushed it against Meng Huan’s forehead. “Liar.”

“Huh?” His poke tilted Meng Huan’s head.

Lin Bozhou poked again. “This prince said, ‘liar.’”

Meng Huan: “……”

It was a very low voice that brought up a slight ripple, leaving Meng Huan momentarily stupefied.

“Treating others as fools? Performing a play?” Lin Bozhou gestured to his left and right. “If you don’t want to serve in bed, go back to sleep. Someone, light the lamp.”

“……”

A servant entered the door and waited.

Understanding that Lin Bozhou would not sleep with himself, Meng Huan’s mood suddenly eased. But even though the tense feeling suddenly disappeared, the coolness of his touch remained on his forehead, and his heart was filled with emptiness.

The “liar” echoed in his ears. Surprisingly, Lin Bozhou did not seem very angry but felt uninterested.

Of course, Lin Bozhou liked people who were intelligent, mindful of the world, and capable of fighting with him. He was mighty and was surrounded by people trying to curry favor. There was nothing to attract him when he was surrounded by one more flattering face.

It seems that the salted fish* method still works, Meng Huan said in his heart.

*Salted fish: an internet term for self-defeating people with no pursuit.

But…… there is no way to seduce Lin Bozhou.

Like being stabbed by a dull knife in his chest, Meng Huan was in a bit of a depressed mood.

But no matter how you say it, you have won tonight.

Meng Huan held his hand, having won a power game for the first time, put on a reserved face, and walked back with deep steps.

In the courtyard, the maids and male servants were eating melon seeds and speculating, “When do you think the prince and madam will sleep tonight?”

“Hehehe, I’m afraid they won’t sleep. They’ll stay up until dawn!”

“You devil! Saying such filthy words!”

While talking excitedly, they heard a clear and tender “I’m back!”

Everyone turned their heads and saw Meng Huan enter the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking very profound.

Calculating the time, it was not even late at night. He had just gone but already returned and failed to serve in bed. The maids dropped their melon seed shells. “Madam……”

Meng Huan also grabbed a melon seed. “What’s wrong?”

The maids exchanged glances with each other and asked, “Madam, you’re not serving in bed again?”

Meng Huan said joyfully, “Mmm!”

“…………”

The maids’ expressions became horrified.

This era did not care about love. Couples got married like opening a mystery box and would sleep together without even seeing each other’s faces clearly in the quilt. Other lords who had concubines also slept with them that night, but the madam took off his pants twice in a row with the prince but failed in serving in the bed!

What did this mean? This meant that their madam was not only unfavored, but the prince had a problem with him and was deliberately cold to him!

The maids put down their melon seeds and began to comfort him. “Madam, don’t be too sad. Maybe it’s because the prince recently had a relapse of his eye disease and was busy with business, so he didn’t have much interest.”

“It’s not that Madam’s sex appeal is declining.”

“Madam looks good, speaks well, and has a pleasing personality. Don’t be sad because of the king’s momentary coldness…….”

“?” Meng Huan: “I’m not sad ah.”

“Madam, don’t say that. This servant understands.” As they spoke, someone actually wiped up tears.

This was the sadness of ancient concubines, depending on men. If they were not favored, it was as if they could not realize the value of their lives, and the sky would fall.

Meng Huan tried to console them. “Although the prince refused to have sex with me, there is good food and drink. That’s good.”

“But……”

The maids looked at each other. “But Madam can not get the prince’s favor and can not do his duty as a wife. It is really against human nature. Others will laugh if word gets out!”

Help, the remains of feudalism are really terrible.

“What is there to laugh at?” Meng Huan said honestly, “That is their short-sightedness. Now walk out into the courtyard, look at the stars in the sky, listen to the cicadas and frogs chirping on summer nights, and feel the rustle of the breeze blowing through the treetops. Don’t you feel the vastness of life? There are many interesting things for people to do daily besides working and caring for their families.”

The maids: “…………”

Knowing it was impossible to change their deep-rooted ideology, Meng Huan retreated and headed for the room. “Sisters, go to bed. I’ll sleep too.”

“Yes, Madam.”

The maids retreated to the chamber, leaving only one male servant on night duty at the outer door.

After the surroundings fell silent, Meng Huan patted the quilt and prepared to sleep.

However, there seemed to be a faint coolness on his forehead.

He remembered Lin Bozhou gently nudging his head with a refined gesture and a look of extreme exasperation.

…… Hot.

Meng Huan raised his hand and gently touched the forehead that he had touched.

Still a little hot.

As soon as he thought of Lin Bozhou’s body temperature, his body seemed to have a fever and began to warm up unstoppably.

Meng Huan mumbled and turned over, hiding his face under the blanket.

—The highly “compatible” body is truly annoying.

–

Over the next few days, Meng Huan did not see Lin Bozhou.

He thought it was because of the efforts to stop striving. But after hearing the maids chatting, he learned that Lin Bozhou had recovered from his eye disease and returned to the cabinet to start handling business, returning to his previous busy state.

He became a powerful minister above everyone, and the atmosphere in the house was more lively than ever. The servants under Lin Bozhou were elated. The more powerful the master was, the more prosperous and happier they were.

Meng Huan said: Okay.

From another point of view, as Lin Bozhou began to work, Meng Huan’s widowed happy life also began. Hehehehe.

After painting in the courtyard all morning, he heard the maid. “Fengzhi, call for lunch at noon.

Meng Huan replied, “Coming.”

He then put down the brush and walked from the door to the table. Upon seeing the dishes, he was surprised. “How come there are only three dishes and one soup? At first, there were thirty dishes, then ten, and now it’s just four?”

Fengzhi’s face was gloomy. “Madam, sigh.”

Hearing her sigh, Meng Huan understood what was happening. “Is it because I am not favored?”

“Yes,” Fengzhi nodded. “The servants in the prince’s residence are the best at treating people differently. When word spread that Madam had not served in bed again from that night, everyone became less enthusiastic and began to neglect Madam.”

So that’s how it was. Meng Huan sat down and was satisfied with the dishes before him. “It’s not a big problem. Four dishes are sufficient to eat.”

Fengzhi smiled and said, “Madam is really easy to keep.”

Not only were the other subordinates in the house lazy, but even the eight maids and eight male servants in this courtyard started to slack off; only Fengzhi and a few little sisters had been caring for him.

Meng Huan asked her to sit down and eat together. A voice rang out at the door while she refused to do so.

“Is Madam in?”

The voice was vaguely familiar. Meng Huan looked up with a chicken leg in his mouth and first saw the figures of several maids and male servants.

Xu Fanggu, who had been punished by Lin Bozhou some time ago, stood in the doorway smiling. “Is Madam eating?”

Meng Huan hiccuped, and the chicken leg fell into the bowl. Fengzhi hurriedly stood up and walked outside the courtyard, obviously going to look for someone, but was blocked from going.

“Why are you leaving? Fengzhi, did you empty the stool bucket in the courtyard? Go and empty it.”

Fengzhi bowed her head. “It was emptied in the morning.”

“Hmm? But why do I smell a stench? Is it because you didn’t do your housekeeping properly?”

After saying that, Nanny Xu tugged her collar and said, “Kneel.”

Her voice contained menace.

The atmosphere began to be subtle.

Meng Huan didn’t look at the chicken leg again but at Xu Fanggu before him, and he realized something.