DTBCF Chapter 18

Of course, she still had to occasionally flirt with the second male lead. After all, who knew if staying here, even without provoking the female lead, would still get her turned into cannon fodder?

The old madam was quite pleased with her shy, innocent demeanor. Who wouldn’t want their son’s woman to be pure and sweet? She quickly had someone summon Nanny Ye, introduce them, and then send the nanny off to her duties.

Bai Xiangxiu knew that this nanny was one of the old madam’s trusted people, so she treated her with the utmost respect.

She arranged a room for Nanny Ye but didn’t assign her any specific tasks. However, Nanny Ye had come with a mission: to teach Lady Xiu how to seduce her lord and get him into bed.

Nanny Ye wasted no time, starting her lessons right away. After all, the ladies of the back courtyard didn’t have much else to do besides waiting for the lord to visit, hoping to win his favor and maybe bear a child.

Seeing Lady Xiu’s lovely appearance, Nanny Ye immediately knew that the old madam had elevated her on purpose. She greeted her with a warm smile, leaving a good impression.

She was surprised, though, by how simple Lady Xiu’s living quarters were, yet they exuded such refined taste.

The few potted plants in the room were arranged with remarkable elegance, creating an almost spiritual atmosphere. Aside from one plant she couldn’t identify, everything was incredibly pleasing to the eye.

It was no wonder the lord had gone out of his way to visit twice. A young woman who could decorate her space with such taste, and without any overwhelming fragrances, was bound to stand out.

Nanny Ye’s advice was solid: no matter how wealthy or arrogant a man might be, receiving a personal gift from a woman always brings some delight. So, she insisted that Bai Xiangxiu make something herself and present it to him.

Bai Xiangxiu was frustrated, but she couldn’t refuse, so she begrudgingly went along with it. She began learning embroidery, and since the original owner of her body had some knowledge of it, she ended up doing quite well.

But learning embroidery takes time. Every day, Nanny Ye would come and teach her, while in her spare time, she’d sit quietly and work on making shoes.

Even Bai Xiangxiu, as dense as she could be, could tell that she was a bit slow to pick up on Nanny Ye’s lessons. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was still quite innocent. These things, after all, required time.

At night, Bai Xiangxiu tossed and turned in bed, wondering why the second male lead hadn’t shown up yet. Didn’t he usually visit the estate every few days? And wasn’t he always wandering around without the need for anyone’s guidance? How else would he bump into the female lead?

Could it be that without the female lead, he wasn’t as motivated? No, she couldn’t allow that!

She needed to seduce the second male lead and escape this vicious cycle. The idea that her mother-in-law had sent someone to teach her, a concubine, how to seduce her husband was humiliating! She felt like she was on the verge of breaking down—what could she do?

Bai Xiangxiu might have been slow, but she could still guess why the old madam was doing this.

The male lead was a diligent and responsible man. He had worked tirelessly for seven or eight years to earn his title as an independent prince, even though he wasn’t of royal blood. Initially, he was just another noble in the capital, but now he had become part of the royal family, with a position that afforded him far better treatment.

But in his quest for power, he had neglected some things—like the fact that he was still a virgin. Bai Xiangxiu remembered reading about how awkward his first time with the female lead had been in the novel. It was downright embarrassing.

Unlike the charming male leads in other novels who easily seduced the female lead, he had struggled miserably, wanting to but not knowing how to proceed.

Bai Xiangxiu had laughed so much while reading that part that she had scared away some of the older coworkers, who thought something was wrong with her!

When she compared the novel’s story to her current situation, she realized the old madam was quite clever. She wanted the male lead to experience intimacy before his wedding night, to avoid being laughed at by his wife later on.

Of course, the old madam couldn’t teach the official wife how to seduce her husband. That would be improper. But teaching a concubine was different. If something went wrong, no one would care if the concubine was sold off or beaten to death.

So, this was all part of a plan to make her cannon fodder!

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. The worst part was that if she went along with the plan, she’d be humiliating herself. But if she refused, she’d offend the old madam, who could easily have her beaten to death, just like squashing an ant.

After thinking it over, she decided to continue working on her embroidery and wait for the right moment. The right moment would be when the second male lead wandered around the estate!

She waited several days, and by then her embroidery was nearly finished. It was a simple pair of mandarin ducks, nothing too fancy.

Nanny Ye wasn’t impressed, but she figured Bai Xiangxiu’s skills were limited, so it would have to do. Once the embroidery was finished, Nanny Ye took the design and made it into a sachet.

While Nanny Ye worked on the sachet, Bai Xiangxiu silently mourned for her own eyes, giving them three minutes of sympathy. Then she went over to her only confidant, a little firespirit, and said, “I’m so tired, so tired. When will the second male lead show up?”

“What is this second male lead?” the firespirit asked in an adorable voice. Recently, it had been healthy, and its vitality was strong—it didn’t even get hurt when thrown around.

“The male rival isn’t a ‘thing,’ uh, his name is Song Jiaoyue.” Even his name sounded nice. When would she be able to seduce him?

“Brother Song, what have you been up to lately?” the fire spirit suddenly mimicked the male lead’s slow, deliberate speech.

“How do you know that?” Bai Xiangxiu jumped in surprise. She hadn’t expected the firespirit to be able to mimic people’s voices.

“I heard it,” the fire spirit replied. “Part of my body got stuck in that person’s finger, but it will soon disappear.”

“That person?” Bai Xiangxiu realized it was the male lead’s servant. The servant had accidentally pricked his finger when he dropped the fire spirit.

This was her golden opportunity! How had she only just realized it?

“Is he here now? Right now?” Had the second male lead already arrived? She was both excited and regretful for not asking earlier—he might have come several times already!

“He arrived just before you mentioned the second male lead,” the firespirit said cheerfully, clearly happy to have been helpful.

“You’re amazing, fire spirit! But could I borrow your prickly parts?” she asked. Then she could drop them near the male lead, and whenever the second male lead showed up, she’d know right away.

“It might hurt a bit, but if you can handle it, master,” the fire spirit said generously. It didn’t expect her to try pulling the entire thorn out, and soon it was crying, “Ouch, ouch, ouch…”

It must’ve hurt a lot. Bai Xiangxiu quickly stopped, realizing that obtaining this golden opportunity wouldn’t be easy. She couldn’t bear to cause the fire spirit pain.

“Master, the tip of the thorn doesn’t hurt,” the fire spirit said, unable to move but offering guidance.

Right, the tip of the thorn was meant to protect it, so it wouldn’t hurt.

With that in mind, Bai Xiangxiu had an idea. She smiled and said, “Wait right here.”

She ran outside, where Nanny Ye was still working on the sachet. She had already cut out the shape before doing the embroidery, so all that was left was to sew it together and attach the string.

At that moment, Nanny Ye was threading the string through, and Bai Xiangxiu ran over to her, asking, “Is the sachet finished?”

“Almost,” Nanny Ye replied, a bit surprised by Bai Xiangxiu’s sudden enthusiasm. Why was she so eager all of a sudden? Nanny Ye quickly finished threading the string and handed the sachet to her. Bai Xiangxiu smiled and said, “I’ll put the herbs inside. You don’t need to worry about the rest.”

Nanny Ye had never seen Lady Xiu so enthusiastic before. Was it a good idea for such a lively girl to serve the lord? Wouldn’t he find her a bit too much?

Bai Xiangxiu took the sachet inside, filled it with herbs, and discreetly added some of the fire spirit’s thorns, using a pair of scissors to snip them in.

Since the sachet would be worn close to the body, she’d know the moment the second male lead arrived. This was even better than a modern surveillance system!

She smiled and kissed the sachet just as Nanny Ye walked in and saw her. The nanny couldn’t help but think, It seems Lady Xiu has genuine feelings for the lord, but her way of expressing them is a bit too enthusiastic.