DTBCF Chapter 20

This, this, this…

No wonder the male supporting character crushed the gift into pieces—he must have been offended by the embroidered mandarin ducks! Just imagine, a woman he’d only met twice sending him a pouch with romantic imagery like that. It was generous of him not to say anything at all.

Bai Xiangxiu felt like crying. She wanted to cry. How could she be so foolish? What should she do now? She instinctively grabbed the cloth pouch again, but the man behind the desk wasn’t pleased. Setting his book down, he asked, “What is that?”

Halfway through retrieving the pouch, she had no choice but to quietly put it back on the desk, feeling too overwhelmed to react properly. And with the male lead’s enchanting peach blossom eyes glancing up at her, her mind went completely blank. She stammered, “A gift… for you. I’ll… I’ll go now…” In her panic, she even forgot to refer to herself as “this humble one,” hastily turning to leave.

Xiaoshi followed close behind, utterly clueless about what was happening, but seeing her mistress fleeing, she hurried to catch up. While running, she called out, “Mistress, please slow down! Be careful not to fall!”

“So reckless! How improper!” The male lead frowned as he stared at the gray cloth package on the desk. He was puzzled—what exactly did she give him? While he found her departure rude, the strange little bundle made it hard for him to stay mad.

The young servant nearby was also confused. Why had she run off like that? Still, noticing the lord’s attention on the gray cloth pouch, he said, “My lord, this must be a gift from Lady Xiu. Shouldn’t you see what it is?”

Who gives a gift in such a drab package? Shouldn’t it be something like a fragrant sachet?

“A gift?” So, she came to give him something and got too shy to stay?

The prince filled in the gaps in his mind and slowly opened the cloth pouch. Inside, he found a handmade bookmark, its smooth wood surface adorned with delicate flower petals and green leaves arranged into an elegant pattern. Below, two lines of poetry were written in red ink. The calligraphy was average, but the poem itself was quite good:

“A cherished book is never read too often; Study it deeply, and knowledge will come naturally.”

He paused. Since returning, those three other wives had been nothing but a headache—constantly bringing him hand-made soups or fragrant sachets, all of which he promptly discarded. Years of military life had made him despise all those cloying scents. And as for their endless tonics filled with ginseng and other medicinal herbs—his health was already fine! What need did he have for such things?

But this gift… this one felt refined. It could be useful when reading. And the poem was meaningful.

The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. Who knew she was smarter than those other women when it came to giving gifts?

But he was puzzled—weren’t most women too shy to leave after giving a present, waiting for his favor? Why had she run off?

“Lady Xiu is rather shy…” the servant remarked, sensing his lord’s approval and using the opportunity to say something favorable about Bai Xiangxiu. Thinking back to her earlier boldness, though, he couldn’t help but wonder if that shyness was an act.

The prince was pleased. It made sense—she must have been too embarrassed, yet still wanted to earn his favor. As a man, being appreciated by a woman he had a good impression of stirred something within him. He allowed himself a slight smile, though he quickly composed himself again. “Her poem is nice, but she should practice her handwriting more. Go tell Madam Ye to inform her that she needs to improve her calligraphy.”

What? Who does that? She gives you a gift, and you tell her to work on her handwriting?

The servant chuckled, “My lord, since Lady Xiu has been so thoughtful, shouldn’t you show some appreciation in return?”

“Appreciation?” The prince shot him a glare, and the servant quickly bowed his head with a sheepish grin.

“It’s just a trinket,” the prince muttered. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “Fine. Tell her I’ll be going out tonight, but tomorrow night… I’ll visit her.”

He cleared his throat and snapped, “Now, get going! Do you want me to repeat myself?”

The servant trembled and immediately scurried away. Internally, he chuckled—so that’s why the lord didn’t mention a return gift. Turns out, he was offering himself as the gift instead! That’s far more valuable than anything else.

Meanwhile, Bai Xiangxiu was utterly distraught upon hearing the news. All she did was give him a simple gift—why did that mean he had to come to her room tomorrow night?

What else could he possibly want? Surely it meant… there was no way she could avoid rolling in bed with him!

Couldn’t he just give her silver as a return gift? She loved silver—lots and lots of it! If she couldn’t charm the male lead and ended up being cast aside, she’d need money to survive! And the prince… he was such a terrifying figure. Why did he have to come over? Couldn’t he stay as far away from her as possible?

She was so confused. Hugging her head in her arms, she felt utterly hopeless.

Xiaoshi, noticing her distress, asked curiously, “Lady Xiu, is your head hurting?”

“Yes, it hurts terribly.” It was practically splitting.

Xiaoshi helped her mistress to the bed, still bewildered. “Did the prince forget? Tomorrow, he’s supposed to accompany the old madam to Longhua Temple.”

“Going to the temple? Are you sure it’s tomorrow?” Tomorrow was the Buddha Day celebration at Longhua Temple, marking the completion of the grand Buddha statue funded by many wealthy benefactors. They had been invited to attend the opening ceremony.

Had it not been for recent events, she might have forgotten about this entirely. This was when the story kicked off—the heroine would use the temple visit as a chance to escape, turning the event into a complete disaster.

As a mere concubine, Bai Xiangxiu wasn’t invited, so she planned to stay home and watch everything unfold from a distance.

Of course, she hadn’t expected the male lead to be dragged along, which she now saw as a stroke of incredible luck. At least she would avoid him for one more day, narrowly escaping his hormonal advances.

But she couldn’t understand—how could a small gift have such a big impact on his feelings for the female lead? It seemed way too easy.

Still, after tomorrow, she’d no longer have to worry. The heroine’s escape would provoke the male lead, wounding his pride and making him obsessed with capturing her. From that point forward, he’d be caught in a cycle of chasing after her.

As long as he remained fixated on the heroine, Bai Xiangxiu would be safe from his advances. If the heroine didn’t run away, it would be even better—she wouldn’t have to deal with him at all!

That night, Bai Xiangxiu slept peacefully, relieved that she wouldn’t need to defend her chastity anytime soon. Meanwhile, the male lead was out drinking late into the night with his companions. When he finally returned, slightly tipsy, he rubbed his forehead and asked, “Anything happen at the manor?”

“No, my lord. The old madam just wanted to know what time you plan to leave tomorrow,” said Ruyi, his headmaid, as she handed him a bowl of hangover soup.

“Tomorrow?” He seemed to have forgotten something.

“Yes, you promised to accompany the old madam to Longhua Temple for the Buddha Day ceremony tomorrow,” Ruyi reminded him with a smile.

Ah, right. Tomorrow was the temple visit. But wasn’t there something else? Oh yes, he had promised that woman he’d visit her tomorrow night.

The journey to the temple was long, and he’d likely need to rest there overnight. Wouldn’t that mean breaking his promise?

A man going back on his word to a woman—how embarrassing! He frowned and said, “Go to the Winter Garden and tell Lady Xiu to prepare. She’ll accompany us tomorrow.”

If he couldn’t visit her, taking her along would at least be a consolation. After all, women in the household rarely had the chance to go out.