Chapter One: Exceptionally Skilled in the Arts of Romance

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Shen Tuba was born under an ill fortune. At the age of five, starving and desperate, she sold herself to the Thousand Gold Pavilion. After years of striving and scheming, she finally found an opportunity to escape her lowly status.

She stood on the stone-paved road under the scorching sun for an entire hour, her heels aching from the hard ground. At last, faint sounds came from inside the hall.

A woman dressed in red stepped out from behind the screen and sat upright in a chair, her gaze fixed squarely on her.

Shen Tuba immediately forced a smile and knelt on the ground, awkwardly bowing, “Your servant, of the Shen family, pays respects to Miss Cui.”

“Rise.”

Shen Tuba caught the flicker of disdain in the woman’s eyes but pretended not to see it. Without waiting for an invitation, she took a seat.

Sure enough, the woman’s expression darkened with even deeper dislike, yet much of her wariness eased.

The daughter of the Cui family was known for her virtue and magnanimity. News had spread for half a month that before her marriage, she would send a maid to serve the Prince of Yan. Yet she chose a servant of lowly birth like Shen Tuba.

Shen Tuba understood well—they valued her precisely because of her humble origins and simple-mindedness. Since that was the case, she would make sure her masters felt she was worth more than their investment.

“Do you know why I bought you?” Cui Xiwen said coldly.

Joy that could not be hidden bloomed on Shen Tuba’s face. “I know. Your servant will surely win the Prince’s favor before you enter the household.”

“Clack!” The teacup slammed heavily onto the table. Cui Xiwen’s voice turned colder. “That’s none of your concern. Once you enter the household, your only job is to serve the Prince dutifully…”

Feigning shock, Shen Tuba stood up, but halfway through her words, the tone softened inexplicably, becoming gentle and affectionate. “Most importantly, you must bear the Prince an heir as soon as possible. Understood?”

No sooner had those words fallen than the hem of a dark robe brushed past Shen Tuba.

A tall and dignified man showed deep affection as he grasped Cui Xiwen’s hand excitedly. “Lady Wen, I will go to the palace and explain everything to Mother Empress. How can she treat you so disgracefully? I do not want the maid you sent, nor do I want you to suffer such humiliation.”

Cui Xiwen smiled, withdrawing her hand and stepping back with a mixture of grievance and resolve. “I am the Prince’s future wife. These are duties I must fulfill.”

The man stepped forward but restrained himself, halting in place. “You are my only wife in this life. I will never betray you.”

Shen Tuba watched this scene with cold eyes. After their heartfelt exchange, she snatched the tea tray from the maid without giving them a chance to refuse.

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With a slip of the hand, the tea spilled entirely onto the Prince of Yan’s clothes. “Your servant is clumsy. I beg the Prince’s forgiveness.”

Shen Tuba looked up with tearful eyes, meeting Li Tinghan’s gaze. A flash of surprise and admiration crossed his eyes, and Shen Tuba was pleased to look away.

Although everyone knew Cui Xiwen intended to send her to the Prince of Yan as a concubine, Shen Tuba had yet to formally leave the maidservant status.

She had painstakingly climbed to the heights of the Cui household, not to wash clothes and cook at the Prince’s manor.

Shen Tuba was certain that glance had made the Prince remember her—but it was not enough.

Turning her gaze to Cui Xiwen, she said, “The Prince’s clothes are wet. Allow your servant to assist him in changing.”

Cui Xiwen gripped the handkerchief tightly, barely maintaining a smile.

Today, she had planned to send Shen Tuba to the Prince. If she did not seize the opportunity now, all her previous endurance, humility, and virtue would be for naught.

“Very well, consider this your chance to redeem yourself.” Cui Xiwen forced out a smile. “This girl has served me for some time and is quite clever. I feel relieved leaving her to attend the Prince.”

Everyone loves beauty. Even Li Tinghan, who had seen countless beauties, found himself stealing another glance.

Hearing Cui Xiwen’s words, he was somewhat speechless. Splattering tea on him during their first meeting hardly seemed clever.

Shen Tuba, however, took the compliment at face value, looking up at Li Tinghan with an innocent smile.

Seeing that Li Tinghan’s attention had shifted away from her, Cui Xiwen grew increasingly angry. Fortunately, Li Tinghan sighed and looked back at her. “I understand your intentions. Taking her in is only to appease Mother Empress. In my heart, you will always be the most important one.”

Cui Xiwen smiled shyly, but her heart had grown cold. “Prince, please go quickly. It would be bad if you catch a chill.”

Watching Shen Tuba and Li Tinghan leave, Cui Xiwen could no longer hold back and smashed her cup to the floor. “Mother, did you see that? With such looks and that seductive demeanor, once I enter the household, where will there be a place for me?”

From behind the screen, a woman stepped out calmly. “His Majesty recently lost the Empress. You and the Prince will marry at least two years from now. The Prince’s household must take in someone eventually. You should choose one ugly enough so that neither the Empress Dowager nor the Prince will be fooled.”

Cui Xiwen took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Mother is right. With that kind of seductive nature, it won’t be long before the Prince’s inner chambers are in turmoil. Then, even without my intervention, the Empress Dowager…”

“No.” Madam Cui cut her off coldly. “You shouldn’t wish her dead. You should wish her to live—to live peacefully and bear the Prince a firstborn son.”

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Cui Xiwen looked at her mother in shock.

Madam Cui patiently instructed her daughter, “The Empress Dowager has long disliked the Cui family. These two years, the Prince’s household must produce an heir. Otherwise, the blame will fall on you. The Prince’s eldest illegitimate son being born from a lowly courtesan is far better than being born from Lu’s side.”

“You are right, Mother. Your daughter has learned her lesson.”

At Yuhui Hall,

Shen Tuba meticulously helped Li Tinghan change his clothes, her eyes never lifting once. She seemed like a completely different person from when she was in the front hall.

However, the man she served thought otherwise. Having recovered from the initial surprise, Li Tinghan understood the tea was deliberately used to seduce him.

To act so brazenly in front of Lady Wen, then to be alone with him, and for her hands to dare wander unrestrained on his body?

Struggling to fasten the belt around his waist, the petite woman pressed close against him. Li Tinghan finally lost all patience and grabbed her wrist.

Shen Tuba looked up in confusion. Though he said nothing, she could feel the anger blazing in his eyes.

Her wrist hurt, but she did not struggle. Instead, she stepped forward innocently. “Miss Cui ordered your servant to attend to you. Does the Prince wish to stay here? Your servant is very skilled in matters of intimacy…”

“Silence!” Li Tinghan snapped as if burned, suddenly releasing her hand, his ears flushed red as if about to bleed.

What did this girl take him for? A lecherous demon? To think he wanted to flaunt himself openly in the Yue family household was an insult to his character.

What embarrassed him even more was that his body had actually responded.

He fled toward the door, stopping only to reprimand, “Such filthy words! Shameless beyond measure. Once inside the mansion, go learn the proper rules from the housekeeper!”