At first, Su Baiyue thought the red bean cake she found that day was just a coincidence. However, after discovering that every time she visited the small garden, different types of pastries would appear on the stone table, she started to suspect that this was no accident but rather a premeditated act of feeding.
For most people, this situation would provoke great alarm and paranoia. But Su Baiyue was no ordinary person; she was an extraordinary person.
As a faux fairy who sustained herself on these small pastries, Su Baiyue thought that even if they were laced with arsenic, she could still eat them without batting an eye.
While Su Baiyue enjoyed her daily secret snacks in the small garden, Lady Weinan was getting anxious.
The Weinan palace’s trip to the capital was for the purpose of arranging Princess Ling Yun’s marriage. However, the recent incident at the racetrack—where Princess Ling Yun whipped the poor stable boy three times—had been exaggerated and spread around, damaging her cold and pure image, earning her a reputation for arrogance and cruelty. As a result, the number of suitors visiting the Weinan palace had decreased significantly.
At Lady Weinan’s suggestion, Princess Ling Yun reluctantly had her maid send a bottle of medicinal ointment to Lu An.
However, Lady Weinan felt this was insufficient. She insisted that Princess Ling Yun personally escort the household physician to tend to Lu An. To further rehabilitate her daughter’s image, Lady Weinan spared no expense and invited several noblewomen from the capital to the Weinan palace as guests.
Princess Ling Yun, who cared deeply about her reputation, was naturally aware of this maneuver. Lady Weinan, being her mother, knew her well and didn’t make a grand spectacle of the image restoration. Instead, she subtly guided a few of the most gossipy noblewomen toward the side hall where the stable boy was housed.
Lu An wore his cleanest clothes, sitting quietly on a carved lacquer chair, his head lowered as the housekeeper glanced at him with disdain.
“Be careful. If you dirty this, you won’t be able to afford the compensation,” the housekeeper said with an expression of disgust.
Lu An remained silent, his face mostly hidden by his black hair, revealing only a pale, delicate jawline. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, and his entire demeanor exuded a sense of gloom.
There was movement in the side hall, and Lu An’s breath hitched as he looked up. He saw a noblewoman approaching, dressed in extravagant, jewel-encrusted robes. However, she was not the cold and pure Princess Ling Yun who haunted his dreams, lips trembling as she cried.
“Greetings to the princess,” the housekeeper quickly greeted the noblewoman as she stepped into the side hall.
Princess Yangshi, daughter of the Prince of Xingyuan, casually glanced at Lu An, her lips curling into a smirk as she openly looked him up and down.
Lu An, sitting there, appeared thin and frail, pitifully helpless. But Princess Yangshi vividly remembered what she had seen before—something not at all frail.
She wondered if it looked as good as it worked.
Princess Yangshi was the daughter of the Prince of Xingyuan, whose territory was separated from Weinan by only a river. Though neighbors, their relationship was far from friendly, and especially between Princess Yangshi and Princess Ling Yun, they were like fire and water.
Their personalities were worlds apart as well. Princess Ling Yun of Weinan was known for her aversion to touch and her extreme obsession with cleanliness*, while Princess Yangshi of Xingyuan had a fondness for strong, vigorous men and had kept numerous male companions around her, even before marriage. Recently, she had taken a liking to the stable boy from the Weinan palace and had come specifically today to claim him.
“He’s a bit thin, but after a few days of care, he’ll be just fine,” Princess Yangshi said, her crimson-tipped fingers lightly lifting Lu An’s chin.
Lu An’s expression remained one of quiet resignation, not even blinking.
Satisfied with his compliance, Princess Yangshi was about to brush the hair from his face when a cold voice interrupted her.
“Let go.”
Princess Yangshi’s face changed, and she turned sharply, only to see Princess Ling Yun standing behind her, dressed all in white.
“Well, if it isn’t Princess Ling Yun. How timely. Since your Weinan palace doesn’t seem to value this stable boy, why don’t you let me take him?” Princess Yangshi said with a smirk.
Su Baiyue clearly remembered that in the original plot, this confrontation only occurred after Princess Yangshi had accidentally seen the stable boy’s face, leading to her scandalous attempt to seize him. At that point, it was the novel’s official heroine, the pure and virtuous “White Lotus” female lead, who came to the rescue, not Su Baiyue, the cannon-fodder first love.
But what could she do? The heroine hadn’t shown up yet, and if Su Baiyue didn’t intervene, Lu An would fall into the hands of Princess Yangshi, becoming a mere male pet. How could he possibly dominate the world and rise to the top of life like that?
“He belongs to me,” Su Baiyue declared, her voice cold. She did not wear a veiled hat, revealing a face far more exquisite and frosty than Princess Yangshi’s. She raised her chin slightly, her pale lips moving delicately as her pearly white teeth pressed against her crimson tongue. The sight made Lu An involuntarily swallow.
Su Baiyue’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear and firm.
Princess Yangshi’s expression darkened, and she laughed coldly. “Oh? Has the pure and untouchable Princess Ling Yun finally decided she wants a man?”
Lu An’s body stiffened in the chair, unsure if he was more frightened or nervous.
Su Baiyue thought she wasn’t desperate enough to want a man, but at the moment, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and admit it to quickly resolve the situation before Princess Yangshi escalated things further.
After all, Princess Ling Yun and Princess Yangshi had long been rivals, often clashing over various issues.
“So what if I do?”
Princess Yangshi burst into laughter. “Nothing at all,” she said, turning to curtsy to Lady Weinan and the group of noblewomen who had gathered at the entrance. “Thank you, Lady Weinan, for your hospitality. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Su Baiyue was momentarily stunned. When she turned around, she saw Lady Weinan standing with a group of noblewomen at the hall’s entrance, all staring at her with expressions of shock and dismay, as if the sky was about to fall.
For some reason, Su Baiyue felt a pang of guilt.
But she maintained her cold and noble demeanor, silently thankful that Princess Yangshi hadn’t seen Lu An’s face. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have let go so easily.
Ah, they always say beauty brings disaster, but who knew a beautiful man could be just as troublesome!*
Sitting quietly in the carved lacquer chair, Lu An hunched his slender back, his chin still marked with the nail prints left by Princess Yangshi, giving him a pitiful appearance.
Indeed, the male lead was currently underfed, poorly clothed, and even subjected to harassment from the powerful. He was truly a pitiful little thing.
“Ling’er, what are you doing?” Lady Weinan, gritting her teeth to suppress her anger, forced a dignified smile despite the noblewomen’s curious glances. “Didn’t you bring the physician to check on this stable boy? Why are you arguing with Princess Yangshi?”
Lady Weinan tactfully avoided mentioning Princess Yangshi’s brazen behavior, subtly urging Su Baiyue not to cause a scene.
The noblewomen, though eager for gossip, were led away by the old servant, giving Lady Weinan a little leeway.
Once the front hall cleared, Lady Weinan immediately scolded, “Ling’er, what were you thinking! Do you realize how much your reputation has already been damaged in the capital? Now that Princess Yangshi has something on you, how will you recover from this?”
Su Baiyue was unconcerned. Her reputation didn’t matter. What mattered was safely ensuring that the male lead reached the pinnacle of life.
“See to the patient,” Su Baiyue ordered, waving over the trembling physician standing at the entrance.
The physician, carrying his medicine chest, entered and examined Lu An.
Lady Weinan, exasperated, could only sigh in frustration. But she couldn’t stay to argue with Su Baiyue any longer—she had to keep an eye on those gossiping noblewomen to prevent any further slander.
“Go back quickly,” she said, giving Su Baiyue a sharp look before hurrying off.
The physician finished his examination and declared that Lu An was not seriously injured—just a little weak—and that with proper care, he would recover well due to his youth.
Su Baiyue nodded, her cold eyes briefly glancing at Lu An before turning to leave. But just as she was about to go, she heard a faint voice behind her.
“Princess.”
It was the first time Su Baiyue had heard Lu An speak. His voice was low and husky, magnetic and smooth, the kind that could make anyone’s ears tingle.
Su Baiyue turned to look at Lu An, her face expressionless.
Lu An lowered his head, nervously stepping forward, his face flushed red. “This servant…”
“Earlier, I was just joking,” Su Baiyue interrupted, dismissing him with a wave of her sleeve as she walked away without a second glance.
Lu An stood frozen in place, watching Su Baiyue walk away like a celestial being. Her graceful steps, the flowing silhouette of her form, and her long black hair all stirred something deep within him.
“Ha, just look at you—filthy like a wild dog. Thinking you could reach for a swan? Ridiculous,” the housekeeper sneered, approaching Lu An. “Now go clean the stables. If they aren’t spotless, don’t even think about eating!”
Lu An clenched his fists, his long black hair hiding his face, his eyes dark as a bottomless pit.
Why, once again, did she not want him?
…
Gossip in the capital grew increasingly rampant. What had once seemed like a certain marriage between Princess Ling Yun and the Crown Prince had now been thrown into doubt, as rumors reached the ears of the Empress. The marriage proposal had been temporarily shelved.
“Don’t worry, Princess. I’ll persuade my mother to accept you as Crown Princess,” the Crown Prince vowed from behind a screen.
Today was the grand celebration for Princess Yangshi’s sixteenth birthday, hosted by the Prince of Xingyuan’s household, with many nobles from the capital in attendance. As the face of the Weinan palace, Su Baiyue naturally had to attend, though she hadn’t expected to be cornered by the Crown Prince in a small pavilion within the garden.
The pavilion was surrounded by white curtains, with a thin silk screen in the middle, through which a faint silhouette of a beauty could be seen.
Su Baiyue felt a headache coming on.
In fact, she could have claimed illness and avoided the event altogether, given her frail and delicate persona. However, the pastries in the small garden had mysteriously stopped appearing recently, and her appetite, which had just started to recover, had shrunk again.
Unable to bear the hunger, she thought she might at least attend the party at the Prince of Xingyuan’s residence to sneak a bite to eat. Yet, for some reason, none of the famous chef’s pastries here seemed to suit her taste like those in the small garden.
It was absurd—being surrounded by wealth and still going hungry. Su Baiyue thought that Princess Ling Yun must be an absolute fool!
“Princess, something’s wrong! Princess Yangshi has taken one of our Weinan palace stable boys, saying she wants to make him her male companion!” a little maid shouted anxiously from outside the pavilion. The moment Su Baiyue heard the words “stable boy,” her expression changed. She quickly donned her veiled hat and hurried out of the pavilion.
The Crown Prince, seeing her leave, followed her in a daze.
Although the Empress wasn’t particularly fond of Su Baiyue, the Crown Prince had fallen for her at first sight and was determined not to let her go. The daughter of the Weinan palace was certainly worthy of being his consort. He just needed to persuade his mother a little more.
Meanwhile, when Su Baiyue arrived at the scene, she saw her stable boy, shirtless, desperately clutching his loose pants as he resisted. His hair, though cut messily, revealed a perfectly flawless face.
His brows and eyes were like a painting—exquisitely clear, like a jade stone waiting to be polished, shining even in its raw form.
His pale, slender yet strong body, with its broad shoulders and narrow waist, exuded a youthful handsomeness. Scars from past injuries marred his skin, but rather than detracting from his appearance, they added an air of ruggedness that was irresistibly alluring.
Even the men standing nearby couldn’t help but secretly marvel.
Princess Yangshi’s gaze was transfixed. Even all the male companions she had at home couldn’t compare to a single finger of this stable boy! She should never have let him go so easily back then!