His ink-black eyes were both bitter and bewildered. He gripped the brocade quilt tightly, as if only this way could he completely hide that shameful place.

In his two lifetimes, this was the first time Pei Yuanshao had experienced a male reaction. He should have been happy that he was capable, but at this moment he only wished he could burrow into the ground.

The eunuch tutors in the palace had taught him what this represented.

It meant he was aroused, affected by a woman’s alluring scent, wanting to soothe it, needing that woman to treat it well.

But…

He glanced bewilderedly at the bed curtain, only able to see a blurry figure.

That woman hadn’t been giving off any alluring scent at all!

He had been thrown by the Empress Mother into a pile of women in heat for training before, and had smelled that kind of scent.

His physique was special; women were just outlines to him. In his past life and this one, no female monarch had ever aroused such shameful urges in him as today.

Pei Yuanshao’s eyes flashed with a bewildered crimson. The farm woman outside wasn’t in heat at all, she couldn’t give off an alluring scent, she even… she wasn’t capable.

If according to the experience passed on by the eunuch tutors, how could he have such shameful thoughts without an alluring scent?

He pressed his tongue against his teeth, only the pain could keep him appropriately calm.

If it wasn’t an alluring scent, then what was it?

Was it due to the strange illness he had discovered some days ago? Could it be that his inexplicable strange illness had worsened and spread to such a shameful place in his lower abdomen?

Pei Yuanshao’s eyes grew wider and wider, suddenly enlightened yet very troubled.

If the illness was in such a humiliating location, how would he find an imperial physician to diagnose and treat it when he returned to Jinling City after this matter was settled?

The Changdi Qing had been clever and socially adept all his life, never imagining that one day he would suffer from such an unspeakable strange illness.

A wave of hopelessness washed over his heart as he looked up and met the shadowy figure outside the screen.

He curled his lips, the heat in his body slowly subsiding, but a heavy depression weighed on his heart.

With such a strange illness, even if he was from the royal family, no woman would want him.

It was laughable that he had once thought the person outside would not be as good as himself as a future husband.

It seems he had been conceited.

His body not having been soothed, the shameful thing gradually cooled down.

Only then did Pei Yuanshao dare to change his clothes and walk around the screen to the eight immortals table, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Liu Changning was holding a book of illustrations, and even though the book was full of pictures, she was reading it intently.

The pearl light flickered, casting a faint yellow glow on her slightly pale face. Pei Yuanshao’s gaze moved from her slender white fingers to her face, his eyes deep.

Liu Changning tilted her head: “What are you staring at? Sit!”

She put down the book and pulled out a wooden stool from the inner side of the eight immortals table, slowly inviting him.

Pei Yuanshao’s tall figure stiffened slightly. He inconspicuously moved the wooden stool a bit before sitting down. His peripheral vision caught sight of the book on the eight immortals table, and he reached out to take it in front of him, asking:

“Is this book interesting? How come it’s all pictures without any text annotations, yet you can read it with such relish?”

Liu Changning raised an eyebrow, pretending to be puzzled: “With nothing to do, I thought of how scholars always hold books, looking very refined. I… just wanted to cultivate myself a bit too.”

Pei Yuanshao turned his head, looking at her suspiciously. Her eyes were clear and rippling, but her face was full of regret.

For a moment, Pei Yuanshao actually felt sorry for her and replied without thinking: “If you want to read, just ask me. What’s so admirable about those scholars? They’re just a bunch of fame-seekers, pedantic bookworms. Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants are all subjects. You… you’re not much worse than them, just born differently. If you want to learn in the future, I have time, and it’s not impossible for me to teach you to read and write.”

Liu Changning suddenly coughed, looking up to see his serious face.

Tugging at the corner of her lips, she pretended to be delighted: “Are you serious? How could I trouble you like that? You’re out early and back late every day, with your own things to do. If teaching me to read pictures and recognize characters delayed your schedule…”

Pei Yuanshao pursed his lips. He thought for a moment, then said in a low voice: “Hmm, I could teach you a bit every day after the shen hour in the future.”

He lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the edge of the book: “There’s no time like the present. Today this young master is feeling kind, so I’ll explain the contents of this book to you for now.”

Liu Changning opened her mouth, looking at his cold profile, unable to say the words of refusal. A bitter smile flashed in her eyes.

This was a “Geographical Chronicle”, with pictures of the geographical locations of counties and prefectures in the Golden Phoenix Dynasty and illustrations of people’s clothing.

Liu Changning had bought it mainly to understand the transportation of this era, preparing for future travels and settling down.

Unexpectedly, the cheap husband was so warm-hearted, his enthusiasm hard to refuse.

He seriously opened the book, his voice deep, lacking the usual frivolity, surprisingly pleasant to hear.

Pei Yuanshao was knowledgeable and well-traveled. In previous years, he had read many rare books in the imperial palace collection. Now, explaining a simple miscellaneous book came easily to him.

His voice was very slow. Before mentioning each prefecture and county, he would describe the local customs, geography, including the local bureaucratic structure, one by one.

Liu Changning’s originally lazy expression became more and more focused with his detailed explanations.

Because of her limited understanding of this ancient era, and the cheap husband’s extensive knowledge, he would occasionally digress into topics ranging from court politics to the dynasty’s history, all of which were blind spots in Liu Changning’s knowledge.

The more Liu Changning listened, the more serious her expression became, and she even began to actively ask about her doubts.

Undoubtedly, Pei Yuanshao was a good teacher, and Liu Changning was also a quick and eager student.

The two asked and answered, the candlelight flickering, their shadows stretching and intertwining on the ground, truly like a real wife and husband, with red sleeves adding fragrance to the night, a room full of warmth.

At the first quarter of the xu hour, it was still pouring rain outside, with no sign of stopping.

It was late at night, pitch black outside the window, with only an occasional cicada chirping.