Chapter 51 He just wanted to kiss her hard.

Dou Wenyi breathed a sigh of relief and happily withdrew.

She waited and waited, not knowing how long it had been. She had eaten all the tea and snacks in the side hall, but Pei Siyan still hadn't appeared.

Feeling utterly bored, she unconsciously sat down in a chair and began to doze off.

When Pei Siyan arrived, the girl was fast asleep on the table, her charming face serene, her long eyelashes casting shadows, her breathing shallow, her rosy lips slightly pouting, glistening with moisture, inexplicably alluring.

Anxi frowned and subconsciously wanted to wake her, but was scared away by Pei Siyan's sharp look.

Pei Siyan smiled and stood silently in front of her, sleeping like a pig. Did she really think the East Palace was her own home?

Aren't you afraid he'll kill you in your sleep?

Pei Siyan raised an eyebrow and lowered his voice, asking, "Which supervisor punished her today?"

"Manager Sun."

"oh?"

Suddenly remembering something, Eunuch Anxi reported, "Your Highness, when we found Taxue just now, there was a dead black cat in the bushes. It must have eaten the medicinal food that was spilled on the ground."

When it comes to snow, Pei Siyan's beloved pet cat has a mouth as picky as he does, but other stray cats are in a much worse situation.

So that bowl of poisoned medicinal food was actually prepared for him!

Eunuch Anxi glanced at the sleeping girl, his tone hesitant, "I don't know about this..."

Pei Siyan remained expressionless and scoffed coldly, "It has nothing to do with her."

"What should be done with Steward Sun?"

"Steward Sun neglected his duties and shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane!"

Eunuch Anxi nodded respectfully, "This servant will take care of it immediately."

How to administer corporal punishment in the palace is an art in itself. After years of tyrannical rule, it's time for Steward Sun to get her comeuppance.

"Wait, we'll call later."

...

In a daze, I heard the sound of whipping, and I could also hear a woman's shrill screams.

Dou Wenyi suddenly opened her eyes. A gentle breeze blew by, and the curtains fluttered. Suddenly, a tall figure standing in front of the carved window came into view.

Pei Siyan suddenly turned around, a half-smile on his face, "Awake?"

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked around, only to realize with a start that she was lying on a carved nanmu bed. She hurriedly looked down at her clothes...

Pei Siyan lifted his eyelids and met her gaze through the fluttering curtains.

Just then, the bells on the curtains were also rang by the wind, and the delicate sound instantly pulled Dou Wenyi back to that night in the palace.

She recalled the brocade quilt and curtains on the bed that night, exactly the same as now, and uncontrollably remembered Pei Siyan holding her tightly, his handsome face unusually flushed with desire, his gentle and alluring voice ringing in her ears.

"Be good—"

The face in my memory gradually overlapped with the person in front of the window. It was clearly the same face, but at this moment his eyes were cold and indifferent, completely different from the crazy and passionate gaze of that night.

Dou Wenyi jolted awake, fully waking up. Seeing that her clothes were completely intact, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why did you call yourself Lian'er just now?" Pei Siyan asked casually, a cold smile curving his lips.

Dou Wenyi looked puzzled, but still answered truthfully, "Lianyi, Lianyi, I don't want to reveal my real name, so I naturally chose the character 'Lian'!"

Pei Siyan's pupils suddenly contracted, and his gaze, full of ambiguity, fell on her. He parted his thin lips slightly and asked, "Is my bed comfortable?"

All was quiet. Dou Wenyi's mind went blank, and her face flushed red. How could she be so careless as to fall asleep in the East Palace?

"This humble woman has been impolite; I beg Your Highness's forgiveness." She hurriedly sat up, immediately bowing her head in apology. "However, this humble woman was clearly sleeping on the desk, how could I..."

Good heavens, how did she end up on the bed?

Pei Siyan let out a soft chuckle, "So you're disgusted with my bed?"

"I dare not—" Dou Wenyi paused, then hurriedly changed her words, saying softly, "Your Highness is of noble birth, as bright as the moon, while I am as lowly as grass, utterly defiled. I am truly worried that I might soil Your Highness's brocade quilt and ruin Your Highness's reputation; such a sin would be immense..."

"A good reputation..."

Pei Siyan chewed on those two words, then strolled over, step by step approaching the bed. His large, well-defined hands parted the thin, gossamer-like curtains.

He slowly bent down to look at her, so close that he could see the small mole at the corner of her eye. The clear scent of ambergris and the bitter aroma of medicine lingered between their barely perceptible breaths.

Dou Wenyi's heart pounded, and she awkwardly looked away.

"You have long since tarnished my reputation, Yi'er!" Pei Siyan smiled broadly, but his eyes were filled with darkness as he stared intently at her face.

Dou Wenyi's pupils widened in shock. Could she really not get over what happened at the detached palace that night?

She clenched her fists, mustered her spirits, and forced herself to act nonchalant, saying, "Your Highness, I had no choice but to offend you that day when you were given the medicine. In the eyes of a doctor, there is no gender, so I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"

"oh?"

"Miss Dou's medical skills are superb. She is willing to sacrifice herself for her patients and has a noble medical ethics, which is truly admirable."

The low, husky voice descended from above, making Dou Wenyi's hair stand on end. She vaguely felt that she had angered him again.

Pei Siyan suddenly grabbed her wrist, pointed to his waist and abdomen, and said in a teasing tone,

"I've been feeling a bit uncomfortable here lately. Could you please take a good look at this area, Doctor Dou? You don't need to use the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine, like observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. Can't you just touch it yourself?"

After saying that, he put on an act of humbly accepting instruction and waiting for her to check.

How could such a shameless request come out of his mean mouth?

Is it okay for her to touch a man's waist and abdomen without permission?

Dou Wenyi's breath caught in her throat, a surge of anger welling up inside her. She gritted her teeth and said, "Pei Siyan, our deal only covers the treatment of headaches, not other ailments!"

Should we propose a deal with him?

She's incredibly audacious!

Pei Siyan suddenly pinched her chin, enjoying the fear on her face, while at the same time peeling a piece of candy with his other hand and stuffing it into her mouth without saying a word.

Dou Wenyi reflexively tried to spit it out, but the next moment, he captured her lips in his mouth.

Savoring it slowly, the sweetness and softness in his mouth, the fragrance of osmanthus and maltose spread, blend, linger, and swirl between his lips and teeth, enticing him to become intoxicated and deeply immersed.

The sweet taste was indeed even more addictive and captivating than that night.

He was forceful and domineering, almost out of control, as if he could already hear her moans of pleasure beneath him...

until--

His lips stung, and he heard a gasp of breathlessness in his ear. The woman's soft, white hand pushed him away forcefully. She turned her head away, curled up on the edge of the bed, her moist lips already swollen and red, her teary, alluring eyes hazy and vulnerable.

They are soft and easily bullied.

Damn it, even when he was perfectly lucid, he wanted to kiss her hard!

Pei Siyan raised his hand and slowly wiped the blood from his lips with his fingertips, as if savoring the memory, "Last time you bit my hand, this time you bit my lips, where else do you want to bite me next time?"

Dou Wenyi exclaimed in horror: "There won't be a next time!"

Seeing the tear stains on her face, Pei Siyan felt a surge of irritation. "Isn't this a deal? Is Miss Dou such a sore loser?"

Dou Wenyi tried to calm herself down, and suddenly remembered that day at the palace, after they made a deal, he said out of the blue, "The medicine is too bitter, I don't want to take it, I want to eat candy, osmanthus-flavored maltose."

She didn't think much of it at the time, assuming that bringing a bag of maltose to the East Palace would be enough to appease him, but little did she know that his words contained a hidden meaning.

At the time, she replied carelessly, "Okay."

...But he never said that it was this way of eating candy.

She was tricked by him, he's shameless!

Her engagement hadn't been called off yet, so she couldn't provoke his anger at this time. She could only accept her bad luck and swallow this bitter pill.

Dou Wenyi sniffed. "Then we're even. I hope Your Highness will keep your word."

Ha! Evenly matched?

With a ripping sound, the waistband was torn open, the brocade robe fell off, revealing the man's strong, muscular bare back...

Dou Wenyi's face paled. "Pei Siyan, what... are you going to do now?"

Pei Siyan said routinely, "Didn't you say you needed acupuncture? Didn't you say that doctors don't discriminate based on gender? Didn't you come here today for a follow-up appointment?"

She looked up and met his bare chest. Her face flushed with embarrassment, she quickly lowered her eyes and climbed off the bed.

If he hadn't sent word that she needed to have a follow-up appointment, who would have been willing to set foot in the Eastern Palace?

"How frequent are Your Highness's headaches? Have they decreased significantly?"

Pei Siyan lay down on the soft couch to the side, his posture exuding laziness and carefree ease, like a willow swaying in the spring breeze, making people dare not look directly at him.

"Your Highness, I need to know the treatment's effectiveness so I can prescribe the right medicine and cure your headache as soon as possible," Dou Wenyi said, taking a deep breath and continuing to press for answers.

"After taking it, I only had one attack."

Dou Wenyi's confidence grew, and she spoke softly, "Your Highness, may I take your pulse first?"

"Can."

Dou Wenyi gently placed her hand on his wrist, slightly surprised.

The pulse was strong and powerful, indicating that the person was not weak or sick. The hidden toxins were significantly reduced compared to the first pulse diagnosis.

Pei Siyan stared at that section of fair wrist, lost in thought, remaining silent.

After a long while, his impatient voice rang out, "Aren't we supposed to be doing acupuncture? Hurry up! Or do you want to stay in the East Palace tonight?"

Once the palace was outside the palace walls, ordinary people could not leave.

Dou Wenyi withdrew her hand, took out the gold needles she had prepared, and prepared to administer the acupuncture. She calmed her mind and tried her best to clear her mind of all distracting thoughts.

She focused intently as she inserted the gold needles one by one.

The woman's cool, delicate fingertips inevitably touched his back, arms, chest, and even his waist and abdomen...

The warm, soft touch sent shivers down Pei Siyan's spine. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and his body began to stiffen again.

It's so tempting...