“Liu Ling, last time you said you wanted this little horse servant. But I heard you haven’t even lifted a finger. Wasting such a treasure—why not just give him to me instead?” Mistress Yang Shi threw the scissors in her hand to the ground, her eyes shining brightly.

Looking at the male lead with his pitiful “bullied by a tyrant” expression, Su Baiyue’s headache intensified.

This whole “beauty saves the hero” act once was already enough—why did it have to happen again? Wasn’t this forcing her to pull the male lead closer to her?

All she wanted to do was crush his self-esteem, spark his potential, and pave the way for him to meet the true white lotus female lead! Sure, Mistress Yang Shi was destined to fall into the male lead’s grasp someday, but that was supposed to happen after he became emperor, when she’d be dragged into his harem as a prisoner of war, not now!

“Who says I don’t want him?” Su Baiyue looked down at Lu Gan, curled up at her feet, and confronted Mistress Yang Shi.

Mistress Yang Shi crossed her arms and sneered, “If you truly want him, then show me. I’d like to see how you’re going to claim him.”

Everyone knew that Mistress Ling Yun was as pure as snow—how could she possibly endure the touch of a lowly horse servant?

Su Baiyue lowered her gaze to Lu Gan. She understood that if she couldn’t prove today that she had claimed him, even if Mistress Yang Shi let it slide this time, she wouldn’t stop coming after him in the future.

Lu Gan lifted his head, revealing his finely sculpted, handsome face. His slightly reddened eyes and trembling lashes made him look heartbreakingly delicate as he gazed at Su Baiyue. His disheveled clothes revealed a pale shoulder, and his entire figure exuded fragility.

Su Baiyue could hardly imagine that this frail young man would one day become a fearsome demon on the battlefield, striking terror into all who heard his name.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent. Under the cold sunlight, the goddess-like beauty extended her fair, jade-like hand from the wide sleeves of her simple robe, holding it out before Lu Gan.

Her slender, snow-white fingers carried a faint pink hue at the tips, soft and smooth like curd. As her hand hovered before him, a cold, commanding voice followed: “Lick it.”

Lu Gan’s entire body trembled, his breathing turning ragged. He lowered his eyes to hide the depth within them, tilting his long neck upward. Under Su Baiyue’s lofty gaze, he reverently leaned forward and licked her finger.

Su Baiyue was utterly flustered, silently heaving a sigh of relief at the male lead’s cooperation. But wait—wasn’t he being a bit too obedient? Where was the backbone from earlier? What happened to his vow of defiance? Did a dog eat it?

The moist warmth on her fingertip was clear and distinct. Suppressing the uneasy flutter in her heart, Su Baiyue quickly withdrew her hand. Feigning calmness, she meticulously wiped her fingers clean, then tossed the handkerchief to Lu Gan and hid her hand back in her wide sleeve.

The sleeve completely covered her trembling jade hand.

Male lead, are you that hungry, licking so seriously? Brother, calm down!

Kneeling on the ground, Lu Gan pressed his lips together, instinctively wanting to hold on but only tasting a lingering coldness.

The faint trace of silver left under the cold sunlight seemed to heat the air around them.

He wanted more. He wanted to taste her again.

Holding the handkerchief against his chest, Lu Gan lowered his eyes.

“Is that enough now?” Su Baiyue asked coldly, turning her sharp gaze toward Mistress Yang Shi.

Mistress Yang Shi snorted but then smirked suggestively. “Mistress Ling Yun, you care so much for this little horse servant… Could it be… he’s truly gifted?”

Her words carried a double meaning, and everyone couldn’t help but glance at Lu Gan’s lower body.

The little horse servant knelt there weakly, too frightened to even lift his head.

“Hah, only a pervert sees perversion!” The Crown Prince stormed in angrily, ready to play the hero saving the beauty. Pointing a finger at Mistress Yang Shi, he cursed, “A disgraceful woman like you—there isn’t a second one in the world! If anyone marries you, they’d immediately jump off a cliff!”

Mistress Yang Shi wasn’t one to back down and started bickering with the Crown Prince right then and there. The argument grew coarse and vulgar, with no trace of the refinement expected of a noble daughter.

Su Baiyue paid no attention to their squabble. She was too busy wishing she could throw the cowering quail-like male lead at her feet straight onto the battlefield to prove himself. But she couldn’t. Sending him off now would be sending him to his death—she hadn’t even administered her “final dose” yet.

For the sake of that final dose, Su Baiyue, under the curious gazes of the onlookers, emotionlessly dragged the male lead back to the Weinan Royal Mansion and began preparing in secret.

The story of two noblewomen fighting over a horse servant at the Xingyuan Royal Mansion spread like wildfire, and the Crown Prince, who had witnessed the event firsthand, sank into deep melancholy.

Su Baiyue, however, had no time to concern herself with the Crown Prince’s poetic despair. She was fully immersed in crafting her cold and noble persona while steadily walking down the path of courting death.

The purpose of Mistress Ling Yun, the first-love white moonlight, was to suppress and trample the male lead, forcing him to unleash his potential.

After pulling the little horse servant out of the stables, Su Baiyue made him her personal attendant.

In this chaotic era, it was common for noblewomen to have male attendants as personal guards, much like modern-day bodyguards. Previously, Mistress Ling Yun had found men filthy and only used female servants. But now that Su Baiyue had taken over her body, she had no choice but to use this tactic to prevent the male lead from falling victim to Mistress Yang Shi.

“Little horse servant, go sweep the courtyard,” Jing Wen, standing at the door of the main house, ordered, nodding toward Lu Gan.

The massive courtyard was covered in a thin layer of snow—there was no way one person could finish sweeping it all. Yet, Lu Gan obediently picked up a large broom and began clearing the snow.

Inside the house, Su Baiyue curled up under a blanket, carefully plotting her next moves.

Soon, her engagement to the Crown Prince would be finalized, and she would completely sever ties with Lu Gan. Then, the male lead could embark on his glorious journey.

In the original novel, there wasn’t much description of Mistress Ling Yun and Lu Gan’s relationship. It was merely mentioned that her disdain and mistreatment of him had driven him to fight desperately for success. In essence, Mistress Ling Yun was his poison—a bitter concoction that hurt him from head to toe but pushed him to grow.

Outside, the soft sound of sweeping snow reached her ears. Su Baiyue suddenly remembered something and called for Jing Wen. “The weather’s too cold, and the fish in the back mountain probably won’t survive. Have someone bring a few buckets of hot water to the river to warm it up. I’ll go check later.”

Jing Wen showed no surprise at Su Baiyue’s absurd request and even praised her for her compassionate, goddess-like heart.

As Su Baiyue’s number-one fan, Jing Wen was utterly bewitched by her stunning beauty and would shamelessly flatter her every chance she got.

Su Baiyue peeked stealthily from behind the window lattice, watching as the male lead put down the large broom and headed to the small kitchen to fetch hot water before leaving the courtyard.

There was a reason why Su Baiyue sent Lu Gan to the back mountain. That was where he would meet his very first fanboy—Wei Sa, the eldest son of the prestigious Wei’an Royal Mansion.

After struggling under the blankets for over half an hour, Su Baiyue finally flung them off and sat up. Shivering, she managed to dress herself and then sat upright to call for Jing Wen.

The Weinan Royal Mansion was equipped with underfloor heating specifically for the sickly Su Baiyue to nurse her health. Unfortunately, even the underfloor heating was too much for this frail Mistress Ling Yun to handle. Yet, she insisted on wearing flowing white robes and parading around like an ethereal fairy. Heaven only knew how much she wanted to bundle herself into a ball instead!

With stiff movements, Su Baiyue climbed into the carriage and headed for the back mountain.

The back mountain was bustling with activity. A man sitting by a campfire, warming himself, furiously scolded as he watched the little horse servant pour freshly boiled water into the river.

“That Mistress Ling Yun is absolutely unreasonable! This river is a running stream—no matter how much hot water you pour in, it’ll still be cold. She’s clearly making things hard for you!”

Lu Gan, of course, knew that it was impossible to heat the river. But since she had given the order, he would see it through.

Without a word, the little horse servant bent down, picked up the bucket from the ground, and sat back by the fire to wait for the water to heat.

“This won’t do! I must seek justice for you! If the Weinan Royal Mansion doesn’t treat you well, then my Wei’an Royal Mansion will take you in! Brother Lu, rest assured—I’ll treat you like my own brother. As long as I have a bite to eat, you’ll never go hungry!”

Earlier, Lu Gan had rescued Wei Sa from the river, where he had been drifting unconscious for days, and warmed him by the fire. As someone who valued loyalty, Wei Sa couldn’t just stand by and watch his savior be mistreated!

“And who exactly do you plan to seek justice from?” A cold voice interrupted from the side. Wei Sa, full of righteous anger, turned to see a woman standing next to a silk-covered carriage. The veil on her hat fluttered in the wind, revealing a face as flawless as white jade.

The renowned beauty of Mistress Ling Yun was known throughout the land, and Wei Sa had naturally heard of her. Though he wasn’t one to be swayed by feminine charm, just one look at this stunning figure left him no doubt—this had to be Mistress Ling Yun.

“I-I-I…” Wei Sa stammered, his mind a chaotic mess. “I-I was just helping Brother Lu with the fire!”

Face flushed bright red, Wei Sa quickly bent down and stuffed all the dry branches Lu Gan had gathered into the fire.

The fire blazed brighter, but Wei Sa kept frantically adding wood to it, his movements so fast they were nearly a blur.

Su Baiyue stepped delicately onto the white silk spread out along the riverbank, casting a downward glance at the flowing water.

“Mistress, this river is a running stream. It’s impossible to heat it no matter what…” Wei Sa mustered the courage to speak as he approached Su Baiyue.

Su Baiyue leisurely glanced at him before striding back to the carriage with the gait of someone who recognized no kin. She reached out with two slender fingers to lift the curtain of the carriage.

It was too cold outside—she could only afford to extend two fingers. Any more, and it would be unbearable.

“Where did this wild man come from? Throw him out.”

“Yes,” Jing Wen signaled to the guards behind her.

“Mistress, I’m from the Wei’an Royal Mansion… Mmmph!” Wei Sa’s protests were muffled as he was dragged away. Meanwhile, Lu Gan stood rooted in place, holding his bucket and staring blankly at the carriage.

To this point, he hadn’t said a single word.

Su Baiyue started to worry that she might have stomped the male lead into such submission that he’d developed a social phobia.

“You, come here,” Su Baiyue said, her hand still holding the carriage curtain aside. Her jade-like fingers were slender and delicately carved, resembling white jade.

Lu Gan swallowed, put down the bucket, and approached her.

Before Su Baiyue could say anything, the previously thin and hunched man suddenly straightened his back, lifted his head—and licked her finger.

Su Baiyue: !!!

Startled, she quickly withdrew her hand. The young man tilted his head, gazing at her with a dazed expression as if confused. His pitch-black eyes were clear and moist, resembling those of a puppy.

“Tie up your hair,” Su Baiyue blurted before hastily retreating into the carriage.

Waaah! She’d accidentally trained the male lead into a dog! Coming up and licking—wasn’t that something only a puppy would do?

…

Most of the black hair that had once covered half of Lu Gan’s face had already been cut off by Mistress Yang Shi. Now, with his hair tied neatly back with a ribbon, his flawless features were fully revealed, leaving every maid in the courtyard stunned by his beauty.

“It’s so cold, Brother Lu, have some tea to warm yourself up!”

“Forget tea; have some pastries to fill your stomach instead!”

The maids crowded around Lu Gan, who was sweeping snow in the courtyard, all vying to win his favor.

Lu Gan kept his head down, silently sweeping.

“Mistress, the Crown Prince is here. The Princess asked you to come out and greet him,” Jing Wen announced cheerfully as she entered the courtyard, lifting her skirt with delight. Her voice was even louder than usual from excitement.

The maids scattered like birds and beasts the moment they saw Jing Wen.

Passing by Lu Gan, Jing Wen paused, took two steps back, and stared at him in shock. “You… you’re…”

“Sister Jing Wen,” Lu Gan’s voice was slightly hoarse but steady. After only a little over a month, the little horse servant was noticeably healthier, and his face had grown even more handsome and striking.

Jing Wen swallowed hard and fled under Lu Gan’s gaze.

Oh no! No wonder her mistress insisted on bringing this little horse servant back—this face was irresistible, even to an older lady like her!

But surely the mistress hadn’t done anything weird with this little horse servant… right?