Chapter Seventeen: Drunken Absence from Class

Marvencai slammed his fist on the table and strode over to my side, demanding, “What exactly do you know?”

I lifted the corner of my mouth and smiled innocently. “I don’t know anything. It was just a casual question. Why are you so tense?”

“I…” Marvencai was at a loss for words. Then he said, “Why are you bothering her when she’s fine?”

“Aren’t you two sworn brothers?” I sneered coldly. “Strange, isn’t it? You should be inseparable every day, yet Ying Tai seems to prefer spending time with her Shan Bo brother, repeatedly undermining you, her elder brother. What a profound bond you share!”

Marvencai’s expression darkened. He gripped his wine cup and drained it in one gulp. “She’s chosen to degrade herself; someone will have to deal with her.”

He poured two full cups of wine and handed one to me. “Liu Yiqing, drink this, and I, Marvencai, swear never to trouble you again.”

I looked at him puzzled. “Marvencai, suddenly feeling charitable? This wine isn’t poisoned, is it?”

Hearing this, Marvencai brought the wine to his lips. I knew he wasn’t the petty type, and I respected his military strategies. But as for his personality, Marvencai was arrogantly reckless, almost asking for a beating. Still, being offered his wine meant my face was quite big.

I snatched the cup from his hand and drank it all at once. “Cough, cough, cough…”

What kind of foul wine is this ancient brew? So harsh and disgusting. “Marvencai, I trusted you! You wouldn’t really poison the wine, would you? This stuff tastes terrible.”

Marvencai looked innocent as he took a sip from his own cup. “It’s just ordinary wine. Not bad at all!”

“Cough, cough, cough.” I couldn’t understand it—he drank it with such pleasure. I looked up and shook my head helplessly. I should just sleep; my head was spinning.

“Hey, Liu Yiqing, don’t you know how to drink? Just one cup and your face is this red? Are you even a man?” Marvencai mocked me.

Oh please, I’m usually a heavy drinker. This is just because I’m using Liu Yiqing’s body now.

“Who says men have to drink? The new kind of man nowadays neither smokes nor drinks. What do you know!” I scrambled onto the bed and dove under the covers. “I’m going to sleep!”

“What’s smoking?” Marvencai asked, confused.

I was already drowsy under the covers. This ancient wine was incredibly strong. Back in the modern world, I could down ten bottles of Qingdao beer without falling over, yet now one cup made me dizzy. How embarrassing!

---

The next morning, I was woken by heat. The quilt was far too thick. I usually didn’t even cover myself. Opening my eyes, the sun was shining brightly—I was definitely late. That damned Marvencai was really causing trouble.

I hurriedly changed and got out of bed. Just as I was about to leave, Yezi came in with a basin of water and bumped into me, spilling it all over me. “Yezi, what are you doing? I’m already late!”

“Master, weren’t you sick?” Yezi looked confused.

I touched my forehead—it felt normal. “Who said I was sick?”

“Marvencai said you caught a chill last night and weren’t feeling well. He already asked the teacher for your leave. When I came in this morning, you were covered with the quilt, sweating profusely. I thought you were sick too,” Yezi explained.

“I’m not sick, just overheated,” I glanced down at myself. “This water’s actually cooling me off a bit.” I leaned closer. “Smell it—there’s a scent coming off me.”

Yezi thought for a moment. “Master, how about I prepare a bucket of water so you can take a warm bath? No one’s around now, and Marvencai won’t finish class for another hour.”

I nodded eagerly, though the idea of a hot bath in this heat seemed a bit much. “Yezi, no hot bath. Get me a bucket of cold water.”

Yezi nodded. “Alright, Master. I’ll prepare it right away.”

I bounced around the room excited—finally, a bath! Yes!

Soon Yezi brought in a wooden tub and a pile of things. She poured water into the tub and sprinkled dried flower petals inside. I quickly stopped her. “Yezi, no petals. There’s no sterilizer in this era; those petals could be crawling with bacteria.”

“Just a drop of fragrant dew,” she said, adding a bottle of liquid into the water. Suddenly a fresh fragrance filled the room.

“Wow, it smells wonderful!” I leaned in to sniff.

Yezi shook the bottle. “Of course! It’s made from many rare flowers. When the young lady was at home, it even attracted butterflies.”

My mind immediately conjured up scenes from ‘Princess Pearl’—the Fragrant Concubine luring butterflies. So beautiful! “Really? I forgot about that! What are all these bottles over here?”

---

“These were all Miss’s daily essentials. I brought them all.” Yezi added several ingredients to the water, and the room filled with scent, as if it were a perfume shop. I hurried to stop her. “Yezi, don’t add any more; if I smell too fragrant, it might arouse suspicion. We’re men now—put these away.”

“Men or not, the young master always bathed like this at home! When he went out, the fragrance carried for ten miles,” Yezi protested, stirring the water. “Alright, I’ll help you bathe now.”

I was stunned. I suddenly wanted to meet this legendary brother of mine. Ten miles of fragrance? That was exaggeration. Even my Chanel No. 5 didn’t have that power.

Yezi began untying my inner garment. Since we were both women, I didn’t mind. As I undressed, I stared at the crimson silk ribbon wrapped around my chest. It had been there since I arrived. “Yezi, did I wrap this red silk myself?”

“No, Madam tied it for you,” she said, rubbing my back. Being a young master or miss in ancient times really had its perks.

“Madam? My mother? Why would she tie this red silk? Underwear is supposed to be white. Doesn’t she fear the red showing through and revealing my identity?” I leaned on the tub’s edge, clutching the ribbon, but saw nothing special.

“I don’t know,” Yezi replied.

After almost an hour of fussing, my bath was finally done. I sniffed myself—ten miles of fragrance was impossible, but ten meters was definitely noticeable. Ancient people were amazing—just bathing could make one so fragrant, saving the cost of perfume.

I took the handkerchief Yezi offered. It would be strange to have others dry me. “I’ll do it myself. You go tidy up these things.”

“Yes, Miss. Remember to apply the cooling ointment!”

I was overwhelmed. So many steps! Just as I finished drying off and hadn’t dressed, someone was knocking at the door. I quickly dove under the covers. Yezi called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me. Why are you shutting the door?” came Marvencai’s voice from outside.