Forbidden books uncovered by his pillow, she knelt before his bed with a face hotter than the medicine

He glanced back at the direction of the hatch.

Shen Ling'er was peering out the window at the water, her medicine box at her feet, and a few strands of her hair were blown loose by the wind.

She turned to meet his gaze, waving the medicine bottle in her hand at him. "Don't even think about escaping tonight. I'll personally feed you that bowl of medicine in the middle of the night."

Gu Moran withdrew her gaze and said to Uncle Fu, "Tell the old boatman to be careful when crossing the hidden rapids."

My back isn't very good.

Uncle Fu walked away expressionlessly.

As night fell, the boat had already turned into the right-hand channel.

The shadows of the trees on both banks were extremely low, and the branches and leaves occasionally brushed against the tarpaulin on the boat's roof, making a rustling sound.

In the large room on the left, an oil lamp hung on a copper hook on the bulkhead, its flame flickering in the wind seeping through the window cracks.

Shen Ling'er placed the medicine pot on a small stove under the window. The flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the medicine began to bubble, filling the entire cabin with a bitter smell.

Gu Moran leaned against the headboard, flipping through a storybook she had taken out of the system space.

The cover depicts a half-naked man, with one arm around a petite girl who barely reaches his chest. The girl looks terrified, but the general's eyes seem to say, "Woman, you can't escape."

The book's title, in seven large gold-embossed characters, is " The Overbearing Prince Falls in Love with Me."

This is a popular reading item from the Blue Star Xiaolü Book, which is part of the system rewards.

He had taken inventory of it during the day.

The book list spanned two whole pages, with twenty books arranged densely.

" The Overbearing Prince Falls in Love with Me " and "The Domineering Top Scholar Falls in Love with Me, His Wet Nurse"

"After Being Divorced, I, the Toilet Cleaner, Turned Around and Married the Emperor!" "The Cold-Faced Regent's Substitute Mute Bride"

"The Rebirth of the Eldest Daughter: Prince, Don't Mess Around" and "Your Highness, Please Be Gentle"

"After the divorce, six ex-husbands chased after me like crazy" "On the day the engagement was called off, I was dragged back to the mansion by a powerful minister"

"Your Highness, keep your voice down! Is it glorious to fall in love with someone fifty years old like me?" "On the day I became a widow, I was pampered so much by the entire court that my back broke!"

Every cover is so hot it could burn your eyes off.

The man is always half-undressed, and the woman is always pinned against a wall, tree, or table.

One book even features a scene where someone is pinned against a wall on horseback.

Gu Moran's thought at the time was: If Su Yao sees this thing, the Prince Yi's Residence will probably have another grave tomorrow.

But he still took three books.

After all, it's what women love to watch the most.

Studying your opponent is nothing to be ashamed of.

Shen Ling'er squatted down beside the medicine pot and stirred it a couple of times. She looked up and saw him watching intently, so she curiously came closer.

What book?

Gu Moran placed the cover face down on her knees.

"Water Conservancy Chronicle"

Shen Ling'er squinted and glanced at his knees, only to see half a line of small print peeking out from the spine of the book.

She read it aloud.

"His long, strong fingers gripped the back of her neck, his voice deep—"

Gu Moran shoved the book behind her back.

Shen Ling'er's eyes lit up.

"What kind of water conservancy chronicle would be written like this?!"

Description of the winding section of the Yi Prefecture River.

"Can a riverbed snag someone's neck?"

"Personification."

Shen Ling'er pounced forward in a flash, her hands moving faster than his, and pulled the book out from under the pillow, along with two other books.

Three storybooks lay spread out on the bed.

The cover faces upwards.

Shen Ling'er looked down for three breaths.

The Overbearing Prince Falls in Love with Me.

"After being divorced, I, who used to empty the chamber pots, turned around and married the emperor!"

The Cold-Faced Regent's Substitute Mute Bride

Shen Ling'er raised her head, her expression complex.

Gu Moran.

"Um."

"You, a prince..."

"Um."

"Look at this?"

Gu Moran remained unfazed. "Know yourself and know your enemy."

"Know yourself and know your enemy? What do you mean? Are you planning to emulate the domineering prince in that movie?"

"I was born a prince."

Shen Ling'er opened the first book and randomly flipped to the page with the folded corner.

She cleared her throat and read aloud.

"Woman, you have successfully caught my attention."

She looked up at Gu Moran.

Gu Moran's gaze drifted out the window.

Shen Ling'er continued flipping through the pages.

"Within a quarter of an hour, I want all her information. Otherwise—" She slammed the book in front of him, "Otherwise what?"

"I haven't seen the rest of the story yet."

Shen Ling'er laughed in exasperation, turned the page again, and this time read aloud even louder, "'I never force women. But she's the first one I've ever wanted to force.'"

She closed the book and patted him on the chest.

" Gu Moran, tell me the truth, are you learning how to flirt?"

Gu Moran reached out and took the book down, placing it aside.

You're overthinking it.

"Then what do you mean by folding the corner?"

"I found this interesting, so I'm marking it."

Shen Ling'er snatched the second book, flipped to the middle, and skimmed through it quickly before suddenly stopping.

She blushed.

"This part..."

Gu Moran leaned over. "Which part?"

Shen Ling'er slammed the book shut, her cheeks burning red. "You've already read it yourself, why are you asking me!"

I only read the first three chapters.

"You're kidding me!" She confiscated all three books and stuffed them into her medicine box. "From today onwards, these three are under my custody."

Gu Moran back against the headboard and sighed.

"This king's book."

Holding her medicine box, Shen Ling'er mimicked the tone of a character from a book, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Your Highness, if I were to slap you too, would it get your attention?"

She paused, then couldn't help but laugh.

"No, it's too disgusting, I can't say it."

Gu Moran's lips curved into a smile as he watched her laughing heartily.

"You were quite convincing just now."

"Shut up."

"Could you read the whole thing to me next time? You have a nice voice."

Shen Ling'er pointed at him with the medicine spoon. " Gu Moran, say it again, and I'll add three times the amount of Coptis chinensis to this bowl of medicine tonight."

"These vulgar and erotic books must never be known to outsiders, or you're dead."

"These names alone are enough to make the grass on our graves grow three feet high."

Gu Moran raised his hands in surrender.

The medicinal soup gurgled twice, and the bitterness intensified.

Shen Ling'er put down the medicine box, squatted back down by the stove to stir the medicine, and kept muttering, "Overbearing prince... emptying chamber pots... a substitute bride for a mute wife... how could you stand by and watch this?"

She tossed and turned around a couple of times, then suddenly asked, "Wait, that woman who was divorced and used to clean the chamber pots, she actually ended up marrying the emperor?"

Gu Moran nodded. "She got married in the very first chapter, and eventually became the empress."

Shen Ling'er's expression changed.

"... Then how did she go from cleaning chamber pots to becoming an empress?"

"The emperor has a problem with his nose; he likes to smell pungent things and thought she had a strange fragrance on her."

"Don't ask anymore. This book was a gift from someone. The author is long gone; it's a unique copy."

Shen Ling'er bit her lower lip, slowing down her movements as she stirred the medicine.

"If you put it that way, these erotic novels actually quite fit a girl's dreams."

"If you come across anything like this again, remember to give it to me so I can keep it for you."

Gu Moran laughed out loud.

After the medicinal soup was ready, Shen Ling'er used a cotton cloth to hold the pot handle and poured it into a bowl, then brought it to the bedside.

As Gu Moran took the bowl, the boat suddenly tilted to the left.

We've reached the hidden shoal.

The entire cabin shook, the lamps hanging on the wall swung out, and the gleam of the oil drew an arc on the ceiling.

The medicine bowl in Gu Moran's hand tilted, and the brown medicine spilled out halfway.

Shen Ling'er subconsciously reached out to support the bowl, her body leaning forward, her knees hitting the edge of the bed, and she half-kneeling in front of him, one hand supporting the bottom of the bowl, the other hand bracing herself on his thigh.

The distance between the two suddenly shrank to within a palm's width.

The medicine dripped from the rim of the bowl and landed on the back of her hand, but she didn't pull her hand away, because if she did, the bowl would tip over.

Gu Moran looked down at her.

She looked up, her eyes round and bright, reflecting the lamplight like two honey-colored amber beads. A little steam from the medicinal soup clung to the tip of her nose, and her lips were slightly parted.

Her palm rested on his thigh, and through the fabric of his trousers, the warmth of her palm was clearly felt.

[Thank you to my favorite milk tea, Rain in the Man's Flower, Chen Qing's urging for updates, and all the other fans who contributed their love. Sigh, my internet traffic is so bad lately, and I'm even being tagged and insulted by some people, threatened with bad reviews. There are all kinds of people online...]