The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 91 Pei Du, that's different.

It's really interesting.

In fact, there are quite a few maids in the palace who want to take advantage of the palace banquets to curry favor with the powerful and become a concubine or a maidservant.

What chance do maids ever have of advancement?
It's better to take a gamble. If you really catch the eye of some powerful official, even just taking you in as a concubine would be the best outcome.

Among these officials, the two most outstanding were Pei Du and Si Ning.

Judging from Si Ning's side, it must have been Si Beihuan who had someone give prior notice, so no one dared to pounce on him.

Each and every one of them was trembling with fear and extremely cautious.

On the other hand, many women had long coveted this high-ranking official, and now that they finally had a chance, even though the chief minister Pei had a cold face from beginning to end, many maids still took advantage of the time while serving wine and dishes to pretend to lose their balance and fall weakly and bonelessly towards Pei Du.

Pei Du was also someone who didn't know how to cherish women.

He didn't even look up at the person, took a sip of tea from his teacup, and then slightly turned to the side, nearly causing the maid to fall to the ground!

Several times in a row, Pei Du closed his eyes slightly and his throat moved a few times.

Finally, he calmly instructed the approaching maid, "No need to pour any more wine, you may leave."

A fleeting look of melancholy crossed the eyes of the maids, who then lowered their heads and softly replied, "Yes."

Jiang Jinshuang watched with great interest, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.

For some reason, Jiang Jinshuang suddenly remembered that something similar had happened before.

At that time, Pei Du could only be considered a retainer in her household.

She intentionally wanted to expose Pei Du to different aspects of official life, and she would always take him along when attending banquets.

At that time, Pei Du had no seat and could only stand quietly behind her in plain clothes.

Even so, his exceptionally beautiful face still attracted many suitors.

During banquets, palace maids would sometimes try to throw themselves into his arms while serving wine.

But before the maid could even turn around, Jiang Jinshuang put down her wine cup and, with a half-smile, stopped and pushed the maids aside.

"What, do the maids in your master's mansion have no bones?"

With just one sentence, the group of maids knelt down in fear and begged for mercy.

"If you can't even stand up straight, you might as well shave your bones and feed them to the dogs."

The girl said this with undisguised annoyance in her eyes.

That day she drank a lot of wine, and after returning to the princess's residence, she pinned Pei Du against the wall.

She was clearly much shorter than him, but when she blocked him against the wall, Pei Du turned his head but did not move away from her.

He pursed his lips slightly, his handsome brows furrowed slightly, exuding a cool and composed demeanor, noble and dignified: "Why did you drink so much?"

At that moment, Jiang Jinshuang pinched Pei Du's chin and said drunkenly, "Pei Du, why are you so good-looking? You only attract unwanted attention from women!"

Pei Du never seemed to think that he was particularly good-looking.

His gaze flickered, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he looked down at her: "Even if you don't stop me, I can avoid it myself."

He's not blind; he doesn't need her to protect him all the time.

Jiang Jinshuang then became unhappy again: "That's different!"

Pei Du's gaze remained calm and unwavering: "How is it different?"

Jiang Jinshuang couldn't explain it.

Without saying a word, she grabbed the man's sleeve and mumbled drunken ramblings.

“Pei Du, that’s different.”

Jiang Jinshuang suddenly realized that even though she knew she no longer cared, she still felt a pang of sadness when she thought of those past events.

It was as if she had decided to let go of those memories, but in the process of giving up, there were always some small things, even things that seemed insignificant at the time, that gently but firmly struck her heart.

It didn't hurt or itch, but it was enough to leave her momentarily stunned. At the time, she thought it was just an ordinary thing.

Coming to her senses, Jiang Jinshuang realized that Pei Du was looking at her.

She wasn't sure if their eyes had just met by chance, or if he had been watching her the whole time.

Jiang Jinshuang raised her eyebrows slightly, tilted her head, and looked back with a smile.

I don't know if it was Jiang Jinshuang's imagination.

She seemed to read a hint of...confusion in Pei Du's eyes?
—She probably misread it.

In just a moment, Pei Du's gaze returned to calm, undisturbed.

He then looked away, as if the eye contact he had just made was merely a fleeting glance.

Jiang Jinshuang didn't take it seriously and just continued to drink tea and eat with her head down.

From his vantage point, the Prince of Changping glanced over and said with a smile, “Your Excellency is truly blessed. You are a man of great talent and beauty, attracting countless women. Moreover, when I was nearly assassinated, it was Your Excellency who saved me.”

After a pause, the Prince of Changping, with a knowing smile, said, "It's just a pity that if it weren't for saving Princess Zhaoming, the Grand Secretary wouldn't have been seriously injured and nearly lost his life."

Look, they're coming for her.

Jiang Jinshuang lowered her eyes and smiled, her heart remaining calm.

When the Prince of Changping spoke, the voices of the officials at the banquet drinking and celebrating quieted down a bit.

They all seemed to be observing the scene here subtly.

Pei Du sat upright with a straight posture.

Upon hearing the words of the Prince of Changping, he turned his head slightly and nodded to the Prince of Changping: "Your Highness is too kind. If it weren't for the Princess noticing the assassin's arrow in time, I would not have been able to save Your Highness the Prince of Changping."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Changping laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned: "The Grand Secretary is truly magnanimous. I have long heard that Zhaoming and the Grand Secretary had a romantic relationship back then, but I did not expect that even so, Lord Pei would still be willing to speak up for Zhaoming."

The implication was that what Pei Du said was just empty talk.

The criticism was directed at Jiang Jinshuang, with a hint of accusation that she had failed to protect him properly.

From the main seat, the emperor spoke solemnly: "Zhaoming has never been thorough in her work. I have punished her by making her copy scriptures at the ancestral temple for seven days as a form of reflection."

When the emperor spoke, the already small banquet became even quieter.

Everyone was watching the situation closely and exchanged glances.

Jiang Jinshuang remained silent throughout, wanting to see what else Jiang Zeyi could say.

Upon hearing this, Pei Du's handsome brows furrowed slightly, and his tone turned cold: "Your Highness, Prince Changping, I only speak of facts, not personal relationships."

He paused, then met the gaze of the Prince of Changping with a cool indifference, neither flinching nor avoiding it: "If Your Highness the Prince of Changping feels that what I have said is untrue, you are free to verify it with everyone."

Jiang Zeyi narrowed his eyes dangerously, and his tone turned serious: "What exactly is the relationship between Lord Pei and Zhaoming now? Why must you speak up for her?"

"Could it be..." Jiang Zeyi chuckled lightly, speaking casually, "that Lord Pei has some kind of leverage that Zhaoming has over him?"

Seeing this, Jiang Biechen spoke up at the right moment: "Uncle Changping has misunderstood. Lord Pei is loyal to the emperor and loves his country. He is the most fair and just official in Wan Jin and will not show favoritism."

"Besides, Zhaoming has already been punished, so please forgive him, Uncle."

These words, while ostensibly an attempt to exonerate her, were in reality a condemnation of her.

The Prince of Changping scoffed, "Since His Highness the Crown Prince has said so, I will not say anything more."

"Zhaoming, you must be more careful in the future. Uncle Wang was able to escape death this time, but he may not be able to next time."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud voice came from across from Jiang Zeyi.

"Hmph, as a prince, you have no martial arts skills whatsoever and have to rely on juniors to save your life. You are not ashamed but proud of it?"

—It is Si Beihuan.

Now, the banquet was completely silent.

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(End of this chapter)