After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 148 Just Treat It Like Throwing Money at Water
The atmosphere in the spacious and luxurious room was as heavy as if a storm was about to break.

The light filtering through the carved window lattice illuminated Lu Jiamin's angry face, making her features appear even more sharp.

Lianxiang shrank back, knelt down with a thud, and said in a trembling voice, "Princess, please be careful what you say. What if someone else hears us..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Jiamin was filled with anger and kicked Lianxiang in the shoulder.

Lianxiang fell to the ground instantly, but dared not cry out in pain.

"What, did Lu Ruoyao bribe you?"

Lu Jiamin's eyebrows stood on end, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her gaze as if she wanted to devour someone.

Lianxiang stared wide-eyed in horror, wanting to explain, but dared not utter a sound.

Kicked to the cold, hard ground, Lianxiang endured the pain and scrambled to her feet, kowtowing repeatedly.

Her forehead quickly became red and swollen, and she kept muttering, "Princess, I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me this time."

Hearing Lianxiang's pleas for mercy, Lu Jiamin snorted coldly and sat down on the carved pear wood chair with a brocade cushion, her face full of disdain.

A hint of malice flashed in her eyes as she gritted her teeth and said, "Wen Caifu can't marry Pei Lang, and neither can Lu Ruoyao."

The thought of Pei Yanzhi stirred a strong possessive desire within Lu Jiamin.

The only person who can stand beside Pei Yanzhi and become his legal wife is Lu Jiamin; no one else should even dream of it.

"Isn't tomorrow a royal sacrificial ceremony?"

Lu Jiamin tilted her head slightly and asked a question in a calm tone.

Lianxiang nodded quickly and answered cautiously, "Yes, tomorrow is the royal sacrificial ceremony. What does the princess wish to do?"

Although it was a question, Lianxiang had a bad feeling. She knew Lu Jiamin's temperament.

Mentioning sacrificial rituals at this time is definitely not well-intentioned.

Lu Jiamin beckoned to Lianxiang with her finger, and Lianxiang dared not disobey, so she knelt and moved forward a few steps.

Lu Jiamin leaned down and whispered a few words in Lianxiang's ear.

Lianxiang's eyes widened in shock and fear.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but looking into Lu Jiamin's eyes, she swallowed her words and dared not utter a single word of rebuttal.

"I just helped her and her fiancé get together sooner, which can be considered as doing a good deed for them."

Lu Jiamin's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile.

But that smile looked particularly eerie in the flickering candlelight, sending chills down one's spine.

After nightfall, Pei Yanzhi returned to Mosong Garden from Dali Temple.

Tomorrow is the royal sacrificial ceremony, and as a high-ranking official in the court, he will naturally have to attend.

Fortunately, the ceremony was held at Xiangguo Temple, so once the matter was completed, they could return.

Upon entering the courtyard, Pei Yanzhi immediately noticed the flickering candlelight inside the house.

Through the half-open window, he saw Xiang Ning sitting at the table, holding an embroidery board in her hand, intently working on something.

The candlelight illuminated her face, the soft light outlining her gentle features.

The soup bowl on the table was bubbling away on a low flame, releasing steam.

The rising steam filled the room, adding a touch of warmth to the cold night.

In that instant, Pei Yanzhi's tense nerves seemed to relax suddenly.

He sighed softly, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his face, and walked into the house.

The door opened, and Xiang Ning looked up at Pei Yanzhi who walked in.

"Pei Lang is back."

Upon hearing Xiang Ning's voice, Pei Yanzhi nodded in acknowledgment: "Have you had dinner?"

Hearing this, Xiang Ning nodded: "I've already eaten. Pei Lang hasn't eaten yet, has he? There's chicken soup simmering in the soup bowl."

After speaking, she placed what she was holding on the table, then stood up and went over to take his clothes. Pei Yanzhi didn't say anything, just quietly watched Xiang Ning busy herself.

She seems to be getting more and more used to her role as a concubine, and she knows how to serve him.

Pei Yanzhi's feelings were somewhat complicated, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"I need to go to Xiangguo Temple for the royal sacrificial ceremony tomorrow."

He sat down and said this to Xiang Ning. Xiang Ning was slightly taken aback, then turned around and said, "Then, Miss Wen's..."

Without Xiang Ning continuing, Pei Yanzhi understood her meaning.

"Do not worry."

After saying those three words, Xiang Ning hung up her clothes and came over. She served Pei Yanzhi a bowl of chicken soup and asked Bi Tao to bring up the dishes from the small kitchen.

He was eating, so she continued what she had been doing.

What are you embroidering?

Upon hearing Pei Yanzhi's question, Xiang Ning showed him the embroidery frame: "Didn't Pei Lang say he wanted a pair of mandarin duck sachets?"

Xiang Ning smiled gently, her eyes crinkling.

She knew Pei Yanzhi disliked seeing her always looking gloomy.

In addition, that would make it too easy for people to guess her thoughts, so Xiang Ning decided to continue doing things the way they used to.

Only by gradually lowering Pei Yanzhi's guard will she have a chance to leave.

Her smile caught Pei Yanzhi's eye, making him momentarily stunned.

There were words on the tip of his tongue, but he ultimately didn't say them.

After the meal, Pei Yanzhi went to take a bath. Xiang Ning finished embroidering the mandarin ducks, sealed the opening, and planned to add fragrance powder to it the next day.

When Pei Yanzhi came out from behind the screen, Chenghua came in and delivered a box that looked heavy and substantial.

After delivering the items, Chenghua left the house. Pei Yanzhi sat on the soft couch and gestured for Xiang Ning to come over.

He opened the box in front of Xiang Ning, revealing various deeds to houses, fields, and estates.

“The location of these three shops is pretty good. They are right next to each other, so they can be combined to make an embroidery workshop.”

Pei Yanzhi took out three shop deeds from inside and placed them on the table.

Xiang Ning blinked and looked at him: "Three families?"

Pei Yanzhi glanced at her sideways, then pulled her into his arms: "If you're going to do it, you should do it the best."

Xiang Ning sat in front of him, looking at the house deed on the small table.

His nonchalant tone made it sound like he was talking about something completely ordinary.

"But I don't have the ability to run such a big shop... What if it loses money..."

Xiang Ning didn't know what to say; her original intention wasn't to do business.

Pei Yanzhi placed his hand to the side, twisting Xiang Ning's long hair with his fingers, and said, "Then let's just consider it throwing money at water, just to hear the sound."

These shops are a waste to leave idle; it would be better to give them to Xiang Ning to run, so she won't overthink things.

Xiang Ning's eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised by Pei Yanzhi's generosity.

This left her somewhat at a loss for words.

"However, there's something I'm curious about."

While Xiang Ning was pondering, Pei Yanzhi asked a question.

She turned to look at him, and then heard him say, "Why is Qin Rui chasing after you?"

His eyes were dark, and he tilted his head slightly to look at her, as if trying to see something in her eyes.

Qin Rui is a good dog of the Qin family. For him to keep biting Xiang Ning, there must be something he wants about her.

If you love her, give her money to spend.
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(End of this chapter)