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

Chapter 150 The Xiangguo Temple Incident (Part 1)
After Bitao brought the embroidery, Xiangning got up and washed up.

After breakfast, the two sat together doing embroidery, exchanging a few words every now and then, which helped pass the time.

At this moment, incense smoke filled the Xiangguo Temple, where Pei Yanzhi and his ministers participated in the grand sacrificial ceremony.

Royal sacrificial ceremonies have always been elaborate and solemn. The young emperor, dressed in imperial robes, stood on a high platform and bowed to the gods.

The purpose of this sacrifice is simply to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests, so that the country can prosper even more in the coming year.

His expression was indifferent, but a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.

However, in the blink of an eye, he saw Lu Jiamin quietly leaving.

She looked around nervously, as if afraid someone would notice her.

Pei Yanzhi suddenly remembered what Xiang Ning had told her about Wen Caifu.

He took a step forward and walked to Han Jun's side, who was dozing off.

"Who?"

After being nudged in the arm, Han Jun fully regained consciousness.

"Lu Jiamin is acting strangely today."

Hearing the familiar voice, Han Jun came to his senses: "You saw it?"

He got up early in the morning, still half asleep, and looked very tired.

"Go and see."

Pei Yanzhi kicked him, and Han Jun's eyes finally opened wide: "Why don't you go see for yourself?"

He always gets assigned these dirty and tiring jobs, but he doesn't like it.

"If I go, who knows what might happen?"

Pei Yanzhi, holding sacrificial items, glanced sideways at Han Jun.

Upon hearing this, Han Jun sighed resignedly, "Being your brother is really difficult."

However, since Pei Yanzhi had helped him a lot, he could never repay that favor.

Han Jun followed Lu Jiamin and watched her walk towards the back mountain of Xiangguo Temple, still somewhat puzzled.

Lu Jiamin walked cautiously, completely unaware that someone was following her.

She arrived at a secluded room in the backyard of Xiangguo Temple, looked around warily, and then gently knocked on the door.

The door opened a crack, and Lu Jiamin quickly slipped inside.

Han Jun hid in the corner, and after Lu Jiamin went in, he quietly approached the room and peered inside through the crack in the window.

Inside the room stood a man dressed in black, his face obscured. Lu Jiamin was speaking to him urgently.

Seeing the man in black nod, Lu Jiamin breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the house.

Han Jun avoided it, so that Lu Jiamin wouldn't notice.

After Lu Jiamin walked away, the man in black came out. Looking at the figure, Han Jun felt that he had seen him before.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then turned and left. As Lu Jiamin returned, he blocked her path.

"Han Jun?"

Lu Jiamin was also a little surprised to see Han Jun, not expecting to meet him here.

"What a coincidence, Princess, you also find the ceremony tedious and want to come out for a walk to relax?"

Han Jun looked at Lu Jiamin with a half-smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; it subtly revealed a hint of scrutiny.

Lu Jiamin was slightly taken aback, and then an unnatural smile appeared on her face.

"Yeah, this ceremony is long and boring. I came out for some fresh air. What are you doing here?"

Han Jun crossed his arms and said casually, "What a coincidence, I also came out for some fresh air. How about we take a walk together?"

As he spoke, he kept a close eye on Lu Jiamin's expression, not missing a single subtle change.

Lu Jiamin's heart tightened. Why was Han Jun still bothering her?
"I'm a little tired and want to go back to rest early."

After saying that, she tried to walk past Han Jun and leave.

Han Jun stepped aside, blocking her path. "What does the princess intend to do today?"

"What do you mean?"

Lu Jiamin frowned slightly as she looked at Han Jun, who was still relentlessly pursuing the matter.

No wonder she felt like someone was following her; it turned out to be Han Jun.

"If you tell the truth now, perhaps I can cover for you out of consideration for our past relationship."

Han Jun took a step forward, forcing Lu Jiamin into a corner with nowhere to retreat.

Seeing this, Lianxiang reached out to stop him: "Young Marquis, please have some self-respect."

As Lu Jiamin listened to Han Jun's words, she bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

Now that Han Jun has seen it, he will not let this matter go easily. If he is not given an explanation, his plan will be completely ruined once others find out.

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Jiamin lowered her voice and said, "I heard that Pei Lang brought a woman to Xiangguo Temple. I just want to know who that woman is."

Upon hearing Lu Jiamin's reply, Han Jun revealed a mocking smile.

"Princess, isn't that a bit of a stretch? Just to see who that woman is, is it worth you sneaking into this secluded room like this?"

His eyes were full of doubt, clearly indicating that he did not believe Lu Jiamin's explanation.

Lu Jiamin pursed her lips and continued, "I... I just don't want any other woman to take Pei Lang away, you know that."

Han Jun took a step forward, his eyes fixed on Lu Jiamin.

Just as Lu Jiamin was thinking about how to deal with this, Han Jun suddenly laughed: "That's true, but your sneaky behavior is really suspicious."

Lu Jiamin wouldn't tell him the truth, so he might as well pretend to be fooled and see what she was really up to.

"I don't want anyone to know, hmph."

She snorted and said, "If that's the case, then I'll head back now."

Han Jun nodded slightly, stepped aside, but his gaze remained fixed on Lu Jiamin's back.

He didn't look away until she disappeared around the corner, his expression turning serious.

Although he had let Lu Jiamin off the hook for the time being, he knew in his heart that she was definitely still plotting something.

Han Jun returned to the sacrificial site and found Pei Yanzhi: "She definitely won't tell me the time, so let's just wait and see."

Pei Yanzhi nodded in acknowledgment and did not continue speaking.

Before long, the morning's grand ceremony would come to an end, and the afternoon's ceremonies would be held separately.

The temple prepared a vegetarian meal for everyone. The vegetarian meal at Xiangguo Temple was famous far and wide. After lunch, the court officials and royal children had to kneel and offer sacrifices with the young emperor.

Meanwhile, the clan members and noble ladies on the other side were led by Lu Ruoyao to perform a blessing ceremony.

About fifteen minutes later, Cheng Hua found Pei Yanzhi, who was deliberately kneeling at the doorway, and whispered something to him.

He opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing across them.

"If that's the case, then we don't need to worry about it."

Pei Yanzhi's lips curled up slightly. Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, Lu Jiamin had helped him.

Hearing this, Han Jun leaned closer, wanting to know what was happening outside.

"You want to watch a dog-eat-dog show?"

After saying this, he closed his eyes again, as if none of this had happened.

This only fueled Han Jun's curiosity, making him even more restless.

After the kneeling ceremony ended, the chief eunuch beside the young emperor hurriedly said something, and the emperor's face darkened slightly.

It's unclear what he said to the head eunuch, but the eunuch hurriedly left again.

Just as Pei Yanzhi was about to leave the main hall, the young emperor called out to him.

"Lord Pei, accompany me for a walk in the back mountain."

His eyes held a hidden meaning, and Pei Yanzhi bowed in response.

(End of this chapter)