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

Chapter 54 I like tangible rewards
Pei Yanzhi's words were somewhat arrogant, but coming from him, they weren't entirely untrue.

After all, he was a chosen one of heaven, and the number of women who wanted to marry him was as numerous as the stars in the sky.

He certainly has a knack for picking and choosing.

"After all, she is the master's wife. If I am obedient, I will cause less trouble for the master."

Xiang Ning knew what Pei Yanzhi wanted to hear, so she deliberately said the nice things to him.

Clearly, Pei Yanzhi is now quite receptive to this approach.

"You're my person, whose orders do you listen to?"

As they spoke, Pei Yanzhi pulled her into his arms and made her sit on his lap.

Xiang Ning reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking into Pei Yanzhi's eyes: "She's Master's woman."

"Then all you need to hear is what I have to say."

"You don't need to listen to or care about what other people say."

Pei Yanzhi raised his hand, his fingertips tracing Xiang Ning's cheek: "If you do it again like last time, I won't care about you anymore."

He disliked Xiang Ning's obsequious manner towards others.

She looked so submissive that he found repulsive.

He still prefers Xiang Ning, the one he can joke and laugh with freely now.

"But the master isn't here. If I don't behave, I'm afraid I'll be beaten."

Xiang Ning's words had no ulterior motive, but Pei Yanzhi took them to heart.

"Chenghua".

He turned to look outside, and Chenghua, standing outside the pavilion, bowed his head and replied, "What is it, sir?"

"Go and find two guards. From now on, Xiang Ning will be their master."

"Choose from my private bathroom."

Upon hearing this, Chenghua turned around and went to take care of it.

"My lord, there's no need for your private guards in this mansion."

Xiang Ning hadn't expected that Pei Yanzhi would so readily provide her with two private guards.

Pei Yanzhi, as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, naturally had no shortage of guards, but his private guards were all trained by himself.

She is highly capable and skilled in martial arts; it would be a waste of her talents to give her such a personal bodyguard.

"You reminded me that I should indeed assign you two guards. If you don't like someone, just hit them. I'll back you up."

Pei Yanzhi's words reached Xiang Ning's ears, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

He said he would support her, which meant he had completely taken her under his wing and protected her.

Xiang Ning's only worry now is whether she can escape.

"Then this servant thanks you very much, sir."

"I prefer tangible rewards; verbal thanks are enough."

Pei Yanzhi's gaze towards Xiang Ning was somewhat dark, making Xiang Ning feel uneasy.

A real reward can't just be money; Xiang Ning naturally understands what he wants.

"Would you like to take a bath first, Master? I'll bring you your meal."

The girl's blush was more compelling than any answer in the world. Pei Yanzhi's lips curled slightly as he released her.

Dinner was specially prepared by Granny Xu at Xiang Ning's request. As soon as the dishes to reduce internal heat were served, Pei Yanzhi's expression changed considerably.

Xiang Ning silently moved away, not daring to look at him.

She felt that the weather was dry and that Pei Yanzhi had been experiencing some internal heat lately.

If it weren't for the fact that her leg injury hadn't fully healed, he probably wouldn't have let her go.

Pei Yanzhi didn't say much. He touched every dish on the table except for the few cooling dishes, which he didn't touch at all.

After finishing his meal, he had someone come up and clean up. Xiang Ning was just about to go out with them when Pei Yanzhi spoke up.

"You stay."

Upon hearing this, Bitao smiled at Xiangning and thoughtfully closed the door behind her as she left.

"Are you so afraid of me?"

Pei Yanzhi beckoned with his finger, and Xiang Ning had no choice but to step forward. Then, he stood up, grabbed her waist, and made her sit on the table.

Xiang Ning looked at him, his hands supporting him on either side of his body, as he bent down and leaned closer to her: "Do you think I have a bad temper?" "Master..."

"Ok?"

She had barely uttered a word when Pei Yanzhi frowned and hummed in agreement.

"Ah Jing, I just feel the weather is dry, um..."

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Yanzhi had already reached out and grabbed her head to kiss her.

Her small mouth opened and closed as she uttered words of sophistry, but Pei Yanzhi had no patience to continue talking to her.

"You promised a reward, don't even think about running away."

Xiang Ning closed her eyes, gripping the tablecloth beneath her. The man in front of her had only one disheveled patch of clothing.

His expression was calm, with a thin layer of sweat on his face. He would occasionally let out a muffled groan, and he appeared very composed and self-controlled.

On the contrary, Xiang Ning's clothes had long since been thrown away somewhere.

This real reward is also incredibly exhausting. She will definitely be more careful with her words next time she speaks.

The next morning, when Xiang Ning woke up and opened her eyes, Pei Yanzhi was still lying in bed.

He said he would take two days off, and he really kept his word.

"Sir, have you gotten up?"

Just as Xiang Ning was about to sit up, she heard Fang's mother's voice from outside.

Pei Yanzhi raised his hand to cover his eyes: "What is it?"

His voice, hoarse from passion, made one's mouth dry.

"The old lady requests that you come to Ningfu Residence, sir, to discuss something with you."

Fang's mother naturally knew about what happened last night, so she left after speaking, not wanting to remain an eyesore.

When Xiang Ning saw Pei Yanzhi about to turn around, she quickly turned her head away.

"What are you hiding from?"

The girl's once smooth back was now covered with marks, especially the bite marks on her shoulders, which were particularly noticeable.

Pei Yanzhi reached out and pulled her back into his arms, resting his head on hers: "Are you shy?"

"This servant will help you get up, sir. The old lady is still waiting for you at Ningfu Residence."

Xiang Ning held the blanket in her hand in front of her, feeling the heat from Pei Yanzhi's breath on her hair.

"Take a break. I really need to let you exercise sometime, so you won't complain about being too weak after just a few moves."

Pei Yanzhi kissed Xiang Ning's shoulder, then sat up.

Xiang Ning blushed deeply as she listened to his words.

What he said was definitely not a serious statement.

Pei Yanzhi quickly packed up and left Qingyi Residence, and Xiang Ning also got up to pack.

As soon as I got out of bed, I felt completely limp.

What he said seemed to make sense; she really needed to train, otherwise, with all this struggling, she would eventually fall apart.

At this moment, only the Second Madam, Dong Yan, was sitting in the center of Ningfu Residence.

Madam Pei held the string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand as she watched Pei Yanzhi walk in.

"Tomorrow is Princess Huihe's birthday banquet. Since Bijun is ill, please have your second aunt take you and your younger siblings there."

"Prince Qing dotes on his youngest daughter the most. There are many powerful and influential people from the capital attending this birthday banquet. We must not be impolite and invite trouble."

After Madam Pei finished speaking, Dong Yan nodded in agreement: "Mother, don't worry, your daughter-in-law will keep the children in line."

To avoid causing trouble, Dong Yan didn't let Pei Yongcheng leave the Lingbo Pavilion.

A mother naturally knows what kind of person her son is.

"You're the most worry-free person, so of course I'm at ease. Have you arranged all the birthday gifts for the princess?"

"Everything is ready. Here is the gift list. Please take a look."

Chunlan stepped forward and showed the list of congratulatory gifts to Madam Pei. She nodded and said, "Then I'll also give you the information about our conversation with the Wen family. You must do your best in Yanzhi's marriage."

My marriage?

(End of this chapter)