A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Emperor Qianwu's interest grew even stronger upon hearing this.

With her stunning beauty and intriguing personality, this woman is becoming more and more interesting.

"What about the truth?"

"So what if it's a lie?"

Seeing that Emperor Qianwu was indeed interested, Zhou Mingyi said, "The truth is that I am very happy to serve Your Majesty and become Your Majesty's woman. It is my blessing."

Emperor Qianwu raised an eyebrow.

"Is this a lie?"

"You are unwilling to enter the palace to serve me?"

His eyebrows were extremely high, and his eyes were deep and mysterious, carrying a faint sense of oppression.

The woman's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

The middle-aged emperor's brows suddenly relaxed. Why was he crying again?

Then the woman said again:

"I, a commoner, have been staying in this temple to pray for my brother's well-being, but I unexpectedly met Your Majesty..." She glanced at the majestic and handsome middle-aged emperor.

She continued, "I have lost my virginity, but I do not know Your Majesty and there is no affection between us."

"All I know is that I gave my virginity to a stranger, and therefore I am filled with despair and fear."

"My parents died early, and I have been living with my brother since I was a child."

"Now that I know I have lost my virginity to Your Majesty, I am naturally concerned for my brother's safety. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy on my brother!"

She broke free from the middle-aged emperor's embrace and bowed her head.

"As for me..." The beautiful woman lowered her eyes, her face full of gentleness, "Now that I have become His Majesty's woman, I will naturally obey His Majesty in everything."

Emperor Qianwu understood that she did not yearn to enter the palace as a concubine; she was simply helpless because she had lost her chastity.

For some reason, a sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.

I am the Son of Heaven, yet I am not happy to have a concubine.

He wanted her to love him and be willing to enter the palace to stay by his side.

But then he thought about it again, and realized that he and his mother had wronged her in this matter.

He helped the stunning beauty to her feet and pulled her into his arms.

"You are very good, I will not summon you, it would be a waste of your talent."

Zhou Mingyi did not intend to feign her personality in front of Emperor Qianwu.

She and her brother depended on each other for survival. She taught herself embroidery from a young age and had a resilient character.

If Emperor Qianwu were to order someone to investigate what kind of person she was, it wouldn't be difficult to find out.

Sometimes, a mixture of seven parts truth and three parts falsehood is more likely to confuse people.

As for her seductive behavior last night, it was all due to the aphrodisiac given by the Empress Dowager, not her true nature.

A seductive enchantress who uses her beauty to please men might win the favor of a middle-aged emperor, but Zhou Mingyi desires submission.

She wanted Emperor Qianwu to fall head over heels for her, to be completely captivated by her.

Even if she is exposed in the future, he will think that she has changed because she has experienced too much, rather than that she was originally a power-hungry woman.

She gave a soft "hmm" in a gentle voice.

Emperor Qianwu gently pinched the chin of the stunningly beautiful woman. Her skin was fair and her eyes were bright. There were faint tear stains on her snow-white cheeks.

She looked pitiful.

He gently touched her tear stains with his slightly rough fingertips, his fingers involuntarily reaching for her slightly parted lips. Recalling the intoxicating pleasure of last night, Emperor Qianwu's eyes gradually deepened.

Zhou Mingyi was not an innocent young girl.

Seeing Emperor Qianwu's expression, one could tell what this man was thinking.

She cursed him inwardly as a lecherous bastard, but her cheeks involuntarily flushed a light pink.

A stunningly beautiful woman, shy and timid, always evokes pity and tenderness.

Emperor Qianwu now truly wished he could immediately bring her into the palace and keep her as a treasure.

"After saying so much, my beloved consort still hasn't told me your name? How old are you?"

"This girl's given name is Zhou Mingyi, and her nickname is Achang. She is sixteen years old this year."

Zhou Mingyi answered softly.

"Ah Chang?"

"My beloved concubine is of unparalleled beauty, like a fairy maiden in the moon. Beautiful calligraphy, beautiful calligraphy."

Emperor Qianwu changed the subject, saying with interest, "Sixteen...that's the same age as my Princess Chaoyang."

When Princess Chaoyang was mentioned, Zhou Mingyi's eyes darkened slightly, but her expression remained unchanged.

"Is Your Majesty's princess the same age as this commoner?"

"But Your Majesty is so handsome and doesn't look old at all. If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you were only a few years older than my brother."

She raised her eyes, slightly surprised, and looked at Emperor Qianwu.

The woman's astonished expression pleased Emperor Qianwu.

As a man, Emperor Qianwu was the most honorable emperor, and no one ever dared to complain that he was old.

Looking at the charming and beautiful woman before him, Emperor Qianwu felt a little uneasy.

His daughter is about the same age as him; he's really getting old.

"I am thirty-seven years old this year, much older than you."

"Don't worry, I will protect you and won't let anyone bully you."

Zhou Mingyi lowered her eyes and said softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The more Emperor Qianwu looked at Zhou Mingyi, the more he liked her.

This attraction stemmed primarily from Zhou Mingyi's stunning beauty and her delicate yet perfectly suited body, which he found irresistible and incredibly pleasurable.

He embraced his newly acquired beauty, his large hand gently caressing her slender waist, their behavior intimate, and he coaxed softly, "Why don't you come to the palace with me today?"

Zhou Mingyi gently shook her head.

She turned her face away, her cheeks flushed, even her earlobes were tinged with a light pink.

Emperor Qianwu was truly enamored with her shy demeanor.

He had many concubines and wives. Even though he had difficulty conceiving and had stopped holding imperial concubine selections in recent years, he still had quite a few young and beautiful women he had favored in his earlier years.

Looking back now, she was the only one who truly matched me.

In terms of appearance alone, no one can compare to her.

Why?

The tall and handsome emperor frowned in confusion.

Zhou Mingyi said, "Your Majesty, I have come to Hanshan Temple to pray for my brother's well-being."

She raised her eyes and glanced at Emperor Qianwu. "Now that Buddha has manifested his power and Your Majesty is wise, my brother has been able to return safely. Therefore, I would like to go home first."

"I have lived with my elder brother since I was a child, and he is like a father to me."

"After I enter the palace, I fear I will rarely see my brother again. I want to say goodbye to him properly."

This is only natural, and Emperor Qianwu agreed.

"Yes, you are a thoughtful and kind girl."

He took her hand and said, "I will go with you. I can't bear to be separated from you."

Zhou Mingyi blushed and did not refuse again.

Emperor Qianwu reigned for twenty years, accumulating immense power and influence, and was known for his domineering nature.

He's currently blinded by lust; if I keep refusing him, I might anger him.

Those in positions of power always have limited patience.

He is currently only infatuated with her looks, not in love with her.

Zhou Mingyi knew she didn't have the right to be willful.

……

Zhou Mingchong left the palace in a daze.

In the past few days, in an effort to force him to compromise, Princess Chaoyang ordered that no one be sent him food.

At first, Zhou Mingchong thought it was absurd.

He is a dignified third-place scholar in this imperial examination; this is the palace, and His Majesty will make the decisions.

How can we allow a princess to do whatever she wants?

However, Zhou Mingchong overestimated himself and underestimated Princess Chaoyang's position in His Majesty's heart.

Princess Chaoyang ordered him to be locked in a palace, guarded by palace servants. Being unfamiliar with the place, he had no way to seek help.

Emperor Qianwu had no empress; the highest-ranking concubine in the palace was Consort Chen, the birth mother of Princess Chaoyang.

The mother and daughter controlled the harem and did whatever they pleased.

Princess Chaoyang said that if he refused, she would let him go hungry for several meals.

She wanted to see just how tough he was!

Zhou Mingchong had been starving for four days.

Fortunately, there was a well in the backyard of that palace.

He was so hungry that he couldn't stand it anymore, so he secretly took a bowl of water and drank it down.

That's how we've managed to hold on until now.