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

She had barely stepped out of Chang Le Palace when she learned that Xie Jing had followed her.

This bastard's audacity truly exceeded her expectations.

But this was just one step in her plan.

She leaned against the cold white marble railing and let out a soft sigh of relief.

The imperial wine I drank at the banquet just now turned into a gentle warmth, circulating through my blood.

A faint blush graced Zhou Mingyi's fair cheeks; the beauty was slightly tipsy, a sight to behold.

"This fruit wine has a strong aftereffect; go and get some hangover soup."

Zhou Mingyi deliberately sent Shiliu away.

She then said to the wax apple, "Go and fetch some fish food. I want to stay here, enjoy the breeze, feed the fish, and sober up."

Shiliu was a little worried. "Your Highness, Lianwu and I have both left. Will you be alright here alone?"

Zhou Mingyi chuckled lightly, "I'm sitting right here, not going far. What could possibly be the matter?"

Lianwu hesitated, but then thought that everyone in the palace knew the stunningly beautiful Consort Zhen.

It seems that she and Shiliu were only away for a short while, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

She then said, "This servant will be right back, Your Highness, please wait a moment."

Hearing what the wax apple said, the pomegranate could no longer hesitate.

"I'll be right back."

"Let me get you another cloak, so you don't catch a cold from the wind."

Zhou Mingyi waved his hand, Shi Liu bowed, and turned to leave in a hurry.

Just as the two left, a slightly deep voice rang out.

"Your Highness, Consort Zhen, has such refined tastes."

"It's Her Highness's birthday, and instead of being in the palace to keep her company, Her Majesty is here feeding fish?"

Zhou Mingyi knew he had followed her, but he was less patient than she had imagined.

This made her burst out laughing.

It's clear that men are all inherently cheap.

In her past life, she was a concubine in his Eastern Palace whom he could choose at will, but in order to satisfy his shameful desires, he sent her to others to be defiled.

As a result, the jealous Crown Princess seized upon this as leverage and beat her half to death on the grounds of "tainting the Eastern Palace."

Now that she has become his stepmother and Xie Jinghong's woman, he is even more eager to come closer to her.

"Why is His Highness the Crown Prince out here instead of celebrating with the Princess in the palace?"

Zhou Mingyi countered without hesitation.

The light from the lanterns under the eaves flickered just right.

Zhou Mingyi turned around and saw Xie Jing slowly walking out from the shadow of the paulownia tree.

Today he was wearing a dark brocade robe with dark gold patterns, and his hair was tied up with a jade crown. He looked less dignified than usual, and more...dangerous.

Like a blade hidden in velvet.

"How did Consort Zhen know it was me?"

Xie Jing's expression flickered in and out under the lantern light, and Mingyi was momentarily at a loss for words to describe it.

He seemed to pause deliberately, then whispered teasingly in an even lower voice.

"It is evident that Consort Zhen has her son in her heart."

That shameless thing.

"presumptuous!"

Zhou Mingyi feigned anger, but the beauty's face was flushed from the smell of alcohol, and the scolding words that came out of her mouth were weak and had no deterrent power.

It sounds more like she's being coquettish.

Xie Jing had walked up to her and stopped an arm's length away.

At this distance, I could just smell the faint scent of wine on her, mixed with the cold plum fragrance emanating from her dress.

Xie Jing, taking advantage of the situation, felt a surge of heat rise up from the woman's soft scolding.

"My mother thinks I am being presumptuous, but little do she know, I am just concerned for her."

Zhou Mingyi's eyes were hazy, as if she were looking at Xie Jing, or as if she were looking at other people through him.

He swayed unsteadily, "Oh? Is that so?"

Xie Jing gazed at the swaying beauty, his eyes deep and unfathomable. He seized the opportunity to take a half-step forward, his tone carrying an indescribable meaning.

"You left the banquet before it was even halfway over. Did you find the Emperor, the Imperial Concubine, and the Princess and her family of three extremely offensive?"

"My father is a man of great ambition and strategy; he doesn't like jealous women."

He spoke slowly, his gaze fixed on her cheeks, slightly flushed from the alcohol, a hint of malice in his eyes.

Zhou Mingyi met his gaze.

The interplay of moonlight and lamplight on his face added a touch of truth to his eyes, which always feigned gentleness.

Xie Jing is now completely unpretentious in front of her.

"Your Highness is too kind." Her fingertips unconsciously traced the embroidery on the hem of her sleeve. "I just drank a few cups and was afraid of being disrespectful in front of the Emperor, so I came out to clear my head."

Xie Jing thought he had seen through her, but she refused to admit it.

"Oh?" Xie Jing took another half step forward.

Now only the moonlight could pass through them safely. "I think that Consort Zhen's slightly tipsy appearance is even more..."

He paused, his gaze lingering on her glistening lips. "More vibrant."

The night wind suddenly changed direction, blowing a strand of her hair onto his sleeve.

That strand of black hair hung there ambiguously, like an invisible thread.

"Your Highness, please come out," Zhou Mingyi suddenly looked up, her eyes reflecting the swaying lights of the corridor, their brightness startling, "Just to say these ambiguous things?"

Xie Jing chuckled softly.

The laughter was soft, and he reached out his hand, moving slowly enough for her to avoid it.

But he simply picked up that unruly strand of hair and, very gently and slowly, tucked it behind her ear.

His fingertips brushed lightly against her earlobe.

"I simply want to know," he leaned down, his breath almost brushing against her trembling eyelashes, "why did Consort Zhen deceive me that day at Hanshan Temple?"

Zhou Mingyi knew that this man had a deep-seated flaw in his nature.

He wanted to provoke her, believing he had her under his control, and wanted to blackmail and control her to satisfy his perverted desires.

If Mingyi were truly just an ordinary concubine whose secret was discovered by him, perhaps he would have gotten what he wanted.

But she is not.

She rested her chin on her hand, leaning against the white marble railing; her entire being was a masterpiece of exquisite craftsmanship.

Today, she didn't wear rouge, but the smell of alcohol on her face spread to the corners of her eyes, making it look as if she had been stained with a layer of wine-red rouge.

Beneath her eyelashes, her eyes gleamed with a cunning and mysterious light, and a faint smile played at the corners of her lips.

She deliberately didn't answer.

Xie Jing frowned, unsure whether she had genuinely not heard or was pretending.

He knew that this woman was incredibly audacious!

Otherwise, how could she dare to openly meet with her lover in a royal temple like Hanshan Temple?

Xie Jing, believing he had Mingyi's weakness, shamelessly made what he thought were his demands.

"I know that Your Majesty is doing this for the sake of the imperial offspring and the stability of the nation."

"But Your Majesty, don't you have any better options?"

He took the opportunity to move closer, his gaze falling on Mingyi's slender waist, his eyes immediately deepening in intensity.

Xie Jing is not Xie Jinghong's biological son.

But he was born into the imperial family, and the blood of the Xie family flows in his veins.

The men of the Xie family all love slender waists.

The fervor in his eyes and the smell of alcohol surged up wildly, almost extinguishing all his remaining rationality.

He had her weakness and leverage, and he devised countless despicable ways to force her to submit.

Just as he imagined, he did to her all the things he could only do in his dreams.

Zhou Mingyi was disgusted by Xie Jing's suggestion.

Although she already knew he was despicable, hearing him say it himself still made Mingyi feel nauseous.

She raised an eyebrow slightly. "What is Your Highness saying? I don't understand."

His tone was self-righteous and assertive.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Jing's eyes. His sword-like eyebrows hardened. Did this woman really think that he dared not tell Emperor Qianwu what happened that day?

"Does Consort Zhen truly wish for me to tell Father Emperor the whole story of that day?"

Zhou Mingyi knew he wouldn't dare.

Xie Jing cherished his life more than anyone else.

He is selfish and heartless; he would never joke about his own life.

"Your Highness is too kind."

"How did His Highness the Crown Prince know that I had left the palace to pray for His Majesty's well-being? And why was he also at the temple?"

"Could it be...?"

She tiptoed slightly and leaned close to Xie Jing's ear.

The moment she leaned closer, Xie Jing tensed up instantly.

The woman's soft, warm breath brushed against his earlobe, like feathers with hooks. Her voice was light and soft, "Your Highness, this behavior might make me misunderstand, as if Your Highness harbors some unknown...feelings for me?"

Xie Jing's Adam's apple bobbed, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.

In the first twenty-four years of his life, Xie Jing had never encountered such a bold and reckless woman.

It was clearly him who was attracted to her beauty, yet she always subtly teased him...

Xie Jing even suspected that this subtle flirting was just a misunderstanding on his part.

The woman indeed quickly retreated.

The warmth vanished quickly, and a sly smile of triumph graced the woman's face.

Xie Jing was enraged and embarrassed.

"you!"

He felt as if he had been tricked by this audacious woman once again.

Zhou Mingyi covered her forehead, her eyes half-drunk and half-awake. "I was truly drunk, otherwise why would I have said these things to Your Highness?"

"I will return to the palace now. Your Highness, please make yourself at home."

Before she could finish speaking, Xie Jing grabbed her wrist.

Zhou Mingyi's wrist was slender and fair, and Xie Jing's gentle grip left a red mark.

Just then, the two heard a delicate shout.

"How dare you! Where did you come from, palace maid, to openly seduce the Crown Prince!"

Zhou Mingyi curled her lips into a smile. How interesting.

The Crown Princess was indeed always by his side.

From the Crown Princess's perspective, the Crown Prince's tall figure loomed over her petite frame.

The woman hid behind the crown prince, yet the two of them openly flirted and teased each other in the deep palace grounds, in front of everyone. They were truly shameless!

She wanted to see who this woman was!

Xie Jing instinctively let go of Mingyi's hand, tightly blocking her behind him.

The Crown Princess naturally refused and quickly walked over.

Just now, in the palace, the Crown Princess had been keeping a close eye on the Crown Prince's movements.

As a result, he disappeared halfway through the banquet, so she naturally got up immediately to leave the banquet and look for him.

The Crown Prince is extremely popular; we can't let some shameless slut get away with it.

Who knew that someone would actually take the opportunity to seduce the crown prince.

The Crown Princess was furious.

We must find that seductive vixen!

She quickly reached out, trying to pull Mingyi out from behind the Crown Prince.

I want to see what kind of vixen is so shameless.

Xie Jing knew that if Emperor Qianwu found out he had any filthy thoughts about Consort Zhen, he would be finished. Therefore, he immediately pushed away the Crown Princess and said with a stern face, "Have you made enough of a scene?"

Caught off guard, the Crown Princess was pushed to the ground. She was immediately incredulous, "How could Your Highness treat me like this for a shameless vixen?"