My Prince said he'd break my legs.

Pei Yue stared at her with icy coldness in his eyes, his thin lips parted slightly, and he slowly said, "Guards, execute him..."

In a moment of panic, Liang Zhiyi didn't have time to think about anything else. She quickly slid off the carriage and covered Pei Yue's mouth, preventing him from saying anything more.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, Your Highness, please don't... please."

Pei Yue looked down at her, but did not push her hand away.

She was just a lowly maidservant; it wouldn't matter if she were released. In fact, this would just give her another person to keep her in check.

He pinched her cheeks and laughed coldly, "If I find out you're running away again, I'll chop your maid into pieces and feed her to the dogs."

Liang Zhiyi trembled involuntarily; she knew he wasn't joking.

"I understand," she whispered. "I'll go back with you. I also like the other maid; could they both come and serve me as well?"

"A maidservant?" Pei Yue scoffed coldly, "Does Zhizhi think I'm a fool? This sinner's..."

Liang Zhiyi covered his mouth again and coaxed him softly, "I beg you, Your Highness, I only have one sister left..."

She gripped his sleeve tightly with one hand, and held up three fingers with the other, swearing, "I promise I'll behave from now on, really!"

He is now no different from an emperor, except that he has not officially ascended the throne. If he were to say that Liang Qingwan is the concubine of a disgraced official, then he would be condemning Liang Qingwan.

Liang Qingwan's status was simply a matter of Pei Yue's word; after all, no one would care about a mere concubine of Prince Chen.

A wise person knows when to yield; as long as Pei Yue doesn't kill them, everything is negotiable.

Pei Yue snorted: "They avoid me like the plague, but they care a lot about others."

Liang Zhiyi instinctively wanted to refute him, but then she thought he was right and had no choice but to shut her mouth and not respond.

Pei Yue's face darkened further. This time, he threw her onto the horse, then mounted himself, cracked the whip, and the horse galloped forward.

The speed was so fast that for someone who couldn't ride a horse, it was like riding a thrilling roller coaster, making her heart feel like it was going to jump out of her chest.

When the horse stopped, Pei Yue carried her off the horse, and she immediately vomited violently as soon as she bent over.

"Ugh~"

Pei Yue seemed very patient, supporting her with one hand and gently patting her back with the other.

After she finished vomiting, he took the handkerchief handed to him by a palace maid and offered to wipe her mouth.

Liang Zhiyi turned her head away, grabbed his sleeve and wiped her mouth hard. Still not satisfied, she then wiped her mouth a few more times on his chest.

When she gets angry, she'll bite even a ghost if it's in front of her.

Pei Yue paid no attention to her actions, letting her vent: "What's so great about the outside world? Look at you, you've already lost so much weight in just a few days!"

Liang Zhiyi kept her head down and didn't answer. Everything outside was fine; there was no restraint, and she felt free.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Pei Yue looked down at her and said, "I won't pursue this matter this time. Just stay put and don't run around. Take good care of yourself and get well soon."

Liang Zhiyi gritted her teeth inwardly, realizing that this bastard had been watching her act from the very beginning.

She snorted and turned to leave, but she froze as soon as she turned around. The environment was completely unfamiliar, and then she looked at the clothes of the maid next to her.

She glared at Pei Yue: "Why did you bring me to the palace?"

Pei Yue scoffed, "I'm in the palace. Where else do you plan to go if you're not here?"

"None of the women in the Eastern Palace, not even the Crown Princess, have entered the palace. What's the meaning of bringing me into the palace?"

Wouldn't she just get ganged up on and beaten up by those women?

Liang Zhiyi didn't want to waste any more words with Pei Yue, so she turned around and walked back the way she came.

Pei Yue spoke slowly, "You don't want those two maids anymore?"

Liang Zhiyi paused. Faced with absolute power, all her struggles were like an ant trying to shake a tree. For example, even now, she had to get Pei Yue's permission to hire two maids.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked up with a big smile. She scurried over and patted Pei Yue's sleeve like a fawning dog: "It was my fault just now. I didn't get it dirty, did I?"

Pei Yue gave a light snort and instructed Yu Zhao, who was standing to the side, to take care of the matter.

Then he took Liang Zhiyi to a palace: "Time is short, this is the best palace that can be repaired. You can stay here for now. After the late emperor's funeral and the mourning period, we will have someone build a new one for you."

Liang Zhiyi kept her head down and didn't speak. It didn't matter where she lived; it was all a cage to her.

This has happened twice.

She was caught and brought back before she could even leave Kyoto after two attempts to escape. She closed her eyes and suddenly felt utterly exhausted.

Upon returning to the palace, Pei Yue immediately summoned his ministers to discuss urgent government affairs and memorials, leaving him no time to linger with her.

Pei Yue's birth mother is still alive and is now the Empress Dowager. According to the rules, she should pay her respects, but it would be against the rules for her to enter the palace now. Moreover, she does not want to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager alone.

Fortunately, the Empress Dowager claimed to be ill, saying that she had been frightened during the palace coup and needed to rest, thus exempting her from paying her respects.

Pei Yue changed the original name of the new palace, and the three characters "Yaoguang Palace" on the plaque were written by Pei Yue himself.

Perhaps in other people's eyes this is the greatest honor, proof of Pei Yue's doting on her, but she only felt suffocated. She didn't understand what it was about her that made Pei Yue so persistent and unable to accept anyone else.

All the people who used to serve her, except for Qinglan, have been replaced. Apart from Qinglan, all the others are unfamiliar faces.

Fortunately, in the evening, Yu Zhao brought Liang Qingwan and Chunmei into the palace.

A few days later, Pei Yue sent someone to fetch Ning Jingqiu to the palace.

The harem needs someone to manage palace affairs, and Ning Jingqiu, as the Crown Princess, is the only suitable candidate.

Pei Yue has not yet ascended the throne, and Ning Jingqiu has not yet been made empress, so she can only live in a side hall of the Phoenix Palace.

Liang Zhiyi glanced at the main hall of Yaoguang Palace where she lived, and cursed Pei Yue inwardly for doing something inhuman.

Even the Crown Princess must abide by the rules. She is only the Crown Prince's concubine. Why should she live in the main hall?

She was truly afraid that one day she would be mistaken for a demon concubine.

Before they knew it, it was the second day of the second lunar month, and Pei Yue finally ascended the throne.

Emperor's title: Yuanzhen

After ascending the throne, he immediately named Ning Jingqiu as Empress. Only after the coronation ceremony did he begin to arrange for people to bring the former concubines of the Eastern Palace into the palace.

There were dozens of people who served Pei Yue in the Eastern Palace before, and it was impossible for Pei Yue to remember them all.

Ning Jingqiu had no choice but to draft a list and discuss the positions of these people with him.

Pei Yue frowned as he looked at the list; he really didn't recognize most of the people on it.

"Those who have children, and those whose fathers and brothers have rendered meritorious service this time, shall remain; the rest shall all be dismissed."

Ning Jingqiu was stunned. Wouldn't that mean at least half of them would have to be dismissed?

"Yes, Your Majesty understands."

Pei Yue closed the register and tossed it onto the table: "Liang is spoiled and cannot tolerate the slightest grievance. Give her the title of Consort, and the honorary title of Zhao. There is no need to arrange for anyone else to live in her palace."

"Consort Zhao?" Ning Jingqiu's lips twitched slightly. Had Pei Yue gone mad? He was bestowing the title of consort upon the daughter of a disgraced official? And even giving her a palace to live in alone?

"What rank should be given to Consort An and the others?" Ning Jingqiu asked.

Consort An has given birth to the eldest prince, and her father is the leader of the Northern Army. He has made great contributions this time. Shouldn't Consort An be promoted to Imperial Consort?

Pei Yue seemed to understand her thoughts and said, "I'll reserve the position of Imperial Concubine for you. You can handle the rest."

"Just do what you think is best?" Ning Jingqiu was furious. Wasn't this putting her in a very difficult position?

If she is given a high rank, no one will remember her good deeds; if she is given a low rank, she will be resented.

Liang Zhiyi can't stand the slightest grievance, so you're saying she has to suffer all the grievances?

"Your Majesty, I was stabbed while saving Liang Zhiyi during the rebellion."

Pei Yue lifted his eyes to look over.

Ning Jingqiu was instantly discouraged and said in a muffled voice, "Then Your Majesty must remember my contributions."

She felt like she owed him something in her past life. If it weren't for wanting to achieve her wish as soon as possible, she would have quit.

Seeing that Pei Yue didn't respond, she had no choice but to mentally plan and pick out a few important points to mention.

"Consort An is to be promoted to Consort De, Consort Dongfang to Consort Zhaoyi, Consort Liu Zhaoxun, who has given birth to the eldest princess, is to be promoted to Consort Jieyu, and Consort Liu Chenghui, who has given birth to the second princess, is to be promoted to Beauty. As for the rest, I will go back and think about it, and then send the list to Your Majesty for your review. What is Your Majesty's opinion?"

Pei Yue didn't even look up, just gave a faint "hmm," seemingly unconcerned.

Arrangement of concubines in the imperial harem of the Great Yu Dynasty

1. A Queen

2. A concubine

3. The fourth concubine

4. Nine Concubines

5. Twenty-four Consorts

6. Beauties, good men, and maids (unlimited number)

This book is entirely fictional; all official titles and concubines are based solely on the author's personal preferences and are not intended as historical reference.