My Prince said he'd break my legs.

Liang Zhiyi was stunned. Was this... a way to find her a powerful backer?

She tried to push him away and get up, but he grabbed her waist and held her tightly. She was a little annoyed: "Pei Yue."

Pei Yue merely chuckled, "You're getting more and more unruly."

Unable to break free, Liang Zhiyi stopped insisting and had to admit that Pei Yue had treated her well in general, except when she was running away, providing her with the best in terms of food, clothing, and shelter.

He didn't even refer to himself as "朕" (the imperial "I") in private, nor did he force her to use honorifics. Apart from having a large number of wives and concubines, he was truly impeccable.

Suddenly, she was startled. When did her mindset change so drastically?

While he was still in a daze, Yu An came in. Yu An had now naturally become Pei Yue's personal chief steward.

He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin, along with his concubine Liang, requests an audience."

Liang Zhiyi slapped Pei Yue's hand and glared at him.

Finally, Pei Yue released her, looking at Yu An with a half-smile: "Since when has a concubine been allowed to see me?"

Yu An quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, inwardly cursing the Prince of Jin for being a fool and bringing a concubine to the emperor's audience.

This put him in a dilemma: to report it or not.

Upon hearing that Liang Youyou had arrived, Liang Zhiyi paused in her steps and then retreated to stand beside Pei Yue, grinding ink.

Liang Youyou had always wanted to see her make a fool of herself, and now she really wanted to see what kind of expression Liang Youyou would have when she saw her.

Seeing her eager expression, Pei Yue smiled slightly and looked at Yu An: "Let them in."

Yu An, who was expecting to be punished, was taken aback upon hearing this: "Yes, this servant will go right away."

Soon, the Prince of Jin brought Liang Youyou in and knelt down to pay his respects.

Pei Yue did not make things difficult for the Prince of Jin and quickly told them to get up.

Why should Pei Yue bother with someone who would bring a concubine to the Xuanhe Hall to meet the Emperor?

As long as he doesn't do anything foolish, he will allow him to be a carefree prince for life, giving him endless riches and honors.

Liang Youyou stood behind Prince Jin, secretly raising her eyes to catch a glimpse of the emperor's face, but unexpectedly saw Liang Zhiyi standing beside the emperor, smiling brightly at her.

A surge of jealousy welled up in her heart. Why could Liang Zhiyi stand beside the emperor surrounded by jewels and jade, while she could only kneel and beg the emperor to spare her mother?

Jealousy had completely changed her; she glared at Liang Zhiyi with hatred.

With just one glance, Liang Zhiyi knew that Liang Youyou was as foolish as ever; no one else dared to make faces in front of the emperor.

"Your Majesty..." the Prince of Jin said with an awkward smile, "I have a request to make."

"Oh?" Pei Yue raised an eyebrow and glanced at Liang Youyou: "Your concubine doesn't seem to be asking for anything."

Upon hearing this, Liang Youyou's legs went weak, and she knelt down, stammering, "This concubine...this concubine dares not...I beg Your Majesty to spare my life."

Liang Zhiyi snorted, "Coward!!!"

She's so cowardly, yet she dares to glare at her. At least she's Consort Zhao now. Liang Youyou's insubordination is so egregious that even if Pei Yue weren't around, she could easily be charged with a serious offense of disrespect.

The sudden turn of events left the Prince of Jin somewhat bewildered: "What, what's going on?"

Pei Yue's face darkened. "Someone come here."

He was about to order someone to drag Liang Youyou out and beat her to death with sticks.

Liang Zhiyi quickly interrupted him: "Your Majesty, why not listen to what Prince Jin has to say?"

Pei Yue glanced at her, then followed her lead and looked at the Prince of Jin: "Speak, what is it?"

Feeling guilty, the Prince of Jin stammered for a long time before finally saying, "Your Majesty, I beg you to spare Liang Qiu Shi, that is, the birth mother of my concubine..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Yue threw a teacup at him.

The Prince of Jin dared not dodge and took the blow head-on, blood gushing from his forehead instantly.

"You'll die from beauty sooner or later," Pei Yue cursed.

Prince Jin, unconvinced, rubbed his forehead and glanced at Liang Zhiyi, muttering under his breath, "Didn't His Majesty also keep Consort Zhao? Besides, Qiu Shi is Consort Zhao's aunt."

Pei Yue's face darkened instantly, he was furious with the Prince of Jin: "Guards, take them out and give them thirty lashes. The Prince of Jin is confined to his residence for three months and is not allowed to step out of the Prince of Jin's residence during these three months."

"Thirty strokes of the cane." Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin's legs went weak: "No, Your Majesty, I can't take it."

Pei Yue's face was extremely ugly. Liang Youyou didn't dare to beg for mercy from Pei Yue at all, and instead turned to beg Liang Zhiyi.

"Four...no, Consort Zhao, please save me! It's just you and me left in our family. If I'm beaten to death, you'll truly be left alone...um..."

Before she could finish speaking, she was covered by a eunuch and dragged out; of course, the Prince of Jin was no exception.

Liang Zhiyi certainly wouldn't plead for Liang Youyou; after she transmigrated, she didn't develop any feelings for Liang Youyou.

The reason Liang Youyou is still alive is because she was lucky enough to marry Prince Jin. Prince Jin did not take sides, so confiscating her property and beheading her would not implicate his married daughter.

Unfortunately, Prince Jin was not very bright, and they did not deserve the beating they received today.

However, the Prince of Jin's words reminded her of something.

Lost in thought, Pei Yue reached out and pulled her into his arms: "What are you thinking about?"

Liang Zhiyi drew circles on his chest with her hand: "How about letting my eldest sister leave the palace?"

Pei Yue held her waist tightly, his eyes filled with lust. After being abstaining for more than half a month, Liang Zhiyi only needed to provoke him slightly before he wanted to devour her.

He leaned down and bit her ear, his voice low and husky: "It depends on how you behave."

Liang Zhiyi only hesitated for a moment before abruptly pushing Pei Yue away and taking a few steps back.

Pei Yue glanced at the empty embrace, the tenderness in his eyes vanishing instantly, his brows furrowing tightly: "Come here."

"No." Liang Zhiyi took a few steps back. "Does His Majesty keep me by his side just for this? If His Majesty gets tired of me one day, will he kill me too?"

"Don't overthink it. How could I possibly dislike you?"

"Then why doesn't His Majesty agree to my request? He even said he'd see how I perform. How does that make me any different from a prostitute?"

"Liang Zhiyi".

Pei Yue's face was cold, and his voice was as cold as ice, showing that he was truly angry.

Liang Zhiyi had only seen him like this when they first met. Since entering the Eastern Palace, Pei Yue had always doted on her, to the point that she had almost forgotten what Pei Yue originally looked like.

She instinctively flinched; oh no, it seemed she had gone too far.

Suddenly, Pei Yue reached out and grabbed her.

Liang Zhiyi instinctively tried to sit up, but Pei Yue held her down by pinching her waist.

Before she could resist, Pei Yue grabbed her neck with one hand and leaned down to kiss her lips.

The kiss was fierce and urgent, involving nibbling and biting.

Pei Yue only slowly released her when she was almost out of breath.

Liang Zhiyi gasped for breath like a drowning fish. She felt her lips were both painful and numb, and when she touched them, they were slightly swollen.

Before she could catch her breath, Pei Yue's hand slipped inside her undergarment. She quickly grabbed his hand and looked up to meet his bloodshot eyes.

Liang Zhiyi shuddered in fright. Scenes from the first three days after she entered the East Palace flashed before her eyes. She felt that she was doomed tonight.

She forced a smile, but it was more like a grimace: "Your Majesty, we can talk this over... Ah..."

Pei Yue scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the side hall, his gaze burning into her, his voice low and hoarse: "Speak, I'm listening."

Liang Zhiyi cursed inwardly, "What the hell are you listening to?"

Unsurprisingly, she didn't get any sleep that night.