My Prince said he'd break my legs.

Liang Zhiyi collapsed onto the soft couch, watching his departing figure, a wave of helplessness washing over her.

Even if she ever had the chance to escape, she would have to think twice about whether she could actually do it.

After all, there are too many weaknesses that can be exploited.

After that day, she was kept in the Xuanhe Hall.

Pei Yue no longer allowed her to go to the central palace every morning to pay her respects.

Her daily task was to accompany Pei Yue to eat and sleep. After court, when Pei Yue was reviewing memorials, she had to grind ink beside him. When Pei Yue was tired, she would read them to him.

Even when ministers came to the Xuanhe Hall for an audience, Pei Yue did not shy away from them at all.

Aside from the time when Pei Yue was attending court, she was almost inseparable from him every day.

Until early August, she was unable to step out of Xuanhe Palace.

Xuanhe Hall was Pei Yue's sleeping quarters. It was against the rules for a concubine to live there, especially since it was during the national mourning period.

Several ministers submitted memorials impeaching Liang Zhiyi, claiming she was a bewitching concubine who had seduced the emperor, and requesting that she be put to death.

Pei Yue ignored it at the time, but the next day, evidence of the ministers' corruption and bribery was presented to him.

Pei Yue immediately ordered a thorough investigation, which resulted in those ministers having their property confiscated, being dismissed from their posts, imprisoned, and tortured.

Then Pei Yue swiftly promoted people from humble backgrounds to fill vacant official positions.

At this point, what else could the courtiers not understand? The new emperor wasn't indulging in women at all; he was digging a pit for them to fall into, dismantling the power of the aristocratic families, and cultivating his own new power.

In response, the court officials dared not raise any further objections to where Liang Zhiyi, this mere tool, was assigned to live.

The previous dynasty no longer dared to raise objections, and the concubines in the harem dared even less.

Liang Zhiyi wanted to leave but couldn't, and her various forms of protest had no effect whatsoever.

It's funny, she's been married to Pei Yue for a year now, and he's basically kept her locked up by him.

If she were from this era, she would have accepted her fate, but she was born under the red flag of freedom, and she just couldn't adapt to this kind of life.

Pei Yue wrote a few strokes on a memorial, then closed it and tossed it aside. He glanced at Liang Zhiyi, who was sitting on the soft couch with a sour face, and said, "Come here."

Liang Zhiyi didn't want to pay attention to him, but she didn't dare not go over. During this period, as long as she did not do what Pei Yue wanted, he would torment her in bed every night.

Pei Yue was annoyed by her slow pace, so he grabbed her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

"What are you thinking about?"

"When are you planning to let me out? You can't keep me locked up like this forever, can you?"

Pei Yue chuckled: "Isn't it good to stay with me? This is an opportunity that many people would kill for. I'm spoiling you the only one, so you should be content."

Liang Zhiyi rolled her eyes silently. Couldn't she give this opportunity to someone else?

That damned man, that dog of a man, so domineering and violent, so heartless and bloodless. One day she'll kick him to the curb.

Knowing that forcing her wouldn't work, she hooked her fingers around his shirt, intentionally or unintentionally poking his chest, and said in a soft voice,

"Your Majesty, even if you keep a puppy, you should let it out for a walk. I'm so bored being locked up in the palace every day."

Pei Yue laughed: "How can a beast be compared to Zhizhi?"

He looked at her with deep eyes, pinched her chin, and leaned down to kiss her.

"Ugh..." Liang Zhiyi was caught off guard.

Pei Yue is like a teddy bear that goes into heat anywhere; he's in heat again.

Kissing him during the day, kissing him at night, why don't you kiss him to death?

"Your Majesty..." Yu An had just entered when he saw this scene and immediately lowered his head.

Taking advantage of the moment when Pei Yue released her, Liang Zhiyi quickly stood up and stepped aside.

Pei Yue glanced at Liang Zhiyi, who was far away from him, his expression slightly displeased. He frowned and looked at Yu An: "Speak."

Yu An bowed deeply, not daring to raise his head: "Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience."

"Let her in."

"Yes." Yu An withdrew.

A moment later, Ning Jingqiu entered: "Your Majesty, I greet you."

Pei Yue waved his hand: "What is it?"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Lady Zhang gave birth to the Second Prince and the Third Prince this morning."

Last night, Zhang Liangren launched an attack, and Ning Jingqiu sent someone to invite Pei Yue to come and take a look, but Pei Yue did not go.

Ning Jingqiu glanced at Pei Yue, who had no expression on his face, and cursed inwardly. It was one thing for him to ignore the women in his harem, but he didn't even bother to look at them when they were bearing his children. He was truly inhuman.

She looked at Liang Zhiyi with pity, thinking how pitiful she was to have been targeted by Pei Yue. If she fell out of favor in the future, she wouldn't even know how she died. This man was so heartless and ungrateful.

Noticing Pei Yue's unfriendly gaze, Ning Jingqiu looked away and continued:

"According to the rules, Zhang Liangren should be promoted, but Zhang Liangren's rank is too low to support two princes. Moreover, his birth mother is still alive, so it is better for her to raise the princes herself."

"Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to promote Consort Zhang to the rank of Consort Zhang."

"Can."

Pei Yue was never stingy when it came to titles and ranks.

"There's one more thing." Ning Jingqiu glanced at Rongxin, who understood and handed Yu An a folded document, which Yu An then presented to Pei Yue.

"Yesterday, the Minister of Rites came to discuss the princess's marriage with me. This is the list of dowry members that has been prepared. Your Majesty, please take a look. If there are any issues, I will discuss them with the Minister of Rites again."

A princess sent to a foreign land for political reasons?

Liang Zhiyi was startled. As far as she knew, there was only one princess of marriageable age who was still unmarried: the Sixth Princess.

She turned to look at Pei Yue, and her eyes met his.

Pei Yue casually shifted his gaze, glanced at the folded document presented by Yu An, and praised, "The Empress is always reliable in her work. We'll do as you say."

After finishing her business, Ning Jingqiu didn't linger and left quickly.

As soon as Ning Jingqiu left, Liang Zhiyi immediately questioned Pei Yue: "You brought the Sixth Princess back?"

"She clearly ran away, when did you send people to arrest her?"

That day, Pei Yue brought her back to the palace, but he did not order the imperial guards or the soldiers guarding the city to arrest her.

Pei Yue scoffed, "Do you think the Hidden Guards are dead? They'll handle this kind of trivial matter without me having to give them orders."

"The marriage alliance with the Crown Prince of Wei was decided long ago."

Now that the three kingdoms are in a tripartite balance, Pei Yue has already decided to go to war with Northern Liang, so it is impossible for him to be an enemy of Great Wei at the same time. Moreover, Great Wei is asking for a marriage alliance with the princess of Great Yu to establish good relations between the two countries, and Pei Yue has no reason to refuse.

Liang Zhiyi felt her legs go weak. No wonder he had just followed them leisurely that day, letting them run around.

Liang Zhiyi's voice choked with emotion: "But the Crown Prince of Great Wei's reputation for tyranny has already spread throughout the land. If the Sixth Princess marries that man, will she have any chance of survival?"

Pei Yue disagreed: "As a princess, she has been fed and pampered by her subjects for over a decade. It's time for her to make a contribution to the court."

"Besides, once she marries into the family, she will become the Crown Princess. How can the playthings in the Crown Prince's room of the Great Wei compare to our Great Yu Princess?"

Liang Zhiyi froze, staring blankly at Pei Yue.

So, in his heart, apart from his legal wife, all other women were just playthings?