Based on the information Pei Liang had gathered over the past two days, she could work backward and infer what kind of person the Empress truly was.
The Empress’s achievements in life were indeed enough to be recorded in the annals of history.
In a certain sense, the original host really was very much like her. The Empress was essentially the original host after stripping away her blind arrogance, prejudice, impulsiveness, and the immaturity born of inexperience—a more fully matured version of her.
Pei Liang had looked into the Empress’s entire life, and in her view, the root of the problem still lay in her childhood.
When the Empress was young, she was merely an unfavored imperial daughter. People now said that the Third Imperial Daughter’s circumstances were dire, but compared to what the Empress had endured back then, the Third Imperial Daughter had practically grown up in a jar of honey.
According to the records alone, there had been two major cases in the harem involving attempts on the lives of imperial heirs. The Empress had been implicated in both—as the victim.
Though those perilous experiences had ultimately brought her certain benefits, it was easy to imagine how difficult every step of the Empress’s path had been.
The struggle over the succession had been even bloodier. The late Emperor had not lacked offspring, yet of the Empress’s brothers who were still alive, only a few had been discreet and sensible enough to keep a low profile.
As for her sisters, not one of them remained.
By contrast, the original host had been the first child born after the Empress ascended the throne. She had been the focus of everyone’s attention from childhood, resembling the Empress in appearance and possessing both intelligence and talent. The Empress had only three daughters who survived to adulthood.
The other two had little to recommend them as rivals, so the original host had naturally grown arrogant, conceited, and high-minded.
It was clear that the Empress had originally intended to groom her as heir. Judging from the important responsibilities the Empress had entrusted to the original host over the past two years, most of them had been intended to temper her, and each had been tailored precisely to exploit her weaknesses.
This showed that the Empress understood the original host even better than the original host understood herself.
If the original host had followed the Empress’s wishes—patiently honing herself, settling down, and inheriting the Empress’s lifelong ambitions—then even if the position of Crown Princess still belonged to the Third Imperial Daughter at present, there would have been a very good chance that the original host would ultimately ascend the throne.
But that girl had already gone astray beyond saving. When she should have kept her feet on the ground, she had instead tried to be clever and take shortcuts. She had even gotten involved with Consort Yan.
The Empress had wanted to straighten her out, but neither her energy nor her remaining years allowed for it anymore.
From the looks of things, the Empress did not appear to have particularly deep feelings for any one of her three daughters, nor did she seem determined that the imperial succession must go to a specific one of them.
Since she had already bestowed such a humiliating title upon the original host, she had probably begun treating that daughter as good as dead.
With the Empress’s abilities, if she could not see through the future course of someone as transparent as the original host, then she would have spent her entire life ruling for nothing.
Pei Liang met the Empress’s gaze calmly for a long while. Only then did the Empress realize that there was truly no resentment or impatient ambition in her eyes.
The day the original host had gone out with the Third Imperial Daughter, the Empress had pondered the matter for a long time. Now, it seemed that the eldest daughter had truly settled down overnight.
The flaws and weaknesses the Empress had once tried to eliminate from her eldest daughter had all disappeared.
Could it be that losing the position of Crown Princess had actually been a positive stimulus for her?
The Empress revealed a meaningful smile. “I’m glad you like it.”
“The title we originally discussed giving you was ‘Li,’ but later I decided that ‘Liang’ suited you better. What does Consort Yan think?”
When Consort Yan had heard from Prince Liang that day that the Empress might already know about their affair, he had been somewhat horrified.
Several days had passed since then. With the mindset of someone who had long considered himself no better than a walking corpse, he had already recovered his composure. He had completely resigned himself to his fate.
Thus, when he heard the question, he did not care in the slightest. He merely gave a cold laugh. “This is your own daughter, Your Majesty. Why ask me about such an important matter as granting her a title as a prince?”
“I’m only her stepfather. If she likes the character I choose, then everyone is happy. But if she doesn’t, every mention of her title will make it seem as though I stuck my nose into matters that weren’t my concern. It’s thankless work, and I won’t do it.”
Listen to him. With every word cutting sharper than the last, who could possibly detect anything unusual?
Consort Yan’s answer was perfunctory and impatient, but the Empress did not take offense.
She even replied with pointed meaning, “As Consort, you are naturally their father. They must respect and treat you with filial courtesy at all times. Even after I am gone, that will remain the case. How could you call it meddling?”
The Second Imperial Daughter and the Third Imperial Daughter hurriedly expressed their agreement, respectfully declaring that they regarded Consort Yan as their own father, respected and admired him, and would never dare treat him with the slightest disrespect.
The Empress’s gaze fell upon Prince Liang.
Pei Liang seemed to be half a beat slower than everyone else at processing things. She opened her mouth, still stuck on the previous topic.
She put on a relieved expression. “‘Li’ is a character I don’t like. It sounds so terribly low-class. ‘Liang’ is much better—noble, coldly glamorous, wickedly charismatic, and arrogantly unrestrained.”
“It takes the charm of this prince, already peerless among all heroes, to an even greater height.”
“Mother Empress truly understands me. Your daughter kowtows and thanks you for your gracious favor.”
The Empress: “…”
“Hah! It seems you’re still dissatisfied.”
The atmosphere, which had only just begun to ease, once again stiffened because of Pei Liang’s remarks—whether she had meant them sincerely or was being sarcastic, no one could tell.
The Second Imperial Daughter secretly glanced at Pei Liang, who stood there stubbornly, meeting the Empress’s gaze. She fought hard to suppress the corners of her lips.
She was eagerly anticipating the two of them clashing head-on, neither willing to yield, and the false peace that had lasted three days finally erupting.
But she also knew that, most likely, the eldest would be the first to lower her head—as long as she had any brains left.
Yet she had guessed wrong.
The next moment, the eldest replied, “How could that be? Not to mention that every word your daughter has spoken comes from the heart.”
“Even if I truly did harbor some dissatisfaction, how could it compare to even a fraction of Mother Empress’s own? Since even Mother Empress is so helpless, my trivial feelings are not worth mentioning at all.”
The Empress’s gaze suddenly sharpened like a blade and shot toward Pei Liang.
Yet Pei Liang’s face remained calm and composed. For an instant, the Empress was dazed.
Her eldest daughter… was she—
At that moment, the middle-aged woman dressed as a Daoist standing beside the Empress also changed expression drastically.
With a sweep of her horsetail whisk, she issued a stern rebuke. “Prince Liang, conduct yourself with due propriety! The Crown Princess was chosen by Heaven and is the emperor ordained by the will of the heavens.”
“Heaven’s will cannot be defied. Prince Liang, by speaking such reckless words and inciting His Majesty, are you dissatisfied with Heaven’s will and attempting to offend the divine decree?”
Pei Liang had been communicating silently with the Empress. Interrupted, she cast the woman an irritated glance.
She pointed her chin toward her. “Where did this spirit-medium come from?”
As she spoke, she looked at the Empress with an expression that seemed to say, You actually let this sort of thing fool you?
“Mother Empress has been ill for so long without recovering. It’s understandable that she would place her faith in a few wandering practitioners to seek some measure of comfort. But she really should have taught them better manners.”
“You—” The woman was furious. How dare Prince Liang compare her to some fraudulent wandering charlatan?
The Empress smiled indifferently. “She is Immortal Master Qiu of Xianluo Mountain.”
The Third Imperial Daughter was still somewhat bewildered upon hearing this, but Consort Yan and the Second Imperial Daughter both showed looks of realization.
Though they had already expected it, confirming the truth still left them feeling incredulous.
When they looked at Prince Liang again, their eyes held an even deeper pity for her, as though fate had played a cruel joke.
Xianluo Mountain was also known as Immortal-Drop Mountain. Its Founder was a divine immortal who had once helped the Founding Emperor establish his empire with a single, overwhelming effort.
According to legend, among the many contenders who had once fought for the realm, the Founding Emperor had originally been little more than a minor figure. Compared to the great warlords who had divided the world among themselves at the time, he had truly possessed nothing but poverty and empty hands.
At best, his future would have been to be accepted by one of those great powers and, if fortune favored him, obtain a position as a founding military officer.
The Founder of Xianluo Mountain had truly possessed a discerning eye for talent. When the Founding Emperor was still an obscure nobody, she had already determined that he would one day unify the realm.
She had gone on to assist him wholeheartedly, devising strategies and making plans.
That immortal was a true recipient of Heaven’s mandate. She could predict events as though she had divine insight, summon wind and rain, and once the Founding Emperor had truly ascended the throne, her deeds were naturally deified as well.
Afterward, the Founder of Xianluo Mountain withdrew from the imperial court and established her own sect, but her influence never faded. She had even taken part in the selection of the heir to the throne.
From then on, Xianluo Mountain was said to possess the authority to bestow Heaven’s mandate. It held an absolute say in whether an imperial heir should be deposed or appointed.
That authority even surpassed the Emperor’s.
It sounded utterly absurd. Pei Liang had thought so too after reading the records.
But this was the accepted truth of the world.
Xianluo Mountain never allied itself with any faction at court. To avoid suspicion, its people rarely even descended the mountain.
It was said that every master of Xianluo Mountain inherited a portion of the divine power left behind by the founder, allowing them to identify the ruler chosen by Heaven.
Of course, they did not interfere in the appointment or deposition of every imperial heir. On one occasion, Xianluo Mountain had gone a full century without emerging to bestow Heaven’s mandate.
But once they descended the mountain and named the successor chosen by Heaven, should the Emperor ignore the mandate and insist on going against Heaven, heavenly punishment would inevitably follow.
The most recent example had occurred more than a hundred years ago. At the time, an Empress doted exclusively on the child born to her beloved and wished to make that child Crown Princess.
An angel of Xianluo Mountain had appeared and conveyed Heaven’s mandate, naming someone else instead. The Empress refused to heed Heaven and attempted to force her way against fate.
As a result, natural disasters and misfortune plagued the realm for three straight years. Once the people learned that the calamities had been caused by the Emperor’s defiance of Heaven’s will, discontent erupted everywhere.
Rebellions and uprisings even broke out across the various regions under that pretext.
With the once-prosperous nation on the verge of collapse, the Empress ultimately did not dare to destroy the foundation laid by her ancestors. In the end, she was forced to pass the throne to the successor chosen by Heaven.
Sure enough, the disasters subsided afterward, and peace returned throughout the realm.
From then on, no one dared question Heaven’s mandate again.
This time, the angel of Xianluo Mountain had also entered the palace in secret. Before this, no one had known of her arrival.
It seemed that the fundamental reason the Empress had changed her choice of heir had not even been the original host’s affair with Consort Yan, but rather the fact that Heaven’s mandate could not be defied.
Then again, what Emperor could tolerate the authority to appoint an heir being taken out of her own hands? Even if the candidate named by Xianluo Mountain often happened to be the same one the Emperor had chosen herself, once imperial authority was challenged, there could be no true happy ending.
This was especially true of the Empress, a decisive, domineering, and extremely autocratic woman. Pei Liang dared to conclude that what she resented most about the appointment of the Crown Princess was not her feelings toward the Third Imperial Daughter.
It was simply that she despised being forced into a decision.
In the original story, the Third Imperial Daughter eventually grew into a wise ruler of her generation, once again proving that Xianluo Mountain possessed Heaven’s authority.
But in Pei Liang’s view, that did nothing to resolve the problem. Even by the end of the original story, no one had exposed the true nature of Xianluo Mountain or explained the metaphysical logic behind it.
This added yet another bizarre layer to the true nature of the world.
For a time, it was impossible to determine whether this scenario was merely an ordinary ancient imperial court or a fantasy continent.
That was also why Pei Liang felt this scenario was rather difficult.
After all, if the latter was true, then forcibly ascending the throne would mean facing the so-called “heavenly punishment” afterward.
Actually, according to the methods her department had used in the past, Pei Liang could have completed the mission while lying back and doing nothing.
The advantages provided by her status in this world were extraordinary. When it came to winning over a man, she would not even need to make much effort. Showing merely three-tenths of the consideration she displayed when keeping a man would already put her above ninety-nine percent of the women here.
A beautiful face, the dignity of a prince, youth and vigor, thoughtfulness, tenderness—what more could anyone ask for?
But if she chose the other path—going against Heaven and bringing its mandate beneath her—then the difficulty would be on an entirely different level.
Pei Liang’s heart stirred.
These two paths… why did they feel as though they had been set out specifically as a test for her?
Had the new department supervisor already taken office?
Pei Liang lifted the system’s mute restriction and asked it directly.
The system fawned, “Yes, yes! The new supervisor has arrived, and they think very highly of you. I believe, Dad, that you fear nothing—”
Before it could finish, Pei Liang muted it again.
When the others saw Prince Liang apparently ponder the matter for a moment, they assumed she had finally understood the implications.
The successor chosen by Xianluo Mountain was not the same thing as the Empress changing the succession on a whim.
The Empress was now merely counting the days until she breathed her last. Given Prince Liang’s arrogance, perhaps she thought there was still a chance to fight for the throne.
But Xianluo Mountain’s declaration had essentially sentenced her to death.
It was not only Prince Liang—even the Second Imperial Daughter had clenched her fists tightly.
Yet when Prince Liang looked up at Immortal Master Qiu, her face showed no sign of having suffered a crushing blow.
Instead, she turned to the Empress with an expression of considerate concern and said, “So she’s from Xianluo Mountain. No wonder Mother has been muddle-headed lately and behaving more strangely by the day.”
“And just now, on the day of her daughter’s wedding, she chose to bring up the old disagreement between mother and daughter. Couldn’t she have picked any other time? Why choose today, when she has no regard for the atmosphere?”
“So it was a demonic Daoist causing trouble.”
The Empress’s eyes flickered at those words. Prince Liang had clearly spoken something treasonous. Under ordinary circumstances, she would already have punished her severely.
But the Empress was in no hurry to deal with her now. In fact, she rather wanted to see how the eldest would handle someone from Xianluo Mountain.
Sure enough, when she made no response, Immortal Master Qiu flew into a rage.
Xianluo Mountain’s status had long since been deified. To the outside world, its disciples were practically immortals.
As Heaven’s envoy, Immortal Master Qiu was entitled to be treated with courtesy even by the Emperor.
Yet Prince Liang, a mere imperial prince, actually dared to speak so recklessly and question Xianluo Mountain’s authority.
She shouted angrily, “How dare you! Though Prince Liang is a descendant of the imperial line, you should understand that imperial authority is granted by Heaven.”
“My Xianluo Mountain does not concern itself with mortal affairs, but there is one thing we will never permit anyone to question: obedience to Heaven’s mandate.”
“Though I am a Daoist who has withdrawn from the world, every word and action of mine on this journey represents Heaven’s mandate. You have repeatedly called me a demonic Daoist spreading falsehoods, and questioned His Majesty’s decision. Are you dissatisfied with Heaven’s will?”
Pei Liang smiled. “You represent Heaven’s mandate? Then does that make you an immortal?”
Immortal Master Qiu replied haughtily, “I would not dare claim such a lofty title. I have merely received a small measure of divine grace.”
Oh, judging by her expression, she certainly was not being that modest.
That made sense. In the eyes of mortals, Xianluo Mountain was now a place where immortals dwelled. After several hundred years, its people had probably come to believe it themselves.
Pei Liang grew curious. “Then, strictly speaking, you count as an immortal, more or less.”
“There’s something I’ve always wondered about.”
“Pray, ask whatever you wish, Prince Liang.”
“Can immortals be injured and bleed? If someone were to dislocate your jaw or break your nose, would your saliva and snot come running down your face? Wouldn’t that ruin your immortal bearing?”
Immortal Master Qiu’s expression changed. Shock and humiliation appeared on her face, followed by a sudden premonition of something terrible.
Then she saw a fist drive straight toward her eye.
Xianluo Mountain possessed its own extraordinary martial arts traditions, and Immortal Master Qiu’s skill was by no means poor.
She simply had not expected Prince Liang to actually dare attack her—in the Emperor’s bedchamber, in front of the Emperor, the Imperial Consort, and the Crown Princess.
Accustomed to the awe of ordinary mortals, she failed to react in time and took the punch squarely.
One eye was instantly ruined. Immortal Master Qiu cried out in pain and covered it with one hand.
Through her remaining eye, she saw that murderous brute reveal a ferocious grin.
“Hm? So it does hurt.”
“Are immortals all this delicate?”
Immortal Master Qiu immediately struck back. Her movements were ethereal and agile, and when she circulated her energy, she truly did look like an immortal descending into the mortal realm.
But in terms of martial attainment and the depth of her internal energy, how could she possibly be a match for Pei Liang, who had already cultivated for a hundred years?
What was more, the person who had descended the mountain for the first time had never mixed with the outside world and had virtually no combat experience. The scene was practically a textbook example of how the harder one put on airs, the harder one got beaten.
Immortal Master Qiu was beaten until she cried out repeatedly. Clutching her head, she shouted at the top of her lungs, “Your Majesty, Prince Liang is a treacherous wolf with rebellious ambitions known to all! Your Majesty, you cannot simply stand by and do nothing!”
“Your Majesty, if you indulge this woman, a tyrant will emerge and bring disaster upon the common people!”
The Empress watched with great interest as Immortal Master Qiu was beaten, all the while seeming to cough furiously.
Her voice came in broken fragments. “Wicked daughter, cough, cough—you must not be rude to the Immortal Master.”
“Cough, cough, cough—surely I still command some authority over you?”
Good heavens. It took her ages to finish just those two sentences. By the time the final word fell, Immortal Master Qiu had already been beaten into a puddle of flesh.
The Second Imperial Daughter and the others watched in a daze. Their eldest sister had actually dared to go this far.
As for their mother, the Second Imperial Daughter was the best at reading the Empress. Seeing her putting on such an act, she suspected that the Empress had long since grown tired of the Immortal Master. Watching her eldest sister beat the other woman senseless, she was clearly enjoying herself immensely.
After hearing the Empress’s words, Pei Liang finally kept her promise. She broke Immortal Master Qiu’s nose. Sure enough, the woman’s face was soon covered in tears and mucus, and she was a complete, wretched mess. Only after every trace of immortal grace had vanished did Pei Liang contentedly stop.
She took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from her hands.
Then she tossed the handkerchief onto Immortal Master Qiu. “Isn’t this appearance much more fitting? It was irritating to have those nostrils pointed at me while you spoke.”
Immortal Master Qiu was barely conscious. “Your, Your Majesty… the appearance of a foolish ruler… concerns the common people…”
Pei Liang drawled lazily, “What does that have to do with me? Isn’t the Crown Princess your Third Imperial Sister now?”
“I’m merely a prince. Even if I become a foolish ruler, at worst I’ll ruin my own family’s estate. If Third Sister dislikes me in the future and strips me of all my offices, then at most I’ll spend my days living a debauched life in my own back courtyard. How could that possibly affect the people of the realm?”
As she spoke, Pei Liang gave an insidious smile. “Or is it that, in Daoist Master Qiu’s eyes, I’m destined to rebel against the throne and steal the imperial seat?”
On Immortal Master Qiu’s battered face appeared an expression that clearly said, “Do you really have no idea how obvious your intentions are?”
Pei Liang’s expression changed. She angrily exclaimed, “How dare you! You actually dare slander a prince of the empire!”
“Prince Liang has never had any enmity with Xianluo Mountain. If you were truly an immortal concerned for the common people, how could you slander someone you had never even met?”
“Besides, this demonic Daoist claims to be an immortal, yet was defeated so easily by me, a mere mortal. Clearly, she is not what she claims to be. Her identity is highly suspect.”
With that, she turned toward the Empress. “Mother, the world knows very little about Xianluo Mountain. Is it possible that the true Immortal Master was robbed on the way to the capital, and this criminal stole her token and infiltrated the palace under false pretenses?”
“Your Majesty, I believe this person should be interrogated.”
The Second Imperial Daughter and the others initially thought Pei Liang was shameless beyond belief.
You’re merely a prince? For years, you’ve practically been one step away from carving your name into the imperial throne and stamping it with your seal. How can you have the nerve to talk about what you’ll do in the future with such a straight face?
But by the end, their expressions changed, and their hearts rose into their throats.
It was not only them. Even the Empress was startled by her eldest daughter’s audacious plan.
She lifted her eyes and looked at her eldest daughter.
Pei Liang was looking back at her as well. Her eyes were full of confidence, and the faint curve of her lips held a teasing challenge—as if she were betting on whether the Empress dared to take the gamble.
The Empress understood her intentions in an instant.
Did she dare? Before her death, did she dare to gamble once?
Did she dare to try tearing away the veil surrounding Xianluo Mountain and see what lay beneath?
The price was too great. If anything went wrong, even by the slightest degree, she would immediately have to face the accusations of all her ancestors.
If all three of her imperial daughters were like before, the Empress had already given up. She could only nurture her Third Daughter into a ruler who maintained the status quo, then wait for a future descendant of extraordinary brilliance to remove the thorn hanging over the Pei family.
But now, her eldest daughter—
She understood. She saw the whole picture, could follow her train of thought, and had swiftly created an opportunity.
The Empress glanced again at her Third Daughter.
That blockhead was only now waving her arms and cheering on her imperial sister with an innocent expression.
“That’s right! Imperial Sister is the one who cares most about the people. You demonic Daoist are spouting nonsense—there’s no way you’re genuine!”
The Empress could not help rubbing her forehead. Then a thought stirred in her heart. Judging from her attitude, her eldest daughter also approved of the Third Imperial Daughter remaining Crown Princess.
Every lesson she had given her consisted of practical truths, each one more valuable than gold or jade. Xianluo Mountain had authority only over the position of Crown Princess. Beyond that, no matter how much trouble they caused, they had no justification.
So long as her eldest daughter insisted that she had no interest in the throne, then as a mere prince, no matter how absurd or insane she behaved, that was an internal matter of the imperial court. Xianluo Mountain had no right to interfere.
Could it be that this had been her eldest daughter’s plan from the very beginning?
Having reached this conclusion, the Empress made up her mind.
She nodded. “Prince Liang speaks reasonably. Though Immortal Master Qiu’s status is exalted, framing a prince of the empire for rebellion is a crime worthy of death.”
“Moreover, after what we have witnessed today, her origins are indeed highly questionable.”
Immortal Master Qiu was stunned. She stared at the Empress, who simply ordered, “Guards, take this demonic Daoist to the prison and interrogate her thoroughly.”
“Your Majesty, are you really intending to follow in Emperor Wen’s footsteps and defy Heaven’s will?”
The Empress smiled faintly. “Daoist Master Qiu, you are overthinking this. I have already said that the appointment or removal of the Crown Princess is no child’s game. Since I have chosen the Third Daughter, then the Third Daughter it shall be.”
“This child is not foolish, and her heart is pure. You have seen for yourself how close the sisters are. Should any problems arise, Prince Liang will naturally assist her.”
“What we are investigating now is your guilt, Daoist Master Qiu. Do not attempt to change the subject.”
Daoist Master Qiu sucked in a sharp breath, as if she no longer recognized the Empress.
Prince Liang assisting the Third Imperial Daughter? Her?
Even if she did not seize the throne herself, by the time the Third Imperial Daughter ascended, the throne would exist in name only.
No. They were clearly playing games with the rules.
Immortal Master Qiu hurriedly said, “I request a letter so that I may ask the mountain master to descend and clarify my identity.”
The Empress could not suppress the slight curl of her lips. “Daoist Master Qiu, if you are willing to state your identity yourself, that can certainly be arranged.”
Did she trust her eldest daughter? As if. That wretch’s ambition had been impossible to conceal from the moment she entered.
Still, under the present circumstances, compared with immediately crushing her eldest daughter, Pei Liang’s proposal was worth trying. It would not hurt to keep her around a little longer.
After all this commotion, the Empress was tired as well.
She dismissed everyone and went to rest.
Once they had left, Consort Yan asked the Crown Princess and the Second Imperial Daughter to go on ahead. As their father, he naturally had a few things to say to Prince Liang on the occasion of her wedding.
The Third Imperial Daughter did not suspect a thing. A cold smile touched the Second Imperial Daughter’s lips, but she did not stay behind to interfere with this adulterous woman and lecherous man.
After the two of them had gone some distance away, Consort Yan looked at Pei Liang with a rather strange smile.
“Congratulations on your wedding, Prince Liang. This consort offers you his felicitations.”
Pei Liang’s deep gaze settled on him, and she smiled. “Thank you, Father.”
Consort Yan snorted. Given the current situation, he had originally thought that this woman would come looking for him. Yet ever since that day, she had not even asked about him.
The memory of that dizzying pleasure from those nights had made the evenings even harder to endure.
And when he thought that tonight this deadbeat would likely have to use every trick at her disposal to attend to her newlywed husband, Consort Yan felt irritated to the core.
He had, of course, heard of Young Master Su’s great reputation. He had even met him once in the palace.
He was truly a figure out of a painting—pure and flawless, the sort of man who could stir a woman’s protective instincts at a glance.
What was more, Young Master Su had never known a woman before, so naturally he would be exceedingly cautious and tender, gentle to the utmost.
The more Consort Yan thought about it, the angrier he became. He immediately dismissed everyone on either side.
Having operated in the palace for many years and enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, he had naturally cultivated a group of servants absolutely loyal to him.
His people blocked the sight of anyone passing by, and Consort Yan promptly pulled Pei Liang into the rockery.
The moment he drew her in, he gave her a passionate, fiery kiss.
Pei Liang did not even have time to react. Only after Consort Yan had left his scent upon her did he finally pull away.
Then he leaned close to her ear and breathed, “Have me.”
Pei Liang: “…That wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?”
Consort Yan gave a mocking laugh. “The old bastard already knows. What are you afraid of?”
Then he added, “Have me first, and tonight you can have your newlywed groom as well.”
