All along, Pei Zhishuo knew who he could and couldn't provoke, carefully observing those boundaries, which was why he hadn't caused any disasters yet.
But if he wasn't seeking thrills, why would he get involved with widows who had been married before?
Some of these women were old enough to be his mother.
Although they were all beautiful women, no matter how beautiful they were or how well they maintained themselves to look like eighteen-year-old girls, their actual age was what it was - it went against common sense.
He was tired of living such a restricted life, unable to act freely and experience the excitement he craved.
Now that all the widows he had pursued had become his women and were no longer other men's wives, where was the thrill in that?
That old fox Jiang Yankun was truly blessed with romance.
He had married such a beautiful young wife and had two stunning daughters who could cause fish to sink and birds to fall from the sky with their beauty, especially the Imperial Noble Consort...
He recalled that alluring face and graceful figure, feeling his heart grow hot.
She was also the Emperor's woman, which made it even more exciting!
"What are you thinking about?"
Minister Pei of the Privy Council was, after all, a formidable figure in court, and when facing his troublesome eldest grandson, he could still see through him somewhat.
He reached out and grabbed Pei Zhishuo's ear: "Don't even think about it! You can ruin yourself, but don't drag down the Pei family. Aren't all those concubines in your residence enough for you? How dare you think about someone so dangerous? Listen well - if you dare to harbor such inappropriate thoughts, I will personally end your life and apologize to the Emperor."
This grandson had been raised poorly.
He shouldn't have agreed to his son's wishes after his first daughter-in-law died, allowing him to marry that young widow whom he had loved in his youth as his principal wife.
That widow mistreated his first daughter-in-law's children in the household, and his son didn't even care. Now she had raised the eldest grandson to be like this. If people found out about this, he would lose all face.
"Ah, ah, ah... Grandson understands, grandson understands!"
If he couldn't touch the Imperial Noble Consort, surely her mother, the former famous courtesan of the capital, would be fair game?
She was just a sold commodity, already used by countless men, so what difference would it make if he had her too?
"My lady, what should we do?" asked Consort Zhang, who had just left Lanyue Palace, her expression somewhat sinister.
The palace maid observed her expression: "Concubine Cheng and Noble Lady Liu are both injured and won't be able to attend tonight's banquet. So our plan..."
Consort Zhang remained silent for a moment, then turned her gaze to Concubine Ye: "We still have one more, don't we? I heard Concubine Ye sprained her ankle while getting off the boat yesterday and needed the Emperor to carry her! Huan'er, if I do Concubine Ye this favor, she should be grateful to me."
Huan'er silently mourned for Concubine Ye - gratitude was impossible; surviving would be fortunate enough.
Her mistress didn't dare to act herself, so she found several scapegoats to test the waters.
"Since the Emperor has been exclusively favoring the Imperial Noble Consort, the palace has been too peaceful for too long. It's time to add some fire to the situation."
As night fell—
Brilliant lights illuminated throughout the temporary palace, adding a breathtaking beauty to the already stunning scenery.
Under these bright lights, dark creatures began to crawl from beneath the ground.
A young eunuch's hand trembled as he carried a wine pitcher, nearly dropping the tray. He lurched forward in fright, fortunately caught by the corridor railing.
The pain in his wrist forced him to set down the tray as he stared at his suddenly spasming wrist, quickly massaging it.
A pitch-black stray cat jumped down from the corridor roof, nearly landing on the tray.
"Shoo, shoo, shoo!"
The young eunuch forgot about his painful wrist and hurriedly shooed away the fat black cat, afraid it would knock over the wine pitcher.
This was the special "Immortal's Brew" from Qin Province, the finest and most famous wine reserved for the Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort. One pitcher was worth a hundred gold pieces - if he spilled it, even ten heads wouldn't be enough to pay for the mistake.
Ah...
What could he do? He was just a lowly servant!
In this world... even a stray cat had animal lovers to feed it, while servants like them were worth less than a wild cat.
The local officials of Qin Province had arranged the evening banquet for the Emperor and Imperial Noble Consort according to their interests and preferences.
Jiang Xinyue, seated in her sedan chair, observed the flowers and brocades on both sides, with various ornate palace lanterns placed among them, creating an intentionally luxurious and gorgeous aesthetic.
As they proceeded forward, pavilions, towers, landscapes, and waterscapes all caught her eye, with every arrangement and design being to her liking.
Most cleverly, the performances weren't limited to the banquet itself. From the moment Jiang Xinyue left the ChuangChun Pavilion, beautiful women from the Office of Music and Dance lined the path, playing instruments, singing, and dancing with flowing sleeves.
Jiang Xinyan behaved like an inexperienced young girl, looking around and applauding everywhere, but even so, her steps never faltered, and the ornaments on her head barely swayed.
This was the grace and elegance expected of a noble lady raised in an ancient prestigious family.
Jiang Xinyue shook her head - indeed, the charm unique to Eastern women, etched into their very bones, could only be displayed by the ancients.
Every time she turned her head or made a large movement, her hair ornaments would swing into her face, stinging quite painfully.
Her modern, unorthodox rebellious soul was truly different from these noble ladies who had been taught etiquette and rules since childhood.
"The Imperial Noble Consort arrives—"
"Bang!"
As Jiang Xinyue was helped down from her sedan chair by Shuang Jiang and Jiang Xinyan, and walked into the garden where the outdoor banquet was being held, brilliant fireworks exploded in the starry night sky.
"Wow! How beautiful!"
"I heard these fireworks were specially arranged by the Emperor for the Imperial Noble Consort. The Emperor is so thoughtful."
"If I had such a beautiful concubine, I would spoil her to the heavens too. If she smiled at me, I'd want to pluck the moon from the sky for her."
"Keep dreaming! How could someone so beautiful end up with you? Only our Emperor, with his wisdom and martial prowess, is worthy of the nation-toppling beauty that is our Imperial Noble Consort."
"Look at the clothes the Imperial Noble Consort is wearing - they show different colors under different lights. Isn't that the Floating Light Brocade?"
"It really seems to be. If the Imperial Noble Consort weren't so beautiful, she might have been overshadowed by these clothes. Only she could bring out the special qualities of the Floating Light Brocade without being upstaged by it."
Jiang Xinyue was still looking up at the spectacular fireworks display when another warm hand grasped hers.
She turned her head to see the Xuanwu Emperor's handsome face and his deeply affectionate eyes.
Fireworks bloomed overhead, while their eyes reflected only each other's images.
Only after the fireworks had finished did the Emperor lead her inside by the hand.
"Greetings to the Emperor, paying respects to the Imperial Noble Consort."
As someone took the lead, the garden immediately filled with a sea of people kneeling.
