Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

Inside the tent, Pu Hong lowered his head to retrieve an arrow for Jiang Rou, and suddenly smelled a faint fragrance from her sleeve.

Cigarette petals fall!

This small flower, which can be found everywhere in southern Xinjiang, is an effective remedy for "horse madness".

The Emperor's horse went out of control—it was her doing!

Jiang Rou saw his expression and knew he had guessed it. Her voice was as light as a feather, but it dealt the man a heavy blow.

"The only person from the Southern Frontier in the entire hunting grounds is the physician. If you have the guts, you might as well tell His Majesty and see if he believes you or me?"

Pu Hong had always thought she was weak and easy to bully, but he never expected her to be a smart and tough person.

Non-my family, its heart must be different.

If he dared to accuse him, everyone would surely believe that he, a spy from the Southern Frontier, was plotting to assassinate the Emperor and wreak havoc on the Great Qi. Even the pollen on Jiang Rou's sleeve would be seen as irrefutable evidence to exonerate her and frame someone else!

"How dare I?"

He said through gritted teeth.

As the broken arrow was pulled away, Jiang Rou gasped for breath, sweating profusely from the pain.

This person, in order to get revenge on her, even refused to give her anesthetic!

"If I die from the pain of having the arrow removed, the physician will... never get what you want again!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, even if you go to hell, I will use my magic to bring you back!"

Jiang Rou could no longer hold on; her vision went black, and she fainted.

Pu Hong applied the medicine and bandaged her wounds, then beckoned to the palace maid who was carrying a basin of water. He washed the blood off his hands, his eyes filled with malice, and slowly walked out.

After the crowd dispersed, Xiao Zong pulled Yuan Zhi onto his horse and rode into the depths of the dense forest.

Yuan Zhi was nearly thrown off balance by the jolting. She slapped Xiao Zong's arm and yelled, "Stop! Xiao Congyun, you stop right now!"

Xiao Zong ignored her and continued to drive her at high speed, his hand sweeping across her lower abdomen to pull her into his arms. The two were pressed tightly together, and he leaned down and bit her soft, white neck.

The woman screamed and tried to dodge, but the man, like a ravenous beast, frantically tore and gnawed at her...

The horse stopped at the mountaintop, and Xiao Zong finally relented. Yuan Zhi pushed him away, wiped her neck, and saw the blood on her hand, feeling both angry and aggrieved.

"Xiao Congyun, were you born in the Year of the Dog?"

"No, I was born in the Year of the Wolf, and I only bite disobedient little prey!"

Xiao Zong stroked her neck, then lowered his head again. The woman trembled slightly and closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like cicada wings. Xiao Zong stared at her scarred neck, raised the corners of his lips, and placed a kiss on it.

"you you……"

Yuan Zhi opened her eyes and looked back at him.

"What am I?"

He stared at her with amusement.

"You're absolutely wicked!"

Yuan Zhi jumped off his horse, walked to the edge of the cliff, and gazed at the vast expanse of mountains and rivers.

Xiao Zong approached and said softly, "Don't take such risks again! Do you know how scared I was when I guessed it was you who did all this!"

"Are you more nervous than seeing Consort Zheng in danger?"

"Yes."

Yuan Zhi smiled faintly, but felt a pang of sadness in her heart. She had clearly won against that wooden beauty, so why was she not happy?

"Lord Xiao, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I can't stop my journey for a man. The road ahead is fraught with danger, and your health is precious, so it's best if you don't worry about me!"

"What a coincidence, my path ahead is also fraught with thorns." He held Yuan Zhi's hand tightly. "May we, though our paths differ, arrive at the same destination!"

Yuan Zhi's eyes trembled, her mind was in turmoil, and she stood there stunned.

The two returned at noon, just in time for lunch.

The kitchen prepared wild game for everyone, and Zheng Xiangxiang couldn't stand the smell alone. To make matters worse, Li Kai had Xu Dahai bring over a whole plate of roasted venison. Under His Majesty's watchful gaze, she picked up a piece, and immediately vomited it up.

Li Kai's gaze was cold. "I've heard that pregnant women's tastes are often fickle. If my beloved concubine doesn't want to eat, just have the kitchen remake it. Why force yourself?"

After giving instructions to the people in charge of the kitchen, he said to Zheng Xiangxiang, "The smell of mutton is strong here. You're not feeling well, so go back to your tent first!"

Zheng Xiangxiang took her leave with tears in her eyes. Yuan Zhi glanced at Xiao Zong and found that he was expressionless and was using a small knife to pick meat off a pig bone.

Yuan Zhi pursed her lips and imitated him, wrestling with the pig bones. In the heat of the battle, a plate full of meat suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up and met Xiao Zong's disdainful gaze.

"By the time you're done, it'll be dark. Let's eat this!"

"Who said that? I'll pick it out right away and show you!"

Xiao Zong didn't give her a chance to show off. He put down the plate, picked up her large bone, and left. Yuan Zhi held the knife, her eyes blank.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Li Kai laughed and said, "Madam Yuan, it's not easy to find a man as handsome and considerate as Cong Yun. Why did you divorce him?"

Yuan Zhi stammered, "Your Majesty, Lord Xiao, he..."

Everyone pricked up their ears, waiting to hear her reveal Lord Xiao's secrets, which might come in handy in the future.

Yuan Zhi made up her mind and said, "He keeps pestering me to have children, but I'm still young and don't want to have children so early!"

The emperor, his court officials, and the ladies of the court couldn't help but chuckle, truly not expecting such a reason.

Li Kai said, "Congyun is twenty-five this year, seven years older than you. You are still young, but he is not young anymore. The Xiao family has few male members, so his considerations are not unreasonable. You should understand."

Previously, he had appeared before the Emperor three times, begging for permission to participate in the hunt. I can see that he can't let you go. If Lady Yuan doesn't reconcile with him soon, I will have to arrange another marriage for him!

Xiao Zong rose from his seat and bowed, "Your Majesty, I do not wish for any other women!"

Li Kai was exasperated. "What do you mean you don't want it! I'm giving it to you, how dare you disobey?"

Xiao Zong knelt down, "Your Majesty, I dare not! But I have already sworn that I will never have another woman by my side in this life except for Yuan Zhi. Your Majesty insists on bestowing this marriage upon me, so I can only disappoint my beloved and leave her alone in her empty room!"

Li Kai laughed in anger, "You brat, you're incredibly audacious! Why don't you fight to the death and refuse to submit?"

"That won't do!" Xiao Zong said arrogantly. "If I die, Lady Yuan will surely remarry. I will not give any other man the chance to get close to her!"

Everyone burst into laughter, slapping the table. Lord Li exclaimed, "If a woman is jealous, she's called a jealous woman. But what should we call a jealous man?"

Lu Hanlin said, "Is there even a question? She's just jealous of her husband!"

After he finished speaking, there was another burst of laughter.

Yuan Zhi was too ashamed to stay any longer; her ears turned bright red, and she quickly ran back to her seat.

Li Kai suppressed a laugh and said to Xiao Zong, "I have no reason to concern myself with your affairs. You may leave at once!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Zong returned to his seat, holding his wine cup as he looked at Yuan Zhi, smiling like a cunning old fox.

Feng Quan benefited greatly and finally understood why he hadn't refused the gift of a beautiful woman last time. He took out paper and pen and quickly wrote down:

When presenting a memorial to His Majesty, one must remain calm, composed, and avoid any aggressive or impulsive behavior. A humorous and lighthearted tone will undoubtedly be more effective!

An official standing nearby said, "Lord Feng, this isn't the imperial court, so stop bringing this up. All the memorials submitted by the Censorate combined don't even amount to as many as the ones you've impeached alone!"

Feng Quan explained, "I wasn't writing a memorial to the throne."

Lord Zhao leaned closer, "I don't believe it, let me see!"

Feng Quan immediately closed the booklet.

Lord Zhao pointed at him, "Still denying it? My name is definitely on the list!"