Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

"Okay, dear sister."

Duan Yuning smiled playfully at Pei Suisui, her thin face adorned with two dimples that made her look endearing.

Just as she was about to speak to Pei Suisui, she suddenly caught sight of that familiar bright yellow figure walking towards them, and quickly winked at Pei Suisui.

"I'm leaving now, let's talk again next time. Sister, you should go back too."

Duan Yuning wanted to remind Pei Suisui again, but with that bright yellow color getting closer and closer, she had no time to react and had to leave first.

She, the fifth princess in name only, could only survive by staying far away from the emperor.

Pei Suisui didn't understand Duan Yuning's expression. She just stared blankly in the direction where the figure disappeared. Every time she saw Duan Yuning, she would feel as if she had been born very happy.

She was pampered by her father and sister, lived a life free from worries about food and clothing, and had the person she liked living very close to her.

In contrast to her, Duan Yuning lived a life of great hardship, even nearly losing her life at birth and being sentenced to death by imperial decree.

Completely absorbed in her emotions, Pei Suisui was so engrossed in these thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps behind her.

"Whose daughter are you?"

A dignified voice came from behind her. Pei Suisui stiffened upon hearing this and quickly turned around, only to meet Duan Yuan's probing gaze.

Duan Yuangang had just come out of Yong'an Palace in a hurry, and his dragon robe was still covered in mud.

His imposing presence, though he didn't reprimand Pei Suisui, was enough to frighten her and throw her into a moment of panic.

Pei Suisui gasped, her body stiffening as if filled with mud, unable to move.

Just as she finally moved her body, a faint fragrance wafted into her nostrils, and a beautiful figure suddenly appeared in front of Pei Suisui.

"Your Majesty, please see me!"

Pei Nanyue gracefully stepped in front of Pei Suisui and, together with her sister, bowed to the Emperor.

Duan Yuan's slender eyes were fixed on Pei Nanyue, as if he were greedily inhaling the fragrance emanating from the young girl. He completely ignored Pei Suisui, whom she had pulled behind him.

He suddenly felt a surge of unspoken emotions welling up inside him.

In a daze, he coughed a few times, unable to hide the lust in his eyes, and asked in a deep voice.

"Whose daughters are you?"

"My father is Pei Zhiheng," Pei Nanyue replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

After bowing, she stood up straight and properly, her eyes fixed on the ground beneath her feet, not daring to look up.

Duan Yu, on the contrary, became interested. He had been trying to get the Pei family's daughters to enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection, but either one was too young or the other was ill and unable to enter the palace for the selection.

"Raise your head and let me see the Pei family's daughter."

Pei Nanyue looked up at the sound. Her skin was as white as snow, and her delicate face was filled with a cool and aloof air. She wore a light pink gauze dress that accentuated her graceful figure.

The way she slightly furrowed her brows was just like Prime Minister Pei. With just one glance, Duan Yuan had already forgotten the promise he had made to Consort An at Yong'an Palace.

He secretly gasped. Only now that he had the good fortune to see the Pei family's daughter's appearance did he understand why Prime Minister Pei had repeatedly found excuses to refuse to send his daughter to the palace for the imperial concubine selection.

His gaze toward Pei Nanyue gradually intensified until the eunuch beside him gently reminded him, at which point Duan Yuan snapped out of his reverie.

What are you two doing here?

He put his hands behind his back and secretly pinched his palms to try and clear his head.

"Your Majesty, my sister and I were passing by this place when we saw that the peach blossoms were in full bloom, so we stopped for a while."

She pointed to the peach trees beside her, and Pei Suisui behind her then noticed the peach grove planted next to her.

Just then, a night breeze swept by, and peach blossoms fell with the wind, landing right beside Pei Nanyue's temple.

Duan Yuan couldn't help but reach out and remove the peach petal from Pei Nanyue's hair, startling her so much that she immediately lowered her head, bowed, and thanked him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Duan Yuan looked at the petal in his hand, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"After you've finished admiring the flowers, return to the palace as soon as possible, so that Prime Minister Pei won't worry."

Knowing he shouldn't linger here, he hurriedly turned and headed towards the main hall after finishing his sentence.

After the string of palace servants behind the emperor entered the main hall, Pei Nanyue stood up and coldly glanced at Pei Suisui, the coldness in her eyes still lingering.

"Don't be so careless next time you enter the palace."

"Sister, I...I'm sorry." Pei Suisui's voice became increasingly weak, and her head drooped.

She hadn't really noticed the Emperor just now.

"It's getting chilly, let's go back."

Pei Nanyue didn't want to hear her explanation. She simply picked off the remaining peach petals from her hair and threw them into the grass beside her, then turned and walked towards the main hall.

"Sister, wait for me." Knowing she was in the wrong, Pei Suisui quickly caught up with her sister. She secretly observed her sister's expression, thinking about how to appease her so that she wouldn't go to their father to complain.

Otherwise, her father would definitely not allow her to go out to see the Third Prince next time.

It wasn't that she was angry with her sister, but rather that the emperor's gaze just now was exactly the same as the way he looked at Consort An. She clenched her hands in her sleeves, her palms covered in cold sweat.

She finally understood why her father never let her show her true face.

In recent years, her father has always refused the imperial concubine selection with various excuses. The emperor, out of consideration for Prime Minister Pei's status, has not said much. Now, if she is chosen by the emperor, she will likely face this calamity.

It was late at night, and all was quiet.

Thirteen, who had just changed back into his male form, hurriedly put on his previous robe and then hid his night clothes in a chest in the room.

Few people come to this house; apart from Pei Suisui, only the Third Prince has visited once.

She locked the box, her mind still replaying what had just happened.

She was just a hair's breadth away from being recognized. The first thing she did upon returning to the courtyard was to use the Si Nan Pei to lock her divine power and regain her male form.

Thirteen recalled that when Zhou Jinghuai left, he actually called out her real name. In her memory, Zhou Jinghuai should not recognize her true face.

While lost in thought, she sensed some strange noises outside and quickly raised her hand to conceal Si Nanpei with her divine power.

As night fell, she opened the window and saw Shen Mu, dressed in black, standing under the pear tree, gazing at her in the moonlight.

The moonlight reflected in his cold eyes, like mist rising from a mountain stream.

In a daze, Thirteen's heart skipped a beat.

She wondered if she had been exposed and Shen Mu had come to arrest her on purpose.

Shen Musheng was extremely handsome, but his perpetually serious expression often kept people at arm's length.

He didn't know why, but when he heard Xie Qiao's words, he wanted to come and confirm his thoughts. He even went back to change out of his cumbersome official robes.

"Lord Shen, why are you here at this hour? Could it be that the banquet at the palace has ended?" Thirteen walked out of the room with a calm expression, seemingly hiding the panic that had just been in his eyes.