Senior brother is so awesome!

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The two were close, and Liu Tingpei felt the woman in his arms looking sad, so he held her even tighter and whispered in her ear, "Don't be sad, I'm still here for you."

Qin Yuechan was surprised that he would say such comforting words to her, and nodded gently, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

The interaction between the two was a thorn in the side to others. The concubine sitting at the head of the lower seat was Feng Yunshuang, who had been the empress and was now Consort Yun. The woman who had always been under her feet was now a head above her and was being favored by her husband. There was probably nothing more infuriating than this.

Feng Yunshuang glared hatefully at the alluring woman in the high position, disregarding the envoys from the Xuanyuan Kingdom present and abandoning all pretense of dignity, she forcefully uttered the insulting words: "Demon Consort!"

Upon hearing this, all eyes turned to Feng Yunshuang, and some of the concubines were even gloating, waiting to see how this once arrogant and domineering empress would be dealt with.

Liu Tingpei's gaze sharpened, but he didn't intend to escalate the matter. After all, the current situation was different. He waved his hand, signaling the musicians to continue. Soon, the beautiful and ancient sounds of silk and bamboo instruments resounded throughout the Qionghua Palace, and the atmosphere became lively again.

Qin Yuechan felt Qin Muhan, who was sitting next to Zhong Zhichen, glancing at her from time to time. It wasn't that she didn't want to respond to him, but that she was too close to Zhong Zhichen and was afraid that if she looked closely, her heart would ache.

As soon as the dancers from Xuanyuan Kingdom left, a melodious, exotic sound rang out, like the chirping of insects in a flower garden at night, under the tranquil moonlight. It wasn't just a sound; someone was actually imitating the chirping of crickets with their ventriloquism.

Then, through a wisp of smoke, four veiled beauties filed in from outside the door. At first glance, they looked like flower fairies, because their wrists and bodies were covered by flower petals, while the rest of their bodies were completely exposed. Their slender waists and lotus-root arms startled the ministers of Xuanwu Kingdom present, who stared at them. However, knowing that they would eventually become the emperor's women, they dared not be too presumptuous, but their hearts were quite fluttered.

The four beauties all covered their faces with thin veils, their alluring eyes occasionally glancing at Liu Tingpei, captivating him completely. Barefoot, they danced on the red carpet to the music.

At this moment, an envoy from the Xuanyuan Kingdom standing next to Zhong Zhichen saw that everyone was captivated by the four enchanting beauties and said proudly, "These are beauties carefully selected by our country, absolutely outstanding. We present them to Your Majesty, please accept them."

Liu Tingpei didn't reply, but instead turned his gaze to Qin Yuechan, who was sipping wine alone beside him. "My beloved concubine, do you think I should accept this generous gift from the Xuanyuan Kingdom?"

Lifting her eyes from the exquisite luminous cup, she glanced at the four women as if by chance, and nodded. "Since they were sent from afar, why doesn't Your Majesty accept them? Besides, I find these four beauties quite pleasing to the eye. They can dance and have some fun from now on."

Liu Tingpei affectionately stretched out his long arms and pulled her into his embrace, saying, "You little jealous pot."

She protested, "I'm not jealous at all." As she spoke, she continued to play with the luminous cup, as if it were more interesting than the four graceful beauties. After all, she wasn't jealous.

Despite saying that, he could not treat the "gift" sent by the most powerful Xuanyuan Kingdom as a plaything, so he issued an edict to bestow the titles of "Noble Lady" upon the four beauties, using the names of orchid, wisdom, osmanthus, and fragrance.

Although Qin Yuechan did not react, someone could not hold back. Just as the emperor and his ministers were enjoying themselves, a restrained female voice was heard: "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Liu Tingpei, who was drinking his wine with Zhong Zhichen, suddenly lost the smile in his tiger-like eyes, and looked at Yun Fei with a cold gaze that seemed to be filled with ice shards, "You should think twice before you speak."

Feng Yunshuang finally saw him turn his gaze to her. Ever since that vixen entered the palace, he had not visited Kunning Palace for a single day, let alone after the Feng family fell from power. She thought that the emperor had not executed her according to the law of exterminating nine generations of her family, but had only demoted her to a concubine. He must have been lenient towards her, after all, the two were the original couple, which was not comparable to ordinary people.

So, her gaze, fixed on him, gradually welled up with tears. She lifted her skirt and walked very delicately to the wine table, where she knelt down.

Qin Yuechan sat up from Liu Tingpei's embrace, resting her exquisitely beautiful face on the table with both hands. Looking at the woman kneeling below, a smile appeared on her lips. Perhaps she had drunk too much, her mind was a little muddled, but she was still somewhat alert. It must be said that Feng Yunshuang was also a beauty. At this moment, she looked pitiful and without any of her fierceness. Her big eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't let them fall, which was particularly moving. Qin Yuechan was almost smitten. Hehe.

Feng Yunshuang, oblivious to the mockery in her eyes, looked pleadingly at the Emperor above with tears in her eyes, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, you cannot be so rash. For a hundred years, the palace rules have clearly stated that women entering the palace must start as concubines. The four sisters are a gift from the Xuanyuan Kingdom; you could have simply made them Changzai. To directly bestow the title of Guiren would be against the rules." She paused, her gaze shifting to the alluring woman watching the spectacle from the side, her fists clenched tightly beneath her sleeves. "Besides, Your Majesty has already made a mistake once; are you going to make the same mistake again?"

By the end, her voice was hoarse, as if she had retired from public life but remained the same as the mistress of the six palaces, upholding the rules of her ancestors to govern the harem with integrity and uprightness.

It was clearly aimed at Consort Chen. This move was nothing more than a smear campaign against her in front of foreign envoys. All eyes were instantly drawn to her face, waiting to see how the most favored Consort Chen would handle the situation. Among them were many who were eager to see what would happen.

Qin Yuechan propped her head up and still smiled as she looked at the woman kneeling below the stage. Her beautiful face showed no anger; on the contrary, she looked charming and innocent, making one want to rush forward, hug her, and cherish her.

Her lack of reaction didn't mean Liu Tingpei wasn't reacting. He clenched his fists on his knees, his fierce eyes practically piercing holes in Feng Yunshuang's face. This incredibly stupid woman wasn't talking about rules at all; she was clearly putting him in a position of injustice! Portraying him as a tyrannical ruler who would forget righteousness for the sake of beauty!

Normally, he would have had her beaten to death! But with outsiders present, he couldn't afford to be a laughingstock!

Before he could speak, the ethereal voice of the person beside him, like a nightingale's song, rang out: "Empress, oh no, Consort Yun, hehe." She stood up, feeling a little weak, and shook her head vigorously, her forehead slightly flushed. She regained some clarity, shook off Qing'er's hand that was about to help her, and staggered down the steps.

She laughed self-deprecatingly. Was she now like a drunken concubine? Perhaps she lacked the captivating allure of a leading lady on stage, only appearing foolish...

Feng Yunshuang, after all, was a former empress, and had received strict upbringing. Seeing her drunken, seductive manner, a flicker of jealousy flashed in her eyes. She had tried to seduce the emperor like the Imperial Concubine, even copying her makeup, clothing, and posture! But upon seeing him, she was met with the cold, unforgiving rebuke of "trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog," a ruthless disgust that refused to even look at her! Adding to this, her subsequent confinement and the downfall of the Feng family—though she hadn't directly intervened—were undoubtedly connected to this woman!

She hated, she absolutely hated the woman who was circling around her!

"You wretch, what are you looking at?" She glared angrily at Liu Mei, all traces of her feigned weakness gone, as arrogant and domineering as when they first met.

Qin Yuechan looked at her, her beautiful face still smiling, and said softly, "Was Consort Yun just talking to the Emperor about etiquette?"

"What's it to you! The Emperor and I are my first wife, and it's none of your business to interfere!"

Upon hearing this, she clapped her hands with a coquettish laugh, like a child, "Good, very good." However, as she laughed, her gaze turned pitifully to Liu Tingpei at the head of the table.

She stood there, seemingly boneless, radiating sorrow. Her small face showed desolation, like a child who had lost her home and been bullied. Her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears, and her red lips were slightly pursed, refusing to let the tears fall. It seemed that her feigned strength could no longer hold up...

How many times had she dreamt of him? Yet now, so close, why was he ignoring her? Pretending not to know her! Had he been playing games with her all those days at Sanqing Mountain? A sentence she'd seen in her past life suddenly came to mind: "A woman can never forget her first man..."

Sure enough, she was the one who put it into practice, finally experiencing that heart-wrenching pain. It was as if a knife had been ripped open in her heart, leaving it bleeding profusely...

"Your Majesty..." A soft voice rang out, and Liu Tingpei hurriedly responded. Looking at the woman standing in the center of the hall, he wished he could rush forward and pull her back into his arms, never letting anyone hurt her again! But with the envoy and all the officials present, he absolutely could not do that! For the first time, he hated that he was the emperor! He couldn't even comfort his most beloved woman, who was in such a pitiful state!

She cleared her throat, finally suppressing the tears welling up in her eyes, and raised her stunningly beautiful face, declaring firmly, "Your Majesty, I want to be Empress!"

The delicate voice resounded throughout the Qionghua Palace, shattering the eardrums of everyone present. They stared in disbelief at the graceful woman, unable to believe that she would utter such rebellious words. But at that moment, an even more astonishing answer left them feeling as if they were in a dream!

"Fine! I agree." A booming voice rang out, causing an uproar. Qin Muhan, sitting next to Zhong Zhichen, clenched his fists, veins bulging on his neck, his gaze fixed intently on her. What exactly was this little woman up to? Her pitiful appearance just now had already torn his heart to pieces; what tricks was she planning now?

Qin Yuechan's lips curled into an incredibly captivating smile, as if one were witnessing a breathtaking display of beauty as a thousand flowers bloomed in unison!

She looked at the woman kneeling beside her, her voice still as beautiful as ever, "Now that I am the Empress, the rules are made by people. Let the four newly promoted sisters be consorts. Lan Hui, Gui Fu, and the other two consorts sound nice. As for Consort Yun?" Her beautiful eyes lingered on her for a moment, then a cruel smile appeared on her face. "Guards, drag Consort Yun out and turn her into a human pig."

In this timeline, there was no Qin Shi Huang or Emperor Wu of Han, so there was no example like Lady Qi. Therefore, everyone was puzzled. However, Feng Yunshuang's face turned as white as snow. Although she did not understand either, under her gaze, she felt a chilling discomfort all over her body and wished she could just smash her head against a wall and die!

The guards quickly subdued her, but the lead guard, somewhat puzzled, had to suppress the shivering urge to bow and ask, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, but this servant does not know what kind of punishment you are referring to as 'human pig'."

Her beautiful face turned, her smile as alluring as a poppy. "A human pig is someone whose arms and legs have been cut off, whose eyes have been gouged out, whose tongue has been cut off, and who has been soaked in a large vat filled with strong liquor..." Above the guard's terrified head, her low voice came, "Do you understand?"

That guard, who had risen to the position of head guard, must have seen a lot of the world and even personally interrogated prisoners. But today, he realized what truly excruciating torture was, far beyond what they called the tiger bench and chili water. Not daring to offend the Empress, he quickly responded loudly and ordered his men to drag Feng Yunshuang away.

Everyone has a fear of death. When she heard that vile woman mention "human pig," her face turned deathly pale, like the first light of dawn. She screamed in terror, "Qin Yue'er, you vile woman! You devil! You will die a horrible death... Ugh!" The guards quickly covered her mouth and dragged her out of the Qionghua Palace.

Watching the departing figure, Qin Yuechan's smile widened. However, the aftereffects of the wine were kicking in, and she was so dizzy that everything looked disjointed. Qing'er, with her long face, quickly stepped forward to support her. "Your Majesty is drunk. Would you like to return to the palace to rest?"

She squinted, clutching her forehead as if it were about to explode with pain, and frowned, saying, "Let's go back, my head hurts."

Having bid farewell to the Emperor, she rode in the same sedan chair she had come in, the night breeze cool and refreshing, making her feel much better. Thinking back to everything in the Qionghua Palace, it all felt like a dream. She didn't know why she had to become Empress, why she had to torment Feng Yunshuang so much. She just wanted to put on a show for Zhong Zhichen. Heh, look! She's free from him now, living so well, so freely, doing whatever she wants! She was no longer that foolish woman manipulated by six men; she was now Empress! The Mother of the Nation! The woman with the greatest power in the country!

After a relaxing bath of flower petals, she put on her light, water-smoke-like nightgown and fell asleep completely naked. The Fengchen Palace was locked early; even if the Emperor came, he would only say she was drunk and asleep. Since Zhong Zhichen had offered four beauties to share her favor, she would accept. Besides, today she didn't want to endure Liu Tingpei's advances, because her heart was too troubled, and she feared she couldn't feign a smile…

She had been drinking and was in a daze when she was suddenly awakened by thirst in the middle of the night. Struggling to get up with her slightly sore body, she was shocked to find someone standing beside her bed! His tall stature made it clear that he was a man!

Just as he was about to make a move, he caught a faint whiff of ambergris. It was such a familiar scent, a scent he missed every night, a scent he even used on Liu Tingpei…

In an instant, her face turned cold, and she lay back down, pulling the covers over her head, unwilling to see him.

After a long while, she heard a silent sigh, and then felt the blanket being pulled back. He lay down in her arms, his large hand familiarly encircling her slender waist, and then pulled her into his embrace.

Helpless, she covered herself tightly with the blanket so he wouldn't see her face. Zhong Zhichen helplessly hugged the blanket, pulled her into his arms, and stroked her head with his chin, showing her great affection.

He abruptly yanked the blanket off, and just as she was about to unleash a torrent of curses, he seized the opportunity and fiercely captured her lips with his! He forcefully cupped the back of her head, thrusting his lips deep into her mouth, engulfing her in a blissful embrace that seemed endless, a love that would last a lifetime, a desire to be forever immersed in her tender embrace…

All the longing that had accumulated over ten months vanished the moment she touched those thin lips, along with her stiff body and resentment. From her initial fierce resistance, she eventually crawled on top of him like a little leopard, biting his lips hard until she tasted the metallic flavor in her mouth, before reluctantly letting go.

Looking at his face, which could only be made out of outline in the darkness, her heart ached terribly. She buried her face in his shoulder and refused to look up, weeping silently. Tears that could be wailed would never cause such heartache; only when tears were condensed into silent sobs did the twisting pain become all the more pronounced.

Zhong Zhichen patted her back silently, finally able to close his eyes in peace, feeling the warm and soft body he had missed for so long, smelling the familiar fragrance on her body, and smiled contentedly, "Girl, your crying broke my heart."

Qin Yuechan cried for a long time, and upon hearing his sigh, she cried even harder. Isn't there a saying that you only cry more unrestrainedly when someone cares about your pain? It reminded her of elementary school; she didn't cry often, but whenever she did, many children would gather around her. This feeling of being cared for made her wail even louder; you could say she enjoyed the warmth of her friends…

She was really dumbfounded. How could she even bring up those old, trivial matters? It's all the fault of that big bad guy in her arms, that bastard! In short, he's a damn jerk!

Finally, after she calmed down, she pushed the man who was holding her away and pretended to open the door and call for help. As expected, he hugged her tightly from behind, biting her sensitive earlobe as punishment, and said in a hoarse voice, "You heartless little girl, you want to murder your husband after only a few months apart?"

Husband? Suddenly, she remembered someone, the man who always wore a mask. He was the only one who had bowed to heaven and earth with her, the only man she could call her husband. But he had already abandoned her, so neither of them could be called her husband!

Her thoughts froze the moment she saw the letter of divorce. She slowly closed her eyes, tears welling up and forming streams… How long had it been? Hadn't she sworn to forget? Why had she foolishly brought it all up again? Sigh, for some reason, the feeling of Zhong Zhichen holding her from behind always felt so unreal, like being in a valley, his arms around her as they soaked in a hot spring…

Sigh, did I drink too much today and start hallucinating?

"I forgot something, I'm sorry."

"What is it?" Zhong Zhichen frowned, unsure of what she wanted to say.

"Congratulations on your marriage, Senior Brother." Completely unrelated, she suddenly remembered the news she'd overheard behind the rock that day—he should be marrying the Left Prime Minister's eldest daughter by now, right?

He grabbed her amused and exasperated breasts, "What nonsense are you thinking, little girl? You've already run away, who will your senior brother marry?"

Now it was her turn to be shocked...

She turned her head abruptly, "Don't lie to me! Didn't you marry the Left Prime Minister's eldest daughter today, in the first month of the lunar calendar?"