A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Crown Prince Xie Jing is listening to a lecture in the Wenhua Hall today.

Feeling bored, he did not ride in the imperial carriage, but instead took only a personal eunuch with him. He strolled around the side gate of the Wenhua Hall and entered the Imperial Garden, pondering the subtle personnel transfers that the Ministry of Personnel had presented the day before.

I happened to pass by the Fish Viewing Pavilion.

Suddenly, a strange, clear, and urgent chirping sound was heard.

Those were the Cochin birds carefully tamed in the Imperial Garden.

Its chirping sound was like shattered jade hitting a spring; he would never mistake it.

He gestured for the eunuchs behind him to be quiet, and quietly parted the branches of the weeping crabapple tree.

But on the blue stone path not far away, a magnificent cochinchinensis was struggling to flap its wings, while a slender woman, dressed elegantly but not extravagantly, was squatting there.

The woman was elegant in demeanor and had fair, jade-like skin.

Wearing a sky-blue collared shirt, her skirt spread out on the bluestone like ripples on a still lake because she was bending over.

She was unaware of the newcomer, as she was completely focused on the creature in her palm.

Her slender, delicate hands, as white and smooth as if carved from mutton-fat jade, were brushing against the trembling wings of the Cochin bird with incredible gentleness.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, landing precisely on her lowered profile.

The bridge of his nose is as exquisitely crafted as a jade tube, with an unparalleled and beautiful curve.

Her long eyelashes, like the wings of an ink butterfly, cast a captivating shadow beneath her eyes.

A strand of hair slipped down her temple, making her exposed neck appear more delicate than the finest cheese offered as tribute, and more pristine than fresh snow under the moonlight.

I never imagined there would be such a woman in the palace. I wonder what she looks like?

Xie Jing prided himself on his romantic nature and had countless concubines in his harem.

If it were an ordinary crown prince, he would surely have been impeached by censors and civil officials, but Xie Jing was an adopted son.

His "father-son" relationship with Emperor Qianwu was quite delicate.

Since Emperor Qianwu had no heir, the crown prince naturally needed many children for good fortune.

Xie Jing's harem alone has two legitimate sons with the Crown Princess.

Therefore, no one thought there was anything wrong with the crown prince's womanizing ways.

It's better than having no descendants.

Just then, the woman seemed to have calmed the bird down, and she reached out to pick it up.

The moment she raised her head, Xie Jing almost choked on his breath.

The woman's true appearance was fully revealed, like a pearl breaking through the mist, or a peony just beginning to bloom.

Her eyebrows, though unpainted, were naturally dark, like spring mountains shrouded in mist.

The most striking feature was his eyes—their color was as clear as glass, as pure as an autumn pool.

At this moment, with focus and tenderness, it radiates a captivatingly gentle light, as if containing the purest wisdom in the world.

Yet, beneath her shifting gaze lay a depth like a still, icy pool, concealing a chilling unease that seemed incongruous with her tender demeanor.

This subtle contradiction is truly chilling.

Her lips were a natural crimson, like cherry blossoms glistening with morning dew, and when she pursed them slightly, they exuded an indescribable charm.

She was enveloped in a halo of light; her beauty was no longer merely superficial, but a spiritual charm that struck straight to the soul.

The golden and emerald birds in her arms paled in comparison to her.

Xie Jing was a womanizer by nature. His harem was filled with all sorts of beauties sent by court officials. He had become so accustomed to beauty that he had long since developed a calm and indifferent heart, separating his emotions and desires.

But at this moment, conventional measures suddenly become ineffective.

An unfamiliar vibration came from my chest, and a surge of emotion, a mixture of extreme amazement and intense possessiveness, welled up inside me.

He searched his mind almost instinctively.

Which family sent this new female official to the palace?

Or was it a carefully orchestrated move, secretly sent into the palace by a nobleman, waiting for the opportune moment?

No, Emperor Qianwu had no heir. If anyone should be sent, they should be sent to his Eastern Palace.

On second thought, this place was remote and not a place where concubines often went, but it happened to be near the Wenhua Hall.

His itinerary wasn't anything secret; perhaps someone had specially sent a beautiful woman with him.

Such a beauty, such cunning, and such a perfectly timed encounter—what else could it be but a gift?

On his face, he wore his usual gentle and refined smile, while his eyes revealed undisguised amazement and interest.

Only he himself knew that deep within his eyes, like waves suddenly rising from an abyss, a fierce interplay of cold scrutiny and burning interest was taking place.

He stepped forward slowly, his voice deliberately gentle and mellow, yet carrying an unmistakable air of pressure.

"These cochinchinensis are fierce, yet the young lady managed to tame them... truly, a remarkable person."

Upon hearing the voice, the woman subtly revealed a hint of shyness and panic.

Like a startled fawn, its eyelashes trembled slightly, and the wispy hands holding the little bird tightened their grip helplessly.

Her voice was soft, "Young master, you flatter me. This bird is pitiful. I... I saw it and couldn't bear to leave it alone."

His so-called slight hesitation sounded to Xie Jing more like a clumsy performance of "she knows my identity but pretends not to."

Zhou Mingyi did it on purpose.

Xie Jing, despite being a member of the imperial clan, had a difficult childhood.

After all, even the emperor had a few poor relatives.

Xie Jing's biological father was merely an unfavored prince.

If he didn't achieve anything by his generation, he wouldn't even be able to become a "Prince".

Xie Jing's birth mother, despite being a princess consort, was not favored by the emperor.

The old prince was incompetent, favoring his concubine over his wife. The prince's legitimate son, in his childhood, lived a life of poverty, barely clothed and starving.

It's truly unbelievable.

Therefore, he became exceptionally deep-thinking as he grew up.

In her previous life, Zhou Mingyi was in the Eastern Palace and initially thought Xie Jing was a virtuous and gentle gentleman.

But gradually, she realized that Xie Jing was not only not a virtuous gentleman, but also a cold-hearted and ruthless person.

He only cares about power.

To him, women were nothing more than playthings. Even the Crown Princess was just someone of higher status who had some use to him.

But this very person has a little-known quirk.

He especially prefers gentle, kind, and loving women.

Perhaps it was to make up for the tender maternal love she never received from the weak and incompetent princess when she was young.

Zhou Mingyi is playing just such a woman today.

He stepped forward half a step. "How could you flatter me? You are a woman of exceptional beauty and intelligence, yet you find yourself alone here with rare birds. Wouldn't that be lonely? Perhaps..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the woman seemed startled by his approaching aura and took a small step back as if to resist.

The pool of autumn water in her eyes rippled with even more captivating beauty.

It was a mixture of innocence and a hint of seduction.

This retreat only fueled Xie Jing's innate desire for conquest.

Zhou Mingyi had long since realized that men are all inherently shameless.

The more unattainable they are, the more obsessed they become.

He fell for it. He was about to reach out and embrace the woman's slender waist, to completely take control of this tempting gift.

Just then.

A clear and anxious call came from the other end of the stone path, growing louder as it approached, abruptly tearing apart the deliberately created ambiguity.

"Your Highness, Consort Zhen! Your Highness? Where are you?"

"The Empress Dowager has summoned you to the Cining Palace immediately."

"Consort Zhen—Your Majesty—"

Xie Jing felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

The deliberately cultivated gentle and refined demeanor on his face suddenly crumbled, his pupils contracted sharply, and the churning desire within them was instantly replaced by boundless horror and shock.

Consort Zhen?

Once Zhou Mingyi realized she had achieved her goal, the shyness, panic, and seductiveness she had deliberately created on her face vanished completely.

That stunningly beautiful face still held a faint smile, yet it appeared very dignified.

Xie Jing even doubted that he had seen it wrong.

Was he really mistaken?

The woman, or rather, Consort Zhen.

She calmly placed the now more settled cobra in her hand onto a stone bench beside her.

Then, facing the pale-faced Crown Prince, she slowly and solemnly performed the proper etiquette a concubine should have when facing the heir apparent.

His posture was respectful, yet it conveyed a sense of aloofness and distance.

"Your Highness," she said in a clear, gentle voice, yet with a deliberately composed politeness, "this humble servant takes her leave."

Having said that, she didn't look at the Crown Prince again, turned around, and walked away steadily in the direction the maid was calling.

That day, her emerald-green skirt brushed against the bluestone path without leaving a ripple.

Only the crown prince remained, standing frozen in place, his face shifting between pale and flushed.