Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Even though I was asking for her opinion, she had no choice but to agree.

Mingyi had no choice but to pretend to be delighted and agree.

Zong Xian smiled with satisfaction, put his arm around her, and gently told her about the arrangements for the future.

Lady Liu had already replied, agreeing to recognize Yi as her sworn sister. She only needed to return to her residence the day after tomorrow to make the arrangements.

The auspicious day for taking a concubine was chosen on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, a day selected by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau as an excellent time for marriage.

It just so happens that the twelfth lunar month is also the birthday of the matriarch of the Zong family. The mansion is preparing two happy events in a row. The double happiness can not only silence the gossip inside and outside the mansion, but also be the most appropriate thing to do in terms of appearance.

There are only two weeks left.

He arranged everything meticulously and thoroughly.

Yet he pretended to ask for her opinion; how hypocritical!

Mingyi listened quietly, but her head was buzzing and she couldn't hear a thing.

Seeing her dazed expression, Zong Xian assumed that she had been so overjoyed by the sudden good news that she had lost her composure.

He lowered his head and whispered a promise in her ear: "After you give birth to my eldest son, I can rightfully make you my second wife."

Mingyi suddenly snapped back to reality.

He wants her to have his child?

Dream on!

Suddenly, she sensed the sinister scheming in his words and looked up at him in disbelief. "My lord... are you not planning to let the princess get pregnant?"

She was such a clever and perceptive girl; he loved how she understood him so well.

Zong Xian gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and frankly admitted, "Yes, she has the General's Mansion behind her, which truly controls 300,000 troops, and her power is deeply entrenched."

"If she gives birth to a legitimate son in the future, with the General's Mansion backing her up, she will definitely get in my way. I naturally cannot leave any potential problems behind."

A wife who has no children can only rely on her husband for everything, and even the general's mansion will feel indebted to him, thus giving him all its support in the court.

What a brilliant scheme! It truly is a brilliant scheme.

She couldn't help but wonder if, in the future, the General's Mansion's power would decline, or if it would develop any disloyalty and oppose him, would Zong Xian not hesitate to eliminate that nominal wife?

Mingyi already had the answer in his heart.

At this moment, she realized even more how deep and terrifying the thoughts of the people in front of her were, and she became even more determined to escape the wolf's den.

Isn't he afraid of retribution for acting so insidiously and ruthlessly?

Zong Xian still wore a warm smile, making it impossible to tell if he was being genuine or not. "Jiaojiao now knows my scheme, so she's in the same boat as me."

Mingyi couldn't help but ask, "If one day I were to get in your way, would you treat me the same way?"

He gave the same answer.

"Jiaojiao is different from others."

...

After leading Chu Lianyue to a side room, Aqing closed the door and left.

Inside the room was only a cold wooden couch, completely empty, without any bedding or blankets.

It was freezing cold outside, and a draft blew in, making one's skin feel tight.

She had deliberately dressed very lightly, hoping to please Zong Xian, but now it had become torture.

As the red candles wept, time slowly passed, and Chu Lianyue's burning joy gradually cooled. She had the idea of ​​going out to find a maid to burn charcoal.

But then she hesitated, afraid that Zong Xian would return and not find her, thus missing this rare opportunity.

Despite much hesitation, I gritted my teeth and endured it, waiting through the night.

Fortunately, she had practiced martial arts since childhood, so her body could withstand the chill and she wouldn't get sick from it.

Little did she know that Zong Xian had no intention of coming to see her at all.

Ah Qing finally appeared at dawn.

Seeing that she was still there, A-Qing feigned surprise and covered her mouth: "You stayed here all night, young lady?"

Having waited all night, Chu Lian Yue was far from pleasant; her face was ashen as she said, "Yes! I waited for you all night, sir!"

Ah Qing remained expressionless and explained, "Second Master has many official duties. After returning, he stayed in his study all night to handle important matters."

Even though she harbored resentment, Chu Lian Yue dared not show it, and replied sullenly, "I know that you are busy with important matters and have no time to care about me, it's alright."

However, upon learning that Zong Xian hadn't intentionally ignored her, Chu Lianyue felt less distressed.

Aqing then asked with concern, "It's freezing cold. You've waited all night; your health might not be able to withstand it. Should we ask a doctor to examine you?"

"No need." Chu Lianyue waved her hand dismissively and walked away.

The concern on Aqing's face vanished instantly.

He turned and went to the study in the waterside pavilion.

After returning from Shuangxu Garden last night, Zong Xian did indeed stay in his study dealing with the backlog of official business.

Aqing respectfully replied, "Miss Chu was chilled all night, but apart from being a little pale, she is fine and has not caught a cold."

An ordinary, delicate woman would inevitably catch a cold and fall ill if she stayed up all night in the cold winter.

Chu Lianyue showed no unusual behavior, which was clearly wrong.

However, a simple test revealed Chu Lianyue's secret that she was a martial artist.

Last night, when he accidentally touched the woman's arm, he noticed that her muscles were firm and her breathing was steady. He became suspicious at that moment, which led to what happened last night.

...

Upon seeing Chu Lianyue return, Su Qingyao asked, "Sister Chu is back. Did you have any success last night?"

Chu Lian Yue feigned composure and replied calmly, "Of course, the master kept me here for the night."

Su Qingyao showed no trace of jealousy in her eyes, and smiled faintly: "That's good, congratulations, Sister Chu."

She paused briefly, took half a step forward, and said in a very low voice, "This way, we can give the Prime Minister a satisfactory explanation."

She then asked, "Is this Sister Chu's first time?"

Chu Lian Yue was stunned for a moment before realizing what she was referring to, her cheeks instantly turning bright red. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

Su Qingyao smiled and said, "I was just asking out of curiosity. Lord Zong has never touched me. Now that Sister Chu has gained favor, I suppose the Lord is satisfied with her. Could you teach me some methods?"

"I thought you and him had already..."

Chu Lian Yue abruptly stopped mid-sentence, unwilling to dwell on the topic, and pushed her out, saying, "I'm really tired, we can talk about it later!"

The door slammed shut.

Unable to glean anything from the test, Su Qingyao instantly stopped smiling, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Did Chu Lian Yue really succeed? But she doesn't look like she's a virgin.

Later that evening, someone from Songheyuan came to deliver tonics.

It was Aqing, the head maid of Songhe Garden, who came.

"Miss Chu, this was specially ordered by the Second Master to be stewed by the kitchen to nourish your body. Please drink it while it's hot."

In addition to the warm and nourishing chicken soup, several exquisite pieces of jewelry and fine perfumes were also sent as gifts. Few women could resist such a reward.

Chu Lianyue was indeed flattered.

Under Aqing's concerned gaze, she finished a bowl of chicken soup that had been secretly laced with cold food powder.

Cold Food Powder is extremely yin and poisonous. Long-term use can silently deplete one's internal energy and render one's martial arts useless.

A-Qing instructed the maid to put away the empty bowls, and smiled slightly, "Please rest well, Miss. I'll take my leave now."

Su Qingyao quietly took in the whole scene, wondering to herself if Chu Lianyue had really won that person's favor.

Chu Lianyue was overjoyed, feeling that her waiting last night had not been in vain.

In high spirits, she picked out two pieces from the pile of jewelry and generously pushed them in front of Su Qingyao.

"Sister Su, take it. It's good for either of us to be favored. In the end, we are both serving our godfather."

Su Qingyao's gaze fell on the jewelry box, but she did not immediately reach out to take it. She said softly, "Of course. But I hope that Sister Chu will not be too pleased with this favor and will remember the purpose of our visit."

These words seemed like a well-intentioned reminder, but Chu Lian Yue paused slightly, forcing a smile: "Of course I know, do you need to remind me?"

However, Chu Lianyue's smugness didn't last long, because soon news spread throughout the manor that Zong Xian wanted to take a concubine first.

But the person Zong Xian wanted to take as a concubine was not her, but the one in Shuangxu Garden.

Chu Lianyue crumpled her handkerchief to pieces; her jealousy was almost burning away her reason.

Yes, she was jealous of Ji Mingyi, jealous that she could easily gain Zong Xian's unique favoritism.

He was so jealous he wanted to kill her right then and there!

Completely losing control of her emotions, she abruptly raised her hand and swept the dressing table away.

The jewelry box fell to the ground with a thud, scattering the exquisite hairpins inside. These were all gifts Zong Xian had given her over the past few days, and she had treasured them dearly.

Looking at her twisted and angry face, Su Qingyao couldn't help but show concern and gently advised, "Sister Chu, you are currently favored by the emperor, why bother arguing with her? You must not act rashly and ruin everything."

Chu Lianyue wouldn't listen to a word she said.