There are too many female protagonists with deceased husbands in the Qin Dynasty's Past Books.

The hollow of her collarbone was filled with the soft moonlight, which rippled with the rise and fall of her chest.

Her already slender waist was cinched tightly in the delicate clothes, making her look like a willow branch swaying in the breeze, as if she might break at any moment.

It makes you want to reach out and help them up.

Her long skirt trailed behind her, flowing like ripples with each step, making a soft sound.

The most irresistible thing about her is her alluring pink lips.

It wasn't pursed, nor was it open; rather, it was slightly upturned, with a lazy, ambiguous smile at the corners of its lips.

She held a soft-furred white fox in one arm and a small, exquisite round fan in the other.

With a slight flick of her wrist, she gently fanned a soft breeze.

The round fan, made of pink silk, was embroidered with a rather unique pattern. Instead of the common mandarin ducks playing in the water or lotus flowers hiding carp, it featured a parrot with a crimson breast and emerald feathers. Its bright and dazzling plumage was displayed on the fan with undiminished skill through the exquisite embroidery technique.

The posture of spreading its wings as if about to fly away is even more lifelike.

Many noble ladies who wanted to befriend her flocked around Hu Meiren like blooming flowers, but at this moment they all paled in comparison.

So much so that they were no different from those insignificant palace maids and servants.

Even the night breeze, which was usually quite cool, seemed to have become a bit hotter as Hu Meiren stepped out.

Jiang Mo looked up at the elegant and aristocratic beauty, Hu Meiren, and was slightly lost in thought.

Seemingly noticing Jiang Mo's gaze, the languidly beautiful Hu also glanced in this direction. Her bewitching, fox-like eyes shimmered with unspoken words of love.

She walked slowly towards Jiang Mo, meeting his gaze.

The jewelry hanging from her ears swayed softly with her footsteps, and the pink hem of her skirt trailed a graceful line in the lamplight, like a fox tail gently swaying.

"Hmph, vixen..."

Seemingly noticing Jiang Mo's unwavering gaze, Honglian couldn't help but let out a cold snort, her lips pouting so much that an oil lamp could almost be hung on them.

Zi Nu remained expressionless and did not speak.

While everyone's attention was drawn to Hu Meiren, she subtly raised her leg and stepped on Jiang Mo's foot, grinding it hard.

"Hiss, a fox, I'm looking at that snow-white fox."

Jiang Mo winced slightly and gasped for breath. He quickly lowered his voice to explain to Zi Nu beside him, but his pale words only earned him a glare from her.

"Benefits, right? Snow-white benefits, right?"

Perhaps due to a surge of old and new grievances, Zi Nu pretended not to know what Jiang Mo meant, even though she knew what he meant, and continued to move her feet without stopping while letting out a soft snort.

However, his gaze also fell on the white fox that Hu Meiren was holding in her arms.

This white fox looks so familiar? Could it be that the noble lady that Situ Wanli mentioned is none other than Consort Hu, who is favored by the King of Han?

Wait a minute, why would she send her pet out of the palace for no reason?

Maintaining contact with the outside world while residing within the palace walls, and even wielding considerable influence, is a highly taboo matter. Even if action were to be taken, it should be focused on matters of utmost importance.

What is the significance of sending the white fox to Jiang Mo's side?

Surely this isn't some kind of love token? No, no, no, I must be overthinking it. I entrusted Xiaobai to Nongyu's care before I left, how could she possibly be here again?

It's probably just a white fox that looks similar.

Foxes, they all look pretty much the same.

A rather bold guess flashed through Zi Nu's mind, only to be immediately dismissed by her own head.

But Jiang Mo had a different thought when he looked at the white fox.

Although the white fox lying in Hu Meier's arms had a small silver bell tied around its neck with a delicate red ribbon and many other ornaments, making it clear at a glance that it was a pet kept by a noble person.

But the sense of familiarity in my heart is undeniable.

In particular, the occasional glint of cunning in the white fox's eyes when it moved felt strangely familiar to Jiang Mo.

This must be my own dog...

Pshaw, no, it must be the one I'm raising now. Was its original owner Hu Meiren?

So, they really came here specifically for me, didn't they?!

Thinking of this, Jiang Mo couldn't help but feel a tightness in his heart. His eyes subconsciously swept around. To his left was Zi Nu, who was stepping on his foot. To his right was Hong Lian, who was gritting her teeth. And opposite him was Han Yu, who was watching him like a tiger.

And now, another beauty named Hu is coming for him.

This is truly a situation of being surrounded and besieged on all sides! However, it seems that a particularly annoying guy has infiltrated this group.

However, Jiang Mo's mind was temporarily preoccupied with those minor details.

Just imagining himself surrounded made him break out in a cold sweat. It was already quite a struggle for him to coax Zi Nu, who was throwing a tantrum.

The willful and capricious Honglian was always a major headache for him.

Now, with the addition of Consort Hu, who has practical experience in palace intrigue, Jiang Mo is practically being driven to his death.

The only hope is that Hu Meiren will mature a bit.

At least consider the current situation.

But as he prayed, images flashed through Jiang Mo's mind: Hu Meier knowing the truth but not reporting it, Hu Meier deceiving him, Hu Meier stalking and spying on him...

This young lady doesn't seem to be one to stay still!

Under Jiang Mo's rather uneasy gaze, Hu Meiren slowly walked to the front of the crowd. Her lazy and charming gaze swept over everyone, but she did not linger on Jiang Mo. Instead, it landed on Honglian.

She gently veiled her smiling face with a round fan in her hand and spoke softly:

"Who has angered our Princess Honglian again? Why don't you two older brothers give in to your younger sister a little?"

“Ninth Brother has always been unconventional in his actions, and Honglian has been spoiled by us. I hope you will forgive us for this, my beauty.”

Han Yu was clearly a non-stick pan; after bowing to Hu Meiren, he immediately shifted all the blame for Honglian's bad mood and attitude. He then took full responsibility and said to Hu Meiren, "I hope I haven't disturbed your enjoyment, beauty."

"It was indeed impolite of Han Fei not to know that the beauty was here and not to go and pay his respects in time."

Although Hu Meiren was young and beautiful, her status and seniority were undeniable. Even though he didn't need to pay his respects morning and night, Han Fei still had to step forward and show the courtesy due to a junior upon their encounter. However, after apologizing, he changed the subject and looked at Han Yu:

"Since Fourth Brother is entrusted by Father and needs to protect the beauty, then I will not disturb you any longer."

Han Yu's appearance was an unexpected surprise to Han Fei.

Knowing that his fourth brother would be in this Pear Garden, he certainly wouldn't risk letting Jiang Mo and the other person infiltrate under false identities. Instead, he would have considered a safer time and place.

The problem is that Han Yu is not a carefree playboy.

Based on Han Fei's understanding of his fourth brother, the man was quite shrewd and ambitious. Over the years, he had kept a low profile and gained a reputation for virtue, and his reputation both inside and outside the court even surpassed that of the Crown Prince.

With such grand ambitions, one would naturally not waste time listening to music or watching plays.

It wasn't until he saw Consort Hu approaching that Han Fei understood why Han Yu was there. It must be because things had been unsettled in the city lately, and his father was worried about Consort Hu leaving the palace, so he had Han Yu accompany her for protection.

Seizing this excuse, Han Fei immediately took Jiang Mo and the other two away.

"Ninth Brother, you're mistaken. It's rare for a beauty to leave the palace and reunite with her sisters; they must have a lot to talk about. If I, a grown man, were to interfere, how would I be so unromantic?"

Han Yu responded to Han Fei's words with a light laugh, clearly indicating that he had no intention of giving up easily.

As she spoke, her gaze still occasionally drifted towards Jiang Mo.

His tone and demeanor were clearly malicious: "Instead of staying by your side every step of the way, it's better to proactively eliminate all dangerous factors, such as some suspicious strangers."

As he spoke, Han Yu glanced at Hong Lian again and added:

"Only in this way can we ensure everyone's safety and prevent our girls or others from being put in danger due to momentary negligence."

"Ninth Brother, what do you think?"

Chapter 74 Want to poach people? Dream on!

"Huh? Who needs your protection?"

Han Fei was struggling to find a response to Han Yu's pointed words, whether he denied them or agreed with them. As Han Fei was mentally organizing his thoughts, Hong Lian suddenly stepped forward.

She waved her clenched fists twice, and said with great pride:

"If we're talking about martial arts skills, the two of you combined probably wouldn't be a match for this princess. If there are any malicious villains with ill intentions, I might have to protect you!"

As she spoke, Honglian squinted and gestured at Han Fei.

Her demeanor didn't resemble what she claimed to be—preparing to protect the other person—but rather seemed to be pondering the best approach.

He can beat his own brother badly without leaving him with many injuries.

Honglian's sudden appearance and disruption left Han Yu and Han Fei speechless for a moment. However, Hu Meiren seemed amused by Honglian's liveliness, and her pretty face, hidden behind the fan, revealed a charming smile.

"Honglian, it's not good for a girl to always be so handsy."

With her lips slightly parted, Hu Meiren uttered a languid and alluring voice, gently waving her fan at Honglian, seemingly inviting her to come closer.

"Let the two brothers discuss these fighting and killing things."

"It's been a long time since we last met. Come here, let's find a quiet place to have some private words."

Upon hearing this, Honglian almost couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Who wanted to have any private conversations with you? You sly fox, don't act like we're really close, okay? We haven't even spoken to each other privately!

Honglian disliked Hu Meiren very much.

To be more precise, Honglian had no good impression of most of the concubines in the harem, and the more favored they were, the less she liked them.

This was especially true for Madam Mingzhu and Consort Hu.

Even though, strictly speaking, the other party should be Honglian's elder, Honglian's true opinion of the two of them was still:

A pair of wicked demons who bring ruin to the country, two vixen spirits.

If she weren't worried about going too far and being punished by the King of Han, Honglian would have definitely slapped Hu Meiren's hand away right now.

Then, he coldly mocked the previous statement.

Even without directly lashing out, Honglian twisted her waist to avoid Hu Meiren's hand, which was about to be taken, and replied with a forced smile:

"Thank you for your kind words, but I have something to discuss with Ninth Brother."

"Really? That's a real shame. I was hoping to confirm whether the calligraphy that Little White brought back was something that you, Princess, had inadvertently lost."