When Ning Wanwan woke up, her entire body was so sore she could barely get up.
When she saw her naked body under the brocade quilt, covered in love bites, she was so shocked she nearly fell off the bed.
Wasn’t last night just an erotic dream?
The strong, muscular arm draped across her waist moved, and Pei Jinxu looked at Ning Wanwan, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
It’s over, it’s over. How did I end up sleeping with him?
“It’s not the first time. Why such a big reaction?” Pei Jinxu’s deep, magnetic voice sounded from behind her.
Ning Wanwan was stunned for a moment, but the man behind her pulled her directly into his arms.
In his scorching embrace, Ning Wanwan’s mind went blank. She blushed, not daring to look Pei Jinxu in the eye.
To be honest, she had been drunk last night and didn’t know what it actually felt like. Was it really like the erotic novels she had read?
Pei Jinxu stared playfully at the beauty beneath him. Her skin, fairer than snow, was covered in the marks he had left last night, like plum blossoms blooming in a snowy field—delicate, vibrant, and utterly tempting.
“Again?” Pei Jinxu asked.
Ning Wanwan didn’t speak. As Pei Jinxu’s kiss fell upon her, domineering and possessive, she feigned resistance before ultimately collapsing limply in his arms.
In her after-action review, Ning Wanwan gave it five stars. Not only was Pei Jinxu handsome, but he was also skilled in bed. Now that she had finally gotten a taste, she could sum it up in one word: bliss!
Just as she returned to her palace, she heard that Consort Li, who had only recently become pregnant, had suffered a miscarriage.
It was Pei Jinxu’s child, after all, so upon hearing the news, he rushed over in a fury.
“What happened?” Pei Jinxu’s expression was grim.
“Your Majesty, it was Consort Qing. She…” The maid kneeling on the floor stammered, not daring to speak.
Pei Jinxu turned to look at Consort Qing, whose beautiful face instantly turned deathly pale with fear.
“Your Majesty, I was framed!” Consort Qing knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Pei Jinxu glanced at the unconscious Consort Li behind the bed curtains and said to the maid, “Speak.”
At that moment, Pei Jinxu and Ning Wanwan were seated in the main chairs, with a dark mass of people kneeling below them. It was like a judgment scene.
“Your Majesty, this morning, the Consort and Consort Qing met in the Imperial Garden. Consort Qing and our Consort both took a liking to the same flower, which led to an argument. Consort Qing… she… she pushed the Consort.” After speaking, the maid quickly kowtowed, her body trembling slightly with fear.
“Over a flower?” Pei Jinxu’s face was filled with disbelief. His dark eyes seemed to hold a towering rage as he glared at Consort Qing with extreme coldness.
Consort Qing knew she had caused a great disaster. Everyone present was a witness, leaving her no room to argue. Terrified tears slid down her cheeks.
“Your Majesty, it was an accident. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.” Consort Qing wept a storm of tears, but Pei Jinxu was completely unmoved. He immediately ordered her demoted to the rank of Cairen, fined a year’s salary, and confined for a year. Even the Zhong family was somewhat implicated.
This punishment was already considered severe. If not for the great contributions the Zhong family had made to Pei Jinxu’s cause, Zhong Qing would never have even reached the rank of the Four Consorts.
Ning Wanwan watched all this with lingering fear. Inside, Consort Li was still moaning in pain, and several midwives took turns carrying out basin after basin of bloody water.
What a pity. Now, Chan Meiren was the only one in the palace who was pregnant. She would probably become as arrogant as she was before.
Back at Ruyi Palace, Lüqiu excitedly helped Ning Wanwan change her clothes, saying, “Your Ladyship, you have no idea what happened in the palace these past few days while you were away.”
“What happened?” Ning Wanwan had also been getting a little carried away. Consort Qing’s punishment had served as a sobering wake-up call. This was the imperial palace, after all—a place rumored to devour people. Zhong Qing was the daughter of a high-ranking minister, yet she was demoted and punished just like that, though she did deserve it.
“Didn’t Consort Li have a miscarriage? This servant heard that Chan Meiren and Consort Li have been very close. They say Consort Li specifically set this trap for Consort Qing,” Lüqiu said.
“How would you know these things?” Ning Wanwan found it amusing. Lüqiu was her dowry maid and the head palace maid of her residence. How could she be so well-informed about matters in other palaces?
“Your Ladyship, this servant was sent by your mother to serve you, but my skills go beyond just that.” Lüqiu said mysteriously.
Ning Wanwan’s curiosity was piqued. “Wow, what else can you do?” she asked.
“This servant knows martial arts, to protect you, my lady. Didn’t you know, my lady? Your four dowry maids are each proficient in martial arts, medicine, poison, and witchcraft,” Lüqiu whispered in Ning Wanwan’s ear.
“And Lüqiu overheard Chan Meiren and Consort Li’s plan.”