In the blink of an eye, the Emperor and Consort Ji entered Jingxin Pavilion together, while the rest of the entourage waited outside the pavilion.

Xiao Heye took a step forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The Emperor reached out and gently patted Xiao Heye's shoulder, saying kindly, "My dear minister, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit."

After Xiao Heye moved aside, the emperor noticed that there was another person standing behind him.

Su Tiyue lowered her head and gave a slight bow: "Your Majesty, I greet you. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."

The emperor frowned, feeling that the woman before him was unfamiliar, as if he had never seen her before. He said, "Raise your head and let me take a good look at you."

Upon hearing this, Su Tiyue slowly raised her face, but her clear and bright pupils dared not look directly at the Emperor, and she silently lowered her eyes to look at the ground.

Looking at that delicate and youthful face, the Emperor began to feel a surge of desire, but at this moment he was somewhat annoyed. He circled around Su Tiyue, carefully examining her from head to toe, before walking up to her and forcefully slapping his forehead. "You... which palace are you from again? I have absolutely no recollection of you?"

Su Tiyue hesitated for a long time before speaking, "Your Majesty, I am from Jinxiu Palace."

"The Brocade Palace?" The Emperor scratched his head, still unable to recall.

Su Tiyue didn't dare to look at him when she spoke, and she kept going on and on without getting to the point. The Emperor's expression turned somewhat unpleasant; he wasn't very patient.

Xiao Heye and Consort Ji, who were standing to the side, also noticed that the Emperor's expression was not right.

Xiao Heye said, "Does Your Majesty not remember? This is Consort Shu, Su Tiyue, daughter of Minister Su of the Ministry of Revenue. She was invited to the palace last year."

The Emperor nodded and said, "A formal betrothal? I see..." No wonder he had no recollection of it; a formal betrothal makes sense now.

To put it bluntly, the imperial betrothal ceremony involved the court selecting outstanding women of exceptional quality and temperament from among the descendants of the royal family, adhering to strict rules and regulations, and following the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, to become the emperor's concubines. However, the emperor was naturally unrestrained and preferred beautiful, voluptuous, and alluring women.

That being said, the Consort Shu before me today is not bad either. She is beautiful and intelligent, gentle and graceful, and has a touch of tenderness and gentleness like a girl from a modest family.

Seeing that Su Tiyue kept her eyes down and dared not look at him, the Emperor had no choice but to bend down slightly and turn his head to meet her gaze from below. Upon seeing this, Su Tiyue quickly turned her head away to avoid his gaze.

The Emperor, suppressing his temper, whispered to Su Tiyue, "My beauty, turn around and let me have a good look at you."

Su Tiyue knew she had no power to disobey the Emperor's orders, so she could only look to Xiao Heye for help. Her eyes were bright and seemed to be filled with tears, but she held them back and dared not let them fall easily.

Xiao Heye glanced at Su Tiyue indifferently, then helplessly shrugged, making a powerless expression.

Su Tiyue was finally disheartened. She took a deep breath, slowly turned her head, and met the Emperor's gaze with bright eyes.

With such a stunning beauty standing right in front of him, how could just looking at her ignite any desire in the emperor? He grinned wickedly and said with ill intent, "Stretch out your hand."

Su Tiyue clenched her fingers hidden under the cloak, but finally obediently stretched them out, back of her hand up, palm down.

Seeing how obedient she was, the Emperor was overjoyed and happily grabbed Su Tiyue's fingers, repeatedly kneading and rubbing them in his palm. Su Tiyue dared not move and could only watch helplessly as the Emperor's slightly rough hands caressed her.

The pressure in his hand gradually increased, and the expression on his face became increasingly lewd. With a slight tug of his arm, Su Tiyue was suddenly forced to stumble forward a large step towards the Emperor, almost losing her balance.

Su Tiyue was so frightened she almost screamed, but thankfully she managed to hold it in. Her eyes were red, and her face was deathly pale.

The Emperor released her hand, but then his lips slowly moved closer. He wanted to kiss Su Tiyue, to taste what those alluring pink lips were like.

Just as the emperor was about to come close, Su Tiyue mustered her courage and quickly turned her head, deftly dodging his mouth.

The emperor hesitated for a moment, for this was the first time he had ever seen someone so afraid of him. Just as he was about to lash out, a refreshing fragrance wafted to his nose... a very familiar floral scent, but he was too old to recognize it at the moment.

The Emperor sniffed, then sniffed her neck. He asked Su Tiyue, "You smell so good... What's that scent?"

Su Tiyue took two steps back, creating some distance between herself and him: "Your Majesty, it is jasmine."

"Oh, right, I remember now, it really is jasmine, so fresh and sweet, it's irresistible." The Emperor then scanned her from head to toe and said, "So, your clothes are embroidered with jasmine flowers... I guess I'm getting senile, I can't tell if the fragrance is coming from your clothes or from your body? Why don't you take off all your clothes and let me smell you?"

Upon hearing this, Su Tiyue felt her legs go weak, and she couldn't muster any strength. She immediately knelt on the ground, her smooth, white forehead pressed tightly against the earth, and her voice trembled as she repeated again and again, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me..."

"My beauty, what crime have you committed? Get up, and I will surely pamper and cherish you..." The Emperor said, preparing to squat down and pull up Su Tiyue, who was kneeling on the ground.

Seeing this, Xiao Heye, who had been standing by the pavilion watching, only glanced at Consort Ji and gave her a look.

Consort Ji immediately understood and quickly stepped forward to grab the Emperor's arm, saying in a coquettish voice, "Oh, Your Majesty, this Consort Shu looks like a naive young girl. Your haste must have frightened her, Your Majesty..."

Consort Ji gently nestled into the Emperor's arms, her slender fingers stroking his wrinkled face: "Your Majesty, haste makes waste. The young girl is naive, and I fear she might spoil Your Majesty's mood."

The Emperor was completely captivated by Consort Ji, his gaze fixed on her half-exposed breasts.

Compared to Su Tiyue, the Emperor found Consort Ji, with her alluring and seductive charm, more appealing.

Consort Ji smiled charmingly, deliberately covering her snow-white chest with her hand: "Oh dear, Your Majesty, please don't look... really."

The Emperor was completely captivated: "When did my beloved concubine become so shy? If you disobey me, just wait until we get back and see how I punish you."

Consort Ji lightly patted the Emperor's chest and said, "You're so annoying, but... I'm actually looking forward to Your Majesty's punishment."

In no time, the Emperor was amused by her words and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off for Jingren Palace immediately."

Before leaving, the Emperor gave a meaningful look to Su Tiyue, who was kneeling on the ground.

Xiao Heye kept his eyes down, his expression unchanged.

But beneath the loose sleeves of his dark brocade robe, his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly. Watching the departing figure, he murmured, "Your Majesty, take care."

Su Tiyue was deliberately tricked into coming here by Xiao Heye, and now everything is unfolding according to his plan.

The emperor did indeed treat Su Tiyue with a slightly different attitude.

However, Xiao Heye was not happy at all.