Ling Shumo and Lu Jinshu were less than two palms' distance apart. She listened to every word of Lu Jinshu's low murmur, and her expression was deeply moved. "Stop saying these foolish things. The dead cannot be resurrected. Jiusheng is gone, and I absolutely cannot lose you again. You must stay by my side and spend the rest of your life with me."

Lu Jinshu lowered his head shyly.

Pei Jiuyan only realized belatedly that Lu Jinshu had interrupted him. Lu Jinshu was incredibly happy that Pei Jiusheng had passed away so young, yet he kept calling him "Brother Jiusheng" in front of His Majesty, as if they were incredibly close. This was truly hypocritical.

Pei Jiuyan also wanted to go forward and express his longing for Pei Jiusheng to his tablet, but he had missed the best opportunity to perform. No matter what he said now, it would be inferior to Lu Jinshu.

In the end, Pei Jiuyan could only shed a few tears in front of Pei Jiusheng's tablet. After what happened today, he hated Lu Jinshu even more.

The grand posthumous ceremony came to an end.

Shi Qi took out another roll of golden imperial silk and smiled at Pei Jiuyan, who was sitting in a daze in the corner. "Mr. Pei, please kneel down and accept the order."

Pei Jiuyan looked at the imperial edict in Shi Qi's hand, and his heart immediately hung in the air. Back when they were in Blackwater City, Shi Qi had told him that the emperor would not grant him a formal position until the ceremony for his brother Pei Jiusheng's posthumous title was completed.

Pei Jiuyan immediately knelt on the ground, his heart pounding with nervousness.

"By the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: There is a son of the Pei family, Pei Jiuyan, who is well versed in etiquette and solemnity. He is hereby granted the rank of Rongze, a third-rank official, and the title 'Shu', and is to reside in the Biluo Hall, a side hall of the Linglong Palace. I decree this."

Pei Jiuyan kowtowed in the direction of Ling Shumo, his tone unable to conceal his excitement, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

Ling Shumo raised her hand to support Pei Jiuyan, and said with a smile, "I gave you the word 'Shu' as a title, hoping that after you enter the harem, you can handle things calmly and live a comfortable life. Only when you live well, Jiusheng will feel happy watching you from heaven."

When Ling Shumo expressed these feelings, Lu Jinshu was standing right behind her. His face was not as sad as when he looked at Pei Jiusheng's tablet just now, but a cold expression.

General He's younger brother, He Huaichen, was granted the title of "Fang Hua" (Fourth Rank), while Prince Pingyang's adopted brother, Yan Yuyang, was granted the title of "Mei Ren" (Fourth Rank). But Pei Jiuyan had now directly surpassed both of them. He didn't need to do anything; simply by virtue of being Pei Jiusheng's younger brother, he could directly ascend to the Third Rank. What a stroke of luck!

As soon as Pei Jiuyan raised his head, he met Lu Jinshu's eyes that were as cold as a pond. He couldn't help but shiver slightly.

Ling Shumo asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you wearing too little? The temperature has dropped sharply in the past two days. Even though there's been a charcoal fire burning in the house, you should have put on an extra layer of clothing. Don't catch a cold."

Lu Jinshu took a pure white cloak from Jiufu. He took a few steps forward and personally put the cloak on Pei Jiuyan, smiling warmly. "This cloak is made of snow fox fur, pure white and flawless, without a trace of stray hair. This is such fine material, and I only got two cloaks. I will give this one to you. Just think of it as a small act of care for you, my new brother who has just entered the palace."

Pei Jiuyan subconsciously wanted to take off the cloak, but Lu Jinshu held his shoulders tightly, and the smile on his lips became even more intense. "Don't worry, I have carefully checked this cloak, and there will be no embroidery needles falling out inexplicably. I really care about you, please don't misunderstand me."

Ling Shumo was reminded by Lu Jinshu's words. She asked, "Have you found out who put the embroidery needle there?"

Lu Jinshu's eyes were filled with annoyance. "This is all the fault of a second-class attendant in charge of housekeeping in Chenyou Palace. One day, the attendant found that the quilt had a thread unraveling and had a hole in it. He took needle and thread to sew it, but ended up forgetting the embroidery needle in the quilt.

After I found out about this matter, I immediately gave him a beating and expelled him from Chenyou Palace. Fortunately, Xi Jieji was a man of good fortune and was not hurt by the embroidery needle, otherwise I would feel extremely guilty.

Lu Jinshu sincerely took Pei Jiuyan's hand and said, "This is all my fault for not managing the palace servants well. It almost caused a disaster. Shu Rongze, are you willing to forgive me?"

Pei Jiuyan had originally placed the embroidery needle there to take advantage of the situation, so he naturally wasn't willing to forgive Lu Jinshu. But in front of the emperor, he could only put on a smile and say, "This is all due to the carelessness of the subordinates. How can a servant blame the queen? This is all a misunderstanding."

Ling Shumo watched the two men in her harem reconcile. She was undoubtedly the happiest person at the scene. "I am relieved that Shu Rongze can think this way."

Pei Jiu was tired of seeing Ling Shumo in such a good mood, so he took the opportunity to ask for your favor, "I have been in the palace for so many days, and Your Majesty has never come to the Biluo Palace once. Now it is almost time for dinner. I have asked someone to prepare some wine and food. Would Your Majesty be so kind as to accompany me for a night?"

Today was Pei Jiusheng's posthumous ceremony. Pei Jiuyan had originally thought Ling Shumo would never refuse him, but then he heard Ling Shumo say, "He Fanghua (He Huaichen) said he rehearsed a new dance and invited me to the Yaotai Palace tonight to watch it. I can only come back to see you another day."

Pei Jiuyan was very reluctant and tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "If it were only me, Your Majesty, I wouldn't come. But Xijie misses Your Majesty terribly. She asks me every day where her mother is. Although she's less than two years old, she already knows how to recognize people and cries when she can't see Your Majesty. I don't expect Your Majesty to stay overnight in the Biluo Palace, I just hope that Your Majesty can go and see Xijie."

Ling Shumo thought of her fourth daughter, who smiled whenever she saw her. She suddenly lost interest in watching He Huaichen dance. She smiled and nodded, "I haven't seen Xijie for a long time. It's time for me to go with you to see the kid."

Pei Jiuyan couldn't help but smile, "If Xijie knew that His Majesty was coming, I wonder how happy he would be."

Ling Shumo and Pei Jiuyan walked away shoulder to shoulder.

Lu Jinshu had a gentle smile on his face as he quietly watched their receding backs.

He Huaichen is not a man who will keep quiet. Pei Jiuyan dared to intercept His Majesty so blatantly. I'm afraid there will be a good show soon.