After learning that Master Xie had given the jade pendant bestowed by the late emperor to Pei Zhi, the Empress began to have some plans.
Just in case, the Empress decided to find a family for Pei Zhi.
As the Empress, the head of the harem, she took the initiative to arrange a marriage for Pei Zhi, and even if Consort Lin was unwilling, she could not refuse.
Moreover, when the Empress learned that Consort Lin had invited Lady Hou to the palace, she understood Consort Lin's intentions.
With the position of Crown Prince still undecided, which concubine who has given birth to a prince isn't secretly making plans?
Since Consort Lin's family had no power or influence, they could only manipulate their children's marriages.
The Empress was straightforward; she had her nanny explain the family backgrounds of the men she had chosen to Pei Zhi, allowing Pei Zhi to make her own selection.
"The families I selected for you, though not of high social standing, are all respectable and distinguished families."
The Empress selected Pei Zhi for several promising young talents who had just been established.
It's impossible for Pei Zhi to gain any support from Pei Yuance if she marries into his family.
Pei Zhi understood the Empress's thoughts, but these families were all far from the capital.
Pei Zhi naturally couldn't agree to that, so she could only make excuses.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Mother. But it's a major life event. You and my mother can decide on the marriage. I have no objection."
The Empress noticed the fear in Pei Zhi's eyes and understood what Pei Zhi was worried about.
Feeling bored, the Empress dismissed Pei Zhi and complained to the servants around her.
"I don't know how Consort Lin raised her child. A princess, raised to be so timid and lacking in grace."
Upon hearing this, the personal maid sighed, "Speaking of which, the princess is also a pitiful person."
"I heard from the palace servants that Consort Lin left the princess, who was wearing only thin clothes, outside in the dead of winter so that she was almost freezing to death before they had her carried inside."
The Empress was astonished: "Is this really true?"
The personal nanny nodded. "As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its cubs. Over the years, the princess has suffered a lot of beatings and scoldings under Consort Lin's care."
The Empress sighed softly, "In that case, it was indeed my oversight as the Empress."
"How can you blame Your Highness for this? It's because Consort Lin doesn't care about her daughter and only has eyes for her son."
Pei Zhi returned from Changqiu Palace, pondering how to refuse the Empress's "kind" offer.
As Pei Zhi passed by the Imperial Garden, he witnessed a beautiful woman throwing herself into his arms.
Pei Zhi stopped in her tracks and watched as a meticulously dressed palace maid recklessly lunged at the Third Prince.
Next, the third prince should embrace the palace maid and stage a hero saving the beauty scene.
As a result, the third prince took two steps back, looking at the beautiful palace maid as if she were a venomous snake.
The palace maid was thrown to the ground. The servants attending to the Third Prince immediately gagged her and dragged her away.
The palace maid was crying so pitifully that the Third Prince didn't even glance at her twice.
Pei Zhi couldn't help but ponder. The Third Prince was not yet married, yet he already knew so much about upholding male virtues.
But that's not right. Look at the Third Prince's face, the way his shoulders are open, and the dark circles under his eyes.
By any measure, he looks like he's already had his fill of sex.
Your legs feel unsteady and your face looks pale. You must have been fooling around until very late last night.
The servants attending to the Third Prince handed him a handkerchief.
The third prince's hand was just tugged by a palace maid. After wiping it hard, the third prince threw the handkerchief at the face of the eunuch next to him.
It wasn't a humiliating technique; the pressure was light, with a hint of teasing.
Looking at the eunuch's handsome face, Pei Zhi seemed to understand something.
That's interesting, really interesting.
A prince who is supposed to be celibate?
Pei Zhi guessed that the Empress probably didn't know, otherwise she would have dealt with the people around the Third Prince long ago.
Pei Zhi took two steps back and watched the Third Prince leave before revealing herself.
Before she gets married, let's first take down the Third Prince, the frontrunner for the throne.
At that time, the third prince will have no hope of ascending the throne.
The Empress would certainly not sit idly by and allow Consort Gao's fourth son to ascend to the position of Crown Prince.
Consort Gao has been feeling depressed lately and doesn't like to go out.
Consort Gao was heartbroken that her daughter was being married off to a distant land for political reasons. In addition, she was also plotted against by the Empress.
I can't let this anger out; it's so stifling and uncomfortable.
Consort Gao simply feigned illness to avoid paying her respects to the Empress.
The personal maidservant was helping the imperial concubine comb her hair, her expression somewhat hesitant.
"What's wrong? Did the fourth brother get into trouble again?"
The personal maid shook her head. "I heard an amusing story yesterday. Your Highness, just take it as a joke and don't take it to heart."
The Imperial Concubine looked at the nanny, signaling her to speak directly.
"I overheard my men talking amongst themselves, saying they saw the Third Prince tugging and pulling at the eunuch beside him, looking quite intimate."
Consort Gao frowned. "What interesting thing is this?"
Consort Gao didn't see what was so funny about it.
The personal maid lowered her voice and said, "People in the Third Prince's residence say that there are only two concubines in the Third Prince's residence, and they were arranged by the Empress, but the Third Prince rarely spends the night in their rooms."
"I was wondering if the Third Prince might simply not be interested in women at all?"
Consort Gao immediately retorted, "How could that be?"
"How could a prince like him not be interested in women?"
The personal nanny continued, "Over the years, how many bedroom matters has the Imperial Concubine handled for the Fourth Prince?"
"For this reason, the Empress has tried to sow discord between His Majesty and the Emperor, but His Majesty is wise and does not take offense."
"But the Third Prince has never been caught red-handed by us because of this."
Consort Gao seemed to be deep in thought; what the nanny said did make some sense.
The personal maid reminded her, "Your Highness, don't forget, we tried every possible way to get people into the Third Prince's room, but we never succeeded."
The person you share a bed with is the most seductive.
Consort Gao used her family connections to recruit many respectable young men from various regions.
The third prince showed no interest in them, and later he found some more young women from Yangzhou, but still failed.
Upon closer reflection, something definitely doesn't seem right.
"Your Majesty, it's better to believe this is true than not to believe it is not."
Consort Gao nodded in agreement. "That's right. If this is true and things get out of hand, the Third Prince will never be the Crown Prince again."
If the Third Prince falls from power, wouldn't her fourth son be a sure thing?
"Then I'll see how the Empress will act so arrogantly in front of me!"
After the start of spring, the annual hunting season begins.
In previous years, the original owner of this body, an unknown princess, naturally had no opportunity to participate.
Pei Zhi is also on the list this year.
The female relatives accompanying the emperor included the empress, Consort Gao, and a recently favored concubine.
Three princesses went, all of whom were about the same age as Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi had a premonition that this hunt would be very lively.
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