Seeing this, Consort Liu comforted her, saying, "Sister Shufei, you must take care of your health. We sisters are all counting on you."

Consort Li echoed, "Yes, yes."

Consort Shu nodded: "Thank you for your concern, sister. I will take good care of myself, not only for myself, but also for the Emperor and all my sisters."

Consort Shu smiled and patted their hands.

She withdrew her hand and saw Azi walking towards the pavilion. Her beautiful figure was so slender even in the vast white snow. Although the cloak concealed her graceful curves, the woman in front of her had an extremely refined temperament. It would not be an exaggeration to describe her as stunningly beautiful.

That small face was incredibly beautiful. I only caught a glimpse of her in the Qian Yuan Palace that day, but today I truly witnessed her beauty. No wonder the Emperor likes her so much.

Consort Shu narrowed her eyes slightly and gave a look to the people beside her: "Let's get up and greet them."

Consort Li and Lady Liu turned to look at Consort Shu, and were stunned by the beauty of the woman in front of them. For a moment, they forgot to react and stood there in a daze, their eyes following her every step.

Everyone in the Imperial Garden stopped to watch when they saw A Zi's concubines and palace maids, their eyes filled with amazement and hidden jealousy.

As the woman slowly approached, Consort Shu rose to greet her, and Consort Li and Consort Liu, having regained their senses, followed suit.

Consort Shu stepped forward warmly and grasped Azi's hands. Azi's hand warmer almost fell to the ground, but fortunately Qinghe caught it for her.

Azi struggled awkwardly, pulling her hands back and instinctively taking a step back: "Are you Consort Shu?"

There was no joy in A Zi's eyes. She couldn't feel any happiness in front of Di Jingcheng's woman; in fact, she felt extreme disgust. She didn't know if her feelings were right.

When Consort Shu saw that she had withdrawn her hand, the refusal was all too obvious. Her body stiffened slightly, and she cursed viciously in her heart, hoping that this woman would die a horrible death for daring to make her lose face like this.

After thinking for a moment, she gently answered Azi's question: "Sister, I am the Emperor's Consort Shu, this is Noble Lady Li, and this is Lady Liu. From now on, we are all sisters. You won't look down on us, will you?"

Consort Li and Lady Liu nodded slightly, their eyes filled with amusement as they awaited her answer.

The other concubines in the Imperial Garden also gathered over, and soon there were more than ten people there, all looking at Azi with inquisitive eyes.

Azi felt a chill run down her spine from their stares, but she steadied herself and said, "I am the Empress, personally appointed by the Emperor. Shouldn't you all bow to me?"

Azi, unlike her usual gentle and delicate self, was now full of dignity. In the past half month, she had learned a lot about the palace system. Since Emperor Jingcheng had made her empress, she naturally could not let others bully her.

Upon hearing this, everyone except Consort Shu knelt down and bowed, saying, "These concubines greet Your Majesty the Empress." Some were timid, some were unwilling, some were indifferent, and some were simply curious...

Consort Shu covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed lightly twice. Consort Li and Lady Li, who were standing beside her, immediately got up and supported her on either side, asking with concern, "Is Consort Shu alright?"

Consort Shu coughed weakly a few times. Her maid Caiyue tightened her cloak, and Azi noticed that it was bright red. But in the Central Plains, wasn't it only wives who could wear bright red?

Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Consort Shu weakly raised her eyes and saw the dazzling phoenix hairpin in her hair. She felt as if she were being torn apart. She quietly clutched her handkerchief, forcibly suppressing the anger and jealousy in her heart:

"Your younger sister is the Empress, and I am not feeling well today. I'm sure you wouldn't force me to do anything against my will."

"Yes, Consort Shu's health has never been very good, probably because she caught a chill," Consort Liu said weakly.

Qinghe looked at Azi with concern. Why hadn't that damned Zheng San arrived yet? The Empress had been bullied.

"Your Highness Consort Shu and all the ladies should understand that the Empress is the Emperor's principal wife and the head of the harem. Now, Your Highness Consort Shu is addressing the Emperor's principal wife as 'sister,' which is an act of insubordination. Your Highness Consort Shu's failure to pay respects to the Empress according to the rules is even more disrespectful to hierarchy."

Consort Li and Lady Liu rose on their own without the Empress's permission, showing no respect for hierarchy and defying authority. "Qinghe spoke coldly, her imposing presence overwhelming everyone.

Azi spoke calmly: "Will Consort Shu pay her respects to me according to palace rules?"

Consort Shu smiled weakly, pushed aside the two people beside her, stepped forward and knelt down to give a deep bow to Azi: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu Wu pays her respects to Your Majesty the Empress. Please forgive me."

Seeing that Consort Shu had compromised, Consort Li and Consort Liu had no choice but to kneel down reluctantly, stubbornly keeping their heads down.

"It seems that you all didn't kneel enough that day in Qian Yuan Hall. You've already forgotten the lesson after only a short time." A Zi looked at the actions of the people in front of her and realized that they were digging a pit for her, but she was determined to jump into it.

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with terror, and except for Consort Shu, they all begged for mercy.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Consort Li and Lady Liu also offered a few token pleas for mercy. After all, they didn't really want to kneel! After they finished speaking, they glanced guiltily at Consort Shu kneeling in front of them.

At this moment, Consort Shu's maid Caiyue saw that her mistress had been wronged and became even more dissatisfied with the Empress. Her mistress had already suffered a lot of grievances because of the Empress's entry into the palace, and now she was being humiliated in public. It was simply outrageous.

Caiyue straightened her upper body slightly and helped Consort Shu, who was lying prostrate on the cold floor tiles, to her feet.

Consort Shu did not feign modesty. Following her maid's lead, she merely pretended to refuse slightly before straightening up, her eyes filled with tears.

Caiyue directly confronted the Empress, and although she was kneeling alongside Consort Shu, her aura, honed over many years in the palace, was something even Azi couldn't match at this moment.

"Although the Empress is the Empress, she has not yet been formally conferred the title. Consort Shu is the head of the concubines and has great prestige. Everyone in the harem knows that our Consort is virtuous and kind, and even the Emperor respects her. I'm sure the officials of the court will not approve of your humiliation of Consort Shu and the other ladies."

Upon hearing this, Azi chuckled. She finally understood what these people were plotting. They just wanted to get the imperial court and the harem to collude and make it impossible for her to survive.

Hearing her laughter, everyone was shocked and curious at the same time. This newly arrived empress seemed to be completely different from the weak image they had imagined.

Qinghe knew it was time for her to say something. She stepped forward, her sharp gaze fixed on Caiyue kneeling on the ground. She coldly swept her eyes over the kneeling crowd and deliberately raised her voice.

"The Empress is the Empress, the head of the harem. She was personally appointed by the Emperor and is rightfully the Empress. No one can easily disrespect her."

Leaving aside the fact that the Emperor and Empress have a very deep relationship, your actions are blatant insubordination, and the death penalty would not be an exaggeration.

Upon hearing this, everyone dared not jump around anymore and knelt there obediently. Even Consort Liu and Consort Li dared not say anything more.

Caiyue was so angry at Qinghe's words that her face turned green. She glared at Qinghe fiercely, then lowered her head unwillingly, gritting her teeth.

Consort Shu patted Caiyue's hand reassuringly, then held her hand tightly, leaning weakly against her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone approaching, and if she wasn't mistaken, it should be the Emperor.