"Get up."

The more Consort Shu looked at the girl named Yan Xue, the happier she became. It was rare to find a girl besides the eldest daughter of the Shen family who could please her.

Yan Xue had heard that Consort Shu was always serious, but she was surprised that Consort Shu treated her so gently. She was flattered and overwhelmed.

Seeing how Consort Shu treated Yan Xue, the women below were all unsure of Consort Shu's true feelings.

Yan Xue stood up and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Thank you, Consort Shu. May Your Highness be well."

"Your tea-making skills are excellent. I've never seen you before. Which family's young lady are you?"

Yan Xue's heart skipped a beat when she heard this.

This is……

Yan Xue never dreamed that Consort Shu would ask her such a question directly.

She suppressed her excitement.

She began, “My father is the magistrate of Ping’an County in the southwest. I was invited to the Spring Banquet by chance. My tea-making skills were lacking, so please do not blame me, Your Highness.”

Consort Shu had seen all sorts of situations, and upon hearing Yan Xue's words, she knew that Yan Xue was somewhat insecure.

No wonder she doesn't wear makeup.

These are all ways of protecting oneself.

Consort Shu felt a pang of heartache.

She was too dull to notice these small details.

"I understand. Your tea-making skills are quite good. From now on, you will stay by my side."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the women present who heard his words gasped in shock.

Yan Xue, in particular, was deeply shocked.

As if in disbelief, Yan Xue looked at Consort Shu, her eyes almost overflowing with tears.

Consort Shu was somewhat taken aback when she saw that the little girl below was not speaking.

His voice also became somewhat somber.

"You don't want to?"

"thump--"

As soon as Consort Shu finished speaking, Yan Xue knelt down.

She said, "I am just too happy. It is my honor to be able to learn from Consort Shu."

Everyone knows that Consort Shu is now in charge of the harem.

Being favored by Consort Shu means a bright future awaits.

Consort Shu was stunned for a moment before realizing that the young girl was probably still in shock.

However, she could understand. After all, this young girl was just the daughter of a county magistrate, and she would indeed be so surprised by such a thing that she wouldn't know what to say.

"Aunt Jing."

Consort Shu looked at Aunt Jing beside her and gave her instructions.

"Go and fetch the crabapple blossom hairpin that I used to love the most, and give it to this Miss Yan."

Aunt Jing nodded: "This servant obeys."

Emperor Anqing remained silent throughout. The Spring Banquet had been held in Dongyue for so many years that Emperor Anqing was already tired of it.

If it weren't mandatory for every emperor to attend, Emperor Anqing would have preferred to flee as soon as possible.

Emperor Anqing was somewhat puzzled when he learned that Consort Shu had given the hairpin to a young girl.

When he looked up and saw Yan Xue's face clearly, his expression was indifferent.

But she still spoke up, "Your father is the county magistrate?"

Yan Xue was taken aback when Emperor Anqing suddenly spoke, and her expression clearly showed a moment of surprise.

She then immediately said, "Your Majesty, my father is the county magistrate."

Emperor Anqing grunted and waved his hand, saying, "Since you are so good at making tea, and my beloved concubine also appreciates you, then I will promote your father by three ranks."

"I have heard of your father before. The people in the county all say that your father is honest and upright despite his poverty, which I greatly admire. I hope that your father will continue to maintain this integrity after his promotion."

Yan Xue felt her heart pounding. This huge surprise was like a meteorite falling from the sky, leaving her speechless.

Having seen many grand occasions with Ruan Ci, Yan Xue tried her best to suppress her inner turmoil and gave a slight bow.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise!"

Consort Shu did not expect that the Emperor would dare to give her face and let everyone know that she was important to him.

However, she had no objection to Yan Xue's father's change of official position, after all, a skillful and clever girl was what she needed.

Furthermore, he was promoted in rank, and everyone knew how much the Emperor valued Yan Xue's father.

This way, we are also protecting the child.

At this moment, Aunt Jing also brought over the begonia hairpin.

"Your Highness, this is the crabapple hairpin."

Consort Shu hummed in agreement and walked straight to Yan Xue's side.

“Miss Yan, when I saw you, I felt that you were particularly pleasing to the eye. This crabapple hairpin is a small token of my appreciation for you. Please accept it.”

Yan Xue was a little flattered, but since Consort Shu was going to give it to her, she would accept it.

He gave a slight bow.

"Thank you, Consort Shu."

Looking at the young girl in front of her, Consort Shu felt that she could never get enough of looking at her.

"The women still have other things to do later. If you have something to do now, please go ahead and take care of it."

Yan Xue was taken aback. She originally wanted to say that she wasn't busy, but when she thought of Ruan Ci below, she immediately bowed.

"Your Majesty, thank you, Consort Shu. I will now take my leave."

"Go down."

Consort Shu nodded.

Yan Xue obediently withdrew.

If she was pleasantly surprised just now, she was now utterly terrified.

My hands suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Yan Xue didn't know how to face Ruan Ci.

She had endured humiliation and hardship by Ruan Ci's side for so many years, all in order to gain the favor of the Emperor or the Empress at the Spring Banquet.

Now that her dream has come true, she just doesn't know what Ruan Ci will think of her.

However, she couldn't blame herself either. Ruan Ci hadn't treated her like a good sister. She was only pretending to be nice to her, just to use her as a foil.

Thinking about this, Yan Xue felt somewhat relieved.

Ultimately, all of these things were simply due to Ruan Ci's own lack of ambition.

But I still felt a pang of guilt.

Yan Xue was trying to figure out how to explain to Ruan Ci, but looking around, she couldn't see Ruan Ci anywhere.

A palace maid dressed in palace attire walked towards Yan Xue and whispered a few words in her ear.

Yan Xue's expression changed instantly, and she hurriedly followed the palace maid in one direction.

Shen Pingjin had already followed Ruan Ci to a peach tree.

The peach blossoms on the tree are dazzling, and when the petals fall, it's as if a shield is cast over the surroundings.

Shen Pingjin was somewhat puzzled; was Ruan Ci really going to make her move here?

However, after looking around, there was indeed no one around. If Yan Xue had come here and fallen into the trap, no one would have noticed.