In Fengyi Palace, Song Xia smiled slightly after hearing the palace servants' report. She knew that without adult interference, the children's relationship wouldn't be bad.

The lady-in-waiting genuinely admired her: "Your Highness, how did you come up with this idea?"

"It's not that I'm the only one who thought of it, it's that I'm the only one who's willing to do it, and it's that I'm the only one who dares to do it."

"Your Majesty, what are your plans next?"

"Next..." Song Xia pondered for a moment. It seemed that all the necessary arrangements had been made in the harem. Now, the only problem in Xuan Kingdom was that each faction was independent and no one was willing to submit to the others. Until the princes grew up and clearly stated their positions, this was indeed a problem.

After all, she only had the power to manage the harem, and had no say in the affairs of the court. Although the emperor followed Master Qingfeng to cultivate, he was unwilling to relinquish power. You must know that his initial pursuit of immortality was to have long-term control over the world.

In a few years, when the princes have their own thoughts and have grown up, there will be no need for the emperor to exist. It's not that she's heartless; after all, so many people have died because of the emperor. Letting him enjoy himself for a few years before going down to atone for his sins is already letting him off easy.

The next morning, as usual, everyone went to the Imperial Study to attend classes. The concubines in the harem clearly felt that the atmosphere among the princes was different; it seemed much more harmonious and relaxed.

Consort Li coldly instructed a palace maid to hand Jiang Jin a box, saying it was to thank him for taking care of the Third Prince Jiang Zhen yesterday.

Jiang Jin was taken aback, while Jiang Zhen looked embarrassed. Jiang Jin then declined to accept the money, saying, "Mother Consort Li, it is my duty to take care of my younger brother. There is really no need for you to do this. Besides, my third brother helped us a lot yesterday. You don't need to be so formal."

Consort Li was about to say something when Consort Zhen interrupted her: "That's right. Speaking of which, my sixth prince received the most care yesterday. Does that mean I have to prepare five gifts? If this happens every day, my Yong'an Palace will be emptied out."

Consort Shu pulled her to sit down: "Her Majesty the Empress will be here soon. What if the classroom is not quiet and it delays Her Majesty's lesson?"

Consort Li was thus separated from Jiang Jin, and Jiang Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was unwilling to admit that his relationship with his brothers had become closer, but he also did not want his brothers to become distant because of this. What was going on?

As Song Xia walked in, she once again saw eyes eager for her guidance. Perhaps even they themselves didn't realize that some of them, who used to come to find fault, had now become genuinely eager to learn from her. Let them learn; the more they learn, the more their thinking will change, and the more they will realize how pointless it is to argue about certain things.

"Greetings, everyone. Today we will be learning about human anatomy and first aid. I have specially invited the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to explain this to me."

The concubines exchanged glances, then listened even more attentively. Who didn't want to live longer? Who didn't want to alleviate their various ailments? Sometimes, for minor problems, it wasn't always a good idea to consult the imperial physician; learning how to treat these issues themselves would be much more convenient.

Moreover, can emergency first aid measures really save lives in critical situations? Her Majesty the Empress knows so much; it's always good to learn it.

No one expected that what they learned today would soon come in handy, even easing tensions between them and the rebels in their previous life.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when officials presented gifts, the emperor specially set aside a day without practicing meditation to host a banquet for all officials, including the recently surrendered rebels from the south.

The southern lands have always been a major concern for the Xuan Kingdom. The local customs are still uncivilized, and they still live in the form of clans and tribes. Because of the rugged terrain in which they live and their expertise in controlling beasts and making poisons, they have not submitted to the Xuan Kingdom even though they live on its land.

It wasn't until ten years ago that the governor of the South, through various efforts, finally established a preliminary regime in the South and then reached a cooperation agreement with the largest tribe in the area. Today, it is the chief of this tribe who is bringing his young son to pay tribute to His Majesty.

In his previous life, it was at this very banquet that the clan chief's youngest son choked on a pastry and died on the spot because it was too late to save him. Afterwards, no matter how the ministers explained, the clan chief only said it was a conspiracy by the Xuan Kingdom.

His Majesty was furious at his arrogance and killed the clan chief. As a result, Xuan Kingdom lost all chance to conquer the southern lands. Finally, when Yan Kingdom and Gui Kingdom attacked from both sides, the southern lands dealt a fierce blow to Xuan Kingdom's rear, ultimately cutting off its retreat route.

The banquet didn't start until the evening, but early in the morning, the concubines and princes from all the palaces came to pay their respects to Song Xia. In Fengyi Palace, she also prepared some food, all of which were modern recipes that she described and had the small kitchen in Fengyi Palace research and develop.

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a rare day off. Everyone, please don't stand on ceremony, just eat and drink as you please."

Consort Zhuang sipped her bubble tea with great relish. Having grown up on the frontier, she was used to the local food. However, since coming to the capital, she hadn't been able to eat meat and drink milk heartily for a long time, fearing people would say it was too strong. Although the bubble tea in her hand was much weaker than what she used to drink, it had tea added and other toppings, making it look much more refined. No matter how much she drank it in the future, no one would say anything.

"How did Your Highness come up with these novel ideas?" Consort Shu ate the cake, enjoying its soft and fluffy texture.

"I just came up with an idea on a whim; the rest was researched and developed by the palace servants. If you like it, feel free to have your own people from the small kitchen learn it."

Consort Shu happily accepted: "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Consort Zhuang couldn't stand Consort Shu's obsequious behavior. She was clearly the Empress Dowager's niece, but now she seemed to have turned against the Empress. She thought the Empress Dowager would punish her when she returned.

Consort Xian sat under the osmanthus tree, slowly brewing tea and roasting chestnuts. She used to dislike being with these people, finding them too vulgar. But now, watching the Empress bickering with them while she leisurely brewed tea, she found it quite pleasant.

Jiang Jun sat down next to her and laughed: "In the past, when Mother Consort was in her own palace, she would get tired of brewing just one pot of tea. Today, she has brewed three pots."

Consort Xian was unwilling to admit that her mindset had changed, and simply said calmly, "It's because you all swallow things whole and have no taste."

Just then, Jiang Rui and Jiang Gu came over with their cups and waited eagerly.

Consort Xian sighed, not wanting to argue with two five-year-old children, so she poured the water herself, adding a word of caution: don't get burned.

Consort Shu and Consort Zhen, who were sitting together sharing the food, smiled at each other. Perhaps even Consort Xian herself did not realize that her temperament had become much more approachable and amiable. She was no longer as aloof and arrogant as before, looking down on everyone.

They looked at Consort Zhuang and Consort Li again. They never imagined that these two could sit so quietly in the Empress's Phoenix Palace for so long. It seemed that everyone had changed without them realizing it.