"Isn't Your Majesty supposed to be worshipping the moon at the Moon Altar with your ministers later? Why are you here?" Wanyi asked in confusion.

"This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival is being celebrated in a grand manner, so the moon-worshiping ceremony has been reduced. Since the mourning period is still ongoing, the ministers have taken over the ceremony."

Emperor Kangxi had never intended to hold a grand Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, but his cousin was right; a grand celebration would help dispel bad luck from the palace.

Baohe Hall

"Empress Dowager has arrived, but where is Consort Chen? Has something delayed her? Perhaps Your Majesty should send someone to check on her!"

When Consort An saw that Consort Wan had not yet arrived, she stirred up trouble by bringing her up, since her foot was still hurting for two hours! As soon as she finished kneeling, she hurriedly returned to the palace to change into her auspicious clothes and came to the banquet, finally giving Consort Chen a handle to use against her.

"Perhaps the Fourth Prince hasn't woken up yet! He'll be here soon. If he hasn't arrived by then, it's not too late to send someone to check on him!"

The Imperial Noble Consort wasn't speaking up for Wanyi out of kindness; she meant that the Noble Consort Chen was arrogant and disdainful of everyone just because she had a prince.

"What the Imperial Noble Consort says is true. Consort Wen and Consort Chen are so close, we must be careful. The last one who was close to Consort Chen..." Consort An said meaningfully.

"Consort An, you flatter me. My sister Chen and I are like sisters. How could you possibly sway us with just a few words?" Consort Wen said nonchalantly.

"This is a fact, I was just reminding Consort Wen!" Everyone knows that Consort Wen and Consort Chun were like sisters, but Consort Chun's grave is overgrown with weeds.

Meanwhile, Consort Sun listened quietly to their conversation. Because of her dress, mannerisms, and speech, she was exactly the same as Consort Wan. As a result, Emperor Kangxi favored her greatly, far surpassing Consort Min, and she became one of the new consorts. However, how she learned about Consort Wan's past remains a mystery.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

"His Majesty has arrived!"

"The Imperial Concubine Chen has arrived!" Suddenly, the voice of a eunuch announced from outside.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, and Your Highness Consort Chen! May Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, and Your Highness Consort enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Everyone knelt down in unison.

As Wanyi and Kangxi helped the Empress Dowager into the hall and to her seat, they returned to their own places.

"Get up!" Kangxi said quickly as Wanyi was about to kneel down, looking at the group of people kneeling below.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wanyi then stood up straight and sat down in her seat.

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and also a family banquet, so there's no need to be formal. Just relax and enjoy yourself!" Although Emperor Kangxi said this, who would dare to be so relaxed in front of the emperor? That wouldn't be relaxation, but rather insolence.

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Then, a song and dance performance was arranged, followed by a new round of toasting, and then, under the leadership of Emperor Kangxi, mooncakes were distributed and eaten.

"Your Majesty, please try those red bean mooncakes. They were made by the Imperial Noble Consort herself!" Consort Bu suddenly said before Emperor Kangxi even started eating.

"Oh! No wonder it looked different from what I expected. It was made by the Imperial Noble Consort. I must try it!"

Kangxi took a small bite with some unease, and found it to be no different from the others, except for a faint fragrance that smelled quite pleasant.

"Indeed, Imperial Noble Consort has gone to great lengths!" Kangxi still gave affirmative praise.

"If Your Majesty likes it, that's good. I was just offering some pointers. It's still better to do the cooking myself!"

The Imperial Noble Consort seemed embarrassed and modestly replied, "Indeed, which concubine would cook herself? Usually, she would just watch from the side and then serve herself what she had made."

"I didn't do much, so I'll divide it up and give you a small portion to taste." The Imperial Noble Consort gestured to the people beside her to distribute it.

Wanyi looked at the small piece of mooncake in front of her and felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Nevertheless, she ate it, since it wouldn't be right not to eat it in front of everyone.

"The mooncakes made by the Imperial Noble Consort are truly exceptional; they taste far better than the usual ones. The imperial chefs should learn from them."

Consort Wen praised it, but the irony was quite strong. She didn't find any difference between it and what the imperial chef made; it tasted exactly the same.

"The Imperial Noble Consort's skills are far beyond what the Imperial Chef can learn. Consort Wen, please don't make things difficult for the Imperial Chef!" Consort Yi said with amusement. It was truly ridiculous to ask the Imperial Chef to learn her cooking.

"Hey! Isn't that Consort Sun?" someone suddenly exclaimed. Consort Sun had changed into a dance costume at some point and was slowly walking towards the center of the hall. All eyes followed the voice and turned to the lower part of the hall.

As the flute music quickened, her movements grew faster and faster. Her jade-like hands danced gracefully, her skirts fluttered, and her misty eyes seemed to hold unspoken words, shimmering with light. She was like a flower veiled in mist, hazy and ethereal, sparkling with beautiful colors, yet so unattainable…

When Kangxi saw Sun Yingying's appearance, it was as if he saw another young, spirited, lively and lovely person through her.

Wanyi felt extremely disgusted by the sight. The makeup on Consort Sun's face was exactly the same as the makeup she wore when she was reborn and regained favor. It wasn't just similar, it was practically identical. A thought began to cross her mind.

Suddenly, Wanyi felt as if a fire was burning in her heart, about to burst forth, but she suppressed it tightly. A strange expression appeared on her face. The Imperial Noble Consort, who had been watching her closely, noticed it immediately and gave Wanyi a wink.

"Please spare me, Your Highness!" Suddenly, a palace maid who was going to refill the wine accidentally spilled the whole pot of wine on Wanyi.

"Get up! I'll go change into something else. Lead the way!" Wanyi suddenly felt relieved; it turned out they were waiting for her here!

"Thank you, Your Highness, this servant will take you there right away!" The little palace maid kowtowed twice in gratitude.

"If the Emperor or the Imperial Noble Consort asks later, just tell the truth," Wanyi instructed Ye Ming, who was standing to the side.

"Yes!" Ye Ming replied, and Fu Rong, who was standing beside her, helped Wan Yi up and followed the little palace maid away from behind.

Besides the Imperial Noble Consort, a few other people also noticed Wanyi's departure. Some seemed to see something amiss, while others assumed she went to relieve herself.

Next to the Hall of Preserving Harmony, there is a pavilion specifically for changing clothes, but Wanyi had never been there before, so she needed a maid to lead the way.

"Your Highness, this way please!" The maid led Wanyi to a relatively secluded room, opened the door, and let Wanyi in.

"You seem to really want me to go in?" Wanyi stepped forward and looked at the little palace maid in front of her, suppressing the strange feeling in her body. She knew without thinking what had happened to her.

"Her Highness the Imperial Concubine is here to change clothes. How can she change if she doesn't go inside?" The little palace maid was a bit flustered. She was just a little nervous, but she still tried her best to complete her task.

"Is that so?" Wanyi suddenly took out a pill from her spatial storage and quickly put it into the little palace maid's mouth. It melted instantly in her mouth.