Yan Nangui raised an eyebrow slightly: "I didn't sleep well last night and I'm very tired right now. Let's do it another day."

She walked away with a smile on her face.

Xiao Liangyuan stomped her feet and went back, looking very angry.

They completely ignored Zhang Chenghui and Murong Liangyuan.

Murong Liangyuan smiled gently: "Look at this personality, it's so familiar."

Zhang Chenghui smiled ingratiatingly: "Yes, it's been like this since the second day here..."

Inside Jiyue Pavilion, someone who claimed to have had a bad night's sleep was in a good mood, having changed clothes and eating grapes.

This is one of the earliest varieties, and it's not common even in this area. It's not found everywhere.

Yan Nangui ate with relish.

“Liangyuan, is this Xiao Liangyuan truly naive or is she pretending?” Luo Kui asked.

"I don't know, but maybe that's just how the people of Menghaijiang are?" Indeed, nomadic peoples are more straightforward than those from the Central Plains. However, we'll find out what they're like later.

"Hey, it's getting hot, why is my appetite getting better? Go, tell them to make me some meat for lunch." Yan Nangui sometimes really loves eating meat, but other times he can go half a month without it and he's just so-so.

"Oh, but I heard that the new chef in the kitchen is very good at making squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. Would you like to try it?" Luo Kui asked.

"Okay, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish it is. And meat too," Yan Nangui said.

"Yes, yes, I'll go tell them right away. The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish needs to be fresh, so I need to let them know in advance." I'm afraid there won't be enough left.

After all, there really aren't any mandarin fish in the capital.

At this time, Shu Chengfeng was in the Empress's palace.

"You kept it from me too. You made me worry about you," the Empress scolded playfully.

"Mother... it was my fault, I just thought you had thought of that." Shu Chengfeng gave a helpless bitter smile: "I was just following your orders."

The Empress paused, then sighed, "I am getting old."

"Your Majesty is in the prime of your life, what are you saying?" Shu Chengfeng shook his head: "How is the palace?"

"What else can we do?" the Empress sighed, sounding somewhat weary. "Fei Luan Palace continues to enjoy the Emperor's favor and receive constant rewards. However, those two are no pushovers either. Consort Hua, being pregnant, is keeping a low profile."

Shu Chengfeng knew perfectly well that Consort Wan and Consort Fanghui seemed to be working together.

On one hand, they were vying for favor with Consort Zhen, and on the other hand, they were uniting to oppose Consort Lixian and Consort Xude.

Although Consort Xu was only a second-rank consort, she had given birth to the third prince and the fifth princess, and she was also getting on in years, so she was not to be underestimated.

In particular, how could she bear that two young concubines had surpassed her and become first-rank officials?

Of course, we must fight.

Consort Lixian was the birth mother of the second prince, and she, who claimed to be the birth mother of the eldest prince, was the same.

Therefore, the two young concubines, disregarding minor gains and losses, have joined forces.

This is certainly the best outcome, as it's the only way to gain a foothold.

The Empress smiled and said, "These young concubines are more capable than I was in my youth. Consort Wanshu may seem gentle, but she's incredibly shrewd. Consort Lixian has suffered quite a bit at her hands. As for Consort Fanghui, she's said to be quick-witted, but she's also very calculating. She managed to win His Majesty away from that vile woman several times."

"Mother, just sit tight and watch them fight," Shu Chengfeng said.

The Empress nodded; she had long since given up on that man. She hadn't served the Emperor in bed for many years.

Naturally, all they seek is to maintain their position.

But back then, she had also liked that person. The young Shu Zhongjing was humble, polite, and deeply devoted.

He was born with such good looks; back then, he was no less handsome than Shu Chengfeng is now.

The Empress was a young girl back then, how could she not be tempted?

Perhaps it's because she's smarter and more reserved than Ye Liangdi.

Before returning to his residence, the Crown Prince paid his respects to Empress Dowager Jiang.

In any case, at least we've saved face and gained some goodwill.

Some people may not have noticed, but others have.

The Crown Prince, who brought Consort Xiao back to his residence yesterday, entered the palace alone today.

Naturally, a mere concubine like herself wouldn't need to be brought into the palace to pay respects to anyone. But what does it signify for the Crown Prince to enter the palace himself?

It's definitely not something they value highly, otherwise they would have brought Xiao Shi along.

That means...not valuing it much?

In any case, the result that Shu Zhongjing wanted did not occur.

That night, the Crown Prince did not go to Consort Xiao's place, but went to the main courtyard.

The Crown Princess was naturally delighted and welcomed the new concubine in with a smile, but she paid even less attention to her.

When she paid her respects in the morning, the Crown Princess looked radiant.

Xiao Liangyuan didn't seem to be in a good mood.

She went even further and asked, "I've heard that new concubines are required to serve the emperor for three days after entering the household? Why isn't that the case for me?"

That's a very direct question, and... shameless.

The Crown Princess smiled gently: "There is no such rule."

"It's your own fault that you can't serve the emperor in bed consecutively. What rule says that?" Consort Ye snorted.

"Then I understand." Consort Xiao hummed and sat down, displaying a rather charming and innocent air.

Unfortunately, this room is full of rivals. Even if you really think I'm not bad, you can't befriend me.

Naturally, no one appreciates this adorable naiveté.

Seeing that she was silent, the Crown Princess continued, "The Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner, and you all know that His Majesty will be holding a dragon boat race this year. It will be held along the lake in the capital. This year, your birthday, Lady Yan, can only be celebrated earlier or later. Since it seems there's no time to celebrate earlier, we'll postpone it to one table."

"No need, I don't care about that. I'm not old enough yet, let's talk about it when I'm thirty," Yan Nangui said with a smile.

"You're quite open-minded. Fine, I'll reward you with some nice things later," the Crown Princess said with a smile.

"Sister Yan, what day is your birthday?" Xiao Liangyuan asked.

"Dragon Boat Festival." Yan Nangui glanced at her and smiled.

"Huh? Isn't it said that people from the Central Plains are particularly particular about these things? May is an unlucky month, the month with the highest concentration of poisonous gas in the year. The fifth day is the most intense. It's an extreme number... So... shouldn't we change our birth date?"

"Oh? Sister Xiao seems to know a lot about things in the Central Plains, but I don't know much about them," Yan Nangui said with a smile.

"I only know from reading that men born on this day are said to bring misfortune to their fathers, and women to their mothers. It would be best to change the date of birth."

"Oh, then maybe that's really my fate. My mother has already passed away." Yan Nangui smiled.

"But isn't my sister's mother the Eldest Princess?" Xiao Liangyuan asked, puzzled. "The Eldest Princess is my sister's mother, and she's also His Majesty's sister."

Yan Nangui leaned back and sneered, "I thought I'd found a pretty innocent girl, but she turns out to be a black-hearted one. Tch..."

"Your Majesty, look at this. Doesn't she understand our Central Plains court very well? She even knows that May is an unlucky month. How could she not understand the rules? She's not good at bowing, but she's good at finding fault. Since you even know this, why don't you know who my birth mother is?"

Yan Nangui's face suddenly turned cold: "What are you pretending to be, playing the innocent little flower?"