Yan Nangui was extremely grateful that she was just a respectable woman.

There's no need to rush to the palace to provide assistance.

The Crown Princess was extremely busy at this time.

Shu Chengfeng was not in a hurry to ascend the throne. Even if he did not ascend the throne, he would still be the legitimate crown prince. Who else could compete with him?

With the Third Prince leading the way in supporting it, they no longer dared to resist.

Therefore, he only needs to use the title of Crown Prince to do things.

But the courtiers disagreed, and they kept pressing him three or four times a day.

The entire palace was decorated in white. In the inner palace, the empress was in charge, and the first thing she had to do was to order the concubines to move to a different palace.

If they don't move out, how can we let Shu Chengfeng's women move in?

They should come in at least before the late emperor's funeral, and those who should send off the deceased should do so.

Fengxiang Palace was very busy at this time.

The Empress said, "Let the Crown Princess stay here with me for now, and don't leave the palace during this time."

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess… seems to be pregnant,” said Aunt Fei.

"Is that so?" The Empress frowned.

"Your Highness, our Prince is about to ascend the throne. It would be a joyous occasion if the Crown Princess could give birth to a legitimate son." Aunt Fei knew that the Empress wanted to support the Ye family.

It is clear that the Crown Prince intends to support the Ning family.

It's not about supporting the Ning family, it's about supporting the Ning clan.

If that's the case, there will inevitably be more struggles in the future. But now, it would be good if the Crown Princess could give birth to a legitimate son.

The Empress nodded and said, "Then you should come here with me. I'll take care of you."

“She can’t manage all the work by herself. Look, there are so many concubines in the harem. Why don’t you choose one or two to help out? It will make things look better in the future.”

The Empress nodded: "Then let's summon Consort Zhang and Consort Ye."

With the emperor dead, Ye Lingyi naturally had nothing to hide.

Aunt Fei thought so too. Indeed, Ye Lingyi was capable and family. Zhang Xinfei had no children, no family background, so she was a good fit.

They'll be promoted, so that they can get a better position after the move.

The Empress actually wanted to summon Consort Ye to the palace, but she didn't say it.

We cannot do this unless the Crown Prince tells us otherwise.

But no matter what, Consort Ye in the manor did indeed start to tremble.

Yan Nangui has been staying home these past few days, eating and drinking as usual, and having people pack his things whenever he has a spare moment.

Before entering the palace, everyone was equally busy.

It was seven days later when Shu Chengfeng finally had some free time in the palace.

At this time, Shu Chengfeng was no longer the Crown Prince, but His Majesty.

The formal enthronement ceremony could only be held after the late emperor had passed away, so he simply conducted a ceremony instead.

After entering the Empress's palace and exchanging greetings, Consort Zhang and Consort Ye left first.

"Now you have to call me the Son Emperor," the Empress said with a smile.

"Now that you have ascended the throne, you should also appoint your empress; otherwise, this would be considered disorder."

Shu Chengfeng nodded: "That's exactly why we're here. The Empress Dowager is now to be posthumously honored as Grand Empress Dowager, so as I see fit, her residence will remain the same. Mother, please stay at Ruining Palace. Ruining Palace is also a large palace, and I have already had it renovated and repaired."

The Empress had no complaints; Ruining Palace was much larger than Changshou Palace.

It's a bit further back, but there are small gardens inside and out, so it's definitely a nice place.

"Indeed, it's time for me to move out." Empress Ye looked at Fengxiang Palace, and although she was reluctant, she had no reason to stay.

"Mother, there's no need to rush. Take your time. We can move out next spring, it'll be the same," Shu Chengfeng said.

"Fine, let's move out while the weather isn't too cold yet." She wanted to stay, but her son was her own son, and it wouldn't look good to put the Empress in such a difficult position.

She looks down on the Ning family, so there's no need to make things difficult for her now.

"Ladies of the harem, what are your thoughts on how to promote them?"

"The Empress Dowager has no opinion. I heard you agreed to Consort Wan returning home to visit her family? What is the reasoning behind this?"

"The Kingdom of Baiye has become too arrogant these days. It's time to change its masters. I'm planning to send her away."

The Empress frowned: "She's a woman, and a concubine of your father, isn't that inappropriate?"

"It's alright, let her go on her family visit. If she succeeds, it's her own ability, and I'll support her. If she loses..." If the late emperor's concubines died in Baiye Kingdom, then Baiye Kingdom would cease to exist.

The Empress thought about it for a moment, then shook her head and ignored it, probably deciding it wasn't important.

"You probably already know how to bestow titles upon these women in the harem. I don't need to elaborate. There's only one person, Consort Wu, who helped me a lot in my early years. Later, she had a miscarriage and her health deteriorated. Now she's bedridden for many years, so let's give her a promotion."

She was also a woman with a tragic fate, having given birth to several children but failing to keep any of them, ultimately only having a second princess and a fourth princess.

"Yes, son, I understand."

"That's good. It's your turn to speak with the Crown Princess." The Empress smiled and left.

"How are you feeling?" Shu Chengfeng asked.

"I am fine, Your Highness... oh no, Your Majesty must be tired these days too?" The Crown Princess was momentarily taken aback.

"It's alright. The people from your household should be brought in now. You'll have to decide on their ranks and accommodations."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will send the prepared list tomorrow," the Crown Princess hurriedly replied.

She was delighted; with that said, her position would naturally remain secure.

Shu Chengfeng did not linger and left quickly.

The Empress and the Crown Princess couldn't care less about anything else; they had a ton of things to do.

The next day, Shu Chengfeng issued an imperial edict, bestowing upon the Empress Dowager the title of Grand Empress Dowager, and ordering her to continue residing in the Changshou Palace.

The Empress was granted the title of Empress Dowager and resided in Ruining Palace.

Then came the residences of the various imperial concubines and the bestowal of titles upon them.

However, although many were granted titles, only a few were not.

Consort Zhen became Consort Tai, while Consort Lixian and Consort Xu were not promoted.

The concubines He, Lin, and Zhang Xin were not given additional titles, because there was nothing else to add.

However, they were given decent accommodations. Zhang Xinfei also received a reward.

She's never been short of money her whole life, so naturally she's happy.

Those who had princes, or those who had given birth to princes but did not gain official positions, were all granted additional titles.

It's just a promotion.

Ye Lingyi became a Zhaorong, but she was not yet officially called a Dowager Consort.

There's still Xu Lingyi now, and she just gave birth to a child—the last child of the late Emperor. It's a princess.

Shu Chengfeng took it upon himself to let Hua Jieyu raise her son as well.

Xu Lingyi was overjoyed. She had been granted the title of Consort, and it felt like all the good fortune of her life had fallen on her head.

As for the deceased Consort Hua, she was quietly sent away. Since it couldn't be said what she had done, it wouldn't be appropriate to demote her. She was simply sent to the imperial concubine's mausoleum.

Consort Zhen and Consort Cao lived in the same palace, called Yingfu Palace.

It wasn't particularly small, but the inside was dilapidated. It had clearly never been repaired.

With His Majesty's death, Consort Zhen knew that her days ahead would be difficult.

This is just the beginning.

Her children are no longer allowed to see her, and all the people around her have been replaced.

The late emperor had favored her all these years, so she naturally had no shortage of money and possessions. But as you can imagine, having money was useless.