It goes without saying how distressed the Empress was.

The harem is currently in dire need of reconstruction, and she cannot even sit peacefully during her postpartum confinement.

She personally sent someone to speak to His Majesty, saying that although he couldn't overwork himself, he was, after all, a special envoy, and matters still needed to be attended to.

He only pulled and asked Consort Xian for help.

Shu Chengfeng readily agreed.

His original intention was also to elevate Consort Su.

Although the Empress Dowager wanted to support Consort Ye, she did not oppose Shu Chengfeng.

Moreover, Consort Ye was indeed not cut out to manage affairs.

However, the reason why the Empress Dowager did not do anything directly was because the Emperor was protecting the Empress.

She had wanted to do something, since Empress Ning had miscarried again, and this was the first time in a row. It was hard to say whether she would be able to have children in the future.

If this is the case...

But the emperor's words of defense were too direct, making it difficult for her to do anything.

In the past few days, several of the concubines who moved to the back have fallen ill.

The most serious case is Li Meiren.

Ever since the late emperor passed away, she has been in a daze due to illness.

These days, it's just a matter of getting through the days.

There was no hope for the second prince to come out either, so she had no hope at all.

"Your Majesty, Consort Li is dying at Jiaozhi Palace."

"What did the imperial physician say?" Empress Dowager Ye asked calmly.

"The imperial physician means it will be within the next two days," said Aunt Fei, who was now also known as Granny Fei.

"Then let's just do what needs to be done. He's a sinner, no need to worry about him."

"Yes, Imperial Physician Weng has retired, as have several others from the Imperial Medical Academy. His Majesty's intention is to appoint Imperial Physician Qi as the Chief Physician, with Imperial Physician Huang as his deputy."

Empress Dowager Ye sighed: "Imperial Physician Qi has been someone I've relied on for so many years. The Emperor is very kind."

“Yes, His Majesty is your own son, so naturally he is devoted to you. Please don’t take the Empress’s matter to heart,” said Granny Fei.

"Never mind, why should I take it to heart? He's willing to let it be." The Empress Dowager waved her hand.

"By the way, those people around the late emperor..." Empress Dowager Ye asked.

“They told Eunuch Xiang they went out of the palace to retire. A few others also went back to their hometowns. The rest are still here. Some were transferred out,” said Granny Fei.

Empress Dowager Ye nodded and said nothing more.

How could Father-in-law be living in retirement? He must have... gone back to his hometown.

Hmph, that old eunuch, it's good that he's dead.

At this moment, in the Beichen Palace, Shu Chengfeng looked at Shangguan Ba.

"General Xu and the others have already returned. Commander Shangguan is still in charge of guarding the capital."

"Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree." Shangguan Ba ​​was neither humble nor arrogant.

"I'll appoint a deputy commander for you, Ding Min. As for Wei Xiao, he'll be in charge of the Imperial Guards from now on. Commander Shangguan, do you have any objections?"

"Your subject has no objection." Shangguan Ba ​​had known this day would come; this was much better than he had expected.

The worst outcome, of course, is death.

However, he could be considered to have a clear conscience. Although he had been loyal to the late emperor in the past, this was just the job he was in.

He could only remain loyal to His Majesty, and in the end, he neither betrayed his country nor did he do anything else.

I'd call him a loyal subject.

His Majesty is now merely delegating power; he still commands the Imperial Guards and the city patrol offices, but has relinquished the responsibility of guarding the palace.

Perhaps in a few years, he will have to hand over his command of the Imperial Guard's patrol office in the capital, which would at least be a peaceful transition.

There's not much to say.

At least he's still alright, but Yu Tao and Du Qi are already in prison and will eventually face death as well.

It must be said that Commander Shangguan had a good impression of the new emperor.

In the years leading up to the late emperor's death, the relationship between father and son was... indescribable.

Even so, the new emperor did not treat the old ministers with extreme cruelty. What more could one ask for?

Shu Chengfeng has a lot on his plate. As soon as Shangguan Ba ​​left, people from the Ministry of Rites arrived.

This year is still the twenty-seventh year of Jingxun.

The Ministry of Rites came, of course, about the enthronement ceremony; they hadn't found a suitable date yet.

"We have consulted the relevant documents, and the most suitable date is the nineteenth day of the first month of next year." The Minister of Rites was a little worried; what if His Majesty didn't want to wait?

"Alright, there's plenty of time for you to make arrangements." Shu Chengfeng didn't care. So what if it's held the year after next?

He was already the emperor.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we will certainly do our utmost." Since Your Majesty has no objections, that would be best.

Several more reign titles were presented.

The emperors of this lineage all used the character "景" as the first character of their reign title.

For example, the late emperor's "Jingxun" means "bright future" and "xun" means "teaching," which means to remember the teachings of the sages and to clarify one's mind and aspirations.

pity……

Shu Chengfeng looked at the calligraphy sent by the Ministry of Rites, and finally picked up his brush and wrote the character "靖" himself.

Jing, An Ye.

"Naturally" is a good word.

The officials in the Ministry of Rites naturally only offered praise.

Thus, a new imperial title was established: Emperor Jingjing.

The following year will be the first year of the Jingjing era.

Even now, we must continue using the reign title of Jingxun.

After this busy period, and with many things finally back on track, it was already the end of November, and the twelfth lunar month was just around the corner.

Yan Nangui was finally able to meet the emperor alone.

Inside the Beichen Palace, Yan Nangui greeted Your Majesty with a smile: "Your Majesty, this concubine pays her respects."

"Come here." Shu Chengfeng smiled and held out his hand.

Yan Nangui went over and took his hand: "Your Majesty, are you used to it now? I keep getting the way I address you wrong. The other day when I saw the Empress, I still called her the Crown Princess..."

"Hehe, if you made a mistake, just correct it. I'm fine." Shu Chengfeng.

"Look, His Majesty has gotten used to it." Yan Nangui said with a smile.

Shu Chengfeng didn't speak for a moment. He had thought about how this woman would react to him before he called her over.

Wouldn't you also feel a little apprehensive or cautious?

At least that's how the Empress is when he sees her now.

He hadn't thought about it in detail, but seeing her still talking like this now, he inexplicably felt that this was just fine.

"I've been very busy and lost some weight. How come you've also lost so much weight? You started losing weight last winter and then lost weight again in the summer. Are you feeling unwell?" Shu Chengfeng looked closely and saw that Yan Nangui had lost even more weight.

He seems to be in good spirits, but his body looks rather frail.

“Hey, you’re busy, and so am I. Since moving here from the manor, I don’t have to do any work. But the palace is different from the manor, and I have to adapt. At first, I couldn’t get used to the food prepared by the palace chefs, but now I’m getting used to it.”

"It was my oversight. Your palace is quite large; why not build a small kitchen? We originally had two cooks from your residence assigned to your place. They can't all eat in the small kitchen, since they're eating in both. How about we make some delicate pastries and soups for you in the small kitchen?"

“I was just asking, and His Majesty granted it. That’s wonderful, of course,” Yan Nangui said with a smile.

She did make a request, though it has to be said that the palace chefs' skills were rather mediocre.

If you do too much, you might not have time to think about it.

At least those in charge of the harem are not as good as those in the Crown Prince's residence back then.

"Any other requests? Ask away." Shu Chengfeng hugged her.