Since Qin Yanning entered the palace, Helian Jue never summoned any other concubines.

Even when she was pregnant, she kept Helian Jueba by her side. Many concubines in the harem had complaints about her.

Now, when they heard that Helian Jue would disband the harem after the ceremony of coronation, many people became even more dissatisfied with Qin Yanning.

The New Year's Eve palace banquet, which had been quite lively just a moment ago, suddenly became deserted.

Many concubines, dressed in their best, hoped that this palace banquet would allow Helian Jue to notice them again.

But who would have thought that we would get such explosive news.

Concubine Zhuang and the Queen Mother looked calm, as they had already known Helian Jue's plan.

The Queen Mother also advised Helian Jue that if the concubines were dismissed from the palace, it would be a problem as to where they would go next.

Even though he doted on Qin Yanning and the empress dowager herself liked Qin Yanning, keeping the concubines in the harem to take care of them until the end of their lives did not prevent Qin Yanning from being Helian Jue's favorite woman.

But Helian Jue disagreed with the empress dowager's statement. With the likes of Shufei in the past, keeping the concubines in the palace would only breed resentment in their hearts.

What if one day, one of them could not suppress the resentment in her heart and hurt Qin Yanning and the two children?

What's more, he had already arranged the future of the concubines.

Helian Jue looked at the palace concubines who had quieted down, and knew that many of them could not accept this matter yet. He motioned Concubine Zhuang to come forward and tell the palace concubines his plan.

He found an excuse to sneak back to Ganning Palace to eat hot pot with Qin Yanning.

Concubine Zhuang knew that Helian Jue was afraid of dealing with a group of women, so in order for Qin Yanning to enjoy the hot pot, she spoke helplessly.

"Your Majesty means that after you leave the palace, you will receive a certain amount of rewards, enough to ensure that you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your lives."

"If there are those who do not want to return home, the court will help establish a female household, and your Majesty will arrange accommodation for them."

"From now on, whether you want to get married, start a business, or open a girls' school in another place, His Majesty will grant you a certain amount of silver."

"Your Majesty hopes that we can have a better life outside the palace, rather than being imprisoned in the deep palace, dominated by jealousy and hatred like the guilty concubine Wan Yunshu."

As a woman herself, Concubine Zhuang knew that many people were unwilling to leave the palace. She couldn't help but say a few more words, hoping to wake up those women who were eager to get ahead by gaining Helian Jue's favor.

Hearing what Concubine Zhuang said, the expressions of many of the concubines present softened.

Before Helian Jue ascended the throne, he was not a strong candidate to compete for the throne. Only Concubine Zhuang was betrothed to him before he ascended the throne. The other concubines were selected and entered the palace after Helian Jue ascended the throne.

Many of the concubines were sent into the palace without even meeting Helian Jue.

If you ask them how deep their feelings for Helian Jue are, that’s not the case.

They were just afraid that after being dismissed from the palace, they would be in an awkward position when they returned home and would have no other way out.

It is difficult to disobey the emperor's will, and it is rare that Your Majesty has considered their future lives so carefully.

Rather than staying in the deep palace, longing for the day when the emperor's favor will come to you, it is better to leave the palace and live a free life where the sky is high and the birds fly freely.

Who knows, you might be lucky enough to meet someone who shares your soul mate.

Thinking of this, the concubines who originally had bitter faces became more active.

The Queen Mother and Concubine Zhuang looked at each other and knew that the matter was settled.

The Queen Mother raised the wine glass in front of her and said, "If this were the case among ordinary people, we would be considered mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. When the imperial edict comes down, I will also give you some headgear as a gift."

"New Year's Eve is the day to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new. I wish you all the best and safety after leaving the palace."

Concubine Zhuang took the lead and raised her wine glass, and the Cining Palace suddenly became peaceful.

The Ganning Palace was also very warm at this moment. Qin Yanning did not expect that Helian Jue would come back after just a while.

She thought she would have to wait a while before she could eat the hot pot.

Qin Yanning had no idea that Helian Jue had dropped a bomb at the palace banquet and then slipped back.

She is busy eating mutton hotpot at the moment.

The lamb of just the right thickness is thrown into the pot and cooked in a short while. Then it is coated with the prepared sauce and it is extremely satisfying to take a bite.

Qin Yanning was enjoying his meal while thousands of households outside the palace were setting off firecrackers to celebrate the success of the previous year and to pray for good weather in the coming year.

After New Year's Eve, Helian Jue felt that time passed too quickly. He had only rested for a few days, and his annual leave was already over.

At the morning court session on the eighth day of the first lunar month, Helian Jue formally issued an edict to hold the ceremony of conferring the queen on the second day of the second lunar month, and to dismiss the harem after the ceremony.

This second decree still caused some waves in the court, but Helian Jue was firm in his attitude and the ministers could do nothing about him.

What should I do if my Majesty is a lovesick person?

What else can you do? If you don't like it, you can only endure it.

The Lantern Festival soon arrived, and Qin Yanning, who had been under close watch for the entire month of confinement, was finally free.

Jin'er and Yu'er have grown up now. Jin'er had a big appetite in the womb, so he was heavier than Yu'er when he was born.

A month passed, and he looked much older than Yu'er.

Helian Jue was a silly boy who secretly asked the empress dowager to eat him all day long, and was often scolded by the empress dowager for this.

After all, the Empress Dowager, as the Emperor's grandmother, has always believed that being able to eat is a blessing.

When Qin Yanning was first diagnosed with pregnancy, Concubine Zhuang sent her two fine fox furs.

The two fox furs were one white and one red, neither of them having a single color.

Qin Yanning sent cloaks to the Shangyi Bureau to be made for the two children. Yu'er used the red one because she was whiter, and the white one was given to Jin'er.

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