"Does this concubine need to move to another palace?" Guo asked, flustered. "But, can't this concubine stay in the Western Six Palaces?"

"Why?" Qian Shengyan laughed. "As a concubine, you also hold a principal position. Before, there wasn't enough room for you, so we had you share a palace with Consort Yu. Now that you have free time, why don't you want to leave?"

She paused for a moment, then said, "After the mourning period, there will be a general election... Nobody knows what will happen then. Why don't you reserve a palace first?"

Qian Shengyan's words were truly heartfelt, and Madam Guo understood. However, she turned her head slightly, somewhat shyly, saying, "This concubine doesn't want to be so far away from Your Majesty..."

Qian Shengyan: ?

"Why don't we move Consort Yu to the Eastern Six Palaces? It's close to the princes' quarters, and Consort Yu will surely be happy there," Guo suggested.

Qian Shengyan: ...

Well, maybe that's fine too?

And so, Consort Yu and Consort Qi were assigned to the Eastern Six Palaces. Consort Yu resided in Jingyang Palace, Consort Qi in Zhongcui Palace, the main hall of Xianfu Palace was reserved for Consort Song, and Consort Wu was willing to stay in Tongdao Hall, the rear hall of Xianfu Palace, which Qian Shengyan agreed to.

With this, the division of the harem was complete, and it would remain so until the arrival of new concubines in the third year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign.

Yinzhen had no objection to these assignments, but he made one adjustment—he moved Consort Nian to Chengqian Palace.

To Qian Shengyan, he said, "Stay away from you, so you won't get annoyed by looking at me." The outside speculation was that Dong Eshi had once lived here.

This is the palace of the emperor's favorite concubine...

Thus, Shan Xiu, who was originally confined to her home and not allowed to go out, unintentionally became a favored concubine again, and even became "the emperor's favorite".

When Shan Xiu was finally released from his three-month confinement, before he could do anything, news of Nian Gengyao's pacification of Qinghai arrived. Moreover, the good news came during the Qingming Festival, when Yinzhen was paying respects at Jingling. Upon hearing the news, he was overjoyed and immediately promoted Nian Gengyao to the rank of First-Class Duke.

"Your Majesty..." Yanru helped Ulanara sit down. Ulanara had dark circles under her eyes, and her haggard appearance was hard to hide.

"Your Majesty, please don't care too much about that person..." Yanruo couldn't persuade herself anymore.

"Was granting her residence in Chengqian Palace so that she would receive more imperial favor? Or is it because she is the Emperor's...beloved?" Ulanara laughed and cried at the same time. "Did you hear that, Yanruo? The Emperor directly issued an edict calling Nian Gengyao...benefactor..."

"He was his benefactor, the benefactor of the Qing Dynasty, and was granted the title of First-Class Duke... My father was only posthumously granted the title of First-Class Duke of Cheng'en. He was Nian Gengyao, and Consort Nian..." Ulanara became more and more agitated as she spoke, and her head began to ache.

Yanruo quickly reassured her, "No, Your Majesty, please don't overthink it. That's not what I meant!"

Ulanara waved her hand, stopping Yanruo from speaking.

Where can't I do it? How can I not do it?

She had worried that her position as Empress Dowager would be threatened in the next dynasty, but she never imagined that she might not even be able to keep her position now...

"I truly don't know how to cherish you enough to be worthy of Heaven and the gods. I can feel every bit of your love for me. Our relationship is a model of harmony between ruler and subject throughout history, and it is something that future generations will envy and admire."

Qian Shengyan also felt a headache when she saw this instruction.

The love letter that Yinzhen wrote to Nian Gengyao, the words he used...

Well, Qian Shengyan was used to it. Some time ago, she accidentally saw a memorial from Nian Gengyao, in which he said that he hadn't slept for 11 days due to his busy military affairs. Yinzhen's reply was, "I feel so sorry for you, so sorry for you."

Qian Shengyan at that time: -0-

Qian Shengyan now: 0_0

Oh well, you'll get used to it.

How serious must an emperor be to write a reply like "I am a man like myself"?

Because of Nian Gengyao's immense power, Yinzhen had to make two more trips to Chengqian Palace. On another occasion, he found an excuse to give Consort Nian the title "Hua". Now, Consort Hua is on par with Consort Xi in the palace.

It is even said that Yinzhen wanted to be granted a title by Fu Hui, bypassing his three sons, but was persuaded by Consort Hua to give up. In short, while Nian Gengyao was glorious on the front lines, Consort Hua was not to be outdone in the harem. All the women in the harem were overshadowed by Consort Hua's brilliance, and none of them could be remembered anymore.

Apart from Qian Shengyan.

Seeing Yinzhen enter in the dead of night, Qian Shengyan sat up, pulling the covers around her, and said helplessly, "...It's too late, Your Majesty doesn't need to come over."

Yinzhen simply waved his hand, letting others help him wash up and change his clothes. Qian Shengyan was also woken up and stayed up late to prepare a midnight snack for him.

Seeing that Qian Shengyan didn't seem particularly happy, Qingxue couldn't help but advise, "Your Highness, the Emperor's willingness to come every night shows how much he values ​​you."

"I know." Qian Shengyan said helplessly. It was precisely because she knew that she felt it was all so unnecessary!

Others may not know Consort Hua's background, but does Qian Shengyan not?

Yinzhen wasn't a lecherous maniac who would take every beautiful woman he saw into his household. After Shanxiu replaced Nianshi as "Nianshi," she had absolutely no chance of gaining Yinzhen's favor again.

As for the current prosperity of the Nian family, Qian Shengyan didn't think much of it. She'd witnessed his rise and fall, a confidence born from a time traveler from the future—Nian Gengyao's death was just a year and a half away, so why was she in such a hurry?

Perhaps it was this confidence that allowed Qian Shengyan to remain calm and even start a new hobby—she had several large vats moved to Yongshou Palace to try raising fish.

Although the first batch had died, the second batch was still alive and well, so Qian Shengyan felt she could continue.

But perhaps because she was too calm, Yinzhen became uneasy again. He not only opened the entire Yangxin Hall to her so that she could go whenever she wanted, but also insisted on coming to Yongshou Palace to sleep every night, no matter how late it was.

Still in mourning, the two of them couldn't do anything, and were forced to sleep under the covers while staying up late and getting up early, which made Qian Shengyan quite impatient.

She tried to persuade Yinzhen many times, but it was no use; Yinzhen still came as he pleased.

"It's almost eleven o'clock, isn't it?" Qian Shengyan glanced at the large clock in the outer room and couldn't help but sigh. "In two or three hours, His Majesty will have to get up again."

"It's alright, I rest every afternoon." Yinzhen lay down beside her, playing with her fingers as he slowly told her some things, "I plan to send Hongshi to the Ministry of Revenue for some training. With the Thirteenth Prince watching over him, I feel at ease."

“Alright.” Qian Shengyan nodded. Hongshi is already so old. It’s fine if he doesn’t get a family estate or a title, but he can’t just keep studying every day, can he?

"He's been quite well-behaved in the palace for the past six months. I had someone check on him, and he's doing well; he's even gained some weight..." After rambling on, Yinzhen changed the subject, "I'm planning to find Hongli a few more tutors. Oh, and about the glass you mentioned, I've had them prepared. We'll replace it in the Yangxin Hall and your Yongshou Palace in a while."