Shen Mingrong was also somewhat surprised when she saw the necklace, but she did not refuse Shen Mingzhuang's kindness. "Although your aunt's gift is valuable, it is also your aunt's good intention. Yan'er, why don't you thank your aunt?"

"So poised and graceful, she truly lives up to her reputation as the only daughter of the Gu family." Shen Mingzhuang nodded in a good mood, patted Lu Yan's hair, and praised her with a smile, "What a good child."

Lu Yan's face flushed red, and she was a little shy, but she still bowed to Shen Mingzhuang and thanked her generously, "Thank you for the gift, Aunt."

After she finished speaking, her eyes were still full of curiosity as she looked at Shen Mingzhuang. Seeing her little face, Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at, Yan'er?"

Lu Yan's face turned even redder, but she boldly said, "Yan'er thinks... Auntie is really beautiful."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingrong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of course! Your aunt is one of the most beautiful women in our family!"

Jiang Xuan, looking proud, said, "My mother is very beautiful. Would you like to be my mother's child?"

Lu Yan tilted her head back and said, "My mother is very beautiful too. I have a mother now."

The child's innocent words brought laughter and joy to the hall.

Lu Yan received a gift, and the other children would receive one as well.

Shen Ming'e had been waiting to have a word with Shen Mingzhuang, but seeing that she was talking to Shen Mingrong and ignoring her, she suddenly felt a little panicked. Could it be that Shen Mingzhuang was still holding a grudge about Liu Wenxin and was taking it out on her, so she didn't want to talk to her?

Shen Ming'e felt uneasy and slowly lowered her eyes, her fingers resting on her stomach, her feelings complicated.

Shen Mingzhuang was talking to Zhao Shi, who had brought her daughter-in-law Wan Shi and her four-year-old grandson Shen Antai to the palace. Shen Mingzhuang was rather indifferent to the other branches of the Shen family, but since he had already rewarded Lu Yan with a valuable necklace, he couldn't be too stingy with the rewards for the children.

She bestowed upon Shen Antai a set of writing implements and some Chengxintang paper, all priceless treasures. Madam Wan hurriedly thanked her along with her son, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty the Empress."

Shen Mingzhuang smiled and told her to quickly refrain from such formalities, "We're all family, there's no need to be so polite."

As Zhao listened, she felt quite emotional. If they had always stood wholeheartedly on Shen Mingzhuang's side, they probably wouldn't have had to take those detours. Now that Shen Mingzhuang has become the Empress, how could the Shen family, as an in-law, not be rich and powerful?

Thinking of her husband's instructions before she left, Zhao felt a mix of emotions.

Previously, someone suggested that her husband, Shen Bochun, be the Crown Prince's tutor, but the Emperor rejected the idea. In the end, the Emperor did not trust the Shen family and was wary of them.

This is perhaps punishment for the Shen family's decision to remain detached and watch from the sidelines when the Empress Dowager was about to take action against Consort Ming.

But when Zhao thought about these things, she felt very helpless. The emperor's heart is fickle. Who could have imagined that Shen Mingzhuang would be in this situation after the emperor was like that? Family interests are an unavoidable issue. The Shen family does not belong to Shen Mingzhuang, so naturally they have to consider their own position.

Shen Mingzhuang was aware of this, so she did not express any resentment towards the women of the Shen family, but she still showed more respect to Madam Gu.

"How is your second aunt doing these days?"

Unlike Zhao, whose hair had turned gray and whose face bore the deep marks of the past five years, Gu seemed to have changed little from five years ago. She brought her eldest daughter-in-law Zhong, her pregnant second daughter-in-law Liu, her wet nurse carrying her five-month-old grandson, and Shen Mingshu and her husband, who looked much thinner than five years ago, to pay their respects to Shen Mingzhuang.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have been in good health these past few years. But how is Your Majesty's health?"

Madam Gu looked at Shen Mingzhuang with concern, her expression revealing genuine care.

Perhaps because she had learned manners from her, Gu Shi looked at Shen Mingzhuang with a touch of pity, which made Shen Mingzhuang think of Shen Mingrong's rescue of her.

A few tears welled up in her eyes, and she nodded with a smile, "My body is recovering very well, Second Aunt, you don't need to worry."

Then, the eldest grandson of the second branch, Shen Anshuo, was rewarded with a cool jade arm pillow, a red gold pen holder that Jiang Wang had used before, a jade pen holder with the Four Gentlemen motif, and a Duan inkstone. They looked similar to the items given to the eldest branch, but just the pen holder that His Majesty had used was enough to make Wan Shi extremely envious.

She was the eldest grandson of the first branch of the family, the future of the Shen family, yet she received less than the second son of the second branch. Wan Shi grew up in Jinling, and the Wan family was a prominent family in Jinling. Compared to the Zhong family of Yongning and the Liu family of Gusu, Wan Shi considered herself to be much better.

While Wan was pondering to herself, Shen Mingzhuang unexpectedly bestowed upon Liu's unborn child a gift. Such high regard made even Zhao realize the difference between herself and Gu.

She turned her head and saw Shen Mingrong still standing next to Shen Mingzhuang. The young lady from the Lu family was actually sitting with the Crown Prince, whispering to each other. Looking at their intimate appearance, anyone who didn't know the situation would think that the Empress had taken a fancy to the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Duke's mansion and wanted to marry her to the Crown Prince as his Crown Princess!

Zhao was feeling somewhat displeased when Liu, who was sitting next to her, suddenly got up and said something to her aunt, as if she was going to go out for a while.

Liu Wenxin was banished to the cold palace, and Liu Shi, the nominal adoptive mother, was also affected to some extent. She used to be very successful, but in the past two years she could only keep a low profile.

Seeing this, Zhao, for reasons unknown, subconsciously called out to Liu, "Third sister-in-law, where are you going?"

Liu Shi immediately stiffened as if she had been struck by a pressure point. Shen Ming'e, who was heavily pregnant, glanced at her aunt Zhao Shi with some displeasure and stepped forward to help her mother Liu Shi.

Shen Mingzhuang was talking to Madam Gu when he heard this and couldn't help but look over.

Liu regretted not being able to hide in a crack in the ground. She blushed and smiled at Shen Mingzhuang, but that smile was, to say the least, extremely unpleasant.

Others may not know why, but Shen Mingzhuang does.

Outsiders only know that Liu Wenxin is Liu's adopted daughter. Now that Liu Wenxin has entered the Cold Palace, and given the past grievances, it is understandable that Liu would feel uneasy in front of her.

However, she has now resolved her inner conflict and only feels hatred towards Liu Wenxin. If we were to describe her other emotions, perhaps a little pity as well.

She went to great lengths to become a Consort Shu, which was already an immense stroke of luck for someone of her background. She was even pregnant. In order to frame her, she went so far as to stage a fall and miscarriage. In the end, it was because she herself knew that she couldn't give birth to the child, so she deliberately bumped into someone.

Seeing that Shen Mingzhuang was staring at her without saying a word, Liu's smile gradually faded.