The Empress Dowager held Consort Qi's hand tightly, reluctant to let go. Wan Anran gently patted the Empress Dowager's back and said with a smile, "Next is Her Majesty the Empress—"

If the longevity peaches made for the Grand Empress Dowager were a blessing for long life and good health, and the ones made for the Empress Dowager were a way to comfort her longing for home, then the food box made for the Empress was truly awe-inspiring.

The moon shines over the western trees, and the phoenix sings among the parasol trees.

Each layer of the food box can be opened into a hollowed-out mini screen, and each screen has a different pattern: a movable full moon, a slender phoenix tree, and a phoenix dancing gracefully. It is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. The exquisite and beautiful design also symbolizes peace and prosperity.

For the Forbidden City, which has been in turmoil since last year, perhaps this is the best blessing? The Empress smiled, thinking of the chaotic group of concubines in the harem, and then looking at Consort Qi, her heart warmed, and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

Kangxi felt inexplicably uneasy.

Seeing the Empress and Consort Qi exchanging glances and laughing together, he felt an unease no matter how he looked at it. He coughed and gestured for Consort Qi to hurry up and take over.

The last portion, of course, went to the Emperor.

The emperor's design featured a dragon playing in the water, with rivers flowing into the sea, symbolizing peace and tranquility throughout the land. However, compared to the empress's exquisite design, the emperor's design appeared quite ordinary, with no apparent variations on its surface, which relieved the anxious concubines.

Emperor Kangxi was slightly disappointed.

Perhaps his expectations were too high...? It wasn't until the palace servant brought the food box to him that he suddenly realized the box might be a little too big!

No! It's not just a little bit big.

The Emperor's portion was the size of three people! Kangxi was both amused and exasperated, while Wan Anran was quite proud: "I specially chose a large size, I guarantee Your Majesty will be satisfied!"

Every time the Emperor dined, he ate a significantly larger portion. Moreover, the Emperor's food box naturally had to be more grand and imposing. The mooncakes in the "Dragon Playing in Water" food box were packed to the brim, so much so that the little eunuch holding it trembled and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Emperor Kangxi was both amused and annoyed, with a hint of embarrassment. He had a large appetite with Consort Qi, but rarely did so with the other concubines, adhering to the habit of eating only until he was seven-tenths full and consuming more vegetables and less meat...

Consort Qi, on the contrary, dared to expose her secret in broad daylight. Thinking of this, Kangxi did not laugh, but instead gave Consort Qi a cold glare.

Wan Anran: ...?

How could it be a secret? The Empress knows, and Consort Xuan knows too! She reached out and held the food box with a wronged expression: "If Your Majesty thinks it's too much, I'll send you another smaller portion later—hmm?"

Kangxi's hand was gripped tightly.

Wan Anran tried to pull it but couldn't budge it. She looked up at Kangxi with a confused expression.

Kangxi slowly handed it over to Liang Jiugong.

He coughed lightly: "How could I possibly refuse Consort Qi's profound and heartfelt sentiments?"

"Then next time..."

"The same next time," Kangxi replied directly, adhering to the principle of getting as much as possible. It wasn't that he specifically instructed her, but Consort Qi was always biased, and he, as the emperor, always felt inferior to the empress.

Kangxi: Something feels off.jpg

In any case, the family banquet was filled with joy and harmony for a time, and the gifts presented by the concubines later could not compare at all. Under the bright moonlight, not to mention fireflies, even the stars could only fade away in gloom.

Wan Anran smiled and sat down.

Consort Xuan couldn't hide her curiosity and asked many questions with great interest, showing a hint of regret. Wan Anran was very generous and lowered her voice: "Don't worry, you'll get your share later."

Consort Xuan's eyes lit up.

She immediately beamed with joy, her heart soaring back to Xianfu Palace. At the same time, Consort Xuan praised her with satisfaction: "You did the right thing this time!"

"After all, the palace is full of pregnant women," Wan Anran replied with a smile. If something unexpected happened, she wouldn't be able to explain herself, and Wan Anran didn't want her peaceful and happy days to end prematurely.

I'm someone who wants to live to be a hundred years old.

Wan Anran sat in her seat, smiling as she spoke with Consort Xuan, seemingly unaware that most of the palace concubines' eyes were fixed on her.

Consort An's face was gloomy.

Consort Jing looked melancholy.

Consort Yi's eyes darkened slightly.

Consort Hui's gaze was unfocused.

Everyone had different expressions, but Consort Xi happily joined Consort Qi and Consort Xuan in their conversation, occasionally chiming in with a comment.

When did Consort Xi and Consort Qi get involved? This scene greatly surprised all the concubines except Consort Yi. They quickly connected it with Consort Wei, who was pregnant and moved into Qixiang Palace after returning from Xiyuan. Almost all the concubines' eyes turned red.

Consort Xi had long since lost favor with the emperor.

In the past two years, she has withdrawn from the competition for favor and disappeared from the palace. Not to mention the other concubines, even the noble ladies in the palace do not pay much attention to this concubine.

Wei agreed...

Consort Qi must have been involved! Consort Jing nearly fainted, her breath caught in her throat. Why was she still so devoted to Consort An? Perhaps a trip to the West Garden would have been enough…

She was both anxious and angry.

Consort Jing and Consort An already had a bad relationship. They only suppressed their anger for the sake of the child in her womb and took good care of the child, while also considering whether other problems might arise.

And now...

The thought of a better opportunity slipping away right before her eyes caused Consort Jing immense pain.

In short, everyone's gaze towards Consort Qi had changed. If in the past they always attributed everything to Consort Qi's luck and the Empress's support, now they were surprised to find that...

Unbeknownst to her, Consort Qi had already stood firmly, her roots deeply embedded in the ground. From a small grass that no one paid attention to, she had become a small tree that could compete with other trees for sunlight and was no longer easily overturned by strong winds and rain.

Wan Anran paid no attention to the gazes of the others.

Her gaze was fixed on Yinzhen, who was carrying a small lantern and wearing a brocade robe embroidered with a jade rabbit. He was holding a small jade rabbit... cough cough, it was holding the Fourth Princess's hand.

The fourth princess, raised in the Cining Palace, was plump and fair-skinned, with soft, chubby cheeks that made her exceptionally adorable when she smiled. Now just over a year old, she held Yinzhen's hand, carried a jade rabbit lantern, and wore a white rabbit hat. Her waddling gait was incredibly cute.

The two of them standing together were incredibly eye-catching!

Wan Anran cupped her face in her hands, looking left and right, unable to get enough of the sight. Consort Guo was also happy; in the West Garden, she could see the Fourth Princess more often, but in the palace, the number of times was much less. Consort Yi wouldn't even let her see the Sixth Prince, making the days spent sitting alone in the palace somewhat unbearable.

She opened her eyes wide greedily.

Consort Guo carefully examined her daughter, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that her face was beaming with joy. The next moment, Consort Guo was slightly taken aback, as she saw the Fifth Prince leading his daughter closer and closer, until they finally came to her side.

The fourth princess stretched out her little hand: "Mother!"

Her voice was clear and bright, her goal clear, and the radiant smile she gave Guo Guiren brought tears to her eyes.

Fortunately, Consort Guo remembered that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet. She bit her tongue hard, and as the taste of blood spread between her lips and teeth, the pain also brought her back to her senses. She stopped her tears and softly replied, "...Mother is here."

Consort Guo reached out and hugged her daughter.

The fourth princess was still young, and aside from her stumbling attempts to call her "Mother," nothing else was said. Even so, it was enough to satisfy Consort Guo, who held her tightly and refused to let go.

Yinzhen turned around with satisfaction.

Turning around, he instantly noticed Crown Prince Yinreng and Yinzuo approaching him step by step.

Yinzhen: ...You guys are so annoying!

Without any hesitation, he immediately turned around and sprinted away!

Crown Prince Yinreng and Yinzuo had no intention of letting Yinzhen off the hook.

The two men, one on the left and one on the right, one in front and one behind, began to arrest Yinzhen. The three little children ran around and made a ruckus during the banquet. Where was the royal demeanor at the palace banquet? It was more like a chaotic scene.

Consort Hui sat demurely.

She glanced at the upright and polite First Prince Yinzhi, feeling a surge of satisfaction. Then, she looked up at the three men fooling around at the table, a flash of mockery crossing Consort Hui's eyes—the Emperor would surely reprimand them.

When raising a child, you must treat them as you would your own child.

However, Consort Hui's carefully laid plans did not come to fruition at all. Not only did the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager watch with amusement, but even the Emperor and Empress glanced at her and finally gave a light instruction: "Don't run so fast, be careful not to fall!"

Forget being strict, her voice was full of doting affection.

Originally hoping that the Emperor would criticize Consort Hui, she glanced at Yinzhi, who was sitting upright in his seat with a stern face, and felt a surge of resentment.

Instead of praising Yinzhi, he even looked like the Crown Prince was right... He's so biased, so extremely biased!

Consort Rong was also in a hurry.

She watched her son, who only knew how to bury his head in his food, blinking until her eyelids ached. In the end, it was the second princess who covered her mouth and chuckled, pulling her younger brother aside to whisper to him for a moment before letting Yinzhi raise his head and look around.

Yin Zhi looked at his brothers who were playing around.

Go out and play with them? Be stared at by everyone? Socially awkward Yin Zhi silently lowered his head and decided to start eating again.

The second princess sighed, rubbing her forehead.

Consort Rong's face was numb, and she wished she could slap her own leg hard.

The atmosphere at the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner was strangely ambiguous, but Wan Anran remained quite calm. The next day, she didn't forget to deliver the belated Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to the others.

The others refer to Crown Prince Yinreng, Yinzuo, and the princesses, as well as Consort Xuan, Consort Xi, and Noble Lady Nara.

The Empress was both amused and exasperated.

Even Emperor Kangxi shook his head repeatedly: "This Consort Qi, just a moment ago we said she had finally learned to be smart and knew how to put on airs, but she turned around and did something like this again." It was as if the words "closeness and distance" were pasted on her forehead.

The Empress was helpless.

After a moment's thought, she came up with a reason: "Consort Qi is being cautious, after all, there are many pregnant women in the palace, and it would be easy for something to go wrong if food were delivered."

Kangxi glanced at the Empress.

Aside from the pregnant Consort Tong, Consort An, Lady Dai, and Lady Wei, there were quite a few other concubines, yet Consort Qi didn't seem to receive a gift from any of them. He looked at the Empress, who remained calm and composed, her face practically screaming that Consort Qi had done nothing wrong, and in the end, Kangxi could only shake his head: "You just feel sorry for Consort Qi."

But who in this world can truly be impartial?

Personally, I also think that Consort Qi's arrangement was quite good.

Unfortunately, the empress's words proved prophetic, and a few days later, something really did happen in the palace.