Chapter 14: Your Majesty, Do What You Say
Night fell as expected, but the palace was still brightly lit.
Chan Zhen was helped by Lu Zhu to change into an exquisite palace dress, with large blooming peonies dotted between the hems of her skirt. When she moved, the golden silk threads shone brightly, complementing the swaying hair ornaments in her hair, making her face even more charming and glorious.
When she walked out of the dressing room, Zen Zhen did not miss the astonished look of His Majesty, which made her cheeks slightly red. At the same time, she felt quite uncomfortable wearing such luxurious clothes for the first time.
"Your Majesty, am I being a little presumptuous by dressing like this?" She lifted the hem of her skirt carefully, fearing that she would accidentally snag the line.
Even though she came from the common people, she knew that peony was the symbol of the queen, not to mention that the peonies on this palace skirt were all embroidered with gold thread. Such luxurious clothes could only be afforded by a few high-ranking ladies in the palace.
His Majesty said he would take her to the evening banquet, but she thought that she had just entered the palace and should act cautiously to leave a good impression on the future queen. His Majesty made such arrangements as if he couldn't wait to let her steal the show.
After his rebirth, Chen Dingyao had ordered the palace servants to custom-make this dress in advance, and now, finally, the person he loved wore it. The person before him looked exactly like the person he remembered from his previous life, but there was no disgust or resistance in his eyes, but rather a sense of uneasiness and a hint of dependence.
He walked forward, lowering his eyes to admire her appearance carefully. When her face gradually turned red and she finally couldn't help but look away, he chuckled and said, "How can you be considered presumptuous?"
He reached out and straightened a hairpin on her head, "This was originally prepared for you."
His voice and movements were so gentle that Zen Zhen's stiff body couldn't help but relax.
The man before her was her only support from now on. Thinking this, she couldn't help but move closer to His Majesty. As long as His Majesty didn't accuse her of usurping power, then the opinions of outsiders didn't really matter. Now that she had entered the palace, she had to make her life easier.
"Your Majesty, are we leaving now?" she asked in a tender voice.
Chen Dingyao took her hand and said with a smile, "Zhen Zhen is waiting impatiently?"
Chan Zhen raised her eyes and glanced at him lightly, "I was just worried that everyone else was getting impatient."
The banquet is about to begin, and the princes, ministers, and concubines in the harem are probably all here. It will take some time to walk from the Purple Palace. Why is His Majesty still waiting for her to dress and put on makeup calmly, without any hurry at all?
She didn't want to be branded as a seductress who wasted the emperor's time just after entering the palace.
"I am the emperor. No one dares to say anything no matter how late you arrive." Chen Dingyao patted her shoulder gently and comforted her.
Chan Zhen looked up at him and said, "But I'm afraid. They won't dare say anything about you, but they will definitely curse me."
In the previous dynasty, a king had once stopped attending court in order to win the favor of his concubine. This had drawn widespread condemnation, with the world accusing the concubine of seducing the emperor. Later, when the kingdom was about to fall, the king forced the concubine to commit suicide in public. She wanted to gain His Majesty's favor, because only His Majesty could guarantee her survival in the palace, but she did not want to follow the same path as the previous concubine.
After hearing her words, Chen Dingyao fell silent for a moment.
In his previous life, he insisted on taking her as his concubine, which indeed caused her to suffer a lot of infamy for no reason. Perhaps this is also the reason why Zenzhen has always refused to accept him.
"Don't worry, it won't happen in this life."
…
The banquet was held in the square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Before the banquet even began, concubines and ministers from the former dynasty entered the venue one after another, and palace maids and eunuchs, holding golden plates and jade bowls, moved in an orderly manner.
Before His Majesty arrived, the concubines were chatting in groups of three or four, while absent-mindedly staring at the entrance out of the corner of their eyes, looking forward to His Majesty's arrival.
Counting from the month before the southern tour, it has been nearly three months since the emperor summoned anyone to sleep with him. If they don't hurry up and wait for the new person brought back by His Majesty to enter the palace, these old people who are already rarely favored will have even less chance.
Concubine Yang dressed up very carefully, and her beautiful makeup made her stand out among the other flamboyant concubines.
Concubine Shu never liked her pretentiousness, but she was unwilling to lower her status to argue with her. Seeing her reserved and proud look, a hint of sarcasm flashed across her eyes, and then she looked away indifferently.
She has only been favored for a few days and has become arrogant and ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Your Majesty has never had the habit of forgetting someone and then picking them up again. Otherwise, Concubine Xu would not have given birth to Prince Zhuang and still been stuck in the position of Concubine for more than ten years.
When Concubine Yang was in favor, she acted flamboyantly and offended many people. So after she was neglected, some concubines who were at odds with her took the opportunity to add insult to injury, and Concubine Xu never missed any opportunity to mock her.
"It's been a long time since I've seen Concubine Yang look so elegant. It's a pity that Your Majesty has been away from the palace for so long, I'm afraid he's almost forgotten what his sister looks like." Concubine Xu, a former palace maid, was a delicate beauty in her youth, and had been favored by His Majesty for a while. But for some reason, after giving birth to Prince Zhuang, not only did she not advance in status, but he has been neglected ever since. If it weren't for her status as Prince Zhuang's biological mother, the harem would probably have forgotten her existence.
Concubine Yang looked at her for a long moment before she knitted her brows and said, "Ms. Xu hasn't been seen in a long time. She looks so haggard. How could she not have dressed up properly? Not to mention Your Majesty, even I had to observe her for a long time before I recognized her."
"You..." Concubine Xu's face changed when her sore spot was hit. Although she was just a talented person, all the concubines in the harem gave her some face for the sake of Prince Zhuang. Only Concubine Yang had never taken her seriously since she entered the palace, which was extremely hateful.
Seeing the two of them arguing again, Concubine De frowned, "That's enough! Aren't you laughing at the banquet enough?"
In her heart, she secretly cursed Xu Cairen as a fool. No wonder she was still in the position of Cairen after more than ten years without moving forward. If it weren't for King Zhuang, she really wouldn't want to clean up her mess everywhere.
After being scolded by Concubine De, everyone calmed down. The three concubines were old people who had been with His Majesty since the Qiandi Palace. Their positions were very stable and they now held the power of the palace. Even Concubine Yang would not be willing to confront them.
The virtuous concubine was obsessed with her son, Prince Yu, and had long given up the idea of vying for favor. She never got involved in the confrontation at the banquet from beginning to end.
There was a moment of silence at the banquet, and at this moment, a voice was heard from the doorway: "Your Majesty has arrived!"
Those who were originally talking and laughing immediately fell silent, quickly dusted themselves off, straightened their appearance, and all stood up from the table and saluted.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"
Chen Dingyao's face was calm: "Everyone, please stand."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The concubines had not seen His Majesty for a long time. At this moment, there was a hint of anticipation and excitement in their expressions. They all looked up at His Majesty, but their eyes froze the next moment.
Even the ministers who claimed to be knowledgeable and experienced looked at each other in confusion.
The reason is simple: it's all because of the strange woman following His Majesty.
Being stared at by so many people, Zen Zhen's heart was about to jump out of her chest, and she subconsciously stopped in her tracks. But at this moment, a hand reached out and took her hand, leading her to continue walking steadily forward until they stopped in front of the throne at the top.
All the concubines were stiff, their eyes filled with deep fear.
Although I had long known that His Majesty had brought back a commoner woman from his southern tour, I had no idea she would be so stunning. With such beauty, such a delicate temperament, and in the prime of youth, she would surely become a serious threat in the future.
Concubine Yang clenched her palms, her face pale and her previous pride gone. How could His Majesty...how could he bring that woman in with such care and tenderness? She had never seen such a tender look or gesture before.
Chen Dingyao walked to the front of the throne and cast a look to Guo Kai beside him. Guo Kai understood and quickly asked the eunuch to add another seat to the side of the throne, above the three concubines and only slightly lower than His Majesty.
Thinking of the imperial edict His Majesty had just drafted, he nervously wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Who could have imagined that His Majesty would actually confer upon Miss Song such an unthinkable position?
Seeing the emperor's intention, everyone looked even more puzzled and began to discuss it in low voices with those around them, but no one was the first to speak and question him.
This Majesty actually fought his way to the throne, unlike the gentle-tempered previous emperor.
Zen Zhen stood nervously at the side, staring at the ground below his feet, trying to avoid the heated gazes in the field. No matter what, he didn't dare to sit down directly next to His Majesty.
But suddenly I heard His Majesty's laughing voice beside me.
"It so happens that all the nobles are here today. I have an imperial decree to issue. Guo Kai, announce it!"
Guo Kai immediately unfolded the imperial edict that he had prepared long ago, took a deep breath and tried his best to keep his voice from trembling.
I didn't listen carefully to what was said before. I just felt a buzzing in my ears. Until the last sentence fell, it was like a thunder suddenly exploded in my ears, and all other sounds disappeared.
"...You are hereby conferred the title of Imperial Consort immediately. I decree this!"
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