"Your Majesty, what are you saying? It's New Year's Eve today, and I'm happy when people praise me," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
"Oh? Tell me, what did they praise you for? I'm curious too." Shu Chengfeng got excited.
Yan Nangui smiled and said, "People say that His Majesty cares about my health and knows that I am most afraid of the cold. I was so happy that I rewarded him."
Shu Chengfeng laughed, but out of consideration for the mourning period, he didn't laugh too loudly: "Loosen your grip!"
Yan Nangui sat down with a smile.
"Today is also an auspicious day. Since you have rewarded others, I will reward you. Since entering the palace, Consort Xian has helped the Empress with many things and must be very tired. I want to reward you especially. What does Tong'er want?"
Yan Nangui covered her mouth and chuckled as she watched this scene, knowing in her heart that the emperor had suddenly stopped.
Mentioning her was a slip of the tongue; the one I actually want to praise today is Consort Su.
"It is my duty to assist Her Majesty the Empress, how dare I ask for a reward? Whatever Your Majesty bestows upon me, I will be happy to accept," Consort Su said as she rose.
"Well, jewelry and ornaments should naturally be bestowed upon you. How about I bestow upon you an even better one first? I haven't had time to think of a title for you yet. I can only think of one that suits you right now. So I will bestow upon you the title: Xiang."
"Your Majesty, I thank you!" Consort Xian knelt down.
"Get up." Shu Chengfeng smiled. "You must also help the Empress well in the future. The Empress has been working hard these past two years and her health is also weak. With you and the Consort helping her, I can rest assured."
The Empress, along with the Noble Consort and the Virtuous Consort, expressed their gratitude before sitting down.
"The character 'Xiang' is excellent. I am in dire need of assistance. This character is most suitable for Consort Xian," Empress Ning said with a smile.
"Well, I need to think about the other titles as well, but there's no rush right now," Shu Chengfeng said with a smile.
Those who came today have all received a reward.
But whose reward can compare to that of Consort Xiangxian?
Now that she has an official title, she can be on equal footing with the Imperial Concubine.
As expected of the first high-ranking official brought in during the time of the prince's residence, he is still a force to be reckoned with.
Finally, the time for fireworks to be set off outside arrived, but there were no fireworks this year, only a few firecrackers to mark the occasion. The last dish served in the palace was "Longevity and Fortune".
It's actually just a picture of good fortune and longevity made up of a bunch of vegetarian dishes. It signifies that the meal is finished.
After this dish, today's banquet will be over.
After everyone had lingered for a while, the Empress Dowager said that it was getting late.
This is why His Majesty said that he was not satisfied today and that they would meet again tomorrow.
The crowd finally dispersed.
Tomorrow is the state banquet, and qualified officials are also required to attend.
Back at Zhaochun Palace, Yan Nangui was exhausted and couldn't fall asleep.
I asked the kitchen to cook me a bowl of noodles, along with a few side dishes.
"The Imperial Concubine doesn't look too good today; she doesn't even have a title yet," Chanyi said with a smile.
"That's perfect. Once the mourning period is over, Consort Xiangxian's family should have a marquis." The Su family really isn't a very powerful one.
His official rank is unlikely to be very high, but he might be promoted to a noble title.
"Yes, this servant thinks that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager also intends to elevate her?" Chanyi asked again.
Yan Nangui thought for a while and said, "Probably. She can't possibly dislike everyone."
That's the truth. If the Empress Dowager didn't support the Empress or the Consort Xian, it would be too obvious.
"Forget it, let's not think about it anymore, let's go to sleep."
Everyone agreed and helped her rest, as they had to get up early the next morning.
If we say that the Empress Dowager was relatively restrained at the New Year's Eve banquet...
At the grand banquet on the first day of the lunar new year, the Empress Dowager showed no respect to Princess Rongning.
"In the blink of an eye, Rong Ning's youngest daughter has grown up so much." The Empress Dowager smiled.
Yan Jinfei quickly stood up: "Your Majesty, I am thirteen years old this year."
"Oh, she's in the prime of her life." The Empress Dowager turned her head and said to Consort Wu, "This child is quite handsome."
Consort Wu smiled and said, "Indeed, thirteen is a wonderful age. The Second Princess was thirteen when the late Emperor arranged her husband."
However, the second princess was betrothed at thirteen, but did not marry until she was eighteen.
The following sentence is unnecessary to elaborate on; Consort Wu clearly understood the Empress Dowager's meaning.
Consort Wu was a Noble Consort in the past, and she was one of the people who served the late Emperor in his early years.
Those who followed her into the palace gave birth to the second, third, and fourth princesses, which shows how favored they were back then.
Unfortunately, the third princess died young, and as the number of people in the palace increased, she gradually fell out of favor.
Because she only gave birth to princesses, she posed no threat and has been doing well ever since.
“Speaking of which, I remember that Princess Rongning had always been fond of the Seventh Prince, right?” Consort Xu quickly chimed in.
At this point, even her son was kneeling, so she could only fawn over the Empress Dowager.
“How come I remember that you favored the twelfth prince?” Consort Zhang also smiled.
With just a few words, Yan Jinfei's face turned pale.
Although the Dayuan region is known for its open-mindedness, it still doesn't allow a woman to marry into multiple families.
This is a grand banquet, with all the officials present. If she is spoken to like this, how will she find a husband in the future?
Rong Ning's face was also extremely ugly. She stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Fei'er is still young. She is currently in mourning for her elder brother. How can you say such things?"
She's used to being bossy, so naturally her tone of voice isn't pleasant.
The Empress Dowager didn't seem to mind and smiled, saying, "It's all my fault. It's really not the time to talk about this now."
There's no need to argue; she's already gotten the result she wanted.
Rong Ning wanted to say something more, but the Empress Dowager had already stopped.
It was like punching cotton.
Yan Jinsi and Meng Junxian, who were sitting behind her, also looked grim. At this time, they didn't really want to come, but they had no choice.
Meng Junxian couldn't help but look at the radiant woman at the head of the table.
He hated her to the extreme, but... there was something else he couldn't quite explain.
He didn't dare stare at it for long; even just glancing at it a few times made it hard to breathe.
She sat there gracefully, dressed in palace attire, looking nothing like the Yan Nan Gui who used to argue with him so fiercely.
So this is what a noblewoman from a high-ranking family looks like?
Is this what the concubines in the imperial harem look like?
Perhaps because she had looked at it a few more times, the old lady turned her head and gently tapped the table.
Meng Junxian snapped out of his reverie and lowered his head to drink his tea.
Yan Jinsi snapped out of her daze and instantly flew into a rage, glaring fiercely at Meng Junxian, her anger reaching its peak.
Whether others felt comfortable at today's banquet is hard to say, but the princess and her sons certainly felt quite aggrieved.
I'm happy that the geese are returning south.
On the way back in the carriage, Yan Jinsi and Meng Junxian started arguing.
To be precise, it's a one-sided clamor.
Now, Meng Junxian would never dare to argue with her again.
Apart from his status as a prince consort, he had nothing else.
"Speak up!" Yan Jinsi was even angrier at his attitude.
“Princess… what do you want me to say?” Meng Junxian was exhausted. “She is now an empress. If you say things like this, it will not be good for people to hear, and what good will it do for you?”
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