Shu Chengfeng had never seen this style of painting before, and said with a smile, "Very good, they look real. Take both of them."
He likes it.
In the painting at the banquet, his eyes shone.
He suddenly tossed the painting to Jiangxiang and abruptly picked up Yan Nangui, asking, "Guess what I'm thinking right now?"
Yan Nangui smiled, hugged his neck, and kissed him on the lips: "I want to too."
This woman!
Yan Nangui was thrown onto the bed in the inner room, and the man pressed down on her, biting her lips tightly.
This fight lasted for who knows how long.
The emperor was asleep, but Yan Nangui kept his eyes open and was not sleepy for a while.
She was well aware that the emperor's interest in her was growing daily.
In fact, she knew from the beginning that Shu Chengfeng was proud, noble, and had the air of a nobleman, but also the faults of one.
People like them might take a liking to a woman from a humble background and then single-handedly build her up.
But in the end, they still value one's background.
Shu Chengfeng is a prime example of this.
When she brought Consort Xiangxian, née Su, back to her residence, she may have liked her, and she certainly did.
However, more importantly, it was also to counterbalance the Crown Princess Ning and Consort Ye. After all, with Consort Su in the middle, they wouldn't cause too much trouble.
At that time, the Xia family was indeed favored.
The Crown Prince was too busy and too tired back then. It felt like the whole world was plotting against him. Even his own women, the Ning and Ye families, had their own agendas.
The obedient Xia Shi never complained even when she was wronged; she was just gentle and sensible, which suited him perfectly.
But once he entered the palace, he became the emperor, and no one in the world could cause him any worry anymore.
He no longer needs just quiet and gentleness.
Therefore, the lively Qu Jieyu became the favorite.
Even Ye Ziyue, who was usually quite naive, ended up serving more people after entering the palace.
Because no matter how reckless you are, things are not like before, and Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about so much anymore.
Consort Mei was inept at personnel management, but she had a proud and arrogant personality, which suited the emperor's taste.
As for myself.
As the wild geese fly south, what I want is for the emperor to feel that I am worthy of him.
And she did indeed do it.
Even now, His Majesty occasionally thinks that if it weren't for those days, Yan Nangui might have been the Empress long ago.
Yan Nangui himself had no guilty conscience at all.
Because that's the truth.
In reality, none of the women in the imperial harem could have everything.
What you use or what you replace, once you've figured it out, you can't change it.
The empress of that time used the second prince to make herself unable to have children.
Consort Xiangxian has now traded the Eighth Prince for her lost favor.
She herself used her position as a Noble Consort to counterbalance the Empress Dowager.
She likes it with clearly marked prices.
She reached out and gently traced the emperor's cheek.
She pulled him into her arms: "Go to sleep."
So she closed her eyes too.
There's still a long way to go.
Sure enough, the list came out the next day.
Consort Chen, Consort Ke, Consort Yi, Consort Hui, Consort Sang, the newly appointed Lady Yang, Consort Sun, and Consort Xu followed.
Of the princes, only the eighth prince was too young to go out; the rest went along.
Among the princesses, both the fourth and seventh princesses went.
The fourth princess was going with the fifth prince, and the two siblings had never been separated.
The seventh princess, of course, is someone her mother should take care of.
When the Imperial Concubine was going out, the Virtuous Concubine naturally stayed in the palace to oversee things.
She knew perfectly well that she wouldn't go out with them this time.
When the Empress Dowager saw that Consort Zhuang Lingyi and Consort Li Xiaoyi could not go, she became a little anxious. However, Song Liangcai advised her, "Your Majesty, don't worry. His Majesty will favor them when he returns. It would be bad if you reminded him now."
The Empress Dowager had no choice but to suppress her thoughts.
"It must have been arranged by the Imperial Concubine, humph."
“Even if it was arranged by the Consort, it doesn’t matter. She can’t stop His Majesty from favoring whomever he wants. It’s just that the place His Majesty is going to this time is different. Aren’t those the ones who are not favored being brought along by His Majesty? It’s just for show. His Majesty will only be gone for two or three months. He will have time when he returns,” Song Liangcai said.
The Empress Dowager sighed, "It was my impatience that led me astray, but since Yue'er left, my heart has been..."
She was indeed feeling bad, but more than that, she felt a sense of loss of control.
Since becoming Consort He, she has truly become a different person.
He treated her with utmost respect, but showed no affection whatsoever.
She didn't expect anything from him; what use was someone who couldn't have children?
"Actually, Your Majesty doesn't need to keep too much attention on the harem." Song Liangcai chuckled as he massaged her legs. "There's been talk of establishing a crown prince for several years now. The eldest, second, and third princes are all grown up. Especially the eldest and third princes, they're quite popular. And now there's the eighth prince. You can keep an eye on things below too."
"Wouldn't it be good if the next Crown Princess was from the Ye family?"
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, then smiled: "You're right, I should reward you."
Song Liangcai hurriedly said he dared not.
The Empress Dowager was focused on supporting other people, but she only wanted to personally support a crown prince.
But this is not easy to do. New brides may not be able to give birth to princes, and even if they are, the emperor may not be interested in them.
The Ye family's daughter is certainly qualified to be the primary consort of the next crown prince.
With her around this time, the Ye family's daughter can only be the primary consort.
Currently, the eldest prince and the third prince are the most popular choices in the court, followed by the fourth prince and the sixth prince.
It was common knowledge that the Fifth Prince was frail, and although the Sixth Prince was also born prematurely, he was not as weak. Furthermore, because Consort Mei was favored by the emperor, this was also mentioned.
The fourth prince, being of the Jiang family bloodline, also has supporters.
As for the second prince, he was almost completely ignored.
With the empress out of power, his birth mother of low status, and his own cowardice, he was essentially out of the running for the throne.
The Eighth Prince has only been born a short time, and some people have already mentioned him, but it's still early. We'll have to see if he grows up. Raising children these days is no easy feat.
The Ning family has put in all their effort to have the eldest prince made crown prince.
Since His Majesty has no legitimate son, it is reasonable to establish his eldest son as the crown prince.
As long as there is a crown prince, it doesn't matter if the empress is gone.
However, Duke Ye's health has been poor these past two years, and he's kept a very low profile, not relying on the Fifth Prince at all. He's figured things out, but unfortunately, his family doesn't.
It was out of necessity.
This trip to the south with the princes was also for the purpose of showcasing their talents.
This shows that His Majesty has also begun to pay attention to the fact that the princes have grown up.
In another two years, the matter of establishing a crown prince should be put on the agenda.
As for when to establish a prince, it depends on whether a suitable prince is born later.
In his heart, His Majesty truly hoped that Guo Yan would return south and give birth to a prince.
It wasn't early in the morning, but on that day, when she told him that if she gave birth to a prince, he shouldn't be barred from competing for the position of crown prince just because of the prince she gave birth to.
He suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.
A son follows his mother's example; if that woman gives birth to a prince, he will certainly not be bad.
But he never told anyone these words. And he never will.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com