The 22nd year of Jianxing was gradually coming to an end. As the New Year's Day approached, the atmosphere in the palace gradually became cheerful.

Starting from the 28th, the Tongzhengsi no longer reported matters, and all major government offices also tried to postpone official business. On the 30th, a tall Aoshan lantern shed was set up in front of the Qianqing Palace. The palace ladies and eunuchs greeted each other when they met. Everyone wore new clothes and there were happy smiles everywhere.

Today was New Year's Eve. Chu Jinyao changed into a bright red makeup flower slanting collar, tied with a gold-woven horse-faced skirt, and changed her hair accessories to a full set of ruby-studded gold headpiece. It was rare for Chu Jinyao to let the palace maids put heavy makeup on her. She had black hair, fair skin, red lips and white teeth. The color collision was very obvious. After the heavy makeup, the person in the bronze mirror had dark eyebrows and delicate lips. The contrast between the black hair, red lips and the white skin became more obvious. Chu Jinyao's long hair was all tied up and piled high behind her head. Her hair was really like clouds, and gold and jade colors flowed through her hair from time to time. In order not to steal the show, Chu Jinyao usually wore light makeup except on the day of the wedding. However, today was a big occasion, and all the concubines in the harem would wear heavy makeup. It would be bad if they were suppressed by others. Chu Jinyao couldn't lose face for the Eastern Palace, so she let the palace maids dress her up.

After the last hairpin was inserted, the maids who were combing her hair exclaimed sincerely: "The Crown Princess looks so beautiful today."

"What do you mean by beautiful today?" Jie Geng was quick-witted and loved to take advantage of others with words. She brought a bronze mirror and shone it from behind to let Chu Jinyao see the bun on the back of her head. "Our Crown Princess looks the best every day, Crown Princess, don't you think so?"

Chu Jinyao was amused. Linglong was standing aside. After hearing this, she came over and patted Jie Geng gently: "You are the only one who knows how to talk. You deliberately try to please the Crown Princess."

"That's right, I just told the truth. Crown Princess, please judge for me!"

"That's all." Chu Jinyao smiled and stopped them, "You've worked hard for a year, and you'll all get rewards later."

The maids in the room were even happier, and all bowed to Chu Jinyao. Chu Jinyao adjusted her hair bun, stood up and said, "Let's go, it's time to pay respects to the Empress. It would be too rude to go late."

The Kunning Palace was also decorated with lights and colors. Chu Jinyao led the people to pay respects to the young Empress Qi in a proper manner: "Congratulations to the Empress, long life."

The young Empress Qi was also dressed up today, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, and a beautiful face. When Empress Xiao Qi saw Chu Jinyao, her eyes narrowed. She squinted her eyes and looked her up and down before slowly telling Chu Jinyao to stand up: "Crown Princess

, please stand up." At this time, Empress Xiao Qi had already met with the concubines who came to pay their respects and kowtow, and moved to the more homely back hall. Chu Jinyao was a daughter-in-law, and like the princess and others, she was a member of the royal family. When she paid her respects, she naturally paid them in the back hall like her family. The other concubines were all concubines, and their status was incomparable. Naturally, the two groups of people paid their respects in different places.

Now in Empress Xiao Qi's own inner hall, the only ones who could stay were the favorites around Empress Xiao Qi, because today was New Year's Eve, and the two high-ranking concubines, Concubine Li and Concubine Shu, were also there. When Chu Jinyao paid her respects to Empress Xiao Qi, except for Empress Xiao Qi, everyone else stood up to avoid this courtesy. After Chu Jinyao was called up, these concubines came forward and saluted Chu Jinyao: "Crown Princess."

Chu Jinyao closed her eyes and returned a half-salute. According to etiquette, Chu Jinyao was a first-rank imperial concubine, more honorable than the concubines in the harem. But these were the emperor's women after all, and barely considered her stepmothers, so Chu Jinyao would not really accept the salutes of these concubines.

After they were seated again according to their status, Concubine Shu looked at Chu Jinyao and said with a smile, "The Crown Princess is already a rare beauty. After dressing up today, she looks even more outstanding."

Empress Xiao Qi and Concubine Li, who prided themselves on their beauty, felt uncomfortable after hearing this. The more beautiful a woman is, the more she will be wary of someone being more beautiful than herself. Being praised for one's beauty in such an occasion where so many beauties gather is not necessarily a good thing. Chu Jinyao glanced at Concubine Shu and said with a smile: "My Lady Shu is embarrassing me. I am just a little bit of makeup and trying to imitate others. How can I compare with the Empress Dowager? The Empress Dowager is the mother of the country and is still favored by the emperor. Even today, she still looks like a young girl. This is the fate of extreme wealth and nobility."

The topic was brought to Empress Xiao Qi, and everyone in the room naturally agreed. Empress Xiao Qi smiled comfortably and ignored Concubine Shu's words.

Concubine Shu failed to win the fight, so she glanced at Chu Jinyao, smiled, and stopped pursuing. It is a fact that Chu Jinyao is younger and more beautiful than Empress Xiao Qi, and the man she married is the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. Even if Chu Jinyao can coax Empress Xiao Qi once, what about ten or twenty times? Concubine Shu was not in a hurry. She could have slowly and gradually driven nails into Empress Xiao Qi's heart. She did not believe that Empress Xiao Qi could continue to deceive herself.

Everyone was praising the Empress in various ways. Chu Jinyao said this and refused to say anything more. The more she said, the more mistakes she made. Moreover, she was the Crown Princess. It was not good to be too cold or too flattering to the Empress. She had to be more careful in grasping the degree.

Chu Jinyao took advantage of everyone's laughter and silently scanned the people present with her eyes. Concubine Shu sat opposite the Empress. She was gentle and dignified, and spoke softly. She looked like a virtuous person. However, such a seemingly amiable concubine repeatedly provoked the relationship between Chu Jinyao and the Empress. However, Concubine Shu's focus happened to be on Chu Jinyao's appearance, which was what she was most afraid of.

The relationship between Chu Jinyao and Empress Xiao Qi was complicated. Chu Jinyao could not stand out in front of Empress Xiao Qi, but for the sake of the dignity of the Eastern Palace, she could not give in too much. Chu Jinyao put a lot of thought into maintaining this fragile balance, and Concubine Shu had to give her a push from time to time. If it was other aspects, Chu Jinyao could still deliberately hide her shortcomings, but Concubine Shu specifically picked out appearance and age, which was really experienced and ruthless, and her attack was on point.

Women's jealousy is very terrible, and Empress Xiao Qi's is even more terrible. When Concubine Shu did this, was she targeting the empress or the prince?

Chu Jinyao shuddered as she thought about it carefully. Concubine Shu is the most senior concubine in the palace. Her status can be seen from her title "Shu", not to mention that Concubine Shu is the foster mother of the second prince.

The second prince is the son of a palace lady. After his biological mother died of illness, he was brought to Concubine Shu's palace to be raised. As for who the second prince's biological mother is, why she died, and why she died, no one has mentioned it for a long time. The

second prince needs a famous and powerful foster mother, and Concubine Shu also needs a son to rely on. This is a win-win situation.

The most important thing is that the second prince is only two years younger than Qin Yi, and he is about to reach the age of marriage. Before getting married, he must be crowned a king, and once he has a title, he should go to the vassal state.

Chu Jinyao sighed silently when she thought of this. The empress was the enemy of all the women in the harem, and the crown prince was probably the enemy of all the princes. Not only did Empress Xiao Qi have thoughts on this, but even Concubine Shu was unwilling to be lonely.

Chu Jinyao's mind was in turmoil, and her expression became more cautious. She didn't speak most of the time, but just kept smiling, and nodded slightly when someone looked at her. Even so, Chu Jinyao was nervous the whole time. Today is New Year's Eve. On this day in previous years, whether it was the Changxing Marquis's Mansion or the Su family, they would put down their work at this time and gather together as a family to chat. However, now, the furnishings around Chu Jinyao have become much more refined, and the people she has to face are also much more beautiful, but Chu Jinyao doesn't feel like it's the New Year at all.

Several princesses also arrived one after another, and the women in the harem were really crowded. The roundabout laughter in the palace was continuing, and suddenly the eunuchs' voices came from outside: "The emperor has arrived. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived, and the second and third princes have arrived."

The women in the room were all surprised: "The emperor is here?"

The morning court session was held regardless of the weather, and finally it could be stopped for three days on New Year's Day. The emperor had been forced to attend court sessions for more than 20 years, and he really had not had a good night's sleep. Today, he finally waited for a short break, which made him sad and moved. Today was the last morning court session in the 22nd year of Jianxing. The ministers were very knowledgeable and did not delay for too long, so they left early. The emperor was so happy that he remembered that today was a day for family reunion in the folk, so he also wanted to enjoy the family happiness. He heard from the eunuchs that all the concubines, princesses and the crown princess were with the queen, so the emperor ignored everything and immediately came with his three sons. Hearing that

the emperor was coming, and that the crown prince and two princes were also with him, the young concubines were immediately happy and flustered. What made them happy was that they could see the emperor during the Chinese New Year. They were not his wives, but he was their only husband. Who wouldn't want to celebrate the Chinese New Year with her husband? What made them panic was... why was the emperor so reckless? It would have been fine if he came to Kunning Palace by himself, but why did he bring three princes with him? Especially the crown prince and the second prince, who were already quite old. Even if the concubines were stepmothers, they should have been cautious with the princes.

However, Empress Qi did not have this taboo. She was overjoyed and went outside the palace to welcome the emperor in person. After the young concubines shouted "Long live the emperor", they lowered their heads and hid in the compartment at the back, but the concubines and the empress did not have to avoid him.

Chu Jinyao followed the others to pay respect to the emperor, and then she saluted Qin Yi lightly: "Your Highness."

It was obviously the same environment, but seeing Qin Yi immediately made people feel at ease.

Qin Yi was wearing the prince's court robes, which were layered and looked more majestic. Qin Yi had seen Chu Jinyao a long time ago, but this was Kunning Palace, and there were spies everywhere. Qin Yi couldn't be too close to Chu Jinyao, so he could only nod coldly and motioned Chu Jinyao to come over to him.

Chu Jinyao followed Qin Yi naturally. Concubine Shu's attention was originally on the emperor. When she saw this scene, she couldn't help but feel a little sour and complicated: "The crown prince and the crown princess are newly married, and the husband and wife follow each other. It's really enviable."

The second and third princes also came forward to salute Chu Jinyao: "Sister-in-law."

Chu Jinyao returned the salute. The emperor watched his children salute each other, and a long-lost tenderness surged in his heart: "It's better to have such a lively and lively atmosphere, so that the second and third sons can get married quickly. There are still too few people in the palace."

The emperor himself was unaware of this, and others showed some subtle expressions. Concubines like Concubine Shu and Concubine Life who had no children thought that the emperor was dissatisfied with them for not giving birth to an heir. Empress Xiao Qi felt a prick in her heart and her face was not good. The princes who were qualified to compete for the throne naturally bowed their heads and kept silent.

Chu Jinyao thought, you have so many concubines in your harem, I am afraid that the emperor can't remember how many women he has, how can you say that there are not many people?

The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment, and soon, the smart people in the palace laughed and moved the scene.

"Your Majesty." Concubine Shu smiled gently, "If you want to have more children in the harem, it's not easy. The Crown Princess has already married, and has a deep relationship with the Crown Prince. Won't the Eastern Palace be able to have a baby soon?"

Chu Jinyao was suddenly speechless. Everyone was watching this matter, and everyone was urging her to get pregnant quickly, and it would be best if she had a boy at once. But how could she control such a thing? Chu Jinyao was under tremendous pressure, but she couldn't say anything.

Qin Yi was standing beside Chu Jinyao, and when he heard this, he glanced at Concubine Shu indifferently and said, "Children are all fate, and this matter can't be rushed. What's more, I and the Crown Princess are both young, and Concubine Shu is even more anxious to have a baby in the Eastern Palace than we are."

The relationship between the Crown Prince and the Emperor has always been a very delicate one. If the prince is shrewd in political affairs and has a legitimate eldest son early, this may not be a good thing.

Qin Yi's words hit the mark of Concubine Shu's mind. Although he did not say it explicitly, he warned Concubine Shu in a very obscure and dangerous way. Concubine Shu turned pale after being scolded like this, and immediately dared not say anything more.

Chu Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief silently. I don't know if it was her illusion, but with Qin Yi by his side, the women in the room would not dare to talk about Chu Jinyao even if they had evil intentions. Qin Yi just standing here is more effective than the lion guarding the house.

Concubine Shu was too embarrassed to answer. The emperor seemed not to notice the swordplay below. He was still excitedly talking about the second prince: "The second prince will be eighteen after the New Year, and it's time for him to marry a concubine." Empress Xiao Qi's

smile faded, and she replied: "Yes, I will arrange it." Concubine

Shu's attention was immediately attracted by the two words "marry a concubine". She was the foster mother of the second prince, so of course she was concerned about the future candidate for the second imperial concubine. The emperor was a hands-off manager. He threw the matter to Empress Xiao Qi and didn't care about it himself. Empress Xiao Qi still smiled sweetly and talked to the emperor happily, but she had already figured it out in her heart. As for Concubine Shu, she naturally carefully inquired about the emperor's intentions. Concubine Li, who had no children and lived behind a screen, heard this and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

She couldn't help but touch her belly. She was also young, not much older than the Crown Princess. When would she have her own prince?

The emperor and his concubines were enjoying the joy of family life. Qin Yi had no interest in listening. After a while, he took Chu Jinyao to leave. Because the emperor personally visited Kunning Palace, the whole harem was in an uproar, and the concubines became more and more attentive to their makeup. This excitement continued until the New Year's Eve banquet in the evening.

Today is a family banquet. In addition to the concubines, princes and princesses in the harem, the emperor also specially summoned several close ministers to the palace for the emperor and his ministers to have fun together. Although they were also kept in the palace on New Year's Eve, the faces of several adults were rosy. It was obviously a favor to be able to attend the emperor's family banquet.

Empress Xiao Qi brought many concubines to the banquet behind the pearl curtain, chatting and laughing while watching the stage outside. In this situation, Chu Jinyao still looked polite and wanted to stand beside Empress Xiao Qi to serve her mother-in-law. Empress Xiao Qi naturally had to act like a loving mother in front of others, so she quickly stopped Chu Jinyao, encouraged her casually, and let her sit down.

Chu Jinyao then sat down. As long as she was in front of others, she would never give people a chance to talk about her. Empress Xiao Qi may not be kind, but Chu Jinyao must earn a reputation for filial piety. After returning from Empress Xiao Qi, Chu Jinyao had the heart to look at the stage outside the pearl curtain.

On the stage, people from the Jiaofangsi were singing and dancing to entertain the guests. Because the emperor liked new things from the people, there were also amusement shows during the banquet. With the pearl curtain separating them, the concubines could hear what the emperor said while maintaining the dignity of the harem. At this banquet, Chu Jinyao did not plan to eat anything. She picked up the small dishes and moved her chopsticks a few times, which she considered as having eaten. Ciqing Palace prepared other dishes. If she really wanted to eat something, she would wait until she returned to her own territory.

The concubines around her were also like this, eating more frugally than cats. Chu Jinyao was about to put down her chopsticks when she heard ministers outside the pearl curtain praising the emperor's merits. In order to please the emperor, they even mentioned Empress Xiao Qi, saying things like "mother of the world", "virtue of the people", "virtue of the empress of all ages".

Chu Jinyao silently complained in her heart. She could have said anything else, but it was a pity that they dared to praise Empress Xiao Qi for her "virtue" in front of Qin Yi and her, the Crown Princess. However, this is how the world works. Although the reason why Empress Xiao Qi ascended to the throne was very disgusting, people who want to please Empress Xiao Qi far outnumber those who despise her.

The women inside naturally heard the praises from outside, and many concubines responded with a smile: "That's right, the Empress has been very kind to the six palaces, and everything she says and does is a model for all women in the world. It is a blessing for us to have the Empress in charge of the six palaces."

Anyone would feel happy to be complimented in such an occasion, not to mention that Empress Xiao Qi liked luxury and was best at appearance. After hearing these words, Empress Xiao Qi just smiled lightly and didn't say anything, but the smug look on her face could not deceive anyone.

Chu Jinyao smiled appropriately, not showing any strange expression. Others laughed apologetically, and the second princess and the third prince also shared in the honor. Just when the Empress Dowager and her people were feeling proud and glorious, the voices outside suddenly changed, and someone suddenly talked about something: "The Empress Dowager is good in everything, except that the harem has a real pity of offspring. In the past ten years, the harem has not had a new Dragon Princess, which is really a pity."

The Empress Dowager's face changed slightly, and the originally harmonious concubines seemed to have been touched in the sore spot, and they all lost their voices immediately.

The young Queen Qi said unhappily, "I have tried my best to manage the harem for Your Majesty over the years. I have taken care of everything including food, clothing, housing and transportation myself. How can you blame me for the infertility of the concubines in the harem?"

"I dare not." The person who was speaking outside knelt down. Even so, he did not give up. "It's just that the royal heirs are not abundant. It is not a sign of great prosperity. Your Majesty is in charge of the six palaces. She should recruit more concubines for Your Majesty, treat them equally, and expand the royal family as soon as possible."

In front of so many people, the young Queen Qi could not turn her face, so she had to straighten her face and said, "Of course, I am the queen, so I naturally understand this."

Chu Jinyao suddenly had a vague premonition. She calmly turned her eyes away and looked at Qin Yi through the gently swaying pearl curtain. Qin Yi sat upright on his seat, concentrating on looking at the patterns on the wine jar, seemingly not paying attention to what was being said outside.

Not long after the Queen finished speaking, a man in the hall knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor in the main seat: "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

The emperor was surprised: "Why are you so happy?"

"Just now, I was in the side hall and happened to see a queen fainted. For the queen's health, I bravely took her pulse and found that she was pregnant!"

Qin Yi smiled slightly, and Chu Jinyao also felt something and turned her head to look at the Queen.

After hearing this, the Queen's face immediately darkened. What does this mean? Why did he first get her to say something before reporting that the concubine was pregnant? Is this implying that she, the queen, is jealous and immoral!