Chapter 50: The Grand Conferment of the Imperial Concubines

There are many small key fragments in my mind, and only a vague outline appears after piecing them together.

Every time Emperor Xuanwu takes a step, Jiang Xinyue always breaks that step into ten steps, slowly and carefully analyzing the deep meaning.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The dark night is set off by colorful fireworks, and a series of gorgeous scenes emerge.

Shuangjiang opened the window, turned around and said to Jiang Xinyue: "Master, fireworks are set off on the city gate tower."

This is also one of the must-have programs of the annual New Year's Banquet, which means that the whole world celebrates together, so that the people can also feel that the emperor is of the same mind as the people.

"Go to the kitchen and bring a table of dishes. You have been busy all day, serving me, and have not sat down to eat a single bite. Tonight, let's all stay up together in Hexi Palace, regardless of rank."

After giving instructions to Shuangjiang, Jiang Xinyue told Xi Que: "Go get some golden beans and give red envelopes to the people in the palace."

The concubines received countless gifts throughout the year and were raised with golden statues and jades. The hardest working ones were the palace maids and eunuchs who served them.

Hexi Palace closed the palace door. Because of Rongpin's matter, no one dared to make too much noise. Instead, more than a dozen people sat together and had a low-key meal. They talked about their aspirations for the new year, accepted the red envelopes given by the master, guessed lantern riddles together, played until midnight, and said Happy New Year to each of them before going down to rest.

The emperor's busy schedule had already begun at midnight.

Rongpin's child was not saved, and was taken to Cining Palace by the Empress Dowager for care.

At midnight, Emperor Xuanwu had already left the Imperial Hospital and went to the southeast room of the Yangxin Hall to hold the opening ceremony. Since the words "Ming Chuang" were written on the door lintel of the southeast room, it was also called the "Ming Chuang Opening Ceremony".

This was not the end.

After the opening ceremony, the emperor had to lead the royal family members and high-ranking ministers who had been waiting outside the palace gate to the imperial hall outside Yonghe Gate, east of the moat, to hold a ceremony to worship the gods. After the ceremony

, it was the turn of the emperor and the empress to go to Kunning Palace to worship the gods together.

At first, because of the concern of Empress Dowager Wu, Empress Zhu was unable to live in Kunning Palace, but the location of the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the gods could not be changed. The emperor and the empress needed to pray together for the gods to bless the prosperity of the Great Yan Dynasty in the new year.

After the sacrifice to the gods, the empress and the emperor went their separate ways. The empress went to the harem to accept the kneeling worship of the concubines, while the emperor went to the ancestral temple to worship the ancestral tablets.

After all these ceremonies were completed, it was already dawn, and the sleepy courtiers had the opportunity to meet the emperor to show that the day's celebration was coming to an end.

Jiang Xinyue wore a festive scarlet palace satin banner, with two buns, some kingfisher headdresses on her bun, and the small wound on her face was also covered with powder.

Empress Zhu looked like she had just recovered from a serious illness, and her already frail body had become a little thinner.

She looked in a bad mood. The concubines looked at her expression and did not dare to quarrel with her as they did in the past. In short, this New Year's Day was relatively peaceful.

"My dear."

Not long after Jiang Xinyue left Yikun Palace, Rong Guipin came over and said, "Thank you for saving my sister last night."

"It's just a small favor. Sister Guipin, there is no need to thank me."

Rong Guipin smiled and said, "If my sister has nothing to do on weekdays, she can come to Jingren Palace to chat with me. To be honest, when you hadn't moved from Xihe Palace, the emperor wanted you to come to Jingren Palace to keep me company. But the queen said that you chose Hexi Palace yourself, so we have no chance to be together."

There is such a thing?

Jiang Xinyue also laughed: "It is my concubine who has let down your sister. I will come to bother you when I have time. Please don't think I am a chatterbox."

"Then I will wait for your arrival."

At noon, Jiang Xinyue finally saw the emperor from a distance.

This is the time for the emperor to get along with his family and keep in touch with his feelings.

Emperor Xuanwu was also looking at Jiang Xinyue. The powder on her face had faded a lot due to the long time. On the right side of her face facing him, a blood-red mark was very obvious.

Xi Que said something in her ear. She covered her face in panic. After making sure that no one was paying attention to her, she grabbed a few strands of hair to cover the wound on her face.

The empress dowager was so heavy-handed. She must have wanted to destroy someone's appearance!

Fortunately, he arrived early last night, otherwise, who knows how his beloved concubine would be tortured.

Zhen Guirong felt wronged.

"Empress, pass on my decree to confer titles on the harem!"

Empress Zhu nodded, and called the chief eunuch Yang of the Yikun Palace: "Go and announce the decree!"

It was called a major title, but in fact it was the promotion of concubines below the rank of noble concubine. Those

who were originally constant ladies were promoted to noble ladies, those who were originally noble ladies were promoted to concubines, those who were originally concubines were also promoted one level higher, and so on.

The three who broke this rule were Jiang Xinyue, Rong Guipin, and Jin Chongyi.

Originally, Jin Chongyi was above Jiang Xinyue, and she was definitely several levels above her. As a result, the emperor jumped several levels and conferred the title of Zhen Zhaoyi on Jiang Xinyue.

Although she herself became Empress Zhaoyi, she just couldn't be happy.

Rong Guipin suddenly changed herself and became Shufei, one of the four concubines, and the concubines now include Liangfei, Shufei, and Defei, with only Xianfei missing.

Xianfei is the leader of the four concubines.

The positions of the four concubines are so scarce, and the people below will start to work hard for it.

Li Guifei feels very aggrieved and feels that she needs a child now.

She has been a concubine for three years, and the emperor is reluctant to make her a royal concubine. Isn't it because he thinks that she has no children and there is no legitimate reason to make her a concubine?

It seems that I have to write a few more letters home and ask my father and mother to help her find some secret recipes for having a child.

The empress followed the Emperor Xuanwu's gaze and looked at Jiang Xinyue kneeling among the concubines. Her heart skipped a beat.

Did the emperor slap her in the face last night because she poisoned Zhen Zhaoyi and framed Jiang Yuan?

This thought flashed through her mind for a moment and she rejected it immediately.

Impossible!

Even if the emperor cared about Zhen Zhaoyi, he would never use Li Guifei to slap her, the empress, in the face.

Li Guifei's name was on the emperor's decree last night, and he wanted to make her the Imperial Noble Consort.

But since the time of Emperor Taizu, the emperor's grandfather, in order to prevent the emergence of a noble concubine who would later become a threat to the position of the empress, a rule has gradually been formed that no noble concubine can be appointed while the empress is alive.

This means that in the harem, there must be no noble concubine if there is an empress, including the golden book and golden treasure that were once given to the empress and the noble concubine, but under this unspoken rule, they were only given to the empress.

So she refused and even had a few words with the emperor about it.

Li Guifei is still the first person in the emperor's heart. The emperor cannot use Li Guifei to vent his anger on Zhen Zhaoyi. It's more like a reversal of status.

So... is it because she has no children who survive?

After the Chinese New Year, Jiang Xinyue was already seventeen years old, which is still the age of a high school student in modern times, but in this ancient time when things are speeding up, it is the age of being induced to give birth.