Zhuang Yuyan was holding the child. She turned around and saw the emperor walking towards her in a robe with a five-clawed dragon pattern. She stepped forward and knelt slightly, "Your Highness."

"Everyone, please stand up," Feng Jin walked up to Zhuang Yuyan, took the child from her arms, looked at his son whose eyebrows and eyes had grown and turned white and tender, and said with a smile, "Let's officially begin."

A blessed lady took the child from the emperor's hands, said words of blessing, took out a red rope from the tray and tied it around the child's ankle, meaning that blessing was put on the child, and from then on the child would have great fortune and good luck.

Then, Madam Zhuang took the Fourth Prince from Madam Quanfu, bowed to the heaven and earth, said words of blessing, and walked three steps outside the hall with the child in her arms. Then, she returned to the main hall, handed the Fourth Prince to Zhuang Yuyan, and said with a smile, "Madam Zhao, the Fourth Prince will surely be blessed with great fortune and a long life. Please treat him well."

This represents the wishes of the maternal family for their grandson. Although the royal family does not need to take this step, since they can ask Mrs. Zhuang to do this step, it also represents the emperor's love and respect for Concubine Zhao.

"Please rest assured, mother. I will treat him well," Zhuang Luyan solemnly held the child in her arms, stood up and bowed to Mrs. Zhuang, "Thank you, mother."

Mrs. Zhuang dodged quickly, then returned a half-bow before retreating to the side with red eyes. The woman in front of her was not only her daughter, but also the Concubine Zhao of the Jiuzhou Dynasty. She could not accept this courtesy.

Feng Jin took the small cloak with the Chinese characters for "Fu" and "Shou" printed on it from the tray held by Gao Dezhong, carefully put it on the Fourth Prince, and tapped him on the forehead: "It's cold, take the child to the back hall." This was a father's blessing to his child. Normally, ordinary families would personally put a cloak with the Chinese character for "Fu" on their children, but many princes of the imperial family did not have this honor, at least the first three princes did not have this treatment.

The ladies present were all as clear as mirrors and knew that the Fourth Prince must be very blessed.

Zhuang Yuyan handed the child to the wet nurse and looked up at the man in front of her. He had beautiful eyebrows and eyes, a tall and slender figure, and all the advantages that no other man had. But this man was the emperor, a man who could have hundreds of women, an emperor she could not afford and dared not love.

Curling up the corners of her mouth, she revealed a smile as beautiful as a flower and yet affectionate, as if no one else in this world was important and no one could see her except him.

The moment he lowered his head, their eyes met. Hers were full of affection, while his pupils were clearly black and white, making it difficult to tell who loved who and who betrayed who.

Feng Jin looked at the woman calmly, turned around slowly, walked to the top seat and sat down, then glanced at Gao Dezhong.

"The Emperor, in accordance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims: The Zhuang family has a beautiful daughter, whose virtues have won my heart, and she is promoted to Consort Zhao..."

Zhuang Yuyan knelt quietly, listening to Gao Dezhong's loud voice echoing throughout the hall. She suddenly felt her heart calmer than ever before. From the first day she came to this world until now, she had never been so calm. She could even feel the envious eyes of others around her and Feng Jin's condescending gaze.

"Zhuang's Consort Zang Jiacheng is a woman of good character, peaceful and steadfast, and peaceful and pure. She was blessed by Heaven to give birth to my son. This is truly Heaven's great love..."

Is she pure? Perhaps there are no pure women in this harem. The pure ones are all dead or defeated. Those dead women, those disfavored women, those lonely and helpless women in the cold palace, they all flashed through Zhuang Yuyan's mind one by one. Some of these people were defeated by Zhuang Yuyan, and some were defeated by their own hands.

"I am very pleased. I now grant you the title of noble consort to reward her for her service to me. I will hold the ceremony of enthroning her on an auspicious day in August. I am very grateful."

August was Zhuang Yuyan's birthday, and also the month when Concubine Shu Gui was born. Zhuang Yuyan didn't know why, but after receiving the imperial edict and thanking the emperor for his grace, she looked in the direction where Concubine Shu Gui was standing, but she only saw Concubine Shu Gui's indifferent and calm look.

Hearing the congratulatory voices of other women, Zhuang Yuyan recalled the first time she met Concubine Shugui, when that stunningly beautiful woman walked in from outside the door. Now, in the blink of an eye, the beauty is still there, but the emperor's favor is no longer there.

Seeing that Zhuang Yuyan looked stunned and seemed to have not yet reacted, Feng Jin smiled slightly and signaled Gao Dezhong to read the second imperial edict.

"The mother of Consort Zhao Gui, Lady Chen, was a virtuous woman. I was blessed with Lady Zhuang's beautiful daughter because of Lady Chen's virtue. I now confer her the title of Lady of the First Rank and bestow upon her the title of Cloud Phoenix Brocade."

Mrs. Zhuang had never expected that she would be conferred a title. She was stunned for a moment before she knelt down to receive the imperial edict. Even after receiving it, she still felt a little dizzy. She didn't know whether this sudden honor was good or bad.

"Okay, Concubine Zhao is still very weak, so you should go back to the palace as soon as possible. The Empress will take care of this place. I will go back to the palace with you." After saying that, he stood up, left everyone behind, and left with Zhuang Yuyan.

The queen smiled faintly as she watched the two of them leave. She stood up straight and said to everyone present: "In that case, ladies, please join me in the banquet."

All the people present were concubines or ladies with royal titles, and they all had a joyful look on their faces, as if such a happy event had happened to them.

On the imperial sedan, Zhuang Yuyan sat with the emperor. As the sedan swayed, the hair in Zhuang Yuyan's hair swayed along with it. Feng Jin kept his eyes on her hair, reached out and held Zhuang Yuyan's hand, and suddenly sighed, "Now, you are the only confidant left by my side."

Zhuang Luoyan tilted her head to look at the emperor. His expression was as calm as before, but there was still a hint of timidity in his eyes. She put her other hand on the back of his hand and whispered softly, "Your Majesty, as long as you look back, you can see that I am always behind you. I exist because of you." If Zhuang Luoyan had not been abandoned by the emperor, how could she be who she is now?

Feng Jin's hand trembled slightly when it was held. He reached out and held her in his arms, closing his eyes that were filled with emotion.

As an emperor, he would never be too emotional about anything, nor would anything affect his mood. But he could favor a woman.

The wheels of the sedan chair made a rumbling sound on the bluestone road. The emperor's ceremonial procession was always the most majestic and the most awe-inspiring in the harem. Wherever the carriage passed, eunuchs and palace maids knelt down one after another. None of them dared to raise their heads until the sedan chair completely disappeared.

Returning to Xihe Palace, Zhuang Yuyan watched the emperor leave on his sedan chair until he could no longer be seen. Then she slowly turned to look at the palace maid behind her and said, "Bring the fourth prince here."

"Yes." A nanny retreated quietly.

Taking her son from the wet nurse's hands, Zhuang Luoyan showed a hint of smile on her pretty face and reached out to stroke her son's tender cheek. The women in the harem fought for themselves, for their families, and for their children, and there was almost no rest for a single day.

She is not afraid of fighting, nor is she afraid of how many women will enter the palace in the future. Having someone she wants to protect will only make her stronger as she grows older.

Being a concubine is a job that women cannot quit. Either you do it well or you die. She doesn't want to die. She wants to live a good life, and even more so, she wants her children to live a good life. So how can she not do this job well?

After Mrs. Zhuang was conferred the title of First-Rank Lady, the phrase "Zhuang's family has a beautiful daughter" spread throughout the country, and some people even wrote erotic and romantic biographies based on Concubine Zhao and the emperor. Many people imagined how beautiful Concubine Zhao must have been, and how infatuated the emperor must have been, to be able to write such a touching love story.

At this time, Concubine Zhaogui's father retired due to illness. After Emperor Chengxuan tried to retain him again and again without success, he had no choice but to agree to his request. However, he gave him the title of Grand Tutor, which had no real power but was very honorable.

At one time, the daughter of the Zhuang family was sought after by thousands of families, and matchmakers almost broke down the doorstep of the Zhuang family. However, surprisingly, no one in the Zhuang family became arrogant because of this, but instead lived their lives as before. Many people were moved by this, saying that it was no wonder that the emperor favored the daughter of the Zhuang family alone. The Zhuang family was indeed a polite and virtuous family, which showed how virtuous Consort Zhao Gui was in the deep palace.

Zhuang Yuyan didn't care what people outside the palace thought of her, she still lived her comfortable life. When she ran into Hu, who was once Concubine Ning, one day, she could hardly believe that the woman with a gloomy expression in front of her was the Concubine Ning who was good at tea ceremony and conversation.

Mrs. Hu was several steps away from her. She showed no respect and did not bow. She just looked at Zhuang Yuyan in her gorgeous dress, and suddenly smiled. She said in a hoarse voice, "Poor, poor, really poor."

Zhuang Yuyan glanced at her, not wanting to pay any attention to her, nor wanting to embarrass such a woman, so she took Yunxi's hand and slowly walked away.

Mrs. Hu looked at Zhuang Yuyan's back and almost laughed until tears came out. She covered her eyes and whispered, "Poor insects, all of them are poor insects."

However, Zhuang Yuyan did not hear what Hu said later.

"Your Majesty, you are a pitiful insect whose heart you cannot even see clearly."

August 18th is a very auspicious day as calculated by Qin Tianjian.

In the main hall, Zhuang Yuyan took the imperial concubine's golden book, golden seal, and flying phoenix and auspicious cloud brocade, straightened her clothes, and sat down in the imperial concubine's chair with dignity.

Standing below were the Manchu officials of the third rank and above who were in the capital. They all bowed to her with a respectful attitude and awe-inspiring expressions.

"I, your humble servant, pay my respects to Her Majesty the Consort Zhao Gui. May Her Majesty live a long and healthy life!"

Zhuang Yuyan slowly raised her head and slightly raised her chin. At this moment, she was the most favored woman in the harem, except for the queen's most honorable concubine.

"Everyone please stand up."

As the ladies of honor stood up, Zhuang Yuyan slowly stood up and walked towards the palace gate step by step on the red carpet. Her long skirt dragged past like flowing water, looking noble and gorgeous.

At the entrance of the palace, stood a man in a dark black robe with dragon patterns. He was the most noble man in Jiuzhou and the man Zhuang Yuyan had fought for all her life, even though she did not love him and he did not love her either.

However, they are destined to be entangled for life.

The sun rises from the east, and even if it sets one moment, it will rise again as usual tomorrow.

This is just like the women in the harem, who never know when they will fall out of favor and when they will be able to stand in a high position.

Being a concubine is a job. You can value it, but you must not be tempted by it.

If you are tempted, there is no redemption.

(End of full text)