Zhuang Yuyan looked at Tingzhu kneeling in front of her, drinking the tea that the emperor had just given her, and said, "I will punish you to kneel for the time of an incense stick. After an incense stick, you will stand up and do what you need to do. Do you understand?"

"I thank my master for his kindness." Tingzhu kowtowed three times, feeling extremely grateful. There was an ice basin in the room, so it wasn't too hot. The master asked her to kneel here, so how could she not know that it was the master's consideration. If another master knew about these things, he would never have kept her. She only received such a punishment, which was already a great favor.

In fact, Zhuang Yuyan herself did not believe in those things at all, but the matter was exposed by Concubine Yan. If she did not say a word, it would be unreasonable. However, how to punish her was her own business. Tingzhu was a smart girl who knew the current affairs, and she was reluctant to abandon her.

Just when the concubines thought that the emperor would not turn over the cards, the emperor stayed in the empress's Jingyang Palace for two consecutive nights. The empress was the emperor's legitimate wife, and the other concubines had no reason to be jealous.

On the third night, the emperor went to Concubine Shu Gui and gave her many gifts early the next morning, which showed that Concubine Shu Gui was still in great favor with the emperor.

After Shugui Fei, it was Xu Zhaorong, Ning Fei, and Xian Fei's turn, one night each. The concubines thought that the emperor had changed his dislike of flipping cards in the summer.

After visiting all these women once, the emperor did not pick up the cards for two days, which left the concubines confused.

"Your Majesty, I, the servant of the Eunuch General, come to pay my respects." When Gao Dezhong said this, Feng Jian knew that he was asking him whether he wanted to flip the card.

"Let him in." Feng Jin stopped what he was doing. Gao Dezhong hurried forward to take the pen from his hand, and saw a big word "space" written in a flamboyant manner on the paper.

When the eunuch from the Eunuch Bureau knelt in front of Feng Jin, he glanced at the ivory plaques of the concubines on the tray and suddenly said, "The peaches outside the Taoyu Pavilion are about to ripen, right?"

Gao Dezhong was stunned when he heard this, and then replied, "I think it's ready to eat, but I don't think it's fully cooked yet."

"Unripe food has its advantages," Feng Jin picked up a sign, "I haven't seen Zhao Chongyi for a while, let's go to Taoyu Pavilion tonight."

Knowing that she was going to have sex with the emperor tonight, Zhuang Yuyan ate peaches picked from outside, squinted at the sunlight outside, and took a bite, eating half of the peach.

After Feng Jian finished dealing with the memorials, it was still early. When he saw Gao Dezhong hurried in from outside, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"The Queen Mother beat to death a maid in the palace of Master Rou."

"Why?" Feng Jian's tone remained unchanged.

Gao Dezhong didn't even dare to wipe the sweat off his forehead, and continued, "I heard that this palace maid bumped into the Queen Mother's carriage."

"How could Concubine Rou's maid collide with the Empress Dowager's carriage?" Feng Jin sneered.

"I heard that the Queen Mother wanted to visit the Peach Garden, but she ran into a maid from Concubine Rou's palace who was picking peaches and ran out in a panic. She bumped into the Queen Mother, frightened her, and was sentenced to be beaten to death."

"At this time of year, what's so good about a few unripe peaches?" Feng Jin said sarcastically, "I'll go and take my mother to see the peach garden."

When Zhuang Yuyan heard that the Queen Mother was coming to Taoyuan, she went out to wait for her. Unexpectedly, a palace maid who came to steal peaches bumped into the Queen Mother, causing so much trouble that even Concubine Rou was reprimanded.

Seeing Concubine Rou, who was always the pride of the harem, kneeling on the ground with a pale face, Zhuang Yuyan stepped forward and said, "Please forgive me, Queen Mother. I think Sister Rou didn't know that the palace people would be so bold."

"If you can't even manage your own people, what else can you do?" The Queen Mother looked at Zhuang Yuyan coldly, "You can't interfere in my affairs!"

"I am guilty," Zhuang Yuyan pretended to be frightened and knelt down, then knelt obediently on the ground.

"Your Majesty has always worshipped Buddha. Please don't hurt your kindness because of a dishonest servant," Feng Jin said a few steps away. "The two concubines know nothing about this matter. Your Majesty should let them get up."

The Queen Mother glanced at the two people kneeling on the ground and slowly said, "Since the Emperor has spoken, both of you should stand up."

"Thank you, Queen Mother, and thank you, Your Majesty." Zhuang Yuyan stood up and stepped aside, lowered her head to look at a pearl on her embroidered shoes, and raised the corner of her mouth imperceptibly.

"Your Majesty, I am not trying to make things difficult for you," the Queen Mother glanced at the pale-faced Concubine Rou, "As the head of a palace, you are unable to control even the people in the palace. This really disappoints me."

Feng Jian said calmly: "Don't be angry, mother. He is just a servant. He has already been beaten to death. Don't let your anger hurt you because of a servant."

When the Queen Mother heard Feng Jian say this, she knew that he did not want to punish Concubine Rou, so she looked at Concubine Rou with dissatisfaction and left in the sedan chair.

“Your Majesty…” Concubine Rou looked at Feng Jian timidly, her little face pale.

"Go ahead and leave first," Feng Jin said calmly, "and clean up the affairs in the palace."

"I'm leaving." Concubine Rou bit her lip and walked away backwards. After she walked a distance away, she couldn't help but look back, only to see the emperor holding Zhao Chongyi's hand. At this moment, Zhao Chongyi raised her head with a smile. The two glanced at each other and then separated as if nothing had happened.

"Your Majesty, I'm all sweaty..." Zhuang Luyan gently pushed away the emperor who wanted to be intimate with her, her eyes full of shyness and timidity.

"I haven't even taken a bath, so my beloved concubine must serve me well." Feng Jin kissed Zhuang Yuyan on the lips, and then instructed the servants waiting outside to prepare bathing supplies.

The servants below understood what he meant and naturally prepared a large bathtub with a dragon pattern. When Zhuang Yuyan was carried into the bathtub by Feng Jin, she could only sigh that this bathtub was much larger than the one she usually used.

It is really unreasonable for nothing to happen between two normal naked men and women in the bathtub, so when Zhuang Yuyan was moaning in the bathtub while hugging the emperor's neck, she had to believe that the bath was indeed very stimulating.

After taking a bath for more than half an hour, Zhuang Yuyan let the emperor tie her skirt. She held his arm with one hand and smiled, "Your Majesty, you are so slow."

"Why, do you think I'm not doing a good job?" Feng Jin stretched out his hand and pressed the beauty's waist, "Why don't you change my clothes for me, my beloved concubine?"

"Your Majesty, this is bullying," Zhuang Yuyan said with a slightly red face, lowering her voice, "My waist is sore."

Feng Jian chuckled when he heard this, straightened Zhuang Yuyan's clothes, bent down and took the beauty from the couch into his arms, and said to the outside: "Someone come."

The palace maids and eunuchs who were waiting outside came in with their heads down, not daring to raise them. After quickly cleaning up the room, they carried the bathtub and went out. Everyone knew what had just happened in the room.

Stroking Zhuang Yuyan's hair that had not yet dried, Feng Jin asked, "What does my beloved concubine like to do on a daily basis?"

"Reading books, practicing calligraphy, embroidering purses, growing flowers, and practicing the piano, but I'm not very good at any of these," Zhuang Yuyan rubbed her head against someone's throat a few times, conveying a sense of uneasiness, "but I think that if I practice slowly, I will always make progress."

"These things are external objects. Just treat them as hobbies. Don't be too obsessed with them." Feng Jin patted her back and said softly, "My beloved concubine is doing well now."

"Really?" The originally depressed mood seemed to become lively again because of such a simple sentence. Feng Jian looked at the shining eyes of the person in his arms when he looked up at him, and nodded.

The hands that were hugging his neck seemed to tighten a little, and when Feng Jin lowered his head to look again, the beauty had already leaned her head on his neck. In addition to joy, she seemed to have some attachment.

Feng Jian's heart moved, and she carried the person towards the bed.

In the morning, just after daybreak, Gao Dezhong and Tingzhu Yigan, a servant, were waiting outside for their master to summon them. There had been a lot of noise in the house last night, so it seemed they would not get up so early.

Gao Dezhong glanced at Zhao Chongyi's two personal maids. They seemed very well-behaved and never tried to find out anything from him. Instead, they were more likable than those maids who thought they were smart.

Another half an hour passed before there was a noise from inside. Gao Dezhong came in with a few servants. As expected, Zhao Chongyi was still lying on the bed, and the emperor got up by himself again.

In terms of favor, although Zhao Chongyi was not the most favored, she was definitely the only one who slept with the emperor after he got up. Even the concubine Shugui had to help the emperor change his clothes early in the morning on the second day of serving him. However, looking at the emperor's cautious movements, he also understood that the master on the bed was probably still dreaming.

The room was filled with the smell of love. Gao Dezhong had served the emperor for many years, so naturally his eyes would not wander around. After helping the emperor change his clothes, he saw the emperor walk to the bed and kiss Zhao Chongyi on the forehead, then he quickly lowered his head again.

The maidservant of Concubine Rou was beaten to death by the Empress Dowager for her dishonesty, and Concubine Rou was also reprimanded by the Empress Dowager. All the masters in the palace knew about it overnight. Some of them took pleasure in the misfortune, while others did not take it seriously.

"This maid is really not smart enough. The peach garden is not big, but a peach can still be hidden. Why did she rush into the phoenix carriage with the peach in her arms? I don't know if she has no brains or no eyes," Su Xiuyi said disdainfully, "It's unfortunate for Concubine Rou to have such a servant."

"Yes, you are so unlucky. Otherwise, why would you have gone outside the Taoyu Pavilion to steal a few peaches, and even hit the Queen Mother?" Concubine Shu smiled half-heartedly as she pinched a grape on her fingertips, her beautifully manicured nails Scratching the grape skin reveals the fresh and tender flesh.

"No woman in the harem is simple," Shu Guifei threw the grapes into the lotus leaf-edged green jade plate on the side, wiped her hands with her silk hand, glanced at Su Xiuyi and said, "I'll just say these words to you. When you leave, you better keep your mouth shut. Got it?"

"Yes," Su Xiuyi nodded timidly, but she didn't know why she couldn't say something that everyone knew.