"What is your relationship with Minister Zhuang since childhood?" In Xihe Palace, Zhuang Yuyan and Feng Jian sat opposite each other, the tea in front of them still emitting hazy hot steam.

Zhuang Yuyan picked up the teapot and filled the cup in front of Feng Jin. After hearing what Feng Jin said, she smiled and said, "My parents have always loved me very much, and my brother has also loved me very much since I was a child. My brother has been quick-witted, polite and kind since he was a child, but it was because I was a bad person in the mansion several times."

Feng Jin picked up the teacup after pondering, "He is a good brother."

Neither of them mentioned the impeachment of Minister Su, but Zhuang Yuyan had an idea in her mind. The emperor did not intend to touch the Zhuang family. After all, the Zhuang family had always been well behaved and did not pose a threat to the emperor's family background.

When an emperor is able to highly centralize power, the concubines in the harem can do whatever they want, at least they don't have to consider whether the family of the woman lying next to them will rebel one day. Feng Jian wanted to concentrate the power of the whole court in his own hands, but there was still one step left, and that was the big family Zhao.

As the saying goes, a centipede is still alive even after it is dead. Although the Zhao family has now restrained itself, the powerful force behind them cannot help but arouse the emperor's jealousy. As for the Su family's attempt to plot against the Zhuang family, it is nothing more than a farce in the eyes of the emperor.

The Su family suddenly impeached the Zhuang family in the court. Perhaps it was because she was favored in the harem. After all, the concubine's mother's family lost power in the previous dynasty, which would also affect the emperor's favor for the concubine. The Su family's move was not very good, or maybe they were a little proud of Concubine Shugui's return home to visit her parents?

"But I am not a good sister," Zhuang Yuyan gave a bitter smile, but sighed in her heart that the previous owner of this body was indeed not a good sister.

At that time, Minister Zhuang did not want his sister Zhuang Yuyan to enter the palace, and he had even chosen several good families for his sister. Unfortunately, Zhuang Yuyan, who only glanced at the emperor, insisted on entering the palace and quarreled with her parents and brothers for many days.

It has to be said that this was a silly girl who was spoiled too much at home. She had beauty but no means, and she wasted her best years in vain, which gave her an opportunity to take advantage of.

Feng Jian understood what Zhuang Yuyan meant. When he gave Zhuang Yuyan the palace, he had already investigated the Zhuang family, so naturally he also wanted to investigate the truth of what Zhuang Yuyan had said.

"Your Majesty, it's already noon. Would you like to have dinner?" Gao Dezhong approached and saw that the emperor had no intention of returning to the palace, so he didn't bother asking whether he should return to the palace to have dinner.

"Go ahead." Feng Jin turned around and patted the back of Zhuang Yuyan's hand. "In my eyes, my beloved concubine is very good."

"Your Majesty," Zhuang Yuyan's eyes moved, concealing the emotions in her eyes.

The Emperor had just demoted Concubine Ma to a talented person because of Zhao Chongyi, and the next day he had lunch with Zhao Chongyi and even stayed in Xihe Palace at night, making the women in the harem laugh at Concubine Shugui. Everyone knew that Minister Su had reported Minister Zhuang, but Minister Zhuang was not blamed, and the Emperor continued to favor Zhao Chongyi.

Concubine Shugui has been the most favored concubine in the harem for several years, and the other concubines are happy to see her face stripped.

In the morning, Zhuang Yuyan sat in front of the mirror and lazily selected a few items. She took a few sips of the water presented by the palace maid, wiped the corner of her mouth and said, "Put the jade cup of lotus that the emperor appreciated in my room. Keep it well and be careful not to bump it."

As expected of a gift from the emperor, the jade cup with lotus flowers is carved from a whole piece of jade with such fine craftsmanship that even the dewdrops on the lotus buds look real, about to fall but not quite.

"Master, when the emperor left this morning, he told you to have a good rest and told us servants not to wake you up." Tingzhu said with a smile while combing Zhuang Luoyan's hair, "Just now, the eunuchs from the Palace Department brought this year's new tea, saying that some masters in the palace didn't get it."

Zhuang Yuyan paused for a moment while holding the hairpin. "Which palaces have them?"

"I heard that besides the Queen Mother and the Empress, only Consort Shu Gui, Consort Rou, Consort Xu Zhaorong, and Consort Yan Gui have them, and my master and Consort Shu Gui have the most." Ting Zhu said with some complacency, "Anyway, Consort Zhuang doesn't have any."

Zhuang Luoyan compared the two bracelets and said with a smile, "These are the affairs of the Palace Department. As for whether Concubine Zhuang has it or not, what does it have to do with us?" She remembered that this illegitimate sister was not polite to the original owner. She was not the Holy Mother and could not repay evil with kindness. Or maybe it was Zhuang Luoyan's fault. She did not have the strong skills to turn two enemies into friends, not to mention that such a sisterly relationship could not be very good.

Feng Jian, who was in the previous dynasty, received news that the crown prince of Gomei was going to pay a visit with gifts. Although Goryeo was called a country, it was actually a vassal state of Kyushu, the country governed by Feng Jian. Kyushu was vast and rich in products. Compared with the poor Gomei, it was like the difference between a rich man and a beggar.

Gao Meiguo always said that he was paying homage, but in fact he was just asking for money. However, due to the issue of heirs within Gao Meiguo, no prince had paid homage to Gao Meiguo since Feng Jian ascended the throne.

Feng Jian looked expressionlessly at the officials in the court who were arguing over the standard of reception for Gao Meiguo, and sneered.

"Your Majesty, I think that although the United States is a vassal state of our country, our country is a great country, so we must naturally entertain them with luxury and let them see the wealth of our country."

Feng Jin looked at the person who spoke. It was the Queen's father, Zhao Yong. He raised his eyebrows with a smile, "Oh, is this what Lord Cheng'en thinks?"

Zhao Yong carefully glanced at the emperor's expression, but he really couldn't tell what the emperor was thinking. He hesitated and said, "These are just some of your humble opinions."

"Alright, it's just a small matter, there's no need to make such a fuss." Feng Jin said lazily: "The Ministry of Rites will draft a regulation for this matter and then submit it to me. If there's nothing else, we can leave the court."

The Minister of Rites felt troubled. Did the Emperor want a grand ceremony or a simple one?

After returning to the harem, Feng Jian dealt with some memorials and called Gao Dezhong, the personal steward, to ask, "What happened in the harem today?"

"Your Majesty, there's nothing wrong. It's just that the Empress had Concubine Ma's ivory cards removed, two teacups were broken in Concubine Shu's palace, and Concubine Yan took a walk in the Yu Garden for over an hour." Gao Dezhong thought for a moment, confirmed that nothing was missing, and stopped talking.

"What's the news from Xihe Palace?" Feng Jin stood up, walked to the inner room and asked the palace maid to change her dragon robe, and asked without turning his head.

"Xihe Palace," Gao Dezhong was stunned. "Your Majesty, I have not heard anything about Xihe Palace. Master Zhuang does not often go to Yu Garden, and the palace maids below also do their duties. I think..." Realizing that he was talking too much, Gao Dezhong shut up in time.

Feng Jian was interested in listening. He turned to look at Gao Dezhong and asked, "What do you want to do?"

“I have overstepped the line. It was just that a few months ago, Master Zhuang was not favored and missed the Emperor, so he would go to Yu Garden sometimes. I guess I accidentally offended other masters in Yu Garden at that time, so now he doesn’t go to Yu Garden very often.” As the most favored eunuch in the harem, Gao Dezhong naturally understood how to say something nicely, and he also had to do so without deceiving the Emperor.

Feng Jian said nothing more after hearing this, and Gao Dezhong thought that the matter was over until after lunch, when the eunuch from the Internal Affairs Bureau presented the ivory tablets of the concubines in the harem.

"I heard that Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Zhang have been feeling unwell recently?" Feng Jin ran his fingers over the two people's ivory cards, picked them out and threw them aside. "In that case, I won't need them to serve me recently."

Gao Dezhong glanced at the two ivory plates lying alone on the side, but he understood clearly in his heart that Ma Jieyu, who had offended Zhao Chongyi, had her ivory plate removed, and Zhang Jieyu, who had bullied Zhao Chongyi, did not escape today. As for Zhuang Jieyu... if he remembered correctly, this Zhuang Jieyu was Zhao Chongyi's half-sister, but it seemed that she did not have a good relationship with Zhao Chongyi. When Ma Jieyu and Zhang Jieyu embarrassed Zhao Chongyi, Zhuang Jieyu was present, and she did not even show the slightest intention of begging for mercy.

Did the emperor take this action because he was particularly concerned about Zhao Chongyi? Gao Dezhong could not help but sigh at Zhao Chongyi's methods again. The women in the harem were more useful with their methods than with their beauty.

"Then the Emperor today..."

"Let's go to the Queen." Feng Jin said without much interest.

"Master, have you heard that Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Zhang have been removed from their posts by the Emperor." Before dinner, Ting Zhu walked in with a happy look on his face, and it was obvious that he was very happy about the two people's misfortune.

Zhuang Yuyan raised her eyebrows, but was a little surprised. The emperor personally removed the names of these two people. Did they violate some taboo of the emperor?

Seeing that his master looked normal, Yun Xi said, "Since it is the Emperor's decision, we should not ask too much. The Emperor will make his own decision."

Tingzhu also realized that he was showing his joy too much, so he quickly put on a calm expression, clapped his hands, and asked the palace maid to serve dinner.

Zhuang Yuyan played with the jade bracelet on her wrist, and could not help but remind herself again that she had to be more careful in her career as a concubine, lest she be accidentally exiled to the frontier by the emperor. It was like playing a game, if the player wanted to kill a big monster, he had to trigger a mission first before he could get in touch with the big monster.

From this we can see that it is difficult to get into any industry.