For the first time, Concubine Shugui, who had always been the most popular concubine in the harem, became the focus of attention of all the concubines in the harem. Anyone who saw that their rival, who had been favored for many years, suddenly became less important, would not be able to help but vent their jealousy.
"Since Zhao Xianrong was seriously injured by Hu's scheme last time, her status in the emperor's heart seems to be getting more and more important. Concubine Xian Gui sighed, "There is one less favored Hu in the harem, and one more favored Zhuang. For someone like me who is just relying on seniority to stay in the harem, what difference does it make?" She looked at her face in the mirror. Although her face remained the same, it was not as fresh as the concubines who had entered the palace not long ago.
"How could your Majesty rely on your seniority? I see that the Emperor trusts you very much. Otherwise, why would he give the princes to you to raise?" The maid who was helping her put flowers on her hair said, "Other masters in the palace are not so noble.
Upon hearing this, Concubine Xian smiled, and it was obvious that she was very satisfied with the palace maid's words. She admired the palace maid in a very good mood, stood up and adjusted the hairpin beside her temples. The women in the harem will eventually grow old, and having children by their side is their last resort.
"Let's go. Tonight is So Hyun-yong's birthday party. Even the emperor has to go. I can't be late." Concubine Xian smiled. "Sister So Hyun-yong is a generous person. I can't neglect her."
As the protagonist of the birthday banquet, Zhuang Yuyan naturally had to dress up grandly, with gorgeous clothes, brocade shoes, and flowery yellow and red hairpins and sachets. Each item was carefully selected and sent by the Palace Province. The patterns on each item were auspicious and festive, which showed that the people of the Palace Province put in a lot of effort.
She drew her eyebrows carefully, but she had no intention of making herself look more ordinary. When a woman is young, she will dress up as much as she can. When she finds that no matter how she dresses up, she cannot compare with a young girl, she will try to be stable. If she becomes stable too early, won't she become dull when she gets older?
Putting down her eyebrow pencil, Zhuang Yuyan nodded with satisfaction at her delicately trimmed eyebrows. She stood up and looked at herself in the big mirror, then handed her hand to Tingzhu who was waiting at the side, "Let's go."
She walked out of Xihe Palace, passed through the Nine-Curve Corridor, passed by the Meixiang Luoxue Garden, and walked along the not-so-short vermilion palace road. Seeing the palace maids and eunuchs bowing and making way for her one after another on the roadside, Zhuang Yuyan sat steadily on the sedan chair with an unchanged expression until the sedan chair stopped in front of the gate of the Queen's Jingyang Palace.
He Yu, who was already waiting at the door, saw Zhuang Yuyan and stepped forward to greet her with a smile: "Empress Zhao Xianrong has arrived. The Empress is waiting for you. Please follow me in."
"Thank you, Heyu," Zhuang Yuyan smiled at Heyu and followed Heyu into the palace. The palace maids and eunuchs serving behind them hurriedly followed.
At this time, not far away, Concubine Shugui and Concubine Rou had just rushed over. Seeing this scene, Concubine Rou smiled and said, "The Empress is so kind."
Concubine Shugui looked at Concubine Rou without changing her expression, then smiled and said nothing.
When Concubine Rou looked over, she could not see the confident look on Concubine Shugui's face, as if she could see and understand everyone in the harem. If she was really that powerful, why was she still only a favored concubine instead of the emperor's exclusive favor? Even Zhuang Yuyan, who entered the palace tonight, came later and had the treatment of He Yu, who was beside the empress, waiting for her in person at the palace gate. Concubine Shugui did not have this treatment this year.
Inside the house, after Zhuang Yuyan paid her respects to the empress, the empress personally put a mutton-fat jade bracelet on her. The other concubines who had arrived in the house also paid their respects to Zhuang Yuyan.
As soon as everyone sat down, they saw Concubine Shugui and Concubine Rou walking in together. This surprised everyone. Concubine Shugui and Concubine Rou did not visit each other often, so why did they come together today?
But why didn't Su Xiuyi, who usually followed behind Concubine Shugui, follow along?
After another round of formalities, everyone sat down again. The Queen said, "The Emperor has some memorials to read, so he sent someone to tell him to start the banquet on time. We won't wait any longer, let's start the banquet now."
Naturally, no one objected to the Queen's proposal. The courtyard of Jingyang Palace was not small, and even with a bunch of concubines and a stage, it didn't feel crowded at all.
The first play was Magu's Birthday Celebration. Zhuang Yuyan watched it with a smile and randomly ordered a play with auspicious meanings, and then asked the empress and other concubines to order them.
"When I was young, I loved watching lively plays. I always thought the more lively the play, the more interesting it was. But now it's just the opposite. I prefer quieter plays," the queen put down the silver stick in her hand, and the tribute pear on the stick fell alone into the plate.
"I have also started to like quieter things these years," Concubine Xian Gui continued with a smile, "I think my sisters like these lively things."
Zhuang Yuyan would not have responded to such a topic in the past, but today was her birthday party, so she had to say: "The Empress and the Concubine Xian are much better than me. I have never been able to understand opera since I was a child. I am impatient and cannot bear to listen to the slow tunes. I just wish I could hear the whole story right away."
"Zhao Xianrong has a straightforward personality, so it's normal that she doesn't like to listen to opera," Concubine Rou used a silver stick to insert a pitted red and green rice dumpling into the plate, "but even if she doesn't like to listen, she should be someone who understands opera."
Zhuang Yuyan smiled and looked at Concubine Rou from the side: "Madam Concubine Rou thinks highly of me. I am absolutely inferior to you."
Everyone present knew that Concubine Rou had troubled Zhao Xianrong several times. At this moment, the two of them were talking with something else, so naturally no one responded.
"Who is less beloved than my concubine?"
A deep male voice came from the corner, and the audience stood up and saluted.
Feng Jian stepped forward to help the empress stand up, then walked behind the empress to help Zhuang Yuyan stand up, and then he said, "Today is Zhao Xianrong's birthday banquet, everyone, please don't be polite, just take your seats."
"I've known for a long time that you don't like listening to opera, so I asked the people from the Palace Arts Academy to prepare some variety shows," Feng Jin waved his hand, and the actors on the stage retreated one after another. Then, several people dressed in the clothes of palace arts masters appeared on the stage.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Zhuang Yuyan tried hard to suppress her surprise with a smile on her face. She knelt down and was about to salute the emperor, but the other party held both of her hands.
"Today is your birthday, why are you kneeling here and there?" Pulling Zhuang Yuyan to sit down on his right, Feng Jin looked at the empress on his left, "Just now I heard Zhao Xianrong say that she is far inferior to Concubine Rou, what's going on?"
"It's just that the two sisters are being humble to each other," the Queen glanced at Concubine Rou and Zhuang Yuyan, and said with a smile, "Zhao Xianrong has always been humble, Your Majesty, you know that."
Humble?
Feng Jin thought about Zhuang Yuyan who was always trying to get him to praise her in private, and suddenly felt lucky that she was only shameless in front of him, otherwise the other concubines would be surprised at why he favored Zhao Xianrong. For the emperor, it was better not to mention such a shameful thing.
"What the Queen said makes sense. Zhao Xianrong and Concubine Rou are naturally the same," Feng Jin smiled, and when he saw that the smile on Zhuang Yuyan's face seemed to have stiffened a little, he said in a good mood, "Why did you only present fruits? Where are the other things?"
"I wanted to serve the dishes, but Zhao Xianrong said to wait a little longer, so I made the people in the Shangshi Bureau wait a little longer," the queen explained with a smile, "but the emperor didn't come too late, so it's just the right time to serve the dishes." After saying that, she ordered the dishes to be served.
Exquisite dishes were served on the table. Feng Jin was in a good mood. After drinking two glasses of wine, he held the wine cup and looked at the concubines in the yard.
After a final look around, his gaze fell on Zhuang Yuyan. Seeing her concentrating on drinking the soup, he couldn't help but think of the night before, when Zhuang Yuyan suddenly called out to the emperor in her sleep in the middle of the night with tears in her eyes.
He had never seen other concubines having nightmares. When other concubines slept with him, they all slept very peacefully and wouldn't even move. But this So Hyunrong would always secretly pull his hand or touch his ear.
She thought he was asleep, so he pretended to be asleep all the time.
However, the panic she felt when she called out to the emperor in her dream the night before still left some traces in her heart.
When she woke up yesterday morning, she didn't remember what she dreamed about, but he somehow remembered it.
Perhaps no other concubine was as out of control as So Hyun-ryong?
As if thinking of something, Feng Jin looked at the empress beside him: "Just now Zhao Xianrong said that she was not as good as Concubine Rou, but I know where she is not as good as Concubine Rou."
When everyone heard this, they all looked at Concubine Rou and Zhuang Yuyan. Even Concubine Rou couldn't help but look up at Zhuang Yuyan.
The Queen's heart skipped a beat. She had been with the Emperor for many years, and she was familiar with some of his habits. The Emperor's words should not be casual, but she could only continue, "I wonder what the Emperor said is not enough?"
"Rou Fei is a concubine, while Zhao Xianrong is just a Xianrong, her status is a little lower." Feng Jin put down the wine cup and said casually, "Since I said you are all the same, then let Zhao Xianrong also be promoted to concubine, so that there will be fewer concubines in the concubine position."
It’s not that there are fewer concubines in the position of concubine, but that there is one less concubine named Zhuang in the position of concubine, right?
The queen sneered in her heart, but her smile remained unchanged. She said calmly, "Your Majesty is right."
Zhuang Yuyan was a little surprised that the emperor raised her status so casually. She was stunned for a moment before she stood up to thank the emperor for his grace.
"I told you, today is your birthday, there is no need to kneel down. I have asked the Qintian Supervisor to pick a good day, and the official enthronement ceremony will be held on the fifth day of next month." Feng Jin smiled and pointed to a plate of honey-glazed duck tongues in front of him, "You like this, so I'll give you this plate."
Concubine Rou's face changed slightly. What did the emperor mean by this? Did he want to tell everyone in the harem that Zhuang Yuyan was no worse than her? After today, what face did she have left?
Qin Tianjian had already chosen the date, so why would he bring it up casually? Concubine Shu Gui looked up at the smile on the emperor's face, thinking absentmindedly that no matter what the emperor heard when he came in, he would find a chance to promote Zhuang Yuyan.
Blinking her eyes lightly, Concubine Shu Gui calmly watched Zhuang Yuyan eat the honey-juiced duck tongue given by the emperor, and her eyes gradually turned cold.
She was able to gain the emperor's favor back then, and even today, she would not let anyone take it away easily.
"By the way, Concubine Shugui, why didn't I see Su Xiuyi today?" asked the Queen.
"Your Majesty, Su Xiuyi is not feeling well. She was afraid that she would spread her illness to everyone, so she did not come." Concubine Shu Gui lowered her eyelids, making herself look gentle and submissive. "Besides, today is a good day for Sister Zhao. It is unlucky for Su Xiuyi to come here while feeling ill, isn't it?"
"Your Highness Shuguifei is worrying too much." Zhuang Yuyan wiped the corners of her mouth with her hand silk, raised her head and smiled at Shuguifei.
Concubine Shu Gui raised her head and looked back, also giving Zhuang Yuyan a gentle smile.