At this point in the banquet, not many people were interested in eating. Zhuang Yuyan felt that she had been thoroughly harassed by the concubines. She had originally thought that the emperor would give her a promotion, but she had never expected that the emperor would be so generous and directly give her a concubine position. The emperor's move made her feel that her hard work these days had not been in vain.
"I have always felt that Concubine Zhao is beautiful and intelligent, and I have long thought that the title of virtuous lady is unfair to her. It is reasonable for the emperor to promote her today," the queen said with a smile, as if she had no idea what people were thinking. "I would like to congratulate the emperor and Concubine Zhao first."
Zhuang Yuyan stood up and knelt before the empress, looking virtuous and humble, "I am terrified."
"You are very good, and it is reasonable for the emperor to favor you," the queen said with a smile, and then gave Zhuang Yuyan some gifts, saying only that they were congratulatory gifts.
Feng Jin saw what the Queen did, but he didn't say anything. He gently stroked the pattern on the edge of the wine cup and remained silent.
Gao Dezhong, who was waiting on the side, raised his eyelids and looked at the eyes of several masters, then lowered his head silently. As a eunuch who had served the emperor for many years, he naturally knew some of the emperor's interests and hobbies. Now that Concubine Zhao was favored, it would not change. The Empress was also a smart person. Giving the Emperor face at this time was the best choice.
As for what the empress would do in private, it was not something a eunuch like him could imagine. He knew who was favored in the harem. He was just the chief steward of the emperor. What did it have to do with him who was favored?
Zhuang Luoyan lifted the cup and took a sip. The cup was filled with the finest peach blossom wine, which had a light and pleasant fragrance. Compared with ordinary wine, it was less strong, but extremely suitable for women.
"Does Empress Zhao like this kind of peach blossom wine?" Concubine Shugui's voice was still gentle, and the expression on her face seemed to be always gentle.
In Zhuang Luoyan's impression, she seemed to have never seen Concubine Shugui with any other expression. In her memory, Concubine Shugui only smiled and laughed lightly. Her every word and action was filled with indescribable gentleness and elegance, just like now.
"It tastes good. I drank a few more sips," Zhuang Yuyan replied with a smile. She turned around and saw that the emperor's gaze turned to Concubine Shugui.
"I remember that Concubine Shu Gui also loves peach blossom wine," Feng Jin looked at Concubine Shu Gui and said with a smile, "I'll ask the people from the Imperial Food Bureau to send some to your palace later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Sister Zhaofei likes it. Why don't we ask the Imperial Food Bureau to send some to you as well?" Shuguifei spoke in a calm tone.
"She doesn't need it," the emperor picked up the wine glass, "Zhao Fei is not like you. She has never been restrained in eating. If you give her good things, most of them will be wasted."
After hearing this, Concubine Shu Gui stopped talking and her smile faded slightly. The emperor's words were clearly meant to belittle Zhuang Yuyan, but she knew that the emperor was protecting her and was just afraid that she would get drunk and hurt herself. What waste? Those fine Shu and Su embroidery, various gemstones and famous paintings were all sent to Xihe Palace.
When did the emperor show such favor to Zhuang Yuyan? Was it when Zhuang Yuyan was seriously injured? Or was it earlier?
She had always thought that Zhuang Yuyan was another Concubine Yan or another Concubine Rou who was not to be feared, but today, she had to admit that this person was enough to affect her position in the harem.
She has always been cautious, so how could she ignore such a big threat?
Is it that Zhuang Yuyan usually appears to be too harmless? She is impulsive, not good at forbearance, and always in trouble. She doesn't even have good relations with the people in the harem. This is the impression Zhuang Yuyan gives people on a daily basis.
She had always thought that the emperor disliked women who were always in trouble, nor did he like superficial women, so even if Zhuang Yuyan was favored, she believed that a woman with these shortcomings would not be favored for long.
But what is wrong? Why would the emperor favor Zhuang Yuyan for so long? Even this favor has become stronger with the passage of time.
One wrong step, all wrong. Perhaps at the very beginning, she shouldn't have cared too much and let Zhuang Yuyan stay.
"Since today is Concubine Zhao's birthday, would Your Majesty like to go to Xihe Palace to rest?" As the banquet was coming to an end, the Queen spoke again. She looked at the birthday fireworks blooming in the sky and generously gave Zhuang Yuyan some honor again.
Feng Jian nodded, stood up and said, "It's getting late, it's time to rest." He walked to Zhuang Yuyan's side, took her hand, and said, "My beloved, follow me."
Zhuang Yuyan looked at her hand being held by the emperor, a blush appeared on her face, she stood up and bowed in the direction of the empress, then buried her head and looked at the stone slab on the ground.
Seeing her like this, Feng Jin smiled, pulled her into his arms, and carried her out of the courtyard of Jingyang Palace.
"Farewell, Your Majesty." The concubines watched the emperor leave, some with envy, some with numbness.
The empress stood up straight only when the emperor and Concubine Zhao were no longer visible. The smile on her face faded a little. "I am tired. You should go and rest early." After saying that, she returned to the room amid the farewells.
After the empress left, the concubines left in twos and threes. It looked like the show tonight was quite lively. The emperor intended to promote Concubine Zhao, and the empress used Concubine Zhao to suppress Concubine Shu. They remembered clearly that at Concubine Shu's birthday banquet a few days ago, the empress did not say that the emperor should go to Concubine Shu's Anqing Palace to rest because of her birthday.
"Your Majesty Shugui Concubine, I'll take my leave." Concubine Rou smiled and bowed to Shugui Concubine with great grace, then got on the sedan chair and left.
Concubine Shugui watched Concubine Rou leave expressionlessly, and held Lingsha's hand to get on her sedan chair. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, but there was infinite coldness in the corners of her eyes.
On the slightly swaying sedan chair, Zhuang Yuyan looked at the imperial sedan chair in front of her. She had just declined the emperor's request for her to accompany him in the sedan chair, but fortunately the emperor was not dissatisfied, otherwise there would be some trouble.
Showing off affection will lead to death sooner, and she doesn't want to cause trouble for herself at this time. Her promotion was too fast and has already made some people unhappy. If she rides with the emperor now, I'm afraid even the empress and the queen mother will not be able to bear it.
After all, it stands to reason that the only woman in the harem who can ride with the emperor is the empress, and other women, no matter how favored they are, do not have this qualification. Therefore, it is not easy to be a favored concubine in a stable job. She is risking her life to get this job.
"Your Majesty, we're here." Tingzhu's whispered reminder brought Zhuang Yuyan back to her senses. She supported Tingzhu's men and walked to the sedan chair. Looking at the emperor standing not far away, she quickened her pace and walked in front of the emperor, "Your Majesty!"
Feng Jian reached out and held Zhuang Luoyan's hand, leading her step by step into the gate of Xihe Palace. Without even looking at the servants kneeling on the ground, he went straight to Zhuang Luoyan's room. Then, with the warm candlelight, he unpinned her hair, and her soft black hair flowed down, carrying an indescribable ambiguity in the candlelight.
The woman in front of him was not the prettiest, nor the most talented, and she was not even considerate. However, she was occasionally frank, which made him feel a little worried. Or maybe it was her affection that made him pay more attention to her. In short, he would occasionally think about how to make this woman, who was not the most outstanding in the harem, live a more comfortable life. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, "My beloved, please accompany me tonight."
"Your Majesty, please spend time with me tonight," Zhuang Yuyan put her hand on the emperor's neck, raised her head and gave him a seductive look, "I have always been someone you understand."
When a woman tells a man that everything she has belongs to him, and the man doesn't react in the slightest, it only shows that there is something wrong with him.
Feng Jian was a normal man, so after hearing this, he picked up Zhuang Yuyan and strode towards the large carved bed covered with the finest satin.
The night is long, and there are always people who can't sleep. The happier the people in Xihe Palace are, the more unhappy the people in other palaces are.
Concubine Rou took off her accessories, sat on the imperial concubine couch, and let someone massage her shoulders. "The most embarrassed person today is probably the one from Anqing Palace."
The maid beside her was combing her hair carefully. She asked, "Why are you so disrespectful to Consort Shugui today?"
"When have I ever dealt with her?" Concubine Rou sneered. "All the women in the harem are waiting to kick someone when they are down. Su Ruizi dares to act so high and mighty all day long. She should expect to fall down one day. I have always been too lazy to restrain my temper. I don't care what others think of me. In the harem, it doesn't matter whether a concubine does a good job or not. What matters is whether the emperor favors her or not. Instead of wasting your energy on playing tricks on your opponents, you might as well think about how to make yourself live a more comfortable life."
"But if so," the palace maid realized that what she said was wrong, her face changed, and she dared not say anything more.
"You mean if I lose my power, I'll suffer with my personality?" Concubine Rou laughed sarcastically. "Women here don't care what kind of person you were before you lost your favor. As long as you are favored, you are their enemy. If you lose your favor one day, then they will take advantage of you. If that's the case, why bother putting on a show for others to see?"
"Okay, wait for me to go to bed," Concubine Rou waved away the maid who was massaging her and said nonchalantly, "I'll be happy every day. When I grow old, even if I want to be arrogant, I'm afraid the emperor won't tolerate it."
In just less than two years, she climbed to the position of concubine. The name of Concubine Zhao was not only well-known in the harem, but also many officials of the previous dynasty showed their goodwill to the Zhuang family. It was a pity that the Zhuang family still looked indifferent, as if having a favorite concubine from their family in the harem had no effect on them.
However, there was a sense of opposition between the Su and Zhuang families in the court. The Su family wanted to deal with the Zhuang family, but unfortunately they were not strong enough. The emperor did not blame the Zhuang family, but praised Minister Zhuang for his youth and potential. If the Su family did not have a favored Concubine Shugui in the harem, they would not be able to stand in the court peacefully. Now that the Zhuang family's daughter has almost surpassed Concubine Shugui in popularity, can the people of the Su family still sleep peacefully?
Zhuang Yuyan, who was in the harem, naturally had no idea about the ups and downs of the previous dynasty. In the days after her birthday, all the concubines in the harem sent her many gifts. She looked at the gift lists sent by various palaces and yawned, "The weather has started to get cooler recently, and I can't help feeling sleepy."
Yun Xi brought a cup of hot tea and closed the window for Zhuang Yuyan. "Your Majesty, you should sleep a little longer now. If you get too sleepy, you won't be able to sleep well at night."
Zhuang Yuyan took a sip of tea, thought for a moment and said, "I heard that Concubine Rou and Concubine Shugui seem to be having some problems."
Yun Xi replied, "Empress Rou has an outgoing personality and has had grudges with many of her masters. It's not surprising that she has some problems with Concubine Shu Gui." At this point, Yun Xi lowered her voice and said, "Many things in the palace involve Concubine Rou. I privately think that maybe someone else is plotting against Concubine Rou and waiting for her to fall into a trap."
I remember that when I was just restored to favor, Concubine Rou made things difficult for me, but when I was embarrassed by Lin, who was still Concubine Yuan at the time, Concubine Rou protected her again. Perhaps in Concubine Rou's eyes, Concubine Yuan was more hateful than I was at the time, so Concubine Rou did not hesitate to confront Concubine Yuan.
A concubine like Concubine Rou who does not hesitate to make others hate her is considered a rare phenomenon in the harem. However, despite her character, she still sits firmly on the throne of concubine. Almost all the previous incidents involved her, but she is still safe and sound. It can be seen that this person still has something that attracts the emperor.
If the situation did not allow it, she would really praise Concubine Rou as a remarkable woman in the harem.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Yuyan couldn't help but smile. She looked up and saw Eunuch Gao beside the emperor walking in, led by Tingzhu.