Chapter 106 Longevity Festival

On the day of the Wanshou Festival, Jun Zechen's imperial edict quickly spread throughout the six palaces.

"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims:

I am the heir of Heaven's will and rule over the world. The well-being of the harem is a matter of great importance to the state.

Today we have the Imperial Noble Consort Jiayi, who is kind and virtuous.

Since he took charge of the palace, the harem has been peaceful, harmonious and tranquil, with order and clarity.

She is benevolent and kind, generous and fair in her conduct, and displays her talents to the utmost. She is truly a role model for all the concubines in the harem.

You have noble moral character, dignified behavior, gentleness, virtue, beauty and intelligence. You are truly a wise helper to me and a blessing to the royal family.

Today, I have issued this decree to confer the title of Empress Dowager on Consort Jiayi, granting her the residence of Kunning Palace, the position of Central Queen, and the mother of the whole country.

I hope that he will continue to uphold the example of virtue, lead the harem, extend well-being, and create a prosperous era with me.

I appreciate it! "

After the imperial edict was read, An Shun respectfully and carefully held the empress's seal, came to Su Jingyao, and solemnly handed it to Su Jingyao.

Su Jingyao took the booklet with both hands, smiling appropriately, her eyes filled with joy and solemnity.

Although she already knew that Jun Zechen would canonize her as empress today, she was still delighted when she actually received the imperial edict and the empress's seal.

On that day, Su Jingyao also issued her first imperial edict after becoming empress.

This was also what she and Jun Zechen had discussed. There were too few high-ranking concubines in the harem now, and today was the Wanshou Festival, so ministers from various cities in the monarchy and envoys from surrounding small countries would all come.

Only concubines of the second rank and above can participate in the banquet. Now there are only Concubine Ling and Concubine Shen, which really seems petty.

Therefore, Su Jingyao was going to confer titles on the six palaces again today and confer the title of Defei on Consort Ling.

Concubine Shen was renamed Concubine Xian and her title was not retained; Concubine Lin was renamed Concubine Lin, and Concubine Bai was renamed Concubine Bai.

She also selected some of the other concubines and promoted them to a higher level.

Su Jingyao sat dignifiedly on the brand new phoenix chair in Kunning Palace. The phoenix chair was exquisitely carved and shone with golden light.

She was dressed in a gorgeous phoenix robe and had a dazzling phoenix crown on her head, looking graceful and elegant.

Kunning Palace had already been carefully cleaned up by the palace maids and eunuchs, and was renovated according to Su Jingyao's instructions.

Su Jingyao knew in her heart that it was too late for her to move into Kunning Palace, so she did not spend too much time and effort on the renovation of Zhaochun Palace.

However, she personally designed the layout and furnishings of Kunning Palace and specifically instructed the Imperial Household Department to decorate it carefully.

The Qianqing Palace is located in the core area of ​​the inner court. It is majestic and magnificent, like a towering peak.

The Kunning Palace is located behind the Qianqing Palace, echoing it from a distance. The two palaces are like two shining pearls, firmly inlaid on the central axis of the inner court.

One in front and one behind, they perfectly embody the emperor and empress's supreme status and incomparable special identity.

At this moment, Su Jingyao, sitting upright on the phoenix chair, had joy in her autumn-water eyes.

He raised his head slightly and examined every corner of Kunning Palace with a satisfied smile on his face.

Not long after, the voice of Jun Zechen reporting from outside was heard.

Su Jingyao heard the voice and a faint smile appeared on her lips. Then she took lotus steps, stood up gracefully and walked slowly to the front of the hall.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

She bowed slightly, her voice as sweet as the chirping of an oriole, her face full of smiles, and her dignified and elegant posture fully demonstrated the demeanor that a queen should have.

Today she is wearing a gorgeous red royal dress. The bright yellow waist belt represents her royal status and is only worn by the emperor and empress. It perfectly outlines her slender waist, making her look more graceful.

The sleeves of the monarch's palace dress are narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, while the queen's palace dress is made of Shu brocade, which has an excellent drape.

The long skirt that drags on the ground hangs down naturally like flowing clouds and water, and it flutters like a fairy when she walks. The overall look is extraordinary, noble and beautiful.

Her shiny black hair was tied up, revealing her graceful swan-like neck. She wore a phoenix crown on her head, which was inlaid with gold-inlaid jewel phoenix hairpins, silver flower hairpins with hollow entwined phoenix and auspicious bird patterns, and jade hairpins with phoenix and crabapple patterns.

Miaoxia's hair-dressing skills were unparalleled. She decorated her hair with a variety of things that were dazzling and well-arranged, showing the queen's elegant temperament to the fullest.

Jun Zechen walked forward, and seeing her like this, his eyes were full of love and admiration.

He helped her up and said with a smile: "Yaoyao is so elegant and graceful today. She is a perfect match for me when standing next to me."

He was also wearing a dragon robe of the same color today. The golden dragon embroidery on it was lifelike, majestic and domineering.

Su Jingyao slowly raised her eyes and looked at him affectionately with her watery eyes.

"Your Majesty, it is your birthday today. I, your concubine, would like to wish you a happy birthday."

"Well, the thing that makes me happiest today is that Yaoyao becomes my queen."

Jun Zechen held her hand, his face full of happiness and satisfaction. He was in charge of the world, and his beloved wife was by his side. Was there anything more satisfying in life than this?

Jun Zechen led her out of Kunning Palace, his eyes full of tenderness. As they walked, he turned his head from time to time to look at Su Jingyao beside him.

Su Jingyao also had a smile on her face. She tilted her head slightly and smiled at Jun Zechen.

The two of them got on the magnificent chariot and headed to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Concubine Xian, Concubine De, Concubine Lin, and Concubine Bai had been waiting outside respectfully for a long time.

After the Emperor and Empress got on the sedan chair, the four concubines bowed and greeted them. Afterwards, they also got on the sedan chair and followed it towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The sedan chair was extremely large, and together with the eunuchs carrying it, it almost filled the entire palace corridor.

Behind the chariot, a dozen palace maids followed in an orderly manner. The procession was huge and looked extremely spectacular.

When they arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, all the ministers had already arrived. At this time, the sounds of drums and music rang out, each one exciting. When the ministers saw His Majesty coming in hand in hand with the Empress, they all bowed down to him.

"Your Majesty, I am here to pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live long and long, and may the Empress live a thousand years and a thousand years." The voices of the ministers were in unison and loud.

Su Jingyao and Jun Zechen walked side by side, gracefully moving towards the highest seat in the hall.

The highest position today is a dragon and phoenix chair, which is just wide enough for two people.

This was a special arrangement made by Jun Zechen, and there were no separate dragon chairs or phoenix chairs.

Afterwards, the four concubines sat on both sides of Su Jingyao and Jun Zechen according to their positions.

After the emperor arrived, the banquet officially began.

Defei sat below Su Jingyao with a complicated look in her eyes, sometimes looking at Su Jingyao, sometimes looking at Jun Zechen.

Concubine Xian, with a smug look on her face, sat below His Majesty. It was obvious that she was still the number one among the concubines.

Defei glanced at the emperor and empress inconspicuously. They were sitting side by side, their temperament and manners were extremely outstanding, and they seemed so well matched.

But her heart was filled with bitterness, because she was supposed to be the respected queen beside His Majesty.

But now even the positions of the four concubines were issued by the Empress’ decree.

Recalling the past, when His Majesty's heart had not yet been completely captured by the Empress, Concubine De was filled with fear.

Because the queen is kind and pure, of noble birth, extremely beautiful, intelligent and well-mannered, Concubine De doesn't know what kind of man would not be attracted to such a nearly perfect woman.

So even though she believed that Jun Zechen would not fall in love with anyone else, she was still worried about the Queen.

Every time she was sad because of His Majesty's special treatment of the Queen, she would ask His Majesty to make a promise to her.

However, in the end, these promises are like flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water, which will shatter at the slightest touch.

The funniest thing is that she always thought she knew the queen very well, but she didn't know that the queen was not as peaceful and non-competitive as she saw.

Her kindness is all fake, even Your Majesty has been kept in the dark by her!

Thinking of this, Concubine De's hands clenched tightly unconsciously.

In the past few months, Concubine De has spent a lot of time and effort in private, carefully cultivating many people.

She desperately needed a prince to consolidate her position, so she placed her people in both the places of Concubine Chu and Concubine Ye.

Because she couldn't be sure whether Concubine Chu would give birth to a prince smoothly, she could only try her best to seize every possible opportunity, so she also placed spies at Concubine Ye.

It was because of this that she realized that she had always thought that Concubine Ye was abandoned by His Majesty because she plotted against the Empress.

But it turned out that the Queen had set a trap step by step, making Concubine Ye foolishly fall into it.

Defei recalled every move made by the Empress when she was still the Crown Prince's concubine. Now it seems that every move had a deeper meaning and was intended to alienate the relationship between her and His Majesty.

In the end, he succeeded in convincing both her and His Majesty of the Queen's kindness and concessions.

Just like the incident with Concubine Ye this time, in your majesty's heart, the Queen will always be the poor person who was plotted against and the most innocent person.

Defei lowered her head slightly, a hint of unwillingness flashed in her eyes. She bit her lips tightly, and her hand held the wine glass tightly, her fingers looked a little white because of the force.

It was all her fault for being too stupid and trusting the Queen so easily!

She will eventually tear off the queen's hypocritical mask and expose the real queen to Your Majesty. At that time, will Your Majesty still be able to pamper the queen as unreservedly as he does now?

There was a gleam of ruthlessness and determination in Concubine De's eyes.

After the banquet began, the ministers presented gifts, then the concubines, and finally the empress.

After the offering ceremony, it was time for the envoys to appear. These were all arranged long ago by the Honglu Temple, and everything seemed to be in good order.

Afterwards, the eunuch's shrill and high-pitched voice echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

"The envoy of Yuehui Kingdom and Princess Mingyue of Yuehui Kingdom come to see you—"

"The eldest prince of Canglang State and the second princess come to see you—"

"The envoy of Lingyu Kingdom brought Princess Yixuan to the audience——"

"The envoy from Seabuckthorn Country came to see you with three princesses—"

"The Crown Prince of Yuelin Kingdom and Princess Yafu come to see you—"

Afterwards, some envoys from vassal states came, but the eunuch did not report them one by one.

Jun Zechen's dignified and imposing voice resounded in the hall, like a huge bell, "Announce."

Afterwards, special palace servants brought in envoys from various countries one by one.

The envoys walked to the center of the hall with solemn expressions and steady steps, with awe and respect in their eyes.

However, the real focus of the ministers was the beautiful princess and county lady following behind the envoy.

Some of them are charming and beautiful, some are gentle and lovely, and some have a unique style.

Minister Su frowned slightly and looked at the princesses and princesses seriously, then turned his gaze to his daughter who was sitting in the first seat.

My daughter looked calm, without the slightest emotion on her face, as if all this had nothing to do with her.

He couldn't help but feel relieved. His daughter had such a magnanimous character that many women could not match.

Su Jingyao didn't feel anything special, so her expression was calm.

What's more, the entire banquet was planned and arranged by her and the officials of the Honglu Temple. She naturally knew very well who the envoys brought with them.

As for the four concubines sitting next to her, Concubine De was surprised at first, but she quickly regained her composure, as if no matter how many women came to the harem, it had nothing to do with her.

However, Concubine Lin was originally quite proud of being promoted to imperial concubine today, but when she saw these princesses and princesses, her mood suddenly became depressed and her face became a little gloomy.