Chapter 80 Another Flower Festival

Jun Zechen was lying on the bed in the west hall, his chest rising and falling slightly, as if he was trying to calm down the restlessness in his body.

After a while, he sat up.

Lin Jieyu, who was standing nearby, also sat up from the quilt she was covering herself with, and then got off the bed barefoot.

She deliberately did not wear an outer shirt, wearing only a thin bellyband and underpants, her beautiful figure faintly visible.

After getting out of bed, she knelt at Jun Zechen's feet, picked up the dragon boots, and carefully put them on Jun Zechen.

Jun Zechen had a blank expression on his face, like a cold statue. He just glanced at her indifferently and then closed his eyes again.

Concubine Lin bit her lower lip lightly, with a hint of unwillingness and doubt in her eyes.

She raised her eyes slightly and glanced at His Majesty secretly.

Why did Your Majesty never let her stay overnight in the Qianqing Palace?

Concubine Lin felt somewhat unwilling, so she pressed her soft body gently against him, her delicate red lips just a finger's distance away from the corner of Jun Zechen's mouth, as if she could touch it if she got a little closer.

Jun Zechen suddenly opened his eyes, a cold light flashed in his eyes instantly, and he looked straight at Concubine Lin like a sharp sword.

Concubine Lin was frightened by his sudden gaze. Her body trembled violently and then she knelt down instantly.

She raised her tearful eyes and said with a trembling voice, "Your Majesty..."

Jun Zechen bent down slightly, stretched out his hand to lift her chin, his voice cold and low.

"I don't like skin contact. Don't do anything that disgusts me."

Having said that, Jun Zechen stood up and walked outside without hesitation, his steps firm and decisive.

After Jun Zechen left, Concubine Lin's body went limp and she collapsed to the ground.

She really didn't understand why His Majesty was so cold in bed?

He never touched her, kissed her, or even allowed her to kiss him.

Every time she slept with the emperor, Concubine Lin felt as if she was rejected by him, because he would not allow her to touch any part of his body.

Before entering the palace, her mother had given her many instructions, telling her to give His Majesty whatever she wanted in bed and to take the initiative, and she did all of them.

Doesn't Your Majesty like her?

But His Majesty treats her very differently. Among the thirty-five newcomers, she is the only one who has been summoned by His Majesty many times. The rest of the concubines, including Ye Ronghua, have only been favored once.

How could Your Majesty not like her?

Is it really because His Majesty himself rejects contact with women...

Lin Jieyu bit her teeth tightly, endured the discomfort of her body, and slowly got up from the ground. Then she put on her dress again, her movements a little stiff.

She slowly walked out of the west hall.

He turned around and looked at the plaque of the west hall again, his eyes filled with determination and desire.

One day, His Majesty will let her stay overnight in the Qianqing Palace.

Sojung Palace.

"Master, this is your palace dress for the Flower Festival that the Fashion Bureau just sent over. It's so gorgeous!"

Miaoxia pushed the hanger with the palace dress hanging on it with excitement, and walked briskly in front of Su Jingyao, her voice full of irrepressible joy.

This palace dress doesn't look like something an ordinary concubine can wear. Could it be that His Majesty is going to promote the master's rank?

Su Jingyao was originally concentrating on the book in her hand, but after hearing Miaoxia's words, her gaze slowly shifted to the palace dress.

His beautiful eyebrows raised slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Miaoxia saw that her master also seemed to be surprised, so she smiled even more brilliantly and said, "Master, look, this palace dress seems to be bright red."

"The people from the Shangfu Bureau said that this was made for you secretly at His Majesty's request and was delivered to you on the day of the Flower Festival."

Miaoxia spoke excitedly, her face full of joy.

A satisfied smile gradually appeared on Su Jingyao's face. This bastard finally knew how to make her happy.

Sure enough, she still prefers the satisfaction that power brings.

Miaoxia suddenly frowned in confusion.

"My Lord, although the color is bright red, this palace dress looks like the dress of an imperial concubine."

"Well, this is the dress code for the Imperial Concubine."

Su Jingyao said calmly that she knew it the first time she saw it.

Today, Jun Zechen should promote her to the title of Imperial Consort. Although she is not the Empress yet, at least she is definitely the Empress in Jun Zechen's mind.

If she wanted to truly ascend to the throne of empress, she would undoubtedly have to gain the approval of both the previous dynasty and the empress dowager.

Maybe Jun Zechen could let her become the empress directly. After all, she has a prince and a good family background. It wouldn't be considered excessive for Jun Zechen to let her become the empress.

But such an action might cause dissatisfaction from the Queen Mother. Su Jingyao still respected the Queen Mother. At least she wanted the Queen Mother to recognize her position as Queen.

The Queen Mother's approval basically represents the approval of the court officials, and the court officials here refer to those who are not from her father's faction.

Afterwards, Su Jingyao walked gracefully to the dressing table and sat down.

Miaoxia picked up the jade comb and began to comb her long hair, which was like a waterfall, and then she put it all up with careful movements, as if she was carving a precious work of art.

She was also given a headpiece that matched her palace dress, and a phoenix crown made entirely of gold and gems was placed firmly on her head.

The tiara was extremely large, with a row of chains in the front hanging down in front of Su Jingyao's smooth and white forehead, swaying slightly with her slight movements, adding a touch of charm and nobility.

Miaoxia also carefully painted a gorgeous red flower on Su Jingyao's forehead, making her look even more charming.

After dressing up, Su Jingyao was like a shining pearl, gorgeous and elegant, the most beautiful in the harem.

When Jun Zechen stepped into Zhaochun Palace, Su Jingyao happened to walk out of the bedroom gracefully.

When Su Jingyao saw him, her eyes were immediately filled with smiles, rippling like spring water.

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

Jun Zechen was also wearing a bright red dragon robe today, embroidered with a golden five-clawed dragon, which looked lifelike and extraordinary.

He walked towards her under Su Jingyao's gaze, then stretched out his slender hand to help her up.

Before Su Jingyao could even open her mouth to say anything, she could already see admiration and appreciation in his eyes.

"Your Majesty is truly handsome today, with bright eyes and thin eyebrows, and is handsome and extraordinary."

Jun Zechen looked at her with an indulgent smile on his face.

"Yaoyao is the most beautiful woman in the world, and she is the perfect match for me."

Jun Zechen was struck by her the first time he saw her. Her face seemed to have infinite charm and he couldn't get tired of looking at it.

What he saw most often was her rosy face, without any makeup or rouge. Every time she dressed up a little, his heart would beat uncontrollably.

She was so gorgeous, splendid, graceful and elegant today that he wanted to hide her away immediately so that he could admire her alone.

However, when Jun Zechen saw how happy she was, he knew that she had already guessed that he had canonized her.

"Let's go to Penglai Palace."

Penglai Palace is the palace where the Flower Festival family banquet is held. It is spacious and magnificent, surrounded by water and planted with a variety of colorful flowers, making it extremely suitable for holding Flower Festival banquets.

Jun Zechen naturally took her hand, and the two of them walked out of Zhaochun Palace together and boarded his sedan chair.

At this time, all the concubines had arrived at Penglai Palace, but the Queen Mother was unable to attend due to illness.

The eunuch who was reporting beside the imperial sedan chair shouted in a shrill voice.

"Your Majesty has arrived--

The Concubine Chun Shu has arrived——"

Upon hearing the voice, all the concubines in the palace hurriedly stood up from their seats and waited respectfully.

Many low-ranking concubines showed excitement on their faces, with light shining in their eyes. After all, after entering the palace, many of them had never seen the true face of His Majesty.

Today's Flower Festival banquet is their first chance to meet His Majesty since entering the palace.

When Jun Zechen and Su Jingyao walked slowly to the center of the hall, all the concubines shouted in unison.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to your Majesty and to the Consort Chun Shu."

Jun Zechen's dignified and steady voice echoed slowly, "Stand up."

The concubines then returned to their respective seats, and Jun Zechen held Su Jingyao's hand tightly, and walked towards the dragon chair together. After Jun Zechen sat down, Su Jingyao also sat gracefully on the phoenix throne beside him.

Ye Ronghua's eyes were fixed on Concubine Chun Shu's attire of an imperial concubine. The darkness in her eyes became darker and darker. She could only try her best to hide it by lowering her eyes.

Has Your Majesty already decided to canonize Consort Chun Shu as the Imperial Noble Consort?

If this is true, then isn't Concubine Chun Shu the empress designated by His Majesty?

Ye Ronghua never imagined that after entering the palace, she would end up worse off than a noblewoman from Jinzhou.

She had been looking forward to competing for the position of Queen, but His Majesty seemed to give her no chance at all.

It is difficult to gain the favor of His Majesty, and her position is so low that she has no access to the affairs of the six palaces, let alone the approval of the Queen Mother.

If Concubine Ling had not given the newcomer such a low position, how could she have ended up in such a passive situation?

Now I can only recuperate and gather my strength. I must first find ways to gain His Majesty's favor, be promoted to the position of the head of a palace as soon as possible, and then give birth to a prince.

Now Concubine Chun Shu is very powerful in the palace, and she is completely unable to compete with her now.

Since His Majesty and Concubine Chun Shu entered the palace, Concubine Lin's eyes have never left the hands of His Majesty and Concubine Chun Shu.

There was confusion and jealousy in his eyes. Why could Concubine Chun Shu do it?

Doesn't Your Majesty dislike being touched by women?

Or would Your Majesty be able to accept just holding hands?

Jun Zechen and Su Jingyao slowly sat down.

Jun Zechen had a calm expression, and he scanned the crowd with a stern gaze before speaking in a deep voice.

"The Flower Festival is an important festival for the monarchy, and the whole country celebrates with joy. At present, there is no empress in my harem, and Concubine Chun Shu will perform the duties of the empress and manage the harem."

"The Queen Mother and I are both very satisfied with Concubine Chun Shu's abilities. Today, we hereby confer the title of Imperial Noble Concubine upon Concubine Chun Shu."

Having said that, he waved his hand gently. An Shun understood what he meant, and took a step forward with the imperial edict in both hands.

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

The Flower Festival is a time of joy and celebration.

In my harem, Consort Chunshu Su is gentle, virtuous, and talented.

Since she took over the duties of the Empress and managed the harem, everything has been done properly and in order, fully demonstrating her ability.

The Queen Mother and I both have high praise for him and feel that he is capable of taking on great responsibilities.

Today, Consort Chunshu Su is specially named as Imperial Noble Consort and given the title of 'Jia Yi'.

I hope that she will continue to perform her duties conscientiously in the future, be a good mother to the harem, assist me, and jointly safeguard the peace and tranquility of my king's harem.

I appreciate it! "

"Your concubine\/your concubine pays homage to the Imperial Noble Consort Jiayi. May the Imperial Noble Consort live a thousand years, a thousand years, and a thousand years." Everyone shouted in unison, and the voices echoed in the hall.

Afterwards, Su Jingyao, who was sitting on the phoenix throne, raised her chin slightly, with a faint smile on the corner of her mouth and a gleam in her eyes.

"I have gained your majesty's trust and love, and have been granted the title of Imperial Consort. I will do my best to assist your majesty in managing the harem."

She paused, slowly glanced at the people below, and continued.

"Today we celebrate the Flower Festival together. I have discussed with His Majesty about conferring titles on the six palaces.

Your Majesty is kind-hearted and wants all of your sisters to benefit from this favor.

From now on, I hope that all my sisters will abide by their duties, work together and assist Your Majesty.

Today's joy should be shared with you all."

As she spoke, she always had a gentle and dignified smile on her face, with her hands folded gracefully in front of her.

When the concubines below heard this, they all looked delighted, their eyes filled with surprise and anticipation.

In the harem, promotion to a higher level means different treatment, and the monthly allowance is doubled.

"Your Majesty, I thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness." Everyone bowed and thanked.

Afterwards, An Shun continued to read out the imperial edict of the Royal Consort.

In the end, all the concubines were promoted one level, among which An Zhaorong was promoted to Shenfei, the highest-ranking concubine under the Imperial Noble Consort.

Concubine Lin was promoted to Concubine Lin, became the head of a palace, and was granted residence in Changle Palace.

Ye Ronghua was promoted to Ye Jieyushi, and Shangguan Meiren was promoted to Shangguan Jieyushi.