In the palace, no matter how close you are to the emperor, you must not forget your duties, whether in the harem or the former court. If you forget your status and cross the line, you will be sentenced to death, which is what you deserve.

Qi Yan hurriedly put on his clothes, resisting the urge to sleep, and came to the bedroom of the Yangxin Palace. He saw Feng Lin sitting on a chair, and he did not intend to go to bed.

The atmosphere around him was a little wrong, and the eunuchs were kneeling there with bated breath, not daring to breathe.

Qi Yan took a look and walked over cautiously: "Your Highness... Why did your Highness come back suddenly?"

Feng Lin glanced at him, waved his hand, and dismissed the others before saying, "These women are becoming more and more unpopular with me. Each of them has learned to blow the wind in my ears. Women in the harem are not allowed to interfere in government affairs, but that Xin Zhaoyi actually recommended officials to me!"

When Qi Yan listened, he knew that Feng Lin must have come back after Xin Zhaoyi's rage.

"Your Majesty, calm down." Qi Yan brought a cup of tea over: "Drink some tea to cool down."

Feng Lin took the tea in his hand, but did not drink it. After thinking for a while, he put it heavily on the table: "I am so angry."

"Pfft, don't say anything about being angry or not." Qi Yan said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, you can be angry, but don't say those taboo words." After saying that, Qi Yan walked around Feng Lin's back, put his hands on his shoulders, and kneaded them gently. Qi

Yan's action was obviously done often. Feng Lin sighed and leaned back on the chair as if he was relaxed.

"If you ask me, Your Majesty, you don't have to be angry. The ladies in the harem are waiting to meet you and leave some impression on you." Qi Yan comforted him softly, "If my words or actions make you unhappy, it's okay if you don't get angry. The dragon body is yours."

"Although you say that..." Feng Lin sighed, casually patted Qi Yan's hand, but felt a chill, and hurriedly held it, saying, "Why are your hands so cold? Could it be that you caught a cold? Do you want to call the imperial physician?"

Qi Yan stared at him for a while with his hand held by him, and suddenly pulled his hand back: "No, no need, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Feng Lin seemed to be startled by his big reaction, and then he seemed to react and turned his head away in a panic.

"Forget it. I'll rest today. I have to attend court early tomorrow." After saying that, Feng Lin stood up. Qi Yan went over to help him undress. Knowing that Feng Lin was only wearing a golden inner garment, Qi Yan considered himself done.

After Feng Lin fell asleep, Qi Yan returned to his side hall. As soon as he lay on the bed, the system prompt sounded in his mind.

[The male protagonist's favorability towards Qi Yan +5, current favorability: 45]

Feng Lin may be confused, Qi Yan can't be anxious, and it's useless to be anxious.

The next day, when Qi Yan went to serve Feng Lin, he found that he didn't have any strange intentions, so Qi Yan breathed a sigh of relief. After attending court with him, the maid beside the Queen Mother came to summon him.

"Your Highness." Aunt Sun is an old person in the palace, and even Feng Lin respects her very much.

"Aunt Sun, please don't be polite." Feng Lin asked, "Aunt Sun has come to the Yangxin Palace, but what does the Queen Mother want to see me about?"

"That's right, Your Majesty, please move to the Queen Mother's palace."

Feng Lin flicked his sleeves and said, "Forget it, I haven't visited the Queen Mother for a long time."

The Queen Mother's palace already has the Queen and Concubine Yao. In recent years, Concubine Yao has been the most favored in the six palaces. In order to win over General Yao, Feng Lin coaxed Concubine Yao into submission.

When Feng Lin arrived, Qi Yan saw the situation in the palace and knew that it must be for the selection of beauties.

This selection is the round in which the heroine is selected, which is also the beginning of the plot. Qi Yan followed silently, and after paying respects to the Queen Mother and others, he stood behind Feng Lin and said nothing.

"Your Majesty, I called you here this time for this year's beauty pageant." The Queen Mother had kind eyes, but she couldn't hide the brilliance in her eyes: "The Empress and I have seen some of the girls before, and there are some who are pretty good."

Every beauty pageant, there are both pre-selected and immediate selections. The pre-selected girls are definitely the ones who have been selected, and the immediate selections are to see if the Emperor has any other girls he likes, and then leave them.

The Queen Mother had someone bring a few portraits and placed them in front of Feng Lin. Feng Lin flipped through them with little interest and put them down: "These matters are up to the Queen Mother and the Empress."

"Hey, it depends on whether the Emperor likes it."

"It doesn't matter whether he likes it or not." Feng Lin looked away and his eyes fell on the charming and seductive Concubine Yao: "How are you these days, my beloved concubine?"

Concubine Yao was delighted: "Your Majesty, I am fine these days, but it's cold and my appetite is a little poor."

"Well, tell the kitchen to make some of your favorite food and send it to you." It seemed like a casual remark, but it also seemed like a great gift from heaven.

The Queen Mother and the Empress both had frozen faces. They didn't expect the Emperor to dare to flirt with them like this.

Concubine Yao was naturally ecstatic, but after many years in the palace, she was very good at hiding her joy.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After staying in the Empress Dowager's palace for less than three quarters of an hour, Qi Yan left. He felt that the old Empress Dowager was going to explode with rage, but Feng Lin was oblivious, as if he knew nothing.

After returning to the Yangxin Palace, Feng Lin reviewed the memorials and dismissed others, so Qi Yan was able to ask.

"Why did the Emperor reject the Empress Dowager's wishes?" Qi Yan poured him more tea: "The selection of beauties is only a matter of time."

After he finished speaking, the Yangxin Palace fell into a strange silence.

Qi Yan thought he had said something wrong, and hurriedly tried to kneel down, but Feng Lin helped him up before he knelt down.

"You kneel at every turn. Are you like those people? You think I'm the emperor and want me to be alone all my life?"

Feng Lin did not call himself "I" but "I". Obviously, he was still relaxed when facing Qi Yan.

Qi Yan was silent for a while and said softly: "I know that I will not speculate on the holy will, and there is no way to block my words. But it is a great honor for me to be with you, Qi Yan."

Feng Lin smiled and patted his shoulder: "You are my friend."

Qi Yan nodded and took a piece of pastry from his desk: "That friend I'm not polite, but I'm so greedy."

Feng Lin laughed loudly and pushed a plate of cakes in front of him: "Here you go."

Talking and laughing seemed like the past, until someone from the Ministry of Internal Affairs came to report that the Queen Mother and the Empress had already decided on the title and position of the show girl.

Feng Lin asked them to put them aside and sent them away.

Seeing that he didn't have much interest in doing this, Qi Yan stepped forward to take away the list.

"Qi Yan, why can't I meet someone I like?"

Qi Yan paused and said faintly: "The time has not come yet."

Feng Lin sighed: "Forget it, if you have someone you like in the future, you must tell me."

Qi Yan smiled and didn't say anything else.

What he meant by "the time has not come yet" is not that he hasn't met yet, but that it hasn't come yet, and he found that the person he loves is right next to him.