Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

Chapter 180 A Good Gift

Fortunately, life in the palace wasn't just about one thing. Although most of everyone's energy was focused on the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace, even when they paid their respects to the Empress, they were more concerned about the dark circles under the Empress's eyes.

However, while everyone was focused on the Empress Dowager, they still had their own lives to live. For example, Consort Zhao's birthday finally arrived more than half a month later.

In March, the weather warmed up, and more flowers bloomed in the palace. The Empress Dowager's birthday was still two months away, so there was no rush.

However, because of the Empress Dowager's matter, it was not appropriate for Consort Zhao to have a grand celebration for her birthday. Consort Zhao was not a flamboyant person, so she asked the Empress for permission to hold a small banquet in Yongning Palace and invite only a few close concubines.

There weren't many people who were close to Consort Zhao on ordinary days. He Yunqing lived in Yongning Palace, so she would definitely have to be invited. In addition, there were Yao Jinse and Consort Chen, which was actually enough.

Consort Jing and Consort Rong are both unwell and unable to come. Consort Rong is obviously too arrogant to be invited. Since neither of them is coming, and the Empress is not present, it is naturally inconvenient for Consort Zhuang to come as well.

However, this would result in too few people, so after Yao Jinse casually mentioned it, Consort Zhao invited two new concubines who were on good terms with He Yunqing.

Qiao Yanran and Bai Fengping.

Yao Jinse knew this, after all, in the original story, the relationship between Qiao Yanran and Consort Zhao was actually quite good. Consort Zhao, a kind-hearted person who was good at protecting herself, never offended anyone in the harem.

Such people are either independent of others or have good relationships with everyone, and their Consort Zhao is the latter.

Since it was a small banquet hosted by the family, the Emperor naturally did not attend. However, the rewards were not lacking at all. After the Emperor's gifts, the Empress, Consort, Consort Zhuang, and Consort Jing's gifts also arrived one after another.

"They're all just common things like gold and silver, so there's not much difference between them."

Yao Jinse and Consort Chen stood with Consort Zhao at the palace gate, watching the boxes of things being put into the storeroom. After hearing Consort Zhao's words, they smiled and gently nudged her.

The three of them had a relationship that stemmed from their time in the Prince's mansion, making them somewhat different from others.

At that time, in the Prince's mansion, Consort Rong was the most favored, Consort Jing had dignity and the Emperor's affection, Consort Zhuang had children, and the Empress was even more favored.

Although they all belong to their own camps, they are all women who are not particularly favored in private, so naturally they have some unusual friendships.

Now that they've entered the palace and their ranks have been established, this friendship can be openly displayed. However, when they're together in private, they don't pay much attention to the distinction between superiors and inferiors.

This reminded Yao Jinse of the carefree days of her previous life.

However, one must live in the present moment. Listening to the laughter of Consort Chen and Consort Zhao, she felt slightly dazed.

Perhaps that's just how people are. At first, they're just worried about eating and sleeping, but as the days go by, every seemingly unintentional choice leads to a new and different trajectory.

She only looked forward to these days in the harem. Even though surviving and thriving would inevitably require dealing with many people to the point of exhaustion, if the people around her could still bring her some joy and warmth during those times, that would be the best outcome.

A joyous feast.

Almost everyone seated was intelligent, and with someone like Chen Meiren, who was straightforward and witty, the atmosphere at the table was filled with joy.

Although Qiao Yanran and He Yunqing are of lower rank and not yet very familiar with Consort Zhao, so they need to maintain a dignified demeanor, they are not the type to spoil the fun.
Bai Fengping, on the other hand, was even more adept at handling such occasions. From childhood to adulthood, she had always relied on her ability to be subservient and humble to secure benefits for her own family among the noble ladies she associated with. Although the three of them were unexpected guests, they still enjoyed a harmonious meal together.

The last time, in private, because Yao Jinse brought Bai Fengping to the Empress Dowager's palace, the three of them were quite particular about Yao Jinse, but in front of Yao Jinse, they still didn't show anything.

Of course, this can only be attributed to He Yunqing and Qiao Yanran's shrewdness in dealing with people. Bai Fengping was aware of the situation, so there's no point in discussing it further.

After everyone dispersed, Consort Zhao naturally returned to her own palace to look through the gifts. The gifts bestowed by the Emperor, Empress, and high-ranking concubines were always given according to the rules, and there was nothing special about them. They were put into the storeroom long ago.

Although most of the lower-ranking concubines had not received an invitation, they still sent over some gifts.

However, they were all just purses, sachets, and other such things, nothing particularly interesting. He Yunqing, Qiao Yanran, and the other two sent a Ruyi scepter together. Consort Zhao glanced at the Ruyi scepter and thought it was of good quality. She guessed that it was one of the three of them that had brought it into the palace to keep as a treasure.

But since this was a joint gift from three people, we can return the gift in three separate, more valuable gifts when we have the chance.

"Everything else is ordinary, but the relationship between Consort Lin and Consort Chen is quite special, and the gifts she sent were truly thoughtful."

In terms of background, Consort Zhao came from a noble family, though she wasn't the legitimate daughter of the first wife. Her mother was a second wife, but regardless, her family was still quite prestigious.

She had two head maids by her side, who were also maids who came with her family when she married into the royal family. They were named Mingqin and Huayi, and they were both carefully selected by their families. They were always reliable and steady.

So when Consort Zhao heard what Mingqin said, she was naturally a little surprised. After all, Yao Jinse and Consort Chen had just given her a box and kept it hidden, telling her that she could only open it at night. So she went over to take a look.

It really surprised her.

This box is truly exquisite. Yao Jinse drew inspiration from a makeup box produced by a certain brand in her previous life, and had the craftsman make a mechanism. Then, she divided it into many small compartments. She and Chen Meiren each prepared half of it, filled with various kinds of trinkets.

The material itself is of good quality, and it looks exquisite and lightweight, which can be described as a masterpiece.

"It's rare that the two of them could come up with such a wonderful thing. It must have taken a lot of time and effort to come up with it. It's also commendable that they put their heart into it. Such a small thing would be perfect for children to play with. It's just a pity that I don't have such good fortune."

She sighed, but didn't look at it any closer. She simply told someone to put it in her private little room, as she was tired after a long day and wanted to go to sleep.