A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Emperor Qianwu was greatly shocked.

He pulled Zhou Mingyi into his arms, his voice deep and resonant, "My beloved consort is steadfast, which greatly comforts my heart."

"I've chosen a character for you; how about I bestow upon you the title 'Consort Zhen'?"

Are you happy?

Mingyi lowered her eyes.

A faint blush appeared on her earlobes. "I will obey Your Majesty's will."

All her planning paid off; she went straight from a beauty to a "virtuous consort."

The ranks of the concubines in the Great Zhou imperial harem were as follows:

Superb quality, one queen.

First rank, Imperial Concubine, in principle only one person, but more can be added depending on the emperor's wishes.

From the first rank, there was one of the four consorts, each named Virtuous, Gentle, and Kind.

The rank of a second-grade official, equivalent to that of a concubine, is limited to no more than eight people in principle.

From the second rank, the concubine rank, there are nine in total, with the titles being: Zhaoyi, Zhaorong, Zhaoyuan, Xiuyi, Xiurong, Xiuyuan, Chongyi, Chongrong, and Chongyuan.

The rank of Jieyu is third grade, and the rank is nine.

Fourth rank, beauty, nine positions.

Fifth rank, talented woman, nine positions.

A sixth-rank official, Baolin, number twenty-seven.

Rank 7, Imperial Concubine, number 27.

The eighth grade, Cai Nu, twenty-seven.

She suffered a minor misfortune and scraped her skin, yet she was promoted directly from a beauty to a concubine.

This sacrifice was well worth it.

……

"What? That bitch has been brought back by Father?"

"How is this possible?"

Princess Chaoyang's expression changed drastically upon receiving the news.

Consort Chen was also somewhat nervous.

However, the mother and daughter had different concerns.

Princess Chaoyang was incredulous and even began to doubt An Shiyi's competence.

"I clearly had my father's secret guards do it. Even if they found out, no one would suspect me unless that Dark Eleven was incompetent."

Consort Chen retorted, "What? You had His Majesty's men do it?"

She subconsciously looked at Granny Chen beside her.

Granny Chen felt a little guilty.

"Your Highness, the Princess is very thoughtful. I think Your Highness is right. It must be that the secret guard was unreliable, which is why the clues were discovered."

"It's hateful that that vixen has been taken back to the palace; it's probably impossible to send her to the military camp now."

Princess Chaoyang, on the contrary, calmed down.

"Hmph, she's just a withered flower, no matter how eloquent she is, she can't change this fact! This princess will go and tell my father right now!"

"How could someone like that be allowed to enter the palace as a concubine?"

Consort Chen and her trusted nanny exchanged a glance.

"But since she's already entered the palace, it means His Majesty trusts her, or she's used some means to deceive him!"

Consort Chen thought for a moment, "Why not wait until the investiture ceremony and have someone reveal the truth?"

Granny Chen's eyes darted around. "Your Highness, this is inappropriate!"

"This woman is alluring. If His Majesty knew that you and the princess were unhappy about her and had someone disrupt the investiture ceremony, he would likely be displeased..."

When Granny Chen said that Emperor Qianwu would be unhappy, it was actually a subtle way of putting it.

Consort Chen and Princess Chaoyang both knew Emperor Qianwu's temper.

He was decisive and ruthless in his early years, but he has become much more restrained in recent years as he has gotten older.

But in essence, he was not that kind of weak and indecisive monarch.

The majesty of an emperor shall not be trampled upon!

"What should we do then?"

Consort Chen was at a loss.

Princess Chaoyang said, "Father has no children, and there are many concubines in the harem who have no chance of promotion. That lowly woman got the rank of concubine as soon as she entered the palace. I'm afraid she is not worthy of the position."

Consort Chen's eyes lit up.

"My son is right!"

……

Inside the Hanlin Academy.

"Lord Zhou, congratulations!"

"Lord Zhou, you're truly a man of great talent!"

"Lord Zhou, His Majesty specifically appointed you to write the edict and imperial seal for Consort Zhen. This shows His Majesty's trust in you, Lord Zhou. Your future is bright!"

Zhou Mingchong's expression was very complicated.

He would give his colleagues a perfunctory reply, but then put in his utmost effort to write the official edict and inscription specifically for his younger sister.

Write carefully, choosing each word and phrase to strive for perfection.

He only received the news yesterday.

They said that her younger sister was safe and sound and had already entered the palace.

Zhou Mingchong knew his sister well; she couldn't have left without saying goodbye. There must have been another reason.

Unfortunately, his sister is currently in the deep palace, making communication difficult. He must remain calm and not act rashly, lest he cause trouble for his sister.

……

Several colleagues from the Hanlin Academy discussed it privately.

"I thought Zhou Mingchong had gotten incredibly lucky, but I never expected that he would use his own sister to curry favor with His Majesty."

"He's really willing to sacrifice himself. For his own future and to avoid being entangled with the princess, he's even willing to give up his own sister."

Another colleague said, "It's just a younger sister, what's there to be reluctant about?"

"If I had a sister as beautiful as an angel, I would give her up for a bright future."

"Alright, that's enough. She has a younger sister who's a concubine in the palace now. Let's keep quiet to avoid being resented."

"From now on, I'll have to be more discreet in front of him."

……

A few days ago.

After Zhou Mingchong was dismissed from his post, it was already late. When he discovered that his sister was not at home, he went mad.

He searched all over the capital, using every connection he could find. He even almost impulsively stormed into the palace to question Emperor Qianwu.

You old scoundrel, you clearly promised to give my brother and me three days to say goodbye, but the three days haven't come yet, where have you hidden my sister?

You old bastard, not only did you take advantage of me and steal my sister, but you also broke your promise...

But in the end, reason prevailed over impulse.

If something else happens to his sister, and he offends that old bastard Xie Jinghong again, who can he rely on to save his sister?

However, the commotion at the Zhou residence still alerted the Cen family.

Cen Shaoyuan was also frantic with worry.

His beautiful, fairy-like fiancée is gone?

If such a beautiful woman were kidnapped by villains, the consequences would be unimaginable!

The least anxious one was Madam Cen.

She even gloated.

"What? You're saying that young lady from the Zhou family is as beautiful as an angel?"

"Didn't she say she was disfigured as a child? Are you perhaps suffering from some kind of hysteria?"

"Besides, she's already broken off the engagement with you. Even if she gets lost or elopes with someone else because she can't stand being alone, what does it have to do with you?"

Cen Shaoyuan's handsome face nearly contorted.

"Mother! Why are you so harsh?"

Madam Cen felt wronged upon hearing this.

"You call me harsh?"

"You speak of your mother like that because of a foreign woman?"

Where is your conscience?

Cen Shaoyuan: "Mother, can you please stop being so unreasonable?"

"Am I being unreasonable?"

"I gave birth to you and raised you like my own flesh and blood. How can I not be heartbroken when you defile your own mother for the sake of another woman?"

The mother and son were talking at cross purposes, and Cen Shaoyuan couldn't stand it anymore, so he simply walked away.

This left Madam Cen even more heartbroken.

"What do you think I'm after?"

"From the moment he was born, he was the one who gave me the most trouble!"

"Now that I'm all grown up, I'm hurting my feelings because of a stranger!"

"I...I'd rather be dead!"

Madam Cen gave birth to two sons.

The eldest son was raised by his grandfather from a young age. Although he was dignified and composed, he respected his birth mother very much.

However, the mother and son had not spent time together since childhood, so they were naturally not close.

She finally endured until her father-in-law passed away in his old age, and then she gave birth to her youngest son.

This child, however, is a troublemaker; he's never given her a moment's peace since he was little.

Now, for the sake of a woman from out of town, he has hurt her so much!

Calming herself down, Madam Cen became even more wary of Zhou Mingyi. "That woman surnamed Zhou, we absolutely cannot let her into the house!"

The trusted nanny said, "Madam, you've forgotten, the engagement between Miss Zhou and our second young master was already called off."

"As long as we don't acknowledge her, she definitely won't be able to marry into the family."

"I don't know what's gotten into the Second Young Master... In my opinion, you shouldn't have stopped him. The more you stop him, the more anxious and agitated he becomes, and the more he takes it to heart."

After a moment of silence, Madam Cen gradually calmed down.

"You're right, I was too hasty."

"That stubborn mule, we should just go along with him a bit..."