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

As the only son of Emperor Qianwu, Princess Chaoyang's birthday banquet was extremely grand.

Emperor Qianwu and the Empress Dowager both took it very seriously.

A banquet was specially held at Consort Chen's Chang Le Palace, inviting all the high-ranking and favored concubines, as well as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

At a glance, it appears that most of Mingyi's enemies from her previous life are in this hall.

Zhou Mingyi wore a faint, gentle smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Consort Yun was of low rank and was not originally qualified to come, but because she had a lot of contact with Zhou Mingyi, Emperor Qianwu invited her and placed her next to Mingyi.

Her attire today was simple, but her thick black hair was tied up in a high bun, towering high on her head, clearly showing that her hair was lush, black, and very well-proportioned.

Yun Meiren was also in a very good mood. She leaned close to Zhou Mingyi's ear and whispered:

"The secret recipe my sister gave me really worked! Sister, please take a look and see if my hair has grown back a bit?"

"Is the color also becoming increasingly jet black?"

Zhou Mingyi wasn't particularly obsessed with her hair, but she could understand Yun Meiren's feelings.

She replied perfunctorily, "Well, my sister's hairstyle today is probably only comparable to that of the birthday celebrant."

Yun Meiren: ...

Consort Rong sat opposite Zhou Mingyi. She merely glanced at her a few times before ignoring her and focused on enjoying her food, appearing completely carefree.

Below Consort Rong sat Consort Liu and Consort Lin, respectively.

Consort Liu was the head of the Nine Concubines, and was a well-known concubine in the palace, so she was naturally qualified to attend the banquet.

This Consort Liu was as beautiful as a fairy, but her expression was as indifferent as Consort Rong's. She was dressed simply and had an air of not competing or vying for anything.

Lin Jieyu, on the other hand, was dressed in a flamboyant manner.

However, her rank was not high, and she was probably not favored. She had limited possessions, so even if she wanted to compete for favor, she wouldn't be able to achieve anything significant...

Generally speaking, Emperor Qianwu's concubines were all easy to manage.

After all, Emperor Qianwu had no heir, so there was no point in everyone arguing about it.

The intensity of the competition for favor was far less than that of the previous imperial harem.

It could be considered fairly harmonious.

However, this balance was largely disrupted after Mingyi entered the palace.

Therefore, Zhou Mingyi could feel Liu Zhaoyi and Lin Jieyu's gazes being cast at her from time to time.

……

Princess Chaoyang hasn't come out yet, but it's easy to imagine that for such a grand birthday banquet, she will be dressed up beautifully and outshine all the other beauties.

Zhou Mingyi's plan today is a bit daring, so she has to maintain her composure to avoid ruining the performance later.

So she remained listless, and when Yun Meiren spoke to her, she would only reply with a single sentence.

She didn't speak, she didn't speak either.

Yun Meiren roughly realized that Zhou Mingyi didn't want to talk to her, so she stopped speaking.

After a while, Princess Chaoyang, supported by Consort Chen, walked out from the back hall.

She was indeed dressed very formally.

She wore a bright red embroidered robe with gold trim, but instead of gold and jade, her shawl was adorned with numerous Western sparklers that shone brightly with every movement, dazzling the eyes.

She was not wearing the princess's pearl and jade nine-phoenix crown, but an exquisitely crafted gold silk crown called "Supporting Longevity and Full of Beauty".

Tiny pearls strung together form the characters "Longevity" hidden among the peony blossoms.

This was originally a style of imperial design that only the Empress could enjoy!

This demonstrates the great favor Princess Chaoyang enjoyed.

Emperor Qianwu was seated at the head of the table. When he saw Princess Chaoyang come out, he personally got up to greet her.

"My precious pearl has arrived."

Consort Chen stood to one side, but her eyes and brows could not hide her joy at being honored.

She originally planned to use her daughter to keep Emperor Qianwu on Princess Chaoyang's birthday.

But now, seeing her child, whom she had carried for ten months, grow into such a bright and beautiful young woman, she felt a sense of genuine pride.

This is her daughter, her rising sun.

She subconsciously looked at Emperor Qianwu, where the emperor, his concubine, and the princess stood side by side in the hall, just like a real family of three.

If only that were true.

Consort Chen sighed inwardly.

"His Majesty!"

Emperor Qianwu's gaze fell on Consort Chen. Although she had dressed up carefully, it was clear that she did not put as much effort into it as Consort Chaoyang, showing that she was truly just a foil for her daughter.

This pleased Emperor Qianwu greatly.

Chen finally took his advice to heart.

No matter how meticulously Consort Chen took care of herself, she was getting on in years. Fine wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes, and her gaze was no longer as youthful as it had become.

However, it was precisely this profound sense of responsibility that stirred a sense of pity in Emperor Qianwu towards her.

Although Chen was dull-witted and jealous, she still bore him his only child.

During this period, Zhou entered the palace. She was stunningly beautiful, pure and radiant, and he indeed indulged her a bit too much, neglecting Chen as well.

Thinking this, Emperor Qianwu gently took Consort Chen's hand and said, "My dear consort, you've worked hard."

Upon hearing these words, Consort Chen's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

She murmured, "It is my greatest fortune to have given birth to a princess for Your Majesty."

"I am not tired."

However, she became so emotional that she almost lost her composure.

Emperor Qianwu frowned in displeasure, but ultimately said nothing.

"Let's go, let's take our seats."

Consort Chen's hand was still being held by Emperor Qianwu, and the two of them walked forward, one in front of the other, embracing Princess Chaoyang.

……

The Crown Prince's gaze remained subtly fixed on Zhou Mingyi.

The Crown Princess naturally noticed it as well.

She whispered to her trusted nanny, "Is this the legendary Consort Zhen? She truly is a beauty of unparalleled grace."

His tone was sarcastic.

The trusted nanny glanced at the Crown Princess, then at the Crown Prince on the other side.

It seemed that ever since he took his seat, His Highness the Crown Prince's gaze had been frequently drawn to Consort Zhen.

The nanny naturally knew that the Crown Princess was jealous.

She couldn't help but remind him, "Consort Zhen is so beautiful and elegant that it's understandable that Your Highness might be tempted to look at her for a moment."

The Crown Princess pursed her lips.

This woman has already entered the palace and become His Majesty's concubine, yet she still dares to provoke His Highness?

She really is a vixen!

But she couldn't lash out.

This was simply because Zhou Mingyi was not one of the concubines in the Eastern Palace.

Feeling annoyed, the Crown Princess took a sip of fruit wine.

……

Zhou Mingyi's performance also began.

Seated on the throne were the Empress Dowager, Emperor Qianwu, and Princess Chaoyang, who sat in the very center, with Consort Chen on the other side.

The family was very happy. Consort Chen would occasionally tell stories about Princess Chaoyang's childhood, which amused the Empress Dowager.

Princess Chaoyang, however, refused to comply.

"Mother, today is my birthday. Why are you bringing up those embarrassing things from the past?"

"Alright, that's enough!"

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "No matter what, my Chaoyang is the best. She is the most beautiful and precious little princess in my heart!"

Zhou Mingyi lowered her eyes, listening to the music of string and wind instruments while occasionally glancing at her hands. Then, like the Crown Princess, she first sipped the fruit wine in small sips, and then began to gulp it down.

Finally, her eyes gradually became somewhat unfocused.

By the time the banquet was halfway through, Princess Chaoyang was receiving so many gifts that her hands were sore from holding them.

Zhou Mingyi then pretended to be too drunk and went outside for some fresh air.