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

The Imperial Study.

Emperor Qianwu received the paddy field clothes sent by Consort Zhen and couldn't help but frown slightly.

But then I thought, this outfit is perfect for when I go on an incognito visit in the future.

Consort Zhen is very thoughtful.

Emperor Qianwu's gaze softened slightly.

He felt satisfied and also appreciated Consort Zhen's thoughtfulness.

Emperor Qianwu had no shortage of clothes; the imperial harem had a special workshop called the Imperial Clothing Bureau to make clothes for him.

Throughout the year, the Imperial Clothing Bureau followed ancestral traditions to make clothes for Emperor Qianwu and his concubines and palace women.

Although he had nothing to lack, he was still happy to receive clothes made by hand by the concubines.

The palace servants of Weiyang Palace instinctively widened their eyes as they watched Emperor Qianwu pick up the clothes and hold them up against his own body, but dared not utter a word to dissuade him.

They could only watch helplessly as Emperor Qianwu put on that paddy field robe.

Emperor Qianwu was tall and robust, but perhaps too robust, which was completely different from Zhou Mingchong's slender and upright physique.

Fortunately, the clothes had wide sleeves, so there was no problem with not being able to put them on.

But his physique was too bulky, and it didn't quite fit...

Fu Quan thought to himself, "The Empress really doesn't know any better."

She and His Majesty... are practically an "old married couple," so how could she possibly get His Majesty's figure wrong when she's sending him clothes?

As expected, Emperor Qianwu's expression darkened.

"Was this dress made by Consort Zhen herself?"

He remembered that Consort Zhen was an embroiderer before entering the palace. Since she was an embroiderer, it was impossible for her to make such a simple mistake as taking measurements and tailoring clothes.

Unless, of course, the clothes weren't made for him.

Consort Zhen was his concubine, but besides him, she actually made clothes for other men.

Emperor Qianwu's possessiveness began to take hold.

Just then, the wax apple arrived at the opportune moment, presenting several sets of exquisite nightgowns with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is a nightgown that our Empress herself sewed for you."

Although Emperor Qianwu still had a stern face, his complexion had noticeably improved.

Pajamas?

These pajamas are all made of the finest materials, which are smooth and soft to the touch, making them very comfortable to wear as pajamas.

Most importantly, the nightgown was embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon, representing Emperor Qianwu's status.

There are patterns such as golden dragons playing with pearls and golden dragons soaring into the sky.

Those golden dragons were all outlined with gold or silver threads, lifelike, with a smooth embroidery surface. They were also rare double-sided embroidery, which did not affect the wearer's appearance at all.

He pulled out a garment that was much larger than a paddy field coat, and it clearly wouldn't have that feeling of being too small to button up like a paddy field coat.

Emperor Qianwu's expression softened somewhat.

"Consort Zhen is very kind."

Looking at the ill-fitting paddy field robe, Emperor Qianwu's feelings were still somewhat complicated.

This Consort Zhen, though she may be considered careless, knew to make his nightgown by hand.

This is her heartfelt wish.

She could be described as both meticulous and careless, making this paddy field garment so small.

Even if it were just a little smaller, Emperor Qianwu wouldn't be picky.

But this one... is too small.

It simply can't stretch out...

"Consort Zhen's cooking skills are excellent, but there are times when they fall short of expectations."

Emperor Qianwu was keen to find a way to redeem Zhou Mingyi.

"This paddy field robe is too small; it doesn't fit me."

Lianwu subconsciously looked at the little eunuch and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you misunderstand. This set of paddy field clothes was pieced together by the Empress using the leftover materials. Such good materials are left over, and we can't let them go to waste."

"Our lady has been thinking about it and decided to make a paddy field robe for Lord Zhou."

"It's all from the palace, all good material. Even if Lord Zhou wears it, it wouldn't be an insult."

Wax apple remained composed and neither arrogant nor humble. After a slight pause, she continued:

"But once the clothes were finished, Your Majesty suddenly remembered that, according to ancestral rules, there is no Empress in the harem. If anything from our harem is to be sent out, we must first ask for your permission..."

Emperor Qianwu: ...

Upon hearing these words, Emperor Qianwu immediately felt extremely pleased.

In Ah Chang's heart, I am the first.

She made so many clothes for me, and with the leftover scraps, she casually made a paddy field garment for her elder brother, Zhou Mingchong.

This paddy field robe, also known as the "patched robe," originated from the robes of monks in the previous dynasty and gradually became a "fashion" pursued by men and women in the general public.

But since these were once the robes worn by monks, they were still considered dignified.

Emperor Qianwu slightly curled the corners of his lips and turned to Fuquan, saying, "Consort Zhen is considerate of me, but Minister Zhou does not have a considerate person to serve him."

"Anyone who doesn't know better might think we don't have any good fabrics in the palace. You, send ten bolts of fabric from my treasury to Consort Zhen."

Emperor Qianwu thought for a moment and then said, "To avoid causing Consort Zhen any trouble, send her directly to the Imperial Wardrobe and order them to make more clothes for Minister Zhou, so that Minister Zhou will not have nothing to wear."

He thought to himself, "Although I took your sister away, as your brother-in-law, I gave you so many nice clothes, which is quite considerate."

Zhou Mingchong is truly blessed to have such a gentle and considerate younger sister as Ah Chang!

As for the paddy field clothes, after going through a relatively simple process with Emperor Qianwu, they were delivered to the Zhou residence by a special person from the palace.

Zhou House.

Zhou Mingchong accepted the imperial decree and expressed his gratitude.

When Zhou Mingchong saw the paddy field clothes made by his younger sister, with stitches clearly sewn by her own hands, his eyes welled up with tears.

His younger sister is still thinking of him in the palace; he must work hard and persevere!

I'll strive for a promotion soon so I can support my younger sister!

……

Meanwhile, Chang Le Palace received the news and immediately went to complain to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager did not want to pay any attention to Consort Chen.

Heartbroken by Emperor Qianwu, she delegated all the affairs of the harem to Consort Rong and Consort Zhen.

She knew her son well; in any case, nothing would go wrong in the harem.

If something really goes wrong, she'll just leave it at that; she's not dead.

As a result, Consort Chen came with great force, and the Empress Dowager spoke directly to Zhu Lan.

"Go and tell Consort Chen that I am tired and have already rested."

Aunt Zhulan looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Before she could speak, she heard Princess Chaoyang's voice coming from outside.

"Grandmother, Chaoyang is here. Chaoyang has brought you some snacks. These are newly made snacks from Mother Consort's palace. I thought they were quite good, but I was wondering if Grandmother would like them..."

Empress Dowager: ...

She could refuse to see Consort Chen, but Chaoyang was her only grandson, and turning him away would be too inhumane.

She only has this one precious daughter, and even if she's woken up in the middle of the night, she still has to take care of her.

Who can blame us when we only have this one precious child?

"Quickly, please come in. It's already night, we mustn't let the princess catch a cold."

Consort Chen followed behind Princess Chaoyang, facing the Empress Dowager's deathly gaze.

The Empress Dowager did intend to rest early, but she hadn't yet; her clothes and hair were still in perfect condition.

"Royal Grandmother!"

The Empress Dowager had to pull herself together. "My dear Chaoyang, what brings you here?"

Princess Chaoyang glanced at her mother before smiling and saying, "Grandmother, didn't I just say that my mother's palace has a new kind of pastry? I couldn't wait to share it with you, so I came here."

"Someone, bring out the rose pastries and please let the Empress Dowager have a taste."

The Empress Dowager frowned.

She doesn't like rose pastries.

But for Princess Chaoyang's sake, she took a bite.

This pastry is really well made; it melts in your mouth and is full of the sweet aroma of roses.

"I heard that Consort Rong's mother, Madam Xue, loves rose pastries the most. Consort Rong is filial, so at noon she ordered someone to send a box of rose pastries out of the palace to the Xue residence."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression immediately darkened.

"presumptuous!"

"The inner palace and the imperial court are forbidden from exchanging goods or services; this was a rule established by the late Emperor! How dare Consort Rong do such a thing?"

In fact, Consort Rong was always careful in her actions, but when she heard the news in the afternoon, she panicked for a moment and realized that the Empress Dowager was no longer concerned with palace affairs.

He completely relinquished power in the palace to her and Consort Zhen.

Consort Zhen was seductive, and Consort Rong, fearing she would lose the initiative, took the risk.

There was nothing wrong at first, but Zhou Mingyi had a cheat code.

There are no secrets in this world.

This matter was deliberately revealed by Zhou Mingyi to Consort Chen.

Although the power in the palace was originally transferred from her to Consort Rong by Emperor Qianwu.

However, Consort Chen couldn't bear to blame Emperor Qianwu, so she transferred her resentment to Consort Rong.

Having finally found a ready-made incriminating evidence, how could Consort Chen possibly let it go?

In fact, when she was in power, she did contact the Chen family outside the palace.

Unfortunately, most members of the Chen family were unambitious, and almost none of them actually held power.

However, at that time, Consort Chen was content with having a daughter and also held power in the palace, so the information she revealed was of little consequence.

The Empress Dowager and Emperor Qianwu turned a blind eye.

But Consort Rong was different.

Although she had no children, her father, Xue Zhan, held military power.

The situation in the harem is now much more complicated.

Emperor Qianwu also received a secret report from his secret guards.

Emperor Qianwu was furious. "Arrogant and disrespectful, disorderly between superiors and inferiors! Issue an edict: Consort Rong is stripped of her title, demoted to the rank of Talented Lady, and temporarily confined to Xianyang Palace."

"Order the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to thoroughly investigate this matter!"

"You must find out the truth about this matter. I want to know who else in the inner palace dares to have private dealings with officials from outside the palace!"

Emperor Qianwu's furious outburst turned Consort Rong into a prisoner overnight.

When Emperor Qianwu's men came to deliver the imperial edict, Zhou Mingyi was still in Xianyang Palace.

Consort Rong was completely dumbfounded.

She had been careful all along, but who knew...

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Your Majesty!"

Fu Quan looked solemn and ignored her. With a command, Consort Rong was restrained and stripped of her headdress and clothing.

This was a great humiliation for Consort Rong.

Moreover, Zhou Mingyi was still inside Xianyang Palace, and Consort Rong was so ashamed and indignant that she wanted to die.

Overnight, the palace underwent a dramatic change, and the Xue residence outside was thrown into complete chaos.

Xue's father was relieved of his military command and placed under investigation.

All members of the Xue family who held official positions in the capital were suspended from their duties and prohibited from leaving the residence. The residence was surrounded by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, effectively placing them under house arrest.

Officials serving in other regions were also controlled by local officials who received the imperial edict.

The women and servants of the Xue family were imprisoned in the mansion. A eunuch and a matron from the palace were dispatched to conduct a thorough inspection and search.

The Xue residence, both inside and out, was in complete disarray.

However, the Xue family dared not utter the slightest complaint.

Even Shen Kuo, who was directly involved, was implicated.

Fortunately, the letter had long been burned to ashes by Shen Kuo, and the eunuchs and nannies only found a box of rose pastries that had been eaten a few times at the Xue residence.

"It's all because of that Shen Kuo! Why did he have to send him snacks out of the blue?"

"He's deliberately trying to kill us!"