Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

By nightfall, most of the concubines in the harem had already learned that the emperor had summoned Shen Jiayu and asked her to serve him with writing materials.

They were naturally envious and jealous.

You should know that it has been a long time since anyone has gone to serve the emperor.

The concubines felt a pang of bitterness in their hearts, but none of them dared to say anything.

She could only silently comfort herself, after all, Consort Shen and His Majesty were cousins, and their relationship was different from theirs. It was normal for His Majesty to dote on her and care for her more.

Thinking about it this way makes me feel a little better.

However, some were secretly pleased to hear the news.

For example, the newly arrived concubines.

They entered the palace together initially, and over time they became familiar with each other, getting along fairly well. However, relationships between people always have varying degrees of closeness or distance.

Of the four, Consorts Cen and Ruan were the closest to him.

The two sat together, admiring the moon and chatting.

Ruan Cai Nu looked on expectantly: "His Majesty visited Consort Shen once and summoned her again. So, shouldn't it be our turn next?"

Cen Xiaoyi also had a faint smile on her face: "I heard that His Majesty has not been busy with state affairs lately. Judging by the time, it should be about time."

Ruan Cainu was overjoyed and couldn't control her voice, "That's really great!"

A surge of heat rose in her heart, and she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to be favored by the emperor.

Seeing the joy on her face, Cen Xiaoyi advised her, "Sister Ruan, apart from Consort Shen, you are the most beautiful among the new concubines and should be the most favored. However, you are straightforward and quick-tongued, so you must be careful to restrain yourself."

Ruan Cainu felt a warmth in her heart and looked at Cen Xiaoyi gratefully, "Good sister, you always think of me and consider my needs. I don't know how to thank you enough."

Looking at Ruan Cainu's innocent and carefree face, Cen Xiaoyi sighed, "I also have a younger sister at home who is just as innocent as you. So, I always feel compelled to give you a few words of advice. I'm just glad you don't find me long-winded."

Ruan Cai Nu nestled against her shoulder: "How could that be? After entering the palace, everyone looked down on me because of my low status. Only you, sister, were kind to me. I will always remember that."

Cen Xiaoyi shook her head with a smile and pulled the person into her arms.

But their hopes were dashed.

From that day on, there was no further activity at the Emperor's court.

Forget about summoning someone to serve you in bed, you didn't even have the honor of serving someone with writing materials.

The newcomers grew more and more silent each day.

When the Empress saw the haggard and dejected appearance of the group during the greetings, she felt helpless.

"Very well, I will go before the Emperor later and put in a good word for you."

The women were overjoyed. They exchanged glances, stood up in unison, and said, "Your Majesty, we thank you for your great kindness."

Empress Luo smiled slightly: "No need for formalities. As the head of the six palaces, it is my duty to consider your needs."

The Empress was magnanimous and proper, and the other concubines naturally flattered her.

Only Consort Hui gave a cold laugh, curtsied slightly, and turned to leave.

After the greetings had ended, Caiwei, a lady-in-waiting beside Empress Luo, spoke up, saying, "This Consort Hui is getting more and more outrageous."

Empress Luo's expression remained indifferent: "She's been acting so presumptuously for quite some time now."

Caiwei felt indignant on behalf of her master: "Are we just going to let her be like this?"

Empress Luo's gaze turned cold: "I don't have time to deal with her now. Once I've finished what I'm doing, I'll settle the score with her properly."

Caiwei replied, "This servant understands."

Empress Luo concealed the emotions in her eyes and ordered, "Go and prepare. I am going to Xuanzheng Hall."

*

It is unknown what Empress Luo advised the emperor, but two nights later, the emperor finally summoned his concubines to his bedchamber.

However, it was Ruan Cai Nu, a rising star.

This news surprised the concubines, who had thought that His Majesty would visit them one by one according to their rank.

Ruan Cai Nu seemed to be very favored by the emperor, as she served him in bed for two consecutive days.

Her rank was also promoted from a seventh-rank lady-in-waiting to a sixth-rank imperial concubine.

Ruan Baolin suddenly became the emperor's new favorite, enjoying immense prestige.

However, this glory also brought trouble to Ruan Baolin.

Previously, Shen Jiayu had gained the Emperor's favor, and the other concubines, mindful of her status, could not and dared not say anything.

But now that Ruan Baolin is of low rank and comes from an ordinary family, the other concubines have no more scruples and naturally will not let her go.

Ruan Baolin then became the target of a collective attack.

One sour remark today, another sarcastic one tomorrow.

This caused Ruan Baolin a lot of distress, and her eyes welled up with tears several times. Fortunately, Cen Xiaoyi helped her, otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to endure it.

Shen Jiayu would come to pay his respects every day, and there would always be a good show to watch.

She could see clearly from the outside: among all the women in the palace, Qi Ronghua, who sat right next to her, was the most likely to bully others.

It's easy to understand if you think about it.

Originally, Qi Ronghua was the most favored concubine in the harem, but now she can't serve the emperor and can only watch other women receive his favor, so she is naturally unhappy.

She was of a much higher rank than Ruan Baolin, so she took it out on Ruan Baolin.

Qi Ronghua's words were unpleasant, and Ruan Baolin initially endured them silently. However, after serving the emperor more often, she gained confidence and dared to retort.

Qi Ronghua became even angrier when she saw that she was disobedient, and her words became even more offensive.

The palace is getting more and more lively every day.

*

Before we knew it, it was April.

During this period, all the rookies had enjoyed the favor, but the most favored was still Ruan Baolin.

On this day, during the greetings, contrary to usual practice, the concubines did not make any sarcastic or mocking remarks towards Ruan Baolin.

Shen Jiayu knew the reason in her heart.

Last night she received news that Consort Li had used her power as the assistant to manage the six palaces to transfer Consort Ruan to her own palace.

From now on, the two of them will be in the same boat.

Therefore, we are in this delicate situation today.

After all, slapping Ruan Baolin in the face is slapping Consort Li in the face.

Which of the concubines dared to act rashly?

For this reason, there was no heated debate today, and the event ended early.

Shen Jiayu still went to Cining Palace.

Over time, she has almost gotten used to this routine.

Upon arriving at Cining Palace, I saw a figure in black emerging from within.

It is Pei Yan.

The two had not met since that day at Xuanzheng Hall.

Although Pei Yan would come to Cining Palace to pay his respects every few days, Fengyi Palace was always bustling with activity at that time, and the event had not yet ended, so the two missed each other many times.

It just so happens that we met today.

Shen Jiayu obediently bowed and said, "This concubine greets Your Majesty."

Pei Yan glanced at the person and said in a emotionless tone, "You've lost some weight."

Shen Jiayu thought for a moment and replied, "The weather is getting hot, and I don't have much of an appetite."

Pei Yan nodded slightly, said nothing more, boarded the imperial carriage, and departed.

After watching him leave, Shen Jiayu stepped into Cining Palace.