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

After Ruan Xiaoyi discovered that the baby was pregnant, all sorts of rare treasures and precious tonics flowed into Weiyang Palace like a river.

Consort Li, the mistress of Weiyang Palace, paid special attention to Ruan Xiaoyi's pregnancy. Not only did she bestow gifts upon her, but she also took complete control of Ruan Xiaoyi's daily life, providing her with meticulous care.

Ruan Xiaoyi's complexion visibly improved, becoming rosy. Every time she greeted the emperor, the smugness radiating from her eyes was impossible to hide.

Shen Jiayu didn't care about any of this and continued to travel between the three palaces every day, living her life in an orderly manner.

Until that evening, something happened.

Shen Jiayu ate all three meals a day at Cining Palace. She ate dinner earlier than usual, and she would get hungry in the middle of the night, so after returning to the palace, she would always have some tea, fruit and snacks to fill her stomach.

That evening, Hongling took a palace maid to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch tea and snacks for her, but for some reason, she did not return for a long time.

Seeing that it was getting dark outside, Shen Jiayu instructed Lü'e, "Take some people and search for them."

Just as Lü'e appointed two palace maids, footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Hongling has returned.

She carried a mahogany lacquered food box and carefully placed the foods that Shen Jiayu liked inside onto the small table.

Shen Jiayu didn't look at her; her gaze fell on the little palace maid behind her.

Shen Jiayu remembered this little palace maid.

She remembered that the little palace maid was named Taoyao. Every day she would go with Hongling or Lüe to fetch her tea and snacks. She was usually very lively and cheerful.

But at this moment, Tao Yao lowered her head, with bright red marks on her face.

A dark glint flashed in Shen Jiayu's eyes. She asked, "Taoyao, what happened to your face?"

Tao Yao was initially hesitant and stammering.

Hongling replied, "Just say it in front of your master."

Tao Yao covered her face, tears streaming down her face. "It was Ruan Xiaoyi's personal maid who hit me."

Shen Jiayu asked, "Why did I hit you?"

Tao Yao choked up as she recounted what had happened at the Imperial Kitchen.

"This servant followed Sister Hongling to fetch the tea and snacks that Consort Gui wanted. When we arrived at the Sixth Bureau of the Imperial Household Department, Sister Hongling remembered that Consort Gui had a summer dress that needed to be tailored, so she said she would go to the Bureau of Clothing and Stuff to take a look."

"I noticed it was getting late, and since I was quite familiar with fetching tea and refreshments for the Noble Consort, I suggested we split into two groups and each do our own thing, then meet here in a bit."

"When I arrived at the Imperial Kitchen, I didn't see the bayberry custard that Consort Gui loved. So I asked the female official in the Imperial Kitchen. She said that bayberries are not in season this month, and the amount of bayberries sent from Jiangnan was small, so it could only be served to a few high-ranking concubines. Just then, Consort Ruan's maid came and said that Consort Ruan had no appetite. Since bayberries are sweet and sour and can whet the appetite, I took Consort Gui's bowl of custard."

"When I saw that Consort Ruan's maid was still in the Imperial Kitchen and had not left, I went to find her to argue and wanted to take back the Noble Consort's bayberry pastry."

"But Consort Ruan's maid, unable to reason with me, slapped me in the process. She even mocked me, saying that her mistress was now pregnant with the imperial heir and could eat whatever she wanted, so what was so strange about a bowl of bayberry custard?"

"Fortunately, when Sister Hongling saw that I hadn't returned for a long time, she came to the Imperial Kitchen to look for me and stopped Ruan Xiaoyi's maid in time. She was firm and demanded the return of the bayberry cheese."

Tao Yao explained the whole story very clearly, and Shen Jiayu remained silent for a moment after listening.

She looked at the bayberry custard on the small table and said to Taoyao, "Alright, stop crying. Let your sister Hongling get you some ointment to put on your face so it won't leave a scar. You can have this bowl of bayberry custard."

Tao Yao said she dared not.

Hongling, who was standing nearby, picked up the bowl of cheese and placed it in her hands. "Your Majesty gave you this, you can't refuse it. Come on, I'll take you to apply some ointment to reduce the swelling."

Hongling led the person out of the hall, watched her finish the cheese, applied ointment to reduce the swelling, and settled her down to sleep before quietly leaving.

She returned to the main hall.

Shen Jiayu remained on the soft couch, resting with her eyes closed, her expression unreadable.

But Hongling knew that her mistress was angry.

She and Lü'e exchanged a glance, and Lü'e shook her head, indicating that she couldn't persuade her either.

Hongling sighed.

She knew in her heart that trouble was likely to break out tomorrow.

*

Early the next morning.

After washing and dressing, Shen Jiayu sat in a palanquin and headed to Fengyi Palace.

This morning, she was accompanied by Hongling and Taoyao.

Shen Jiayu said to Taoyao, "Keep a close eye on things in a bit."

Tao Yao's face was full of confusion.

Hongling, however, sensed the impending storm in those words.

She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Having served her mistress for many years, she knew her mistress's temperament well. Once her mistress made a decision, no amount of talk from others would matter.

They traveled in silence and soon arrived at Fengyi Palace.

Today, Empress Luo wore a bright red phoenix robe embroidered with gold phoenixes, and sat regally on her throne, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.

She smiled and chatted with the concubines for a while before sending them away.

At this moment, Shen Jiayu suddenly spoke up: "Ruan Xiaoyi, did you sleep well last night?"

She rarely spoke up when paying her respects; she would only answer when Empress Luo or a few concubines specifically asked her questions.

Today is truly unusual.

But the other concubines knew perfectly well where Shen Jiayu's unusual behavior came from.

The harem is so vast that even the slightest disturbance can spread rapidly.

The events at the Imperial Food Bureau last night have already spread far and wide.

When Shen Jiayu spoke, everyone perked up, waiting to see what would happen.

When Ruan Xiaoyi, who was sitting in the back, heard this, her heart skipped a beat.

Is Consort Shen targeting her because of what happened last night?

However, Ruan Xiaoyi thought again that she was now pregnant with the emperor's child and was of great importance. She thought that Consort Shen would not dare to be too presumptuous and would at most say some unpleasant things.

Thinking this, Ruan Xiaoyi felt at ease. She steadied her voice and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am well."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiayu nodded.

She then asked, "Is Ruan Xiaoyi's pregnancy stable?"

The doctor sounded as if he cared about her, but Ruan Xiaoyi was even more confused. However, since the doctor was asking her a question, she had no choice but to answer. "Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that the imperial heir in my womb is behaving well and the pulse is very stable."

Shen Jiayu stopped asking questions, slowly stood up, and walked towards Ruan Xiaoyi.

Step by step.

Its imposing presence and overwhelming aura were overwhelming.

As Ruan Xiaoyi saw her approach, a hint of guilt flashed in her eyes, but touching her lower abdomen, she regained her confidence and met Shen Jiayu's gaze directly. "What is Your Highness doing?"

Shen Jiayu stopped in front of Ruan Xiaoyi.

The hall was completely silent, the atmosphere tense and fraught with tension.

As the head of the harem, Empress Luo had naturally heard about what happened last night. Seeing this, she spoke up to mediate, "Sister Shen, last night..."

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap interrupted what Empress Luo was about to say.

Empress Luo suddenly lost her voice.

The concubines inside the palace were even more shocked.

Consort Shen openly slapped Consort Ruan!

This is truly a great show!

Among the concubines, some covered their mouths and chuckled, some were shocked and speechless, and many more watched coldly from the sidelines.

Ruan Xiaoyi's head was knocked to the side, and she didn't react for a long time.

It wasn't until the numbness and pain in her cheek struck that she realized what had happened.

She couldn't believe it and turned around, "You dare..."

"Snapped!"

Another slap.

It was even louder than before.

The force was so strong that blood seeped from Ruan Xiaoyi's lips. Ruan Xiaoyi covered her face, her lips trembling, unable to speak.

Shen Jiayu waved her hand and looked down at Ruan Xiaoyi, "Last night your man slapped my man, and today I'll slap you back twice."