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

Seeing Cen Xiaoyi laughing heartily, Ruan Cainu felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

She lost all her strength and collapsed completely to the ground.

Yes.

She is now forbidden to go before the Emperor.

The entire harem was under Empress Luo's control.

How can she get justice?

Filled with boundless hatred, Ruan Cainu spat out through gritted teeth, "You are all utterly wicked!"

Hearing her insults, Cen Xiaoyi raised her hand and pressed Ruan Cainu's head down onto the floor tiles. She said leisurely, "It's clearly your own stupidity that made you think of sisterly affection in this deep palace. It's laughable. Your current predicament is your own fault. Your child is lost because of your foolishness."

These words are absolutely devastating.

Isn't it because of her stupidity?

If she hadn't mistakenly trusted this good sister, she wouldn't have suffered a miscarriage, and she wouldn't be in this predicament.

She ruined her own child.

Ruan Cai Nu's pale face was covered in filth, and she sobbed and cried out in anguish.

Seeing her in such a disheveled state, Cen Xiaoyi felt a surge of pleasure. Ever since the day she befriended her, she had been looking forward to this scene.

Seeing it now is truly exhilarating.

Cen Xiaoyi was satisfied. She stood up and slowly wiped her delicate hands.

Then she had someone help Ruan Shi out, and with tears in her eyes, she "sent" Ruan Shi away.

Upon returning to the palace, Cen Xiaoyi's trusted maid worriedly said, "Xiaoyi, what if Ruan Shi is determined to take revenge and one day actually reports it to the Emperor? Even if His Majesty doesn't believe it, if he becomes suspicious, it won't be good for us."

Cen Xiaoyi smiled and said, "That day will never come."

She knew exactly what was in the "calming soup" that the Empress had the Imperial Hospital prepare for Lady Ruan.

Adding some ingredients had a completely different effect.

Within a month, Ruan would become delirious, mentally unstable, and eventually go completely insane.

The words of a madman are naturally unreliable.

*

Lady Ruan fainted on the long street and was discovered by passing palace servants, who carried her back to a side hall of Weiyang Palace.

When she woke up, her condition was even worse.

He remained silent, neither eating nor drinking, and had lost half of his three souls and seven spirits.

The palace maids and eunuchs who served her, seeing that she had no hope, stopped caring about her and just kept up appearances.

Only one young palace maid couldn't bear it and went in to persuade her, "Lady, don't torture yourself like this. You are still young and have a long life ahead of you. Once you recover, His Majesty will remember our past relationship and take pity on you again. Perhaps this child will return soon."

Ruan Cai Nu did not react to this.

Her eyes were empty and lifeless.

The young palace maid shook her head and withdrew helplessly.

Inside the main hall.

Consort Li, who was admiring her newly dyed nail polish, asked, "Is Lady Ruan still kneeling at the entrance of the Phoenix Palace?"

The palace maid said, "Lady Ruan has just returned."

A hint of surprise flashed across Consort Li's beautiful face: "You're back?"

The palace servant replied, "I heard she went to several palaces to cause trouble, but no one paid any attention to her. Even Cen Xiaoyi, who was always on good terms with her, was heartbroken by her."

Consort Li sneered and commented, "This Ruan is a complete fool."

Although they were stupid, they still had some value to them.

But I never expected her to be so disappointing.

She caught a chill and lost her baby; she's more trouble than she's worth.

Now it seems that this Ruan family member is of no value. Since she is a discarded pawn, there is no need to waste any more effort on her.

Consort Li ordered without hesitation, "Find a pretext to drive Ruan out of Weiyang Palace, so she won't get in my way."

"Yes."

News from within the palace has always traveled very quickly.

Within an hour of Consort Ruan moving out of Weiyang Palace, all the other concubines received the news.

Shen Jiayu naturally knew about it as well.

At that time, she was focused on carving the jade ball in her hand, and only nodded slightly when she heard this.

Hongling sighed, "As the saying goes, flowers don't bloom for a hundred days, but this Ruan family has only been favored and enjoying glory for a little over two months, not even a hundred days, and yet she has come to such an end. It's truly pitiful and lamentable."

Ruan Cai Nu's miscarriage was considered a loss of power.

But now even Consort Li no longer protects her, and Ruan Cai Nu will likely find it difficult to move an inch in the palace from now on.

The concubines in the palace have always had a penchant for kicking someone when they're down.

Ruan Cai Nu's hard times had only just begun.

Green Calyx snorted coldly: "This is the end result that Ruan deserves. When she was favored, she dared to be so presumptuous and disrespectful to our Lady. She has no one to blame but herself for her current predicament."

When Ruan Cai Nu was favored and had a son, she acted arrogantly.

The incident involving bayberry cheese from the Imperial Kitchen also shows that if Ruan Cainu learned that her palace servants had assaulted someone or stolen something, she should have immediately led them to Yihua Palace to apologize.

Once she made her stance clear, her mistress naturally wouldn't make things difficult for her; she would only punish the palace servant.

Unfortunately, Ruan Cai Nu, relying on her pregnancy, showed no reaction whatsoever, which led to the slapping later on.

She brought these consequences upon herself.

Hongling sighed, not wanting to mention her again, "Indeed."

Shen Jiayu listened silently at the small table without uttering a word until she finished carving a cloud and dragon pattern. Only then did she speak, "Ruan Shi will not live much longer."

Hongling and Lüe were taken aback: "What?"

Shen Jiayu shifted her gaze from the gargoyle, gently rubbing the corner of her eye. "People like Ruan never know why they entered the palace. She has no ability or means, and is always being swept along by the emperor's favor and rewards. Sooner or later, she will fall in this deep palace; it's only a matter of time. Her fate was already sealed the day she entered the palace."

Both Hongling and Lü'e felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

Yes.

This is the imperial palace, the place with the greatest power and splendor in the world, and also the place where open and covert struggles are most intense.

Surviving and navigating this environment is no easy feat.

Without skill and cunning, all that awaits you is an abyss.

Even if it were one's own concubine, without any special skills, relying solely on this status would likely be difficult.

Therefore, once you enter the palace, there is no way out. Only by fighting your way to the top can you have a chance to catch your breath.

This principle is understood by our own empress, and by them as well.

*

The miscarriage of the Nguyen family caused quite a stir.

After that day, the emperor never summoned his concubines to his bedchamber again, nor did he even provide them with writing materials.

Several concubines were unwilling to give up and wanted to show their faces at Xuanzheng Hall. They brought their carefully prepared pastries or soups, but they were all turned away outside the hall.

Returning empty-handed, the concubines had no choice but to give up.

After this method failed, most of the concubines focused their attention on the emperor's birthday banquet in early June.

This time, all the concubines in the palace were determined to make a name for themselves on that day and win the emperor's favor.

Among them were those preparing to dance, those playing musical instruments, and those playing the pipa and guzheng.

Shen Jiayu was rushing to meet her own deadline.

In recent days, apart from paying her respects at Fengyi Palace every day and occasionally going to Cining Palace to chat with Empress Dowager Shen, she has spent the rest of her time in her own palace.

She was rushing to finish her work more and more often, and it was common for her to stay up until the early hours of the morning.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and the carving of the ghost ball went smoothly.

On the eve of the emperor's birthday banquet, she finally finished preparing the gift.

This truly relieved Shen Jiayu.

After examining the final product for a while, she instructed, "Find a sandalwood box, put it in, and we'll take it with us when we go."

Hongling and Lüe searched the storeroom for a long time before finally choosing a jewel-encrusted and carved box and carefully placing the item inside.

Everything is now ready; all that remains is the palace banquet.

*

The sixth day of the sixth lunar month.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

The sky was clear and blue, the sun shone brightly, and golden light shone on the thousands of palaces and vermilion walls.

Today is the emperor's birthday.

A banquet was held in the palace at Zhangmingtai.

Around 3 PM, Hongling and Lü'e woke up the sleeping Shen Jiayu and helped her with her hair and makeup.

Today is a great day, so naturally I should dress up for the occasion.

Instead of her usual light makeup, this time she opted for a more sophisticated and glamorous look, adding a gold foil floral decoration to her forehead as an embellishment.

After applying makeup, Hongling styled Shen Jiayu's hair into an exquisite "Flowing Moon and Heart" bun and adorned her with a beaded and filigree headdress.

Tassels made of gemstone beads dangled gently from her ears, dazzling and beautiful, swaying gracefully.

The dress was chosen long ago.

She wore a long dress in the color of spring, with a pattern of crabapple blossoms and branches. The dress was made of pale red brocade and the dark patterns woven with gold and silver threads flowed and shone along the hem, radiating a dazzling brilliance. From a distance, it looked like molten gold and broken jade.

After Shen Jiayu was dressed up, the people in Yihua Palace remained silent for a long time.

Looking at that face, they were deeply moved.

She was truly astonishing, deserving the title of being the most beautiful woman in the palace.

Shen Jiayu looked at herself in the bronze mirror and thought it was fine, except that her head and face were a bit heavy.

There was still some time before the banquet, so she had someone bring her some tea and snacks to tide her over.

As the sun began to set, the group set off for Zhangmingtai.

This platform is located in a corner of the Imperial Garden, on a high ground, with approximately 100 zhang (about 300 meters) of steps leading up to it.

Its panoramic view allows one to take in the entire scenery of the palace.

Along the way, Shen Jiayu encountered several concubines, and when they saw Shen Jiayu's appearance, they could hardly hide the amazement in their eyes.

Upon arriving at the destination, Shen Jiayu carefully climbed the steps until she reached the platform, where she finally saw the entire view.

On the high platform, dozens of palace lanterns hung high, illuminating the place as if it were daytime.

There are also several ice jars scattered around, and once you enter them, the summer heat disappears instantly, and you feel a refreshing coolness.

The palace servants moved about in an orderly fashion, without a single commotion.

Shen Jiayu entered the banquet hall, exchanged greetings, and then found her seat.

Hongling and Lü'e were behind her, gently fanning her to cool her down.

Shen Jiayu observed the people at the table without making a sound.

Of the three consorts, only Consort Lan came. Unlike usual, a boy of about four or five years old sat beside her.

This must be her eldest son.

After Consort Lan lowered her head and spoke a few words to the First Prince, the First Prince looked over here, and after a while, he got up and came over.

He bowed formally and respectfully: "Greetings, Lady Shen."

Shen Jiayu nodded gracefully: "It's Your Highness."

After a few simple questions and answers, the eldest prince returned to Consort Lan's side, and Consort Lan smiled and nodded in their direction.

Shen Jiayu smiled and nodded at her.

Normally, Consort Lan is an extremely low-key and gentle person, and she rarely speaks. But today, with the First Prince by her side, she smiled more often.

As dusk fell, the imperial concubines gradually arrived, including Consort Hui with the Second Prince and Consort Li.

Shen Jiayu looked around and realized that only Ruan Cainu, who had recently suffered a miscarriage and moved to another palace, was not there.

But that's not surprising.

She's considered an unlucky person now; if she comes, she'll probably only make sarcastic and mocking remarks, needlessly making people dislike her.

It's just unclear whether she didn't want to come, or whether she wasn't allowed to come.

After the arrival of several high-ranking concubines, there was another round of greetings. Just as the atmosphere was lively, a voice suddenly announced from outside, "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived! Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived!"

Today, Empress Luo wore a bright red phoenix robe, exuding grandeur and elegance. She carefully helped Empress Dowager Shen in.

The concubines and the two princes quickly bowed and said, "Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress, greetings to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Empress Luo first helped Empress Dowager Shen to the right of the main seat, and then sat down to the left of the main seat herself.

After everyone was seated, Empress Dowager Shen spoke authoritatively: "Rise, all of you."

The concubines thanked the emperor and rose to their feet.

Empress Dowager Shen's gaze swept quickly across the table, pausing slightly when it landed on Shen Jiayu before shifting away. "Qizhan and Qirui are both here today. Come quickly and let me take a look at them."

Qi Zhan and Qi Rui are the names of the eldest and second princes, respectively.

During the reign of Emperor Zhaoqi, princes and princesses inherited the surname "Qi" for one generation.

Upon hearing Empress Dowager Shen's words, Consort Hui quickly gestured to the Second Prince, Qi Rui, who was only three years old but clever and adorable. Seeing his mother's signal, he obediently stepped forward and said, "Grandmother, Rui'er greets you."

Empress Dowager Shen's face was full of affection as she handed him a pastry, saying, "Our Qi Rui is such a good boy."

The second prince took it and thanked her in a childish voice, "Thank you, Grandmother."

Empress Dowager Shen patted his head.

In contrast, the eldest prince seemed rather dull and hesitant to step forward.

He only walked over when Empress Dowager Shen beckoned to him, and she smiled and handed him a pastry.

The eldest prince accepted it and thanked him quietly.

Empress Dowager Shen smiled and nodded: "Eat."

The gloom of the past few days was swept away, and all the concubines were all smiling during the banquet. However, Shen Jiayu could sense the undercurrent of different thoughts among the concubines.

Consort Lan's calmness, Consort Hui's smugness, and the envy of the other concubines.

Consort Lan was indifferent to worldly affairs, so she didn't care about this.

Consort Hui was quite ambitious and very proud of her son's intelligence and wit.

As for the other concubines, they naturally envied the two of them for having princes by their side, ensuring their stable positions and a lifetime of wealth and honor.

Shen Jiayu watched quietly, taking in everything.

Amidst everyone's eager anticipation, an announcement finally rang out: "His Majesty has arrived!"

The concubines held their breath and rose again, saying, "Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

A man dressed in a black and gold dragon robe strode into the banquet hall. He first greeted Empress Dowager Shen, and after sitting down in the main seat, he spoke in a cool and indifferent tone, "Everyone, please rise."

The concubines rose and sat down.

The person celebrating their birthday today has arrived, making the atmosphere at the banquet even more lively and festive.

The concubines smiled and raised their cups in congratulations.

First it was Empress Luo, then the three consorts.

Before it was Shen Jiayu's turn, she was already holding up her wine cup, and deliberately, out of the corner of Pei Yan's eye, she tilted her head and winked.