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

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Shen Jiayu composed herself and spoke in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

Qing'an respectfully handed her the imperial edict, then helped her up, smiling as he said, "Besides the edict bestowing a title upon Consort Zhaoyi, His Majesty has also given other rewards. Please take a look, Your Highness."

Shen Jiayu walked past him, her gaze falling on the tray held by the palace servants behind him. After scanning it around, she smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for making this trip, Chief Steward."

Qing'an bowed his head humbly and said, "It is my honor."

As usual, after giving the reward money and seeing the person off, Shen Jiayu returned to the soft couch in the west side room and sat down.

The rewards were taken in by Hongling and the others.

There wasn't enough room for the small table in the tatami room, so it had to be placed on the soft tatami.

Hongling and the others counted the items, occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise.

"This little box is full of gold ingots, no wonder it's so heavy."

"I've heard that this Canaan incense is a tribute from the vassal states of the south, and it's worth more than a single ounce of gold. Judging by this quantity, it should all be given to our Lady."

"These pearl powders are of such high quality. We'll send them to the Imperial Clothing Bureau another day and have them set off for Her Majesty to adorn her headdress or clothing."

"..."

The hall was filled with laughter and joy, creating a lively atmosphere.

The rewards today are truly generous, and Hong Ling, Lü E, and Zhao Bingzhong couldn't hide their joy.

Even the usually dignified Granny Meng came to congratulate Shen Jiayu on receiving this title.

Shen Jiayu was also pleased. She waved her hand and said, "Today we share in the joy. Everyone in Yihua Palace will be rewarded with three months' worth of monthly allowance."

This really caused an uproar; everyone knelt down to express their gratitude.

Shen Jiayu accepted all of their pleas, but couldn't help but give them a few more words of advice, telling them not to get carried away.

Everyone in Yihua Palace now follows her lead and dares not disobey, repeatedly agreeing with her.

*

The bestowal of a title caused a great uproar in the palace.

This character is extremely valuable.

Nowadays, the names of the three consorts, Li, Hui, and Lan, are merely praises for the virtues of the palace consorts, while the character Chen refers to the emperor, and the favoritism is self-evident.

Several concubines, upon hearing this, froze on their faces with smiles, and some even accidentally broke their teacups.

This shows the shock felt by the concubines in the six palaces.

Shen Jiayu paid no attention to the turmoil outside; she slept soundly in Yihua Palace.

She woke up early the next morning feeling refreshed.

After getting up, she had someone wash and dress her up.

She has no intention of going to Fengyi Palace to pay her respects recently, since she still has an injury on her hand. She plans to wait until the scars fade and she no longer needs to wear silk ribbons before going.

She dressed up carefully today because she wanted to go to the Xuanzheng Hall to express her gratitude.

After all, the palace had been carefully renovated, and an excellent title had been assigned to her.

If I don't go and express my gratitude soon, it will seem insincere.

However, before going to Xuanzheng Hall, Shen Jiayu went to Cining Palace first.

Empress Dowager Shen was naturally aware of what was happening in the palace. She sighed with relief, "Now that you have served the Emperor and I see that you and the Emperor have a good relationship, I am relieved."

Shen Jiayu said softly, "Since entering the palace, Aunt has gone to great lengths for Ayu. Now that Ayu is doing well, Aunt can finally rest and worry less."

"Hmm." Empress Dowager Shen nodded slightly, but she was still worried and couldn't help but gently admonish, "Now that you hold a high position and are deeply favored by the Emperor, it is hard to guarantee that trouble will not arise in the inner palace. You must be careful and vigilant, do not be careless, and guard against arrogance and impetuosity in order to go far."

Hearing the earnest teachings, Shen Jiayu felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She replied, "Aunt, I've remembered."

Empress Dowager Shen nodded in satisfaction: "I know you are a clever child, so I won't say any more."

Shen Jiayu stayed with Empress Dowager Shen for quite a while before leaving Cining Palace.

When they arrived at Xuanzheng Hall, the emperor had already returned from court and was changing into his everyday clothes in the inner hall.

Qing'an, who was guarding the palace gate, saw her and was about to announce her arrival when Shen Jiayu raised her hand and shushed her.

Qing'an then understood.

Shen Jiayu quietly walked behind the emperor, dismissed the palace maids, and slowly tied the jade belt around his neck.

Pei Yan was pondering state affairs with his eyes closed and arms outstretched, but he didn't notice the palace maid fastening the jade buckle around his waist.

He frowned, slightly displeased.

Just as he lifted his eyelids, about to dismiss the palace servants, he saw a furry head bowed and moving clumsily.

"Why are you here?"

Shen Jiayu's attention was entirely on his jade belt. After finally tying it properly, she raised her head, her eyes brimming with spring water: "Your Majesty, I have come to express my gratitude."

As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around Pei Yanjin's slender waist and buried her face in his chest. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for choosing such a wonderful title for me."

Pei Yan's tone remained impassive: "You like it?"

His original intention was to choose between Xi and Chen.

However, the character 熙 can be extended to mean gentle and mild, with a warm and radiant appearance.

She doesn't have that kind of temperament at all.

If she is difficult to deal with in his presence, how could she be gentle or warm in front of others?

So we named her Chen.

Strangely enough, when this title was decided, Pei Yan felt it was surprisingly appropriate.

This word is perfect for her.

Shen Jiayu looked up at the person, a smile suddenly blooming on her face, "I like it."

Pei Yan said calmly, "If you like it, that's good."

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman tiptoed over.

A warm, soft touch pressed against my lips.

Instantly separate.

Pei Yan pursed his thin lips into a straight line, his eyes darkening slightly. "Disobeying the rules."

Shen Jiayu then kissed him again.

She blushed and rubbed against his broad chest: "Because I love the title His Majesty gave me so much, I couldn't help myself."

Pei Yan didn't let her cause trouble for long before taking her to the Imperial Study.

He naturally sat behind his desk handling government affairs.

Shen Jiayu was very familiar with the process, bringing him water and grinding ink, and serving him in handling political affairs.

They stayed there for a whole day.

After dinner, Pei Yan didn't let her leave, so Shen Jiayu naturally stayed.

The two sat in the living quarters playing chess.

Shen Jiayu's chess skills are really not that great; she only knows the rules, but she knows how to cheat.

"Your Majesty must grant me ten sons first."

"Wait a minute, I won't go this way, I'll go this way."

"Your Majesty cannot come down here; I need to make arrangements here."

"..."

He gave away pieces, took back moves, and in the end, even divided up his own territory.

Pei Yan just stared at her coldly.

Shen Jiayu realized she had gone too far and felt a pang of guilt. She then pushed the chessboard away and started telling him funny stories from her childhood.

"There's a woodland in the northern plains called Hanwulu, where there's plenty of game. Every winter, Father takes me hunting there, and we always return with a full load!"

"The heavy snow in Kitahara can last for half a month, reaching up to a person's waist. After the snow is cleared, I take the little maids to have a snowball fight, and they learn a lot of mischievous tricks."

"The young men of Kitahara are indeed tall and strong, but few are handsome, let alone as good-looking as His Majesty."

At first, Pei Yan listened in silence, but after hearing this part, he asked, "Have you met many young men from Beiyuan?"

Shen Jiayu raised her voice slightly, a hint of pride in her eyes: "Of course. I started looking for a husband when I was fifteen, and in the past two years, I've met almost all the young men from prominent families in Beiyuan!"

Pei Yan tapped the table beside him with his fingertip, his expression unreadable: "A consultation?"