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

Although Shen Jiayu did not pay her respects during this time, she still heard about Qi Ronghua's maternal family.

This summer, several counties in Jiangnan suffered from floods. Qi's father was appointed to a critical mission and personally went to provide disaster relief, alleviate the suffering of the people, and made great contributions.

He has now been transferred back to the capital and promoted to the third rank.

With her maternal family gaining power, Qi Ronghua naturally felt honored.

She had shaken off her usual dejection, her complexion was rosy, and she looked radiant.

He had been chatting and laughing with the concubines beside him since just now.

The atmosphere inside the palace was filled with joy and harmony when suddenly someone began to lament, "Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I've served the emperor."

Upon hearing this, all the concubines, whether intentionally or unintentionally, turned their gazes toward Shen Jiayu.

It wasn't just one person; they hadn't received any favors in the past few months.

Even the three concubines were flustered. Although the emperor had come to visit them, he had not summoned them to his bedchamber.

This has never happened before.

Before this batch of young women entered the palace, although the emperor was sexually frigid, he would at least summon his concubines three or four times a month, and they could occasionally regain his favor.

Now there's not a trace left.

If no one else did, that would be fine, but there was one concubine who frequently stayed overnight at Xuanzheng Hall.

This makes people jealous and envious.

Shen Jiayu remained calm and unhurried, letting them scrutinize her.

Want to see what she'll do if you want to sleep with her?

She's not the emperor!

If you want to be pampered, then fight for it.

Let's all rely on our own abilities.

She didn't stop them, but told them: You are not allowed to go. His Majesty belongs to me alone.

At most, she would throw a little tantrum at the emperor.

If they wanted to act spoiled, they could; the only problem is they might not dare.

However, despite thinking this way, Shen Jiayu vaguely had an absurd guess about this matter.

Previously, it was said in the palace that His Majesty was not interested in women.

But after she had served the emperor, she knew that these rumors were unbelievable.

After all, during those days of passionate lovemaking, the intense, burning touches were undeniable.

Since His Majesty is not a frigid person, why did he not often have sexual relations with his concubines in the past?

Shen Jiayu had a vague feeling that the emperor was completely uninterested in them.

In the past, the rare instances of concubines serving the emperor in bed were mostly for the purpose of appeasing people's hearts.

Although the idea was absurd, Shen Jiayu felt that it was very likely to be true.

Ultimately, however, it was just her speculation, and she could only ponder the emperor's thoughts herself; she couldn't bring them out into the open.

The atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat stagnant and subtle.

After a moment, Consort Li on the throne smiled and said, "Consort Chen's beauty surpasses that of all the concubines. It is only natural that His Majesty would favor her."

The concubine who had been wallowing in self-pity earlier was surprised when Consort Li spoke up for Shen Jiayu. She gave an awkward smile and said no more.

Most of the remaining concubines didn't dare to offend Shen Jiayu either. They could only complain in private, but they really didn't dare to confront her openly.

Just as they were about to back down, a palace concubine spoke up, "According to custom, Consort Zhao is His Majesty's cousin, and it's understandable that the Emperor favors her. However, the ancestral rules of the harem stipulate that favors should be distributed equally. Consort Zhao receiving only the Emperor's favor is going beyond the bounds. Consort Li, don't you agree?"

The concubines were amazed by the man's audacity and looked in the direction of the sound.

Even Shen Jiayu looked up at the person who had spoken.

Diagonally opposite her sat a young palace concubine dressed in a light blue palace gown. Her features were delicate and beautiful, and her appearance was refined and elegant. She was a rare and aloof beauty in the palace.

Shen Jiayu knew her.

This was Consort Zhu, whom Granny Meng had mentioned when she entered the palace.

If we were to say who speaks the least among the six palaces, it would be Consort Zhu, who speaks even less than Consort Lan, truly deserving the title of aloof and proud.

Shen Jiayu noticed her on her first day in the palace; she was a favored concubine who was on par with Qi Ronghua.

I heard that she was favored by the emperor for ten years, and her favor never waned.

This was the first time Shen Jiayu had openly said anything since entering the palace, but it seemed to be directed at her.

Shen Jiayu narrowed her eyes, intending to see what this Consort Zhu was up to.

On the throne, Consort Li was equally surprised that she spoke.

Consort Zhu's words put her in a difficult position, leaving her with no way out.

If she agrees, it would mean admitting that Consort Chen Zhao is favored exclusively and that the emperor has overstepped his bounds.

What good will come of accepting it?

Putting aside the fact that she dared not question the emperor's decision, would Consort Chen, with her personality, simply let this matter go?

Consort Li did not want to get involved in such trouble.

Consort Li remained silent for a moment, then said, "Consort Zhu, you speak too harshly. His Majesty merely favors Consort Chen a little; it has only been a few days. How can it be considered exclusive favor?"

She has already offered a way out; if Consort Zhu is sensible, she should know when to back down.

But Consort Zhu still said, "Please, Consort Li, give His Majesty more advice."

Upon encountering such a person, Consort Li couldn't help but rub her forehead and subtly gave a glance to the palace maids inside the hall.

Immediately, palace maids stepped forward and helped Consort Zhu up.

Consort Zhu's aloof expression stiffened slightly. Reluctantly, she spoke again, "Your Highness Consort Li, what I said..."

Before she could finish speaking, Consort Li stood up. She rubbed her forehead and frowned, saying, "I suddenly have a headache. Let's call it a day."

Having said that, he left leisurely.

The concubines looked at each other, then rose, bowed, and dispersed.

Consort Zhu finished speaking, but the hall was already empty. She snorted coldly and left.

After the concubines dispersed, Consort Li took her Persian cat to the corridor to bask in the sun. "That Consort Zhu almost embarrassed me today. She's such a worry."

Her trusted maidservant brought tea and refreshments: "Since the new concubine entered the palace, Consort Zhu has never served the emperor. No matter how aloof she is, she is getting anxious, and now she can't hold back any longer."

Consort Li stroked her cat listlessly and sighed, "It's no wonder she's like this. Even I only recently saw through it all. Everything in this palace is fake. Favor is just fleeting, only real power is real."

Although she had power in the past, it was only a secondary power, and she was only in charge of unimportant areas. When it came to important matters, the Empress still had to make the decisions.

Things are different now. She is in charge of the Shanggong and Shangyi Bureaus, and her word is law. The other four bureaus must consult her if they have any unresolved issues.

It can be said that she held most of the power in the harem.

Having tasted the power, she suddenly realized how ridiculous all her past jealousies and rivalries had been.

Consort Li sighed softly, "Right now, I have no time to care about whether they are favored or not. I need to think of a way to take the next step forward."

*

at the same time.

Gongdao Chang Street.

Shen Jiayu and Consort Zhu met, their sedan chairs only half a step apart.

Although the long street was wide enough for four sedan chairs to walk side by side, the palace had a strict hierarchy. If they were to travel together, the sedan chair of a lower-ranking concubine could not pass over the one of a higher-ranking concubine.

Consort Zhu couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle.

Shen Jiayu turned her head to look at the figure in the sedan chair diagonally behind her, and sneered: "Consort Zhu, do you have a problem with me?"