Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet.

The midday banquet will be held in the magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony, where officials, imperial relatives, and other dignitaries will be entertained.

Despite her discomfort, Su Jingyao changed into her palace attire.

Since she has suffered even a fraction of harm today, she is determined to reclaim tenfold of the benefits.

Otherwise, how could we justify the pain she has suffered today?

On the day the palace dress was delivered, Su Jingyao had Li Jing carefully inspect it, and the problem was indeed with the needlework.

The petals of the amaryllis are layered and extremely beautiful, and the needles and threads soaked in the amaryllis juice are dense and stacked in layers.

Even though the embroidery was completed ahead of schedule and left in the room for two days, the medicinal properties still showed no signs of evaporation.

Especially the collar and cuffs, she felt uncomfortable just wearing them.

If Li Jing hadn't repeatedly assured her that the effects of the amaryllis poison on her skin would be completely restored under his care, she really wouldn't have wanted to take such a risk.

After changing into her palace attire, Su Jingyao boarded a sedan chair and headed towards Cining Palace.

Jun Zechen and the Imperial Concubine will also go to Cining Palace, and then the three of them will accompany the Empress Dowager to Taihe Hall.

When the four of them arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, everyone else had to be present as well, otherwise it would be a great disrespect to the imperial family.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, tall and straight vermilion pillars support the carved beams and painted rafters of the dome.

Sunlight streamed in through the half-open windows, forming golden beams that added a mysterious and sacred glow to the entire hall.

A sharp eunuch's voice suddenly rang out.

"His Majesty has arrived! His Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived! His Highness the Imperial Concubine has arrived! His Highness the Pure and Virtuous Consort has arrived!"

Su Jingyao followed Jun Zechen with an elegant posture, while the Imperial Concubine followed the Empress Dowager respectfully.

The four of them walked together in the spacious and solemn center of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Empress Dowager's auspicious attire today is dazzling, and she is very satisfied with it.

The Imperial Concubine focused all her attention on the Empress Dowager's auspicious attire and the banquet arrangements, naturally ensuring that nothing went wrong at the event.

Her own palace attire today also looked dazzling, with every detail meticulously sewn with gold and silver threads.

In comparison, Su Jingyao's palace attire appeared the most ordinary.

However, with her fair skin, black hair, and bright red lips, she was exceptionally beautiful, like a dazzling pearl shining brightly in the palace.

Upon hearing the eunuch's shout, everyone in the hall rose and knelt down to respectfully greet him.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress Dowager! Long live the Empress Dowager!"

"May Your Highness the Imperial Concubine and Your Highness the Pure and Virtuous Consort enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

"Rise."

Jun Zechen sat upright on the highest dragon throne, his face solemn, his voice majestic, deep and powerful, echoing throughout the hall.

Su Jingyao slightly turned her eyes, her gaze falling on the minister's seat on the left. Her father was in the most prominent position at the front, easily visible at a glance.

Su Jingyao's lips curled up slightly as she gave her father a sweet and well-behaved smile, tinged with a hint of playfulness and intimacy.

Seeing his daughter's smile, Su's father returned the smile with affection.

However, he only glanced at his daughter's palace dress briefly, and then glanced at the imperial concubine's palace dress.

His gaze darkened. His daughter had always been dressed in fine clothes in her private quarters; she had never worn such a "crude and poorly made" dress in his eyes.

If this concubine makes another mistake, he will definitely find an opportunity to impeach her. A country girl is not worthy to be above his daughter.

Then, as at every banquet, Jun Zechen stood up and solemnly delivered a speech, wishing the country eternal stability and the Empress Dowager a happy birthday.

After he finished speaking, the hall was filled with singing and dancing, and the court officials began to drink with each other, creating a lively atmosphere.

Among the concubines in the harem, apart from Su Jingyao and the Imperial Concubine who sat firmly in their high positions, the other concubines were separated by screens.

After all, women who entered the palace could not easily meet outsiders.

Only the four imperial concubines and the empress could do so, because they were on the imperial register and were members of the royal family, with extremely noble status.

Other members of the harem were absolutely forbidden from seeing their family members, let alone outsiders, unless they received explicit permission from their superiors.

As the banquet drew to a close, some princes and princesses began to rise and present gifts to the Empress Dowager.

The gifts for the imperial concubines had already been given in advance.

At this time, Princess Minghui, who had been raised by the Empress Dowager since childhood due to the early death of her birth mother, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, today I present you with a phoenix-head incense burner made of pure gold and inlaid with many precious gems such as sapphires and emeralds. I hope Your Majesty will like it."

"Good, Minghui is very kind, I like it very much." The Empress Dowager said with a smile, her eyes full of love and joy.

Su Jingyao turned her head slightly and glanced at Princess Minghui's gift. It was indeed extremely luxurious and precious, with a dazzling light that was almost blinding.

In comparison, the gifts presented by some of the princes and princesses seem rather stingy.

Fortunately, the congratulatory gifts from the empresses and concubines were not displayed in the palace in front of everyone; otherwise, many of them might have been truly unpresentable.

After all, not all the imperial concubines came from prominent families. Some would send handmade gifts to express their feelings.

However, whether the Empress Dowager can accept their so-called sincerity remains to be seen.

Princess Minghui's face immediately lit up with pride upon hearing the Empress Dowager's affirmation.

She said affectionately, "Mother, is my gift the one that pleases you the most this year, besides my brother's?"

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The Empress Dowager was delighted by Minghui's adorable appearance and responded with a smile.

"No, your brother's congratulatory gift this year didn't even rank first in my collection."

A look of surprise flashed in Minghui's eyes.

Upon hearing this, Jun Zechen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly, a hint of barely perceptible interest appearing on his face.

Seeing her curious expression, the Empress Dowager continued.

"This year's congratulatory gift from Consort Chunshu is called 'Double Fish Auspiciousness,' which is exquisite to the extreme. The design is also unique and novel. I have never seen red and white agate before, and the carving effect is even better. I like it the most."

When Su Jingyao heard the Empress Dowager mention her, she quickly stood up and bowed, a smile playing on her lips.

"If the Empress Dowager is pleased with this gift, then the effort put into it will not have been in vain."

Su Jingyao knew in her heart that this congratulatory gift would definitely be good, and she also expected that the Empress Dowager would like it. However, she did not expect the Empress Dowager to give such a high evaluation.

She should thank Emperor Qianlong properly, as this auspicious double fish symbol was a gift from Emperor Qianlong to the Empress Dowager at the time.

She was just being clever and borrowing his idea.

In retrospect, the effect is quite remarkable; it truly lives up to its reputation as a gift from a prosperous emperor.

Jun Zechen glanced at her with a slightly surprised look.

She's always so clever. I remember when she first entered the Eastern Palace, the Empress Dowager used to punish her often, but now even the Empress Dowager likes her.

The banquet gradually came to an end amidst the lively atmosphere, after which Jun Zechen led everyone to the outside of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The concubines of the ninth rank and above stood gracefully, the ministers of the third rank and above looked solemn, and the princes and princesses also stood dignifiedly on the high platform outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Everyone looked down and saw another congratulatory gift that His Majesty had specially prepared for the Empress Dowager.

The performance, involving hundreds of people, was grand and breathtaking.

Despite the beating of gongs and drums, the changing formations, and the brandishing of swords and spears, the performance was not chaotic but rather remarkably orderly.

With each clever change in formation, the birthday wishes were clearly displayed: "Wishing the Empress Dowager a long and prosperous life, with boundless blessings."

The Empress Dowager's smile never faded; with courtiers paying homage and her being above all others, this feeling was the pinnacle of her existence.

Su Jingyao stood behind Jun Zechen, her expression growing increasingly grim.

Because of the herbal decoction she had taken earlier, her menstrual cycle had become irregular, and her stomach was now starting to ache slightly.

In this lifetime, she has always maintained excellent health and has never experienced the pain of menstrual cramps.

At this moment, her face had turned pale and bloodless, but because of her makeup, it was not noticeable unless you looked closely.

Miao Yun looked at her with a worried expression. Su Jingyao endured the pain and gently shook her head at Miao Yun.

When Jun Zechen announced that the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was over, the Consort Gui standing to the side secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This birthday banquet for the Empress Dowager was a golden opportunity for her to showcase herself in front of the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the court officials.

Now that everything has come to a perfect end, she naturally feels much more relaxed.

She longed for His Majesty and the Empress Dowager to acknowledge her abilities.

After the banquet, Miaoyun carefully helped Su Jingyao, who was leaning almost her entire weight on Miaoyun, as they slowly moved down the platform step by step.

"ah."

Suddenly, a palace maid cried out in alarm. She seemed to have tripped over something and fell straight down.

Upon seeing this, the Imperial Concubine and Consort An (An Jinyan) quickly and nimbly dodged away.

However, Su Jingyao really didn't have much strength at the moment.

With a change of heart, she decided to play along and also fell down. However, Miaoyun held her tightly the whole time, so she was not actually hurt.

Upon hearing the sound, Jun Zechen quickly turned around and immediately saw Su Jingyao sitting on the ground, leaning against Miao Yun.

His face was ashen, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"What's going on?!"

A cold glint flashed in Jun Zechen's eyes, his icy gaze sweeping across the crowd like a sharp sword, finally settling on the fallen palace maid.

The palace maid hurriedly scrambled to her feet, her face filled with terror and her voice urgent.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't mean to. Someone pushed me just now, I..."

Jun Zechen didn't give her any more attention. He walked quickly to Su Jingyao, squatted down slowly, and looked at her with concern and anxiety.

"Yaoyao, what's wrong?"

Su Jingyao felt an extremely severe pain in her stomach.

She suffered from menstrual cramps in modern times because she was an orphan with irregular eating habits and poor health.

I experience excruciating menstrual cramps every time.

After arriving here, she took meticulous care of her health.

Today I experienced that spasmodic pain in my lower abdomen again, and the pain made my head feel a little dizzy.

He felt completely exhausted and couldn't utter a single word.

Upon seeing this, Jun Zechen picked the person up without hesitation.

"Summon Imperial Physician!"

Then, Jun Zechen, his face full of anxiety, gently and steadily carried her onto the imperial carriage.

Then, at Jun Zechen's command, the imperial carriage sped off like an arrow toward Zhaochun Palace.

Upon arriving at Zhaochun Palace, Jun Zechen placed her on the bed.

However, the pain on Su Jingyao's face did not lessen at all; her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were enduring immense torment.

After she lay down, her palace dress became slightly disheveled, and Jun Zechen inadvertently caught a glimpse of the red rash on her neck.

His heart skipped a beat, and he began to examine it carefully.

On the woman's fair and smooth skin, there were patches of alarming red rashes scattered about!

"What's going on?" Jun Zechen's voice was filled with urgency and authority.

Miao Yun, who was standing to the side, glanced at her master's skin and her face immediately showed a look of heartache.

"Your Majesty, His Highness already felt unwell at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, but His Highness said that the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet must not have any problems, so he has been enduring it."

"Originally, the master's dress was supposed to be made of precious brocade, but the fabric of this palace gown has been secretly replaced..."

As Jun Zechen listened, his anger grew even stronger, and he looked at her with heartache.

Was she holding back because the imperial concubine was in charge of making the palace attire, and she didn't want the imperial concubine to make a mistake at her mother's birthday banquet?

Why do you always only think about others?

Afterwards, Miaoyun seemed to be greatly frightened, her eyes filled with fear.

A trembling voice cried out, "Your Majesty, the master is bleeding!"

Jun Zechen was startled and quickly looked at the blood seeping through her palace dress. He then saw that she was almost unconscious.

He immediately flew into a rage: "Where is the imperial physician?!"

His voice seemed to make the entire bedchamber tremble slightly.