Chapter 63:

With a cry of “His Majesty the Emperor has arrived—”

“The Empress Dowager has arrived—”

The most noble man in the world entered the hall, supporting his mother.

Everyone stood up and knelt in reverence.

“Everyone, rise—”

“Thank Your Majesty—,” everyone replied, before sitting back down in their places.

Then Laixi stepped forward slightly and began to speak about New Year customs, the achievements of the past year, and the hopes and blessings for the coming year.

Everyone sat properly in their seats, listening attentively. Layue was the same, but her big eyes were rolling, as if she were thinking about something.

After a glance from Emperor Jing, Layue quickly straightened herself, not blinking for a long time. Seeing her misbehave during such an important occasion, Emperor Jing kept his eyes forward but a smile appeared on his face.

After Laixi finished reading, the emperor spoke, “All of you are the pillars of our nation. At this moment of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, I have gathered you all here to share this joyous occasion together. I hope each of you will continue to serve the country and share my burdens in the new year. I raise this cup to all of you.”

Upon hearing these words, everyone quickly lifted their wine cups: “It is our duty.”

They spoke in unison.

All the consorts also drank their wine.

Layue secretly sighed, thinking how skilled Emperor Jing was at speaking and handling matters.

No wonder, among all the princes, the late emperor had favored him.

The banquet officially began.

The pearl curtains separating the court officials from the consorts were drawn aside.

At this moment, Layue was well-behaved and did not look toward the Shen family father and son.

Music began to play, and dancers gracefully stepped onto the floor. Despite the winter, the dancers wore revealing outfits, their delicate chests and slim waists swaying. Their exquisite foreign dance was captivating.

However, Layue, having seen such dances in her previous life, was not particularly surprised.

The palace maids served dishes at each table. Only Layue would occasionally taste the food, while others kept their eyes fixed on the dancers, afraid of missing any highlights.

Jinxin and Tao’er were clever and alert. At Layue’s slight gesture, they quickly brought dishes to her on small plates, so that Layue wouldn’t stand out too much.

After one dance ended,

a melodious zither sound followed. Then came Lian Xiuyun, dressed in the same shade of rose red. She was slightly veiled, giving her a charming appearance.

Both the palace attendants and the courtiers noticed the identical color of the two women’s outfits, casting additional glances toward Shen Layue. Within the palace, everyone knew that Lian Xiuyun had never liked Shen Layue, so this was likely a deliberate challenge.

The courtiers, unaware of the background, also began to speculate, seeing the unusually similar bright colors worn by the two.

Imitating each other was fine, but wearing practically the same outfit?

Layue herself could play the zither, though not expertly. She had studied it for quite some time, so she could easily tell that Lian Xiuyun’s technique was indeed impressive. However, she overemphasized skill, lacking emotional depth. Thinking of Lian Xiuyun’s personality, Layue seriously doubted whether she possessed such emotions at all.

After finishing the piece, Lian Xiuyun removed her veil, gracefully bowing with a flirtatious glance toward the emperor.

The emperor did not applaud, so no one else did either. They couldn’t possibly upstage him.

Only Minister Lian clapped enthusiastically, apparently believing his daughter would surely gain the emperor’s favor, and proudly began clapping first.

The emperor glanced at Minister Lian and smiled, clapping his hands. Seeing this, everyone quickly joined in.

However, it was strange—compared to his reaction to the previous foreign dance, the emperor showed no particular favor toward Lian Xiuyun.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward Shen Layue, who was at that moment eating a vegetarian stir-fry of tender pea shoots.

Lately, she had been feeling a bit tired of heavier dishes, so this light, refreshing dish was quite enjoyable.

Seeing her eyes fixed on the green pea shoots, Emperor Jing smiled even more.

He had expected her to be upset, but she hadn’t even focused on that.

Layue naturally knew the emperor was watching her, but she still refused to look up, continuing to enjoy her meal happily.

It was precisely this behavior that pleased him.

Layue had mastered the art of appropriateness.

“Earlier, Mother mentioned something to Me,” Emperor Jing said, glancing at the consorts.

Layue quickly sat up straight.

At this time, Lian Xiuyun had not yet left, still standing at the center of the performance area. She was different from the dancers, and since the emperor had not spoken, how could she leave abruptly? That wouldn’t fit her plan.

The Empress Dowager sat happily on one side, turned her head to look at Emperor Jing, then gazed at everyone.

“Since this is a time of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, let us add more joy. Virtuous Consort De has already been one of the Four Consorts, so she shall remain as is. Consort Hui, promoted to Noble Consort Hui. Consort Qi, promoted to Noble Consort Qi. Concubine Chun, promoted to Virtuous Consort Chun. Concubine Li, promoted to Honored Consort Li. Others shall each be promoted one rank,” the emperor said, glancing slightly at Consort De with a half-smile.

Everyone was delighted and quickly expressed their gratitude.

Shen Layue hadn’t expected that she would be promoted twice just by celebrating the New Year. Truly a cause for celebration.

The outer court officials also offered their congratulations.

If promoting Consort Hui and Consort Qi to Noble Consorts was expected, even promoting Concubine Li to Honored Consort made sense, given Zhu Yuning’s reputation as the most beautiful woman in the capital. However, no one could understand why Concubine Chun had gained the emperor’s favor.

By all accounts, Concubine Chun was not particularly outstanding, yet rumors from the palace indicated that the emperor had been especially attentive toward her.

Just now, even after Lian Xiuyun’s performance, the emperor had shown little favor, yet at this critical moment, he had announced promotions for all consorts.

He had even openly expressed his favor for Concubine Chun.

With this, everyone understood—between Lian Xiuyun and Concubine Chun, the emperor would almost certainly choose Concubine Chun without hesitation.

Looking at the Shen father and son, people couldn’t help but admire how well they had raised their daughter.

A daughter’s favor from the emperor could greatly benefit her father’s and brothers’ careers. That was the power of a whisper in the emperor’s ear.

Besides Shen Layue, another person who attracted attention was Consort De. Recently, there had been much talk about the incident involving Miss Fu. Although the palace had later imposed silence on the matter, people still knew.

At this moment when everyone else was promoted, Consort De alone remained unchanged, inevitably sparking speculation.

This situation was already intriguing. Even if Consort De had nothing to do with Consort Hui’s matter, the emperor’s actions today subtly indicated one thing: Consort De would not be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.

In the tradition of the Nangin Kingdom, there could be only one Imperial Noble Consort in the harem, and only if the current one passed away could another be appointed. The emperor’s actions today suggested that Consort De would likely never attain that title.

As the birth mother of the Second Prince, Consort De’s failure to become Imperial Noble Consort carried deeper implications. Did this mean the emperor had no intention of naming the Second Prince as Crown Prince?

Thinking of Miss Fu’s rapid rise, many began to ponder.

It seemed that Consort De’s faction should be kept at a distance for now.

As the court officials pondered, Lian Xiuyun quietly withdrew.

Next came the colorful butterfly dance performed by Bai Xiaodie.

This was something Layue hadn’t seen in her previous life, so she watched more attentively.

Bai Xiaodie wore a white gauze robe adorned with colorful butterflies, and a unique butterfly hairpin matched her gown perfectly.

As she danced gracefully, she seemed like a fairy descending from heaven.

After finishing the dance, Bai Xiaodie slightly bowed: “This concubine takes her leave.”

Unlike Lian Xiuyun, who had remained after her performance, waiting for the emperor’s approval and ended up in an awkward situation, Bai Xiaodie’s decisive exit caught the emperor’s attention for a few more glances.

Compared to Lian Xiuyun, Bai Xiaodie was indeed more skillful.

Minister Bai also slightly lifted the corners of his mouth.

Layue looked at Bai Xiaodie, then at the emperor, lowering her head with a smile she couldn’t hide.

She had misjudged her. Bai Xiaodie was indeed not as simple-minded as she appeared. Was she now showing her true self?

Thinking of the emperor’s slightly wistful expression just now, Layue couldn’t help but find the situation amusing.

No wonder her older brother had lost to her. Bai Xiaodie was indeed no ordinary person.

She wondered whether Bai Xiaodie would one day give the emperor a green hat.

But being so capable, it was indeed strange that she hadn’t entered the palace in her previous life.

“Your Majesty, the emperor is looking at you again,” Jinxin reminded her.

Perhaps Layue found the situation too amusing, and while she was secretly smiling, she didn’t realize the emperor had already turned to look at her. Upon hearing Jinxin’s reminder, Layue quickly looked up and met the emperor’s gaze.

Seeing her unable to hide her smile in time, the emperor paused, then smiled as well.

His smile made Layue feel uneasy, unsure of his intentions.

Feeling Consort De’s gaze, Layue glanced over and saw her icy stare.

Layue knew Consort De had witnessed her interaction with the emperor, but she inwardly scoffed—could she really cover the emperor’s eyes if he wanted to look at her?

What a shame Consort De bore the title “Virtuous.”

Thinking how embarrassing it must be for Consort De today, being the only one not promoted while Consort Hui and Consort Qi clearly threatened her position,

Layue couldn’t help but smile at Consort De.

You’ve treated me so kindly, and now you don’t need me to repay you—it’s the natural cycle of fate, isn’t it?

Seeing Shen Layue smile at her, Consort De froze, then her eyes darkened.