Su Zhaorong was of low status and gave birth to two princes, but no one took her seriously.

But Su Zhaorong was really soft and beautiful, even Meng Guifei was not as good as her. It was not an exaggeration to say that she was the most beautiful woman in the harem. Whether it was Empress Qiao or Meng Guifei and Qin Fei, they didn’t say it in their mouths, but they felt a little jealous in their hearts.

Of course, no one would admit this.

Su Zhaorong, who usually lowered her head and carefully accompanied her smiling face without daring to say a word even when she was wronged, now had a smile on her face and eyes, her skin was extraordinarily rosy, and the corners of her eyes and brows were filled with pride.

It was really annoying and glaring.

Emperor Yongjia stayed at Yihua Palace last night and brought Su Zhaorong to Jiaofang Palace together. Empress Qiao and others were unhappy and would not show it. They all stood up and saluted: “I have met the Emperor.”

Emperor Yongjia smiled and stretched out his hands, one on the left and the other on the right, to help Empress Qiao and Meng Guifei: “No need for courtesy, get up.”

Qin Fei: “…”

Qin Fei silently comforted herself in her heart. One was the Empress of the middle palace ^[1]the harem, and the other was the Emperor’s favorite. She couldn’t compare to either of them, so it was okay not to compare.

Qin Fei quickly cheered up, stood up with a smile, and took the initiative to say: “Your Majesty’s face is full of spring breeze today. Could it be that there is some happy event?”

Emperor Yongjia had ignored Qin Fei for several months. After the New Year, it eased somewhat.

After all, she was his biǎomèi. For the sake of Queen Mother Zhao, he had to look after her. During this period, he also went to Qin Fei’s palace to stay overnight from time to time.

Qin Fei expressed her goodwill with a smile on her face, and Emperor Yongjia took over the conversation with a smile: “There is indeed a happy event, and I am about to tell the Empress about it.”

Meng Guifei said coquettishly: “If there is any good thing, the Emperor should not show off.”

The Guifei’s tone made Empress Qiao feel very disgusted.

With Empress Qiao’s reserve and dignity, it would be impossible for her to speak like this in her life. She looked down on Meng Guifei’s behavior and said unhurriedly: “Your Majesty, please speak clearly.”

Emperor Yongjia may not have noticed the undercurrent between his wives and concubines, or he may have noticed it and pretended not to know it, and said to everyone with a smile. : “In half a month, it will be the happy day for the Third Prince to get married. I plan to give Su Zhaorong a promotion. Let the Empress issue an order to handle this matter!”

Although everyone had already guessed what was going on, hearing it firsthand felt different for each of them.

The highest-ranking in the palace was, of course, the Empress. Next was the Meng Guìfēi, followed by the positions of défēi, shūfēi, and xiánfēi, which were vacant. Then came Qín Fēi.

Su Zhaorong was promoted to the position of fēiwèi, and her food and clothing expenses were much higher. More importantly, her status changed. From now on, Sū Fēi was on an equal footing with Qin Fei.

The situation in the harem had also undergone subtle changes.

However, as soon as Emperor Yongjia opened his mouth, the matter was a foregone conclusion. No one could say no.

Empress Qiao smiled warmly and said: “Your Majesty has thought carefully. The Third Prince has grown up, and the Fifth Prince is not too young. He will get married in a few years. For the two princes, it is time to give Su Shi a more respectable position. Today, I will issue an order to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to prepare formal attires. There will be a lively banquet in the palace the day after tomorrow.”

Emperor Yongjia nodded slightly: “The Empress will take care of it!”

After many years of marriage, Empress Qiao was generous and virtuous. She kept all the trivial matters in order. Emperor Yongjia also trusted Empress Qiao very much.

Su Zhaorong suppressed the joy in her heart and respectfully stepped forward to salute and thank her: “I would like to express my gratitude to the Empress.”

Empress Qiao glanced at her and smiled faintly: “As the Empress, it is my responsibility to take care of all the affairs in the harem. No need to say thank you.”

Su Zhaorong, accustomed to being submissive, dared not show displeasure even when faced with difficulties. With a smiling face, she said, “Empress, it’s hard work. My heart is uneasy. Please allow me to perform the ceremony again.”

With that said, she bowed again.

Everyone was accustomed to Su Zhaorong’s boneless virtue.

Emperor Yongjia didn’t take it to heart. After chatting for a while, he went to court.

…

As soon as Emperor Yongjia left, Meng Guifei, who had been holding her breath, smiled and said, “From today on, we should change our address to Su Fei.”

Qin Fei covered her smile with a handkerchief: “From now on, these Yihua palace maids can call you Sū Fēi niángniáng ^[2]this title was reserved only for those in higher positions in a harem openly, and they don’t have to hide calling you Sū Fēi niángniáng all the time.”

This was too damaging!

It was clear that she was ridiculing Su Zhaorong for her past self-deception.

Su Zhaorong’s smile paused slightly, but the anger in her heart did not show on her face. She responded with a smile: “Yes, I have been looking forward to this day. I am useless, and it doesn’t matter whether I am high or low. His Majesty sees the faces of the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince, and I was given the title of Fei.”

“When the Fifth Huangzifei comes in, I will immediately close my eyes and feel satisfied.”

Despite Su Zhaorong’s shortcomings, she was quite resilient, giving birth to two princes. Especially the Third Prince, Li Hao, who was exceptionally handsome and talented, excelling in both literary and martial arts.

Her man may be unreliable, but her sons were exceptionally filial.

As she was talking, someone from the palace came in to report: “The Second Huangzifei has come to pay her respects to the Empress.”

Meng Guifei said with a smile but not a smile: “The Second Huangzifei comes to the palace to pay her respects every day, truly displaying exceptional filial piety.”

Empress Qiao smiled faintly and said, “What I value is precisely the filial piety of the Lu Shi. Speaking of which, back in the day, Liang Shi also paid respects to the palace daily. However, within two months, it was changed to once every ten days. Being filial is what a daughter-in-law should do, and the mother-in-law should accept it. You are fortunate yet unwilling to enjoy it; now you envy me.”

Empress Qiao and Meng Guifei fought, and Qin Fei naturally refused to get involved.

Su Zhaorong was in a good mood today. She got carried away and interrupted: “The Eldest Huangzifei had a miscarriage last year. She was ill and her vitality was damaged. It’s better to take care of her body slowly.”

One sentence made Meng Guifei very unhappy.

She eagerly waited for over three years, and finally, Liang Shi became pregnant. However, her joy was short-lived as Liang Shi suffered a miscarriage shortly afterward. Upon hearing the news, she was so upset that she couldn’t eat for a whole day.

The court physician who diagnosed Liang Shi subtly hinted that her vitality was greatly diminished, indicating that she would need at least two to three years of recuperation. Fortunately, Yang Gōngrén was pregnant, and it was confirmed through diagnosis that she was expecting a son.

Whether it was a direct child or a shu-born^[3]concubine born, the Eldest Prince’s house must have the Emperor’s eldest grandson.

Before Meng Guifei could sneer at Su Zhaorong, Lu Mingyu had already stepped into the palace.

Lu Mingyu glanced at her and stepped forward with a smile to salute: “Daughter-in-law Lu Shi, paying respects to the Empress Mother.”

Empress Qiao said with a smile: “No need to be polite, get up quickly!”

Lu Mingyu saluted Meng Guifei and Qin Fei again, and finally, it was the turn of Su Zhaorong. Before she even opened her mouth, Qin Fei smiled and said, “You can change your words today and call her Su Fei.”

Su Zhaorong straightened her back subconsciously.

She didn’t have to be afraid of Lu Mingyu.

What about the Second huangzifei?

When her son becomes the Crown Prince and sits on the dragon throne, the country will belong to their mother and son. Those who looked down on her in front of her, including Lu Mingyu, must die. ^[4]T/N the delusion of this lady is just too much

(End of chapter)