Chapter 44

After the eunuch serving the Empress Dowager left the Crown Princess’s palace, he hurried toward the Side Consort’s residence.

Standing in front of the palace, he took a deep breath before stepping inside.

He cleared his throat and loudly announced the imperial decree:

“By the kind grace of the Empress Dowager:

The Side Consort of the Crown Prince is gentle and virtuous, with outstanding conduct and dignity.

Now that she has given birth to the First Prince, bringing new blood to the royal family, this is a great merit.

Thus, she is specially promoted to the title of ‘Shu Consort’ and granted residence in Zhaochun Palace.

She is bestowed the honorary title ‘Chun’ to recognize her extraordinary contribution.

May the Shu Consort uphold a pure and kind heart, maintain dignity and respect.

From now on, she must adhere to her duties, remain diligent and obedient,

and continue to bring honor to the royal family by bearing more heirs.

By imperial decree.”

After finishing the announcement, the eunuch carefully placed the decree in Shu Consort’s hands, his face instantly beaming with a fawning smile.

His expression was so exaggerated that the wrinkles on his face seemed to squeeze together.

Bowing slightly, he said, “Congratulations, Shu Consort! You are the only one in the palace who has received an imperial title from His Majesty himself.”

Su Jingyao accepted the decree and slowly stood up, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

“You’ve worked hard today. Miaoyue, give him some tea money.”

At her command, Miaoyue stepped forward and handed the eunuch a handful of gold melon-shaped coins.

The eunuch’s eyes lit up, and he quickly accepted them with both hands, bowing repeatedly.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I still have other decrees to announce, so I shall take my leave.”

With that, he backed out of the palace respectfully.

After her promotion, Su Jingyao walked gracefully to her dressing table.

She changed into an even more luxurious palace robe, embroidered with shimmering golden threads that gleamed under the candlelight, each stitch highlighting the royal elegance.

Her hair was meticulously styled, not a strand out of place, adorned with golden hairpins inlaid with gemstones.

She looked even more regal and stunning, like a fully bloomed peony, noble and radiant.

Then, with perfect posture, she led her attendants from Xiyan Hall toward Zhaochun Palace.

Seated in a grand palanquin carried by twelve men, she closed her eyes slightly, her expression calm yet dignified.

As they traveled, they passed a long street leading to the new palace.

Opening her eyes, she gazed into the distance. The street seemed endless.

But in her eyes, it was not just a road—it was a path leading her to the highest position, and her eyes sparkled with ambition.

Soon, the palanquin arrived steadily at Zhaochun Palace.

As Su Jingyao stepped out and entered the palace, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of amazement.

The entrance led to a vast courtyard, beautifully arranged with rock gardens and pavilions.

Even though it was only February and not yet blooming season, the courtyard was filled with flowers cultivated in a greenhouse, competing to show their beauty and fragrance.

Inside the palace, everything was magnificent.

All the belongings of the former Shu Consort had been removed, and the palace was newly redecorated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Su Jingyao’s eyes swept across the exquisite ornaments and paintings.

She knew these were rare treasures, specially ordered by Jun Zechen from the royal treasury.

A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

She didn’t know how long she would stay here, but she would gradually redecorate it to her taste.

Walking towards the throne in the main hall, every step she took exuded natural grace and dignity.

Once seated, she slightly lifted her chin, her gaze full of authority.

At that moment, all the palace maids and eunuchs knelt in unison, their voices echoing through the hall.

“Greetings to Shu Consort! May Your Highness be blessed with health and prosperity!”

Their voices carried deep respect and reverence.

Su Jingyao gently waved her hand and spoke in a calm yet commanding tone:

“Rise.”

Then, she turned to Nanny Li and nodded slightly.

“Nanny Li, since I have been promoted today, all the palace staff in Zhaochun Palace shall receive a reward.”

Nanny Li immediately bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Su Jingyao continued, “From now on, Nanny Li will be in charge of all matters in Zhaochun Palace. Chief Eunuch Xi Lu, who has served me since the Eastern Palace, will remain in charge of palace affairs. My personal maids will be Miaoyun, Miaoxia, Miaoyue, and Miaoxue.”

Her gaze swept over them, filled with trust.

Then, she looked at the assembled palace staff and solemnly declared:

“Aside from them, there are 45 palace maids and 25 eunuchs in Zhaochun Palace. In my palace, anyone who performs well will have the opportunity to be promoted.”

“You were assigned ranks by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but in my palace, ranks are not permanent. If you fail in your duties, you will be replaced. If you excel, you will rise.”

Her eyes flashed sharply.

In the imperial harem, the chief steward of each palace and the personal attendants of consorts held official ranks, while the rest of the maids were divided into three levels.

Hearing her words, everyone’s expression grew serious as they responded in unison, “Yes, Your Highness!”

After giving a few more instructions, Su Jingyao rubbed her temples, feeling a bit tired.

“I am exhausted today. You may all leave and attend to your duties.”

As the palace servants withdrew, the hall became much quieter.

Only Li Ma, Xilu, and her four personal maids remained.

Leaning slightly against the chair, Su Jingyao glanced at them thoughtfully.

“Nanny Li, from now on, I will need you to oversee everything in Zhaochun Palace.”

The palace is full of people, and I don’t know if there are spies among them. We must be careful in Zhaochun Palace and slowly bring in more of our own people,” Su Jingyao said.

“Don’t worry, My Lady. I will manage Zhaochun Palace perfectly and make sure you have a comfortable environment,” said Nanny Li firmly.

Su Jingyao nodded slightly.

Such a big palace was almost like a small company—it wouldn’t be easy to manage.

She planned to discuss the arrangements for the palace maids with Nanny Li in detail later, including their promotion system, daily attendance rules, and how they could monitor each other.

Even if some servants were spies, they shouldn’t be able to pass on messages easily.

She still needed to carefully plan the entire palace management system.

Then, Su Jingyao turned her gaze toward Xilu.

“Xilu, you have served me for more than a year, and I believe I have a good eye for people.”

“We cannot allow spies to enter Zhaochun Palace, but we must train spies to enter other palaces.”

Her eyes turned sharp as she spoke.

Without spies in the palace, it was like walking in the dark, making every step difficult.

Not to mention, she had no way of knowing if someone was lurking in the shadows, waiting to harm her.

“Yes, My Lady. I have been in the palace for many years and have some connections. I can recognize people well. I will do my best for you,” Xilu said seriously.

Su Jingyao nodded slightly. She trusted Xilu—he was careful and had a bit of cleverness.

“Nanny Li, Xilu, go and make the arrangements,” she ordered calmly.

“Yes, My Lady,” they replied in unison before respectfully leaving.

After they left, Miaoyun carefully stepped forward and supported Su Jingyao’s arm.

Su Jingyao slowly stood up and, with Miaoyun’s help, walked into her sleeping quarters.

Outside, Miaoxia, Miaoyue, and Miaoxue were quietly organizing things, moving gently and carefully.

As soon as they entered the sleeping quarters, Miaoyun hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“My Lady, you have given birth to the eldest prince, and the crown princess is not the empress. I think you will surely be made empress.”

Su Jingyao smiled faintly.

“I never thought I would automatically become empress just because the emperor ascended the throne. My goal has always been to stop the crown princess from becoming empress.”

Her expression turned serious, and her eyes flashed with determination.

One reason she didn’t want the crown princess to become empress was that she didn’t want to be called a ‘second empress.’ That title sounded unpleasant.

Another reason was that she wanted to create distance between Jun Zechen and Ling Yue.

Ling Yue still held an important place in Jun Zechen’s heart—whether because of their years together or because of the guilt he felt over past promises.

Now that he was emperor, he could not both demote Ling Yue and still make her empress.

The reason An Liangdi and Tang Fengyi’s scheme against Ling Yue worked so well was because:

First, Tang Fengyi was the victim.
Second, when the late emperor passed, both the empress dowager and Jun Zechen were too busy to investigate thoroughly.

Their servants would only find solid evidence, which would naturally favor An Liangdi and Tang Fengyi since they left few traces behind.

If Jun Zechen had investigated personally, he would have trusted Ling Yue and looked for evidence from her perspective. In that case, Tang Fengyi and An Liangdi might not have gotten away with it.

But now, more than half a month had passed since Ling Yue’s mistake, and the empress dowager had already made her judgment.

Even if Jun Zechen wanted to investigate now, there would be no evidence left to find.

Besides, the empress dowager truly loved Jun Zechen, and he truly respected her. He would not go against her ‘solid evidence’ and insist on making Ling Yue empress.

So, it was no surprise that Ling Yue was only made noble consort.

But what was Jun Zechen thinking now? Was he still keeping the empress title for Ling Yue?

Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes.

That man was probably still dreaming of having both a loving wife and many concubines.

Hah.

Miaoyun thought for a moment and then frowned worriedly.

“My Lady, tonight is the emperor’s first night on the throne. Will you make a move?”

“Normally, the emperor would visit the empress on his first night, but since there is no empress, should you try to win his favor?”

Su Jingyao looked at herself in the mirror.

She had originally wanted Jun Zechen to visit her palace on his first night as emperor.

That way, Ling Yue, who was already heartbroken, would feel even worse.

After all, among all the women in the harem, she didn’t think anyone else could truly enter Jun Zechen’s heart.

Whether it was Ling Yue or herself, they had only managed to do so because of timing.

Ever since Jun Zechen spoke with the late emperor, Su Jingyao had noticed that he had become much more restrained in love matters.

Now, she needed to know just how much he truly cared for her.

Tonight, she would make him go to the noble consort’s palace.