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Jiang Xinyue\'s movements were refined, appearing graceful, but in reality, she quickly finished a chicken leg. Then, blushing, she smiled sheepishly and said, "Sister Consort Shu doesn\'t indulge in food, but I\'m afraid I can\'t help it. I love eating the most."

Indirectly praising the host who prepared the feast for the excellent dishes, someone replied to her, knowing that in the eyes of the common people outside the palace, whether emperor or consort, all were masters: "Consort Shu is wonderful, and so is Consort Zhen. Being able to eat is a blessing; Consort Zhen is truly fortunate."

The titles "Consort Shu" and "Consort Zhen" clearly distinguished their ranks.

Everyone at the table echoed the sentiment, but Jiang Xinyue didn\'t take it to heart. If she weren\'t in favor today, she would have been met with mockery and ridicule instead.

The Xuanwu Emperor looked at her indulgently: "Don\'t praise her too much. She can\'t be flattered. Who will you complain to when she eats you out of house and home?"

"Your Majesty~"

Jiang Xinyue playfully protested as she took another big mouthful of rice, displeased with the Emperor\'s public teasing. Her indignant little expression was no different from that of an innocent child.

"See? She can\'t even take a joke."

At the officials\' table, the Minister of Ministry of Rites poured a cup of wine for Vice Minister Jiang and nodded towards the Emperor\'s table: "Consort Zhen has been in the palace for over half a year, rising rapidly from a talented lady to her current position. Her promotion speed is almost supernatural. When you soar to greater heights in the future, brother Jiang, don\'t forget about us old friends!"

The officials from the Ministry of Rites all raised their cups, their attitudes noticeably more cordial than before.

Vice Minister Jiang humbly shook his head: "I wouldn\'t dare, I wouldn\'t dare. It\'s all thanks to your guidance that I\'ve come this far. I hope to progress together with all my colleagues... together we progress."

By mid-afternoon, all the spring plowing procedures had concluded. Jiang Xinyue sighed in relief that it wasn\'t summer plowing; otherwise, those of them unaccustomed to such physical labor would probably have fainted from heatstroke.

As they returned to the palace, there were fewer commoners on the streets than when they had left. After all, each family had their own affairs to attend to and couldn\'t spend the whole day just watching the spectacle.

"Aunt... Aunt, look, Father is over there! Right in front of Big Sister\'s carriage."

Aunt Ruan, wearing a veiled hat, was supported by Jiang Junze and Jiang Xinyan as they moved forward. The surrounding crowd wasn\'t too dense, and seeing the group\'s rich attire, they made way for them.

Jiang Xinyue, as if telepathically connected, lifted the carriage window and immediately spotted Aunt Ruan\'s beautiful face – one that could bewitch any man who laid eyes on it.

She finally understood that her own top-tier beauty indeed resembled her birth mother by eighty percent. It seemed that back then, her father had been captivated by this beauty, disregarding others\' opinions to request the Marquis of Ruyang to bestow upon him a lowly dancer as his favored concubine.

It\'s worth noting that in the Great Yan Dynasty, social classes were strictly defined. Officials were officials, commoners were commoners, and even among commoners, there were distinctions between lowborn and freeborn. A marquis\'s dancing girl was considered lowborn.

Although it had become quite common for singers and dancers to become concubines nowadays, more than a decade ago, it was considered degrading. Scholars and intellectuals even somewhat despised the practice.

Jiang Xinyue couldn\'t help but admire her father\'s foresight once again.

Upon seeing Aunt Ruan, she realized that her own face resembled her birth mother\'s by ninety percent, with only ten percent taking after her father.

"Xinyue, my child..."

Aunt Ruan, with tears in her eyes, waved at her. Jiang Xinyue responded enthusiastically, her face full of smiles, using her demeanor to assure Aunt Ruan that there was no need to worry about her – she was living extremely well in the palace.

Empress Zhu and the Xuanwu Emperor shared a dragon palanquin carried by sixteen men. The open-air palanquin was only draped with pearl curtains to allow the common people to glimpse the Emperor\'s countenance.

"Those must be Consort Zhen\'s younger siblings, right?"

Because the dragon palanquin was so high, with an unobstructed view, Empress Zhu turned her head and saw Jiang Xinyue leaning out of her carriage behind them.

Looking at the eye-catching mother and children in the crowd, she pointed them out to the Emperor: "Vice Minister Jiang\'s children are all blessed with good looks."

The Xuanwu Emperor glanced in that direction, fully aware of the Empress\'s intentions, and felt inexplicably annoyed: "Consort Zhen just saved you earlier."

Empress Zhu felt a momentary pang in her heart at his rebuke: "Your Majesty misunderstands me greatly. I had no other intention, I was merely making an observation."

The Emperor nodded coldly, seemingly accepting her explanation. As for whether she truly had no other intentions, only she herself knew.

No matter how beautiful Consort Zhen\'s sister might be, he wouldn\'t harbor any other thoughts. He always had a certain fondness for Consort Zhen and didn\'t want to see her upset.

Since ancient times, when sisters competed, had any ever come to a good end?

Putting himself in her shoes, if he were Consort Zhen, he certainly wouldn\'t want his own sister to compete with him for the same husband.

As they entered the palace gates, the imposing red doors blocked out any prying eyes. Jiang Xinyue, supported by Shuang Jiang, stepped out of the carriage.

The Xuanwu Emperor, with one arm around Consort Shu, said to Jiang Xinyue: "Consort Zhen, return to your palace to rest first. I\'ll come to keep you company later."

This meant he would be visiting Hexi Palace tonight.

Jiang Xinyue obediently curtsied: "Yes, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave."

Empress Zhu watched the Emperor and Consort Shu\'s retreating figures, her dark eyes revealing a trace of displeasure. With a flick of her sleeve, she sat in her sedan chair and returned to Yikun Palace.

As Jiang Xinyue bathed, she analyzed the current factions in the palace harem, which could roughly be divided into four groups.

One faction included Empress Zhu, Consort De, Consort Liang, and others. Another faction was led by Concubine Li, including Consort Jin and Consort Zhang. The third faction consisted of the Empress Dowager\'s supporters like Consort Shu and Consort Rong. The last group was comprised of independent consorts like Jiang Xinyue herself, who outwardly aligned with higher-ranking mistresses but actually pursued their own agendas, aiming to win the Emperor\'s favor without belonging to any particular faction.

The Emperor seemed to favor Concubine Li exclusively, but in his heart, it was Consort Shu. As for Jiang Xinyue, it could only be said that she held a novelty factor plus a bit of liking, and perhaps there was a suspicion of using her as a shield for Consort Shu.

Consort Shu\'s behavior at the dining table today might have been intentional, trying to make her lose face.

Although Consort Shu had shown goodwill towards her before, the hearts of those in the palace were difficult to fathom. One moment they could be sisters, and the next, they might be at each other\'s throats.

Moreover, behind Consort Shu stood the ambitious Empress Dowager. She had to interpret Consort Shu\'s actions with the utmost suspicion.

"His Majesty the Emperor arrives—"

"This humble consort greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live."

Jiang Xinyue stood gracefully in a white robe embroidered with raised floral patterns, her hair flowing loose, playfully teasing.

The Xuanwu Emperor helped her up, saying, "If I were to live for ten thousand years, wouldn\'t I be unable to grow old together with my beloved consort?"

Jiang Xinyue lifted her head from his embrace. Just half a year ago, she had only reached the emperor\'s chest in height, but now she had grown to his chin level. This gave the emperor a sense of accomplishment, as if he had raised a consort for himself.

"These are my true feelings, Your Majesty. Please don\'t jest," she said earnestly.