Wearing a book, hooking him up

Cining Palace.

Jun Zechen sat upright on one side of the couch, his expression calm and dignified, his eyes deep and restrained.

The Queen Mother was leaning on the other side of the couch with a relaxed posture. She turned her head slightly and looked at Jun Zechen calmly.

"Why did the emperor come to the Cining Palace today?"

There was a hint of curiosity on the Queen Mother's face.

"I came here today to discuss something with my mother."

Jun Zechen spoke slowly and steadily, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised with a faint smile, and a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

"Now Concubine Chun Shu is in charge of most of the affairs in the harem. Originally, Concubine Chun Shu gave birth to the eldest prince, so she should have been given the position of Imperial Concubine when I ascended the throne. So this Flower Festival, I want to promote Concubine Chun Shu."

Jun Zechen looked towards the Queen Mother, his finger ring turning unconsciously.

"The Emperor wants to promote Concubine Chun Shu to Imperial Concubine?"

A strange color flashed quickly in the empress dowager's eyes, her brows slightly frowned, and the expression on her face became a little complicated.

Concubine Chunshu is undoubtedly the number one person in the harem now. She has never made any mistakes in managing the affairs of the six palaces. She is of noble birth and has a prince by her side. Now it seems that she is even more favored by the emperor.

Isn't the Emperor afraid that Concubine Chunshu will become the target of public criticism just because she promoted her to Imperial Concubine?

The position of queen is extremely tempting to the women in the harem.

Jun Zechen shook his head gently, his movements firm.

"No, I want to confer the title of Imperial Noble Consort on Consort Chunshu." When he said this, there was a gleam of determination in his eyes.

The Queen Mother raised her long and thin eyebrows slightly, with a hint of surprise.

"The Emperor appointed Concubine Chun Shu as Imperial Noble Concubine. Is he planning to appoint her as Empress in the future?"

"Yes, there are many people in the harem now, and we need a queen to lead the harem. Concubine Chunshu is qualified." Jun Zechen said affirmatively, with determination in his eyes.

The Queen Mother lowered her head slightly, stretched out her fingers, gently pinched the teacup, brought the cup to her lips, took a small sip of tea, her thoughts flying.

Originally, the emperor had already begun to favor the newcomer when she entered the palace, but the empress dowager wanted to test Concubine Chunshu's magnanimity again.

Now, Concubine Chun Shu is the only one who has a child in the harem. If she becomes the queen and shows her vicious side, preventing the birth of other princes of the emperor, then...

Since the emperor came to her today and told her that he wanted to make Concubine Chun Shu the queen, it seemed that Concubine Chun Shu had completely eliminated Concubine Ling from the emperor's heart.

That’s amazing! The Queen Mother raised her head and asked.

"Why didn't the Emperor directly promote Concubine Chun Shu to Empress?"

There was a hint of inquiry in her eyes, but her expression remained calm.

"Mother." Jun Zechen turned slightly to face the Queen Mother with a serious look on his face.

"The Imperial Noble Consort was originally the same empress as the Vice Empress. After Consort Chun Shu was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, the position of Empress was reserved for her."

"After Concubine Chun Shu is promoted to Imperial Noble Concubine, she will officially enter the probation period of the Queen Mother. If she can gain the support of the Queen Mother, Concubine Chun Shu will naturally become the Queen in name only."

For such an important matter as enthroning a queen, one must first obtain the consent of the queen mother, and secondly, the support of the ministers of the previous dynasty.

When Jun Zechen first ascended the throne, he did not want to enthrone a queen too quickly. One reason was because Ling Yue was not capable enough. He wanted Ling Yue to assist in managing the six palaces and gain the approval of his mother, after all, she was his first wife.

only......

After what happened during this period, Jun Zechen was completely disappointed in her. She was unable to shoulder the responsibility of being the mother of the country.

And now in Jun Zechen's eyes, Yaoyao is the one and only candidate for the queen in his mind.

But the Queen Mother is in charge of the Queen's seal, and if Yaoyao wants to become the Queen, she must obtain the Queen Mother's approval.

Jun Zechen also believed in her ability to manage the household affairs. When she was managing the six palaces before, Jun Zechen was very satisfied with some of the plans she came up with, and she was also fair and selfless when dealing with disputes among concubines.

Her family background is high enough to suppress all the women in the harem.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. The Emperor really had considered a lot for Concubine Chunshu.

"I was already satisfied with Concubine Chun Shu. If you hadn't married Concubine Ling back then, Concubine Chun Shu would have been your Crown Princess."

The Queen Mother said softly, with a hint of memories on her face and a hint of emotion in her eyes.

Then he continued, "The Emperor made a good decision to promote Concubine Chun Shu to Imperial Noble Concubine. Not only will I test her during this period, but so will the ministers of the previous dynasty. The Empress is not only your wife, but also the mother of the monarch and the country."

"The queen cannot just please the emperor like a concubine. Instead, she has the obligation to advise the emperor. Therefore, magnanimity and fairness are the important considerations for the queen."

When the Queen Mother said these words, her expression was serious and her eyes were full of majesty.

The Queen Mother's real consideration is whether the Emperor's son can be born from the wombs of other concubines. If the Queen is jealous and vicious, it will affect not only the harem, but the entire country. She will never let such a thing happen.

"What the Queen Mother said makes sense. I understand."

Jun Zechen responded quickly, he lowered his head slightly, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

He knew that Yaoyao cared about him and was already jealous now, so it was impossible for her to persuade him to treat everyone equally.

But it doesn't matter. After promoting her to Imperial Noble Consort, it is also telling everyone in the harem not to dream of the position of Queen anymore.

Now that he has promoted another favorite concubine, the short-term goal of the other concubines in the harem cannot be the high-ranking Imperial Noble Consort, but the "favored concubine" who seems to be able to be easily brought down.

With the "favored concubine", the ministers of the previous dynasty would not have any dissatisfaction with Yaoyao. In addition, with Su Shangshu Ling's status in the previous dynasty, it would not be difficult for Yaoyao to secure the position of queen.

"Concubine Chunshu has been preparing for a family banquet for the Flower Festival these days. At that time, I will issue an imperial decree to enthrone Concubine Chunshu as the Imperial Noble Concubine and officially lead the harem." Jun Zechen continued.

"Since the Emperor has conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort upon me, the Imperial Household Department in my hands will also be handed over to the Imperial Noble Consort. I will then be able to enjoy the company of my grandchildren."

The Queen Mother said this with a pleased smile on her face.

"I know that Concubine Chun Shu has been busy these days. She sends people to bring Xing Xing to me every day. She is lazy."

The Queen Mother joked with a smile, her smile becoming more loving.

“Concubine Chunshu knew that you loved stars, so she asked someone to bring the stars here.” When Jun Zechen saw his mother mention the stars, a smile appeared on his face.

"Xingxing is your eldest prince and will be your legitimate son in the future. I will naturally love him very much. However, the emperor has been on the throne for almost five months, and now only Concubine Chu is pregnant."

"After Concubine Chu gave birth to the heir, according to her position, she cannot raise the heir. What will the emperor do?"

The Queen Mother's expression became serious, and she stared at Jun Zechen intently and asked seriously.

"Mother." Jun Zechen frowned slightly, a trace of disgust flashing across his face.

"Beauty Chu framed Concubine Chun Shu with vicious intentions. I hate her as the biological mother of the heir to the throne. If she were not pregnant, I would have banished her to the cold palace. If her child is born, I will give it to Concubine Ling. This is what I promised Concubine Ling before."

Jun Zechen said this with a slight sigh in his heart, thinking of Concubine Ling, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

The child of Miss Chu is the only compensation he can give her if she still cannot reflect on herself in the future.

Then he...will not show mercy.

The empress dowager nodded and sighed in her heart. Things are unpredictable. The emperor had vowed to leave the position of empress to Concubine Ling, but what about now?

"What about Lady Chu?" the Queen Mother asked.

"After Concubine Chu gives birth to the royal heir, she will be handed over to Concubine Chunshu for disposal." Jun Zechen said indifferently with an expressionless face.

"Emperor, if Concubine Chu has made a great contribution by giving birth to an imperial heir, and her father is the Minister of Personnel, you cannot treat her so casually." The Queen Mother said somewhat dissatisfiedly.

Jun Zechen frowned. The reason why he gave Miss Chu to Yaoyao actually had his own selfish motives.

No matter how you look at it, Lady Chu is the murderer who killed him and Yaoyao's child. If he punishes her too leniently, he is worried that Yaoyao will be unhappy and complain about him.

If it is directly handed over to Yaoyao for disposal, Yaoyao will not be too harsh on Miss Chu, after all...

If the Minister of Personnel wanted to protect Lady Chu, he would certainly ask Minister Su for help, and Yaoyao knew what to do.

Thinking of this, Jun Zechen's eyes revealed a complex look. In fact, he wanted Yaoyao to be his favorite concubine under his wing, but he didn't want anyone to put pressure on Yaoyao. If Yaoyao became the queen, she would definitely see a lot of secrets in the harem like her mother, and would be connected with the previous dynasty.

Jun Zechen didn't know if she would change, but he was afraid that his feelings towards her would change.

"Mother, I believe in Concubine Chun Shu. She never lets me down."

Jun Zechen felt a little guilty. He was taking advantage of Yaoyao's concern for her because Yaoyao cared about his thoughts and always considered everything from his perspective.

Therefore, Jun Zechen believed that Yaoyao's treatment of Lady Chu would yield a result that would satisfy both him and the Queen Mother.

Jun Zechen stopped discussing the matter with the Queen Mother and said, "Mother, the status of concubines in the harem is indeed too low. I plan to confer titles not only on the Imperial Concubine but also on the Six Palaces during the Flower Festival family banquet."

The Queen Mother nodded in agreement.

At the beginning, Concubine Ling did give the newcomer a position that was too low, but the emperor agreed to such a position at that time, so the empress dowager naturally couldn't say anything.

"It's up to the Emperor to decide," the Queen Mother said softly, closing her eyes slightly.

Jun Zechen had a calm expression. After coming out of the Cining Palace, he walked towards the Zhaochun Palace with steady steps.

After he stepped into the palace, he quickly glanced around the palace and only saw Miaoyun, Concubine Chunshu's personal maid.

Jun Zechen frowned slightly, "Where is your master?"

Miaoyun hurriedly bowed, then said, "The master is in the study to prepare for the Flower Festival family banquet, and the two Shangyi in charge of this matter are also in the study to report to the master."

Jun Zechen nodded slightly after hearing this, then walked towards the study.

Just at this moment, two Shangyi happened to come out of the study.

The two Shangyi were startled at first, then they knelt down hurriedly and said in unison: "Your subordinates pay their respects to Your Majesty."

"Get up."

Jun Zechen said expressionlessly, and before he finished speaking, he walked into the study.

When Su Jingyao heard his voice, she immediately put down the pen in her hand and walked to the door of the study.

The corners of her mouth slightly raised, her eyes showing a happy smile, and she said softly: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Jun Zechen stepped forward to help her up, and asked with a little confusion: "Why did you come out?"

Su Jingyao smiled and said, "I heard your majesty's voice. I was arranging the Flower Festival family banquet in the study. I just told the two ladies in charge of some precautions. Now that your majesty has come, I will naturally accompany you."

As Su Jingyao spoke, she took Jun Zechen's arm affectionately and walked towards the bedroom with him with light steps.

Just now in the study, in addition to carefully arranging the family dinner, she was also carefully checking the information passed on by the spies arranged among concubines such as Concubine Lin and Ye Ronghua.

She was in charge of the entire family dinner, so naturally she had to nip any uncertainties in the bud.

Of course, Jun Zechen couldn't see these, so she quickly took Jun Zechen away from the study.