The queen has four sons and six daughters, and she can call the wind and rain

"How dare you, a little girl like you, Xiaoyi, not take me seriously. Are you thinking of taking advantage of the meat in your belly to bully others?"

The concubines at the side couldn't bear to watch it anymore and came out to try to persuade them.

"Okay, Concubine Qi, today is the New Year's Eve dinner, so don't argue with Ming Xiaoyi. If the Emperor and the Empress see you, you will be the first to eat."

It would have been better if she didn't say anything. Once she said it, Qi Guiji became even angrier.

"I'm not the only one causing trouble. Even if the Emperor and the Empress want to punish me, they can't just punish me. Just because Yun Zhining is pregnant, can I be arrogant and do whatever I want?"

"But it was you who caused trouble for Ming Xiaoyi first. Ming Xiaoyi just fought back. It doesn't count as causing trouble!"

"How dare you, a mere concubine, to contradict me? Come on, slap me in the face."

"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress has arrived, the Empress Dowager Xiaoyan has arrived, and the Empress Dowager Xiaoci has arrived."

The eunuch outside the hall suddenly shouted, and the people inside the hall fell silent instantly and knelt down in unison.

"Your humble servants and concubines pay their respects to His Majesty, may His Majesty be blessed with good health. We also pay our respects to the Empress and the Empress Dowager."

Qi Yejing, the queen and the two queen dowagers sat down, then he raised his hand slightly.

"No courtesy, please get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After everyone was seated, Qi Yejing spoke slowly.

"I just heard you arguing outside, but what unpleasant thing happened?"

"Your Majesty, this is all Ming Xiaoyi's fault. I saw that she was dressed shabbily, so I kindly reminded her. Who knew she would talk back to me? I wanted to teach her a lesson on behalf of the Empress, but Zhou Cainv suddenly jumped out and accused me of bullying Ming Xiaoyi. I was so angry that I wanted to teach her a lesson."

"Ming Xiaoyi, is what Qi Guiji said true?"

Yun Zhining bit her lips lightly, and her eyes instantly turned red.

"Your Majesty, I am wronged!"

"Normally, I should dress up beautifully to attend the New Year's Eve dinner so as not to bring disgrace to the emperor. But I am pregnant now, so I cannot use rouge and powder. I also try to use as few sharp pearl hairpins as possible to avoid danger. So I dressed simply. Who knew that as soon as I came in, Concubine Qi said that I was here to attend a funeral. I was so angry that I argued with her for a few words. She wanted to slap me. Zhou Cainv couldn't bear to see me being slapped in public by Concubine Qi, so she said a few words to help me. Then Concubine Qi was furious and wanted to slap Zhou Cainv."

"Ms. Zhou is innocent. If the emperor wants to punish someone, please punish me. Do not embarrass Ms. Zhou."

"Well, this is not your fault. How can I punish you?"

"Just sit still."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After watching Yun Zhining sit down, Qi Yejing then turned his gaze to Qi Guiji, his expression somewhat displeased.

"Qi Guiji, you have been in the palace longer than Ming Xiaoyi. Logically, you should be more sensible than Ming Xiaoyi, but your performance just now is so disappointing to me."

His words made Qi Guiji terrified, and she quickly knelt down to apologize.

"I am guilty. I shouldn't be jealous of Ming Xiaoyi's pregnancy and deliberately cause trouble for her. This is because I love the emperor and want to serve him more and have a child to prolong my life. But I am unlucky and do not have such a good life. That's why I am jealous of Ming Xiaoyi. If the emperor is really angry, please punish me. I will never complain."

This was the first time Yun Zhining had met an opponent since entering the palace. She brought up the child, and Qi Guiji brought up the fact that she had no child. After all, she had been serving Qi Yejing since she was in the Qiandi Palace, so naturally her relationship with Qi Yejing was deeper than Yun Zhining's. Moreover, although her temperament was similar to that of Concubine Zhou, she was more aware of current affairs than Concubine Zhou, and she was more quick-witted. She knew when to be tough and when to show weakness, and her appearance was also more outstanding than that of Concubine Zhou. Her admiration for Qi Yejing was expressed between the lines. If Qi Yejing really wanted to punish her, it would be too hurtful to the concubine.

As expected, after these words were spoken, Qi Yejing's expression instantly softened a lot.

"I have always understood your feelings for me, but you did go too far this time. Ming Xiaoyi is pregnant. Even if you did something wrong, you should have taught her a lesson instead of slapping her in public. Hurting her dignity is a small matter, but if you hurt the baby in her belly, even I can't protect you."

Tears welled up in Qi Guiji's eyes and she admitted her mistake obediently.

"I know I was wrong, and I will never conflict with Ming Xiaoyi again."

"Alright, today is New Year's Eve, I won't punish you severely. I will fine you three months' salary. You must be careful in the future and never act so recklessly."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Qi Guiji slowly stood up and glanced at Yun Zhining triumphantly. Yun Zhining smiled, but a nameless anger rose in her heart.

As expected, a man’s words could never be trusted, and the emperor’s words were even less to be trusted.

When he was in Furong Pavilion, he talked a lot of nonsense, but when he came out, he favored other concubines and made her suffer.

Fortunately, she had seen his true face in her previous life, otherwise she would have been deceived by him in this life, and not only would she be sad, but she would also lose her life.

This was just a small episode before the banquet and it passed quickly. Qi Yejing raised his glass and said a few words, and the banquet officially began.

There was singing and dancing in the hall, with people clinking glasses and toasting each other. It was very lively, but Yun Zhining showed little interest.

Speaking of which, except for her, everyone else was dressed up gorgeously tonight. Concubine Zhou was dressed in gorgeous clothes with a golden hairpin on her bun. Under the candlelight, she was even more dazzling. Concubine Qi was dressed in purple with a jade pendant around her neck, looking mysterious and charming. Concubine Shu was dressed in clouds and mist, Concubine De was dazzled with jewels, Concubine Xian was exquisite as a painting, Concubine Hui was charming and ladylike. Madam Yin was as light as the wind, a fairy from heaven.

She was the only one with simple decoration, which seemed out of place.

Qingzhu saw that she was not in a good mood and asked quickly.

"My lady, are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to go and get the imperial physician?"

"No, I'm just in a bad mood, just take it easy."

Bad mood?

Qingzhu glanced at Qi Guiji's position and instantly understood the crux of the problem.

"The Emperor probably just thought that today is such a good day and everyone should be happy instead of blaming each other and affecting their mood, so he let Concubine Qi go. He didn't intentionally favor Concubine Qi, so you don't have to be sad."

"Whether it was intentional or not, he has severely slapped me in the face on behalf of Concubine Qi. After today, everyone in the harem will see clearly that the emperor only favors me because of the child in his belly, and he does not really love me. If I don't have this child, my future life will definitely not be easy."

"My young master, ..."

"Don't worry, Qingzhu. From the day I entered the palace, I warned myself that I must not fall in love with the emperor. As long as I don't fall in love with him, I will never be sad or desperate at any time."

"My Lord, just figure it out."