Reborn as a Sickly Child: The Emperor's Beloved

The next morning, the sunlight shone through the window onto Shen Yanyan's face, and she slowly woke up.

The bed beside him was empty and no longer warm. Xiao Jingzhan had already gotten up to attend the morning court. Dongxue gently opened the door and walked into the room. Seeing that Shen Yanyan had woken up, she smiled and walked forward to start dressing her.

Dongxue skillfully opened the dressing box, took out a comb, and gently combed Shen Yanyan's hair. Her movements were gentle and delicate, as if she was protecting a precious treasure. Shen Yanyan's eyes were still a little dazed, and she quietly enjoyed Dongxue's service.

"Are those concubines going to come over to pay their respects today?" Shen Yanyan looked at herself in the mirror, feeling a little melancholy. She really didn't want to see these chattering people.

Dongxue seemed to sense Shen Yanyan's mood, and she whispered, "Yes, madam, you are now the Imperial Noble Consort. According to the rules, all the concubines have to come to pay their respects to you today." The madam went to the Yangxin Palace, cooked a meal for His Majesty, the Second Young Master, and Lord Yang, and she became the Imperial Noble Consort. Dongxue and she were both surprised, and later they learned that the food that the madam offered to His Majesty was like divine food. The two of them admired the madam even more.

Shen Yanyan nodded slightly.

Dongxue combed Shen Yanyan's hair and picked out an exquisite hairpin to put in her hair. Shen Yanyan's mood gradually calmed down, she tidied her clothes and prepared to start a new day.

Looking at her dignified and gorgeous self in the mirror, Shen Yanyan held her head high and chest puffed out.

Now that she is sitting in this position, she has to establish some rules. Concubine Gao has been in the palace for three years, and most people only obey her. She has a tough battle to fight today, and these women are no weaker than those who wield swords.

In the front hall of Yaohua Palace, everyone looked at the magnificent decoration and the various exquisite and valuable ornaments, and felt secretly jealous.

Especially Concubine Gao, her Cui Chen Palace doesn’t have these good things. I’m afraid these things were given to her by His Majesty from his own private treasury. What a bitch.

In the front hall, the concubines were like flowers competing with each other for beauty, each showing off their beauty. The air was filled with a strong scent of powder, suggesting an undercurrent.

Some concubines who had been oppressed by Concubine Gao in the past exchanged glances, implying that Concubine Gao had fallen out of favor and was no longer loved by His Majesty.

Their words were full of sarcasm and ridicule, and they seemed to be gloating over someone else's misfortune. Some people deliberately whispered, but their voices were just loud enough to reach Concubine Gao's ears, "Look, the former favorite has fallen into poverty now."

She continued to express hypocritical sympathy, "How pitiful! Your Majesty's heart is really unpredictable." Every word was like a sharp sword, piercing Concubine Gao's heart.

Concubine Jiang looked at them and said loudly, "How dare you ridicule the Imperial Concubine. You, a concubine, dare to say such rude words..."

Seeing Concubine Jiang like that, Concubine Cao was even more furious. They were all concubines. She had been in the palace for three years. What right did she, a newcomer, have to say about her? "Sister Jiang, please don't talk nonsense. Concubines are very respectful to the Imperial Concubine. How dare we ridicule her? Concubines are talking about what happened in the palace recently. Please don't talk nonsense, sister."

"You, you are obviously talking about the Empress." Concubine Jiang stood up and pointed at her, extremely angry.

"Yes, your Majesty, Concubine Cao is so unruly, we can't let her off easily." The concubines on Concubine Gao's side also said one by one.

Seeing that the two sides were about to quarrel, Concubine Gao's eyes turned cold.

"Shut up, everyone."

What a bunch of bitches who flatter the powerful and look down on the weak. Concubine Gao was so angry that she gritted her teeth. She was still a concubine, but they dared to say that to her. She had to teach these bitches a lesson.

"Lanxiang, slap her in the face and teach her the rules of the palace." Gao Jinyi looked at Concubine Cao with disdain in his eyes.

"Yes, your Majesty." Upon hearing this, Lanxiang took a few steps forward and slapped Concubine Cao on the face one after another. The people around who had just been whispering suddenly fell silent, lowered their heads, and dared not speak.

Lin Rongyue sat opposite Concubine Gao, watching what was happening in the palace, then glanced at Concubine Gao again, curled the corners of her mouth slightly, then raised her cup of tea and drank it, as if she didn't see what happened.

"Your Majesty, please spare me. The master is not talking about you. Please spare me." Caopin's personal maid knelt on the ground and kowtowed, her body trembling.

At this time, a shrill voice came from outside the palace: "The Imperial Concubine has arrived."

Concubine Gao waved her hand, Lanxiang quickly retreated, and pulled up the maid who was kneeling in the hall and made her kneel aside.

Shen Yanyan was dressed in a bright yellow palace dress, with a graceful figure and elegant temperament.

The delicate embroidery on the clothes shone with a faint golden light, which contrasted with her beauty and made people fall in love with her. She had a beautiful face, skin as white as cream, eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as a painting, a smile as beautiful as a flower, and a unique nobleness in her every move.

Seeing such a beautiful and noble Shen Yanyan, everyone knelt down and saluted, and the scene was solemn and dignified. Concubine Gao's eyes were fixed on the bright yellow clothes on Shen Yanyan, and a trace of jealousy and envy flashed in her eyes. The bright yellow clothes were particularly dazzling in the sun, as if announcing Shen Yanyan's respected status to the world.

The whole scene seemed like a gorgeous painting, and Shen Yanyan was the protagonist of this painting. Her beauty and nobility became the focus of everyone's attention.

"Greetings to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. May Her Majesty live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years." Everyone shouted in unison.

Shen Yanyan sat upright in the upper seat, waved her hand, and said in a dignified tone, "Everyone, stand up."

Everyone stood up and sat on the chairs. Concubine Cao's seat was in the front. Shen Yanyan saw the slap mark on her face at a glance and sneered in her heart. This Concubine Gao was quite good at playing games. She actually used this trick to show her power.

"What's going on? There's a slap mark on your face." Shen Yanyan looked at Concubine Cao and asked.

Concubine Cao knelt forward, her voice somewhat aggrieved: "Concubine Cao Xinyan greets the Majesty. The Imperial Concubine said that I ridiculed her and asked her maid to beat me. I beg the Majesty to make the decision for me. I did not say anything about the Imperial Concubine."

Cao Xinyan was also a sensible person. Judging from the Imperial Concubine's appearance, she was probably not on good terms with Concubine Gao, otherwise she wouldn't have asked about her situation right away. Besides, she was slapped by Concubine Gao in the Imperial Concubine's palace, and the Imperial Concubine would definitely help her get justice.

"Is there anything you want to say, Imperial Concubine?" Shen Yanyan smiled and looked at Imperial Concubine Gao. Her heart was filled with coldness. She beat someone in her palace and didn't take her, the Imperial Concubine, seriously at all. Today, she would settle all the old and new grudges and deal with this woman.

"Your Majesty, please understand. This bitch has been mocking me openly and secretly. I don't mind teaching her a lesson." Noble Concubine Gao did not move, sitting upright on the chair, with no intention of getting up to answer.

Shen Yanyan sneered, "Oh, Concubine Cao, what did you say about Concubine Gao? Tell me more about it."

"Your Majesty, I...I didn't say Imperial Concubine." Concubine Cao was a little panicked at this time. What did the Imperial Concubine mean by this? Not only did she not help her, but she also spoke for Imperial Concubine Gao.

Everyone in the main hall couldn't understand it either. Although they had not had much contact with this empress, when they entered the palace to pay their respects on the first day, they saw that this empress and Concubine Yuan were at loggerheads with each other, which showed that she was not a weak person. So why was she like this now?

Concubine Gao had a calm expression on her face, but her eyes were full of disdain.

"Just say what I tell you to say." Shen Yanyan said with a cold tone, looking at Concubine Cao.

Upon seeing this, Concubine Cao stammered and repeated what she had just said: "Look, the former favorite is now in a state of poverty... And it's really pitiful. Your Majesty's heart is really unpredictable." Concubine Cao trembled a little after she finished speaking.

Shen Yanyan laughed twice, leaving everyone a little confused.

"Get up, you are right, he is just a man that His Majesty is tired of playing with."

After the words fell, silence fell in the main hall. Everyone exchanged glances secretly, not daring to speak.

The Imperial Concubine is in complete conflict with the Imperial Concubine. They, the little minions, should keep a low profile to avoid being affected.

"You..." Concubine Gao finally couldn't sit still anymore. She stood up and looked at Shen Yanyan with anger on her face.

"Noble Concubine Gao, you are so insolent. You are being so rude in front of me. Didn't the maids in the palace teach you the rules?" Shen Yanyan looked at Noble Concubine Gao with a cold face, her eyes full of provocation.

Concubine Gao was shaking with anger. This bitch, looking at her smug look, she was determined to tear her face off.

"Your Highness, please stay in Cuichen Palace. I will send someone to Cuichen Palace to teach you what the rules are. You don't have to come out until you have learned it." Shen Yanyan had a cold look on her face.

Her words carried an unquestionable momentum, as if the firmness emanated from her bones.

Every word seemed to strike at everyone's heart, heavy and impossible to ignore.

All the concubines lowered their heads in silence. The Imperial Noble Concubine was putting the Noble Concubine under house arrest!

Some were happy and some were worried, but in this palace, status could overwhelm people, and no one dared to say a word.

"Did you hear that? Concubine Gao!" Shen Yanyan looked at Gao Jinyi. Her eyes were focused and sharp, as if they could penetrate one's soul, making people feel awe.

As she spoke, the air around her seemed to grow heavy, as if only her voice was echoing in the air. Her tone left no room for negotiation, with a kind of determination and resoluteness that made people understand that her decision was irreversible.

"I obey your command." Concubine Gao lowered her head, her eyes full of hatred.

When Concubine Cao and a group of people who had a feud with Concubine Gao saw her like this, they were extremely happy. In the past, they relied on the fact that they were the people with the highest status in the palace and deducted their shares in various ways. Now, the Imperial Concubine is here, let's see how arrogant she can be.

When the people on Concubine Gao's side saw that the Concubine had suffered a loss, they became like quails and dared not provoke Shen Yanyan again.

Shen Yanyan carefully examined the people present, and then asked them to disperse. After this round of greetings, she already knew who were Concubine Gao's confidants and who had grievances with Concubine Gao.

She glanced at those fawning faces, knowing that most of them were followers of Concubine Gao, who would do anything to get close to the rich and powerful. And those who looked at Concubine Gao with obvious hostility must have had a grudge against her.

Shen Yanyan thought to herself that she would never have peace in this deep palace from now on. These women were not good people, especially Lin Rongyue. She didn't say a word the whole time, but looking at her calm appearance, Shen Yanyan always felt that this person was very thoughtful.

She was well aware of the cruelty of court struggles and knew that if she was not careful she could end up in an irretrievable situation.