The queen was sitting next to Ning Chen and noticed at a glance that he was staring at something.
Looking over there, it was indeed Ye Jun.
For a moment, the queen felt very uncomfortable.
It was said before that An was favored, but the emperor had never stared at her like this in public.
After An died, another Ye came, and Ye was even better.
It would be better to let An live.
But it is useless to think about these things now, because the dead cannot be resurrected.
The banquet began. After the emperor and everyone present raised their glasses and drank together, singing and dancing began.
"Your Majesty, I offer you a toast. I wish my Nanqi will prosper and your Majesty will rule the country forever." The Queen raised her glass.
Ning Chen drank it out of courtesy and said at the end.
"The Queen has worked very hard to manage the harem for me over the years. I would like to offer a toast to the Queen as well."
"It's what I should do." The queen smiled softly.
The couple drank two cups, which seemed to be a sign of harmony between the emperor and the empress.
Next, those who were qualified toasted one by one according to their status.
After Hui Shunyi, the next one is Ye Yun.
She stood up and raised her glass with a smile, but she didn't say any fancy words.
She only said, "I will drink this cup to the end. I wish Your Majesty a happy new year and a smile on your face forever."
Ning Chen laughed after hearing this, "You are always like a child, and like to say some childish and playful words."
Isn't that childish? Even a six-year-old princess can say "May the dragon be in good health and live a long and blessed life."
"I am stupid, Your Majesty, please don't laugh at me." Ye Jun pursed her lips and smiled.
Ning Chen shook his head helplessly, "Queen, look at her. If she is stupid, there are still a few smart ones."
"Ming Shunyuan has always been lively and playful. Even after becoming a mother, she is still as playful as a child." The queen's smile was a little forced.
Hui Shunyi also said, "That's right. Only when one's heart is pure and kind can one be as lively and bright as Sister Ming."
"Everyone is praising you. Since you are so good, I cannot bury you. Pass on my decree, Ming Shunyuan will be promoted to Shunyi."
Ning Chen waved his hand and suddenly said something shocking.
No one expected this to happen, and the queen was in a very bad mood.
But she had just followed Ning Chen's words and praised someone, and it would be bad to contradict herself now and say that Ye Jun was not good.
For a moment, I was really holding back.
Not to mention the Queen, even Ye Jun herself was stunned.
In fact, this is also because Ning Chen really had this idea on impulse.
Seeing how beautiful and intelligent Ye Jun was, and how she suited his taste, he suddenly wanted to lift this woman higher and higher.
Such a graceful and elegant demeanor should not be just that of a concubine.
Although I cannot be promoted to a higher position all at once, it should be higher than it is now.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." Ye Jun reacted and bowed politely.
Her calmness in the face of praise or criticism makes people feel that she is destined for this position.
With Ye Jun's eye-catching performance in the front, Yi Shunrong, who was toasting behind, was completely inconspicuous.
Another good scolding.
Fortunately, Ning Chen also promoted Yi Shunrong to Shunyuan.
Anyway, he is one level lower than Ye Jun.
She originally thought that with the promotion during the Chinese New Year, she would be able to be on equal footing with Ye Jun again, but she didn't expect that she would still be suppressed.
I also feel very upset.
Later, Yao Xiang toasted and was promoted to Xiuyuan.
At this point, those with children have finished toasting.
Those behind were not eligible to raise their glasses, so Ning Chen took this opportunity to talk about the promotion of the concubines in the harem.
Anyway, a big closure at the end of the year has basically become a rule.
Hui Shunyi was promoted to Hui Zhaorong, Qi Wanrong, Wan Wanrong and Zhou Wanrong were all promoted to Meiren, Zheng Cairen, Li Cairen and Cui Cairen were promoted to Wanrong.
This time, the most embarrassed person was Miss Huo, but she was only embarrassed herself.
After all, in the eyes of others, she had been promoted beyond her level and had not yet given birth, so it was reasonable that she was not included in the second round of rewards at the end of the year.
However, she knew in her heart that if she had not done that stupid thing last time, the emperor would have promoted Ming Shunyi for the sake of the Huo family and would have taken her along.
The emperor really did dislike her.
But compared to her, Yao Xiang felt more miserable and uncomfortable.
At this time in the previous life, the person standing in Shunyi's position should have been her, but now it has become Ye Jun.
I really hate it.
However, Zhao Chunxuan’s external defense was as tight as an iron barrel, and they had failed to get close to him several times. Now they could only start from other places.
For example, pull the queen down first.
Although the queen is not a very useful person, she can still stabilize the overall situation due to her status. However, once the queen falls, the harem will inevitably be in chaos.
By then, Concubine Shu and Concubine Jingde will be in charge of the affairs of the harem, and at most one more Concubine Hui will be added.
The situation is complicated, with many people involved and many opportunities to take action.
No matter what they plotted behind the scenes, they still spent the New Year's Eve in harmony on the surface.
On the second day, the first day of the new year, after completing a series of complicated rituals, I finally got to meet my family.
This year, not only Chu and her aunt Yang entered the palace, but also her sister-in-law Yin.
Ye Zhe had the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, and as his wife, Yin naturally also had an imperial edict and was eligible to enter the palace.
"Sister-in-law, it's rare for me to come back to Beijing for the New Year. Look at the scar on your hand. Was it the injury you got in Lingzhou?"
After the greetings, Ye Jun noticed this little detail.
Yin smiled sheepishly and pulled her sleeve down a little to cover the scar.
"It's all a small matter. I went to the war and helped out. I did some things and got hurt accidentally. The Marquis didn't despise me, so I got a scar. I think it's really ugly."
"Why are you saying this? Don't belittle yourself. Our Ye family doesn't care about these things." Chu frowned.
He took his daughter-in-law's hand, looked at her carefully, and sighed.
"My child, why don't you usually stretch out your left hand? It turns out that I'm worried about this. To put it bluntly, I was born in a merchant family, but didn't I marry your father-in-law to become a general's wife? You are a pure and innocent lady from an official family, a descendant of a military commander. If you get hurt, you are doing it for your country and your family. Why do you care so much?"
Seeing her mother like this, Ye Jun felt relieved.
I was also worried about the conflict between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, please don't think we are a pedantic family. We don't take this seriously, and you don't have to hide it in front of your family." Ye Jun said.
Listening to the comfort from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Yin was still moved.
Although I know that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both good people, I haven't had much contact with them. Now I am much closer to them.
Yang from the second house didn't want to interfere in other people's family affairs, so she just smiled and said nothing.
The family still gets along very comfortably.
However, when she entered the palace this time, Yin also said something.
She and Ye Zhe had to raise their daughter in Kyoto.
It’s not that Ning Chen specifically insisted, but this is the rule. If a general in the outside has children, one or two must be left in Kyoto.