Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

Seeing the eunuch running towards the women lining up to enter the palace, everyone looked in the direction the eunuch had run.

Upon seeing the Feng family mother and daughter among them, everyone began to speculate whether the eunuch's visit at this time was to allow the Feng family mother and daughter to enter the palace first.

Although no one from the Feng family is in officialdom, they are always invited to the annual palace banquet.

It can be said that they were the only family in the entire Ming Dynasty that could attend palace banquets without holding official positions.

This demonstrates the Feng family's status in the Ming Dynasty.

"Lady Anshun, Her Majesty the Empress has instructed that pregnant ladies can use the royal passage first and do not need to queue. Please come this way with me."

The eunuch was exceptionally respectful and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

This morning, Consort De's people gave two instructions, and the Empress's personal maid also reminded them to pay close attention to pregnant women entering the palace.

Those who work in the palace are all shrewd and astute. Although they may not know the reasons behind it, it's always good to be cautious.

To everyone's surprise, the eunuch had come to invite Lady Anshun, and then they heard what the eunuch said.

It sounds reasonable, but pregnant women who have attended banquets in the palace in previous years have also received this treatment.

Lady Feng smiled and said, "Lady Anshun, please follow the eunuch into the palace first. We'll meet at the palace banquet later."

"I'll go in first, see you at the palace banquet later."

After bidding farewell to the Feng family mother and daughter, Ji Yue Ru, along with Zhi Yi and Shu Yi, followed behind the young eunuch and walked through the Yuehua Gate, a special passage for royal family members.

The princes and nobles who live outside the palace wouldn't arrive this early; there wasn't a single person queuing in the passageway at this hour.

Once inside, they discovered that several sedan chairs were parked on the other side of the palace gate.

"It takes about half an hour to walk from the palace gate to the palace. Her Majesty the Empress has specially prepared sedan chairs for the pregnant ladies. Please, Lady Hou."

Ji Yueru was already surprised that there was no need to queue, but now there were even sedan chairs prepared inside the palace gates.

Although she wondered who she had benefited from, she still thanked the eunuch and sat in the sedan chair.

"An'an, is there anything fishy about what happened today?"

[Mother, rest assured, I haven't sensed any malice. Perhaps Her Majesty the Empress is simply being kind today.]

Since An'an had said that, Ji Yueru could only suppress her suspicions.

Wow, Mommy, the palace is so beautiful!

"Isn't it beautiful? After you're born, your mother will bring you to every palace banquet."

"Okay, I like lively atmospheres."

In her previous life, Ji Yue Ru did not bring An An to the palace when she was pregnant. As a spirit, An An could go anywhere, but she could not enter the palace.

This is An'an's first time in the palace, and everything is new and exciting to her.

An An's loud and boisterous voice could be heard from time to time. Ji Yueru listened quietly and occasionally chimed in with a few words.

The sedan chair was carried all the way to the palace where the banquet was to be held today before it stopped. Along the way, An'an gradually calmed down after her initial shouting.

Even the most beautiful things become tiresome after half an hour.

"Madam, it's still early before the banquet ends. The room next door is for resting. If you're tired, you can go in and lie down."

"Thank you, sir."

Looking from outside the palace into the hall, there were only a few people scattered around.

Thinking that it was still early before she had to leave the banquet, she didn't plan to go in.

"Go rest in the room next door for a while, and come back when the banquet starts."

"Yes, madam."

Since we arrived early, all the rooms were empty, so we picked the nearest one.

Zhiyi followed Ji Yueru into the house, while Shuyi stood guard at the door.

Seeing that someone was guarding the place, they wouldn't rush in if anyone else came, so as not to disturb the people resting inside.

The interior was not luxurious; it was rather conventional.

In the innermost part of the room, there is a soft couch, a round table with several stools, and a charcoal brazier burning in one corner. You can feel the warmth as soon as you enter the room.

Zhiyi helped Ji Yueru take off her cloak.

"Madam, please lie down on the couch for a while. The palace banquet will last for more than an hour."

Zhiyi knew that his wife was more than six months pregnant and that sitting for a long time would make her back uncomfortable.

"Then I'll lie down for a while. Remember to wake me up half an hour after I fall asleep."

"Yes, madam."

Seeing that the lady had fallen asleep, Zhiyi took a cloak and covered her abdomen with it, then sat down at the table to keep watch over her.

Deep within the inner palace, in the Empress's bedchamber, not only the Empress was present, but also the Emperor, Consort De, and the newly recognized Princess Chang'an. The group was listening to a report from a palace eunuch.

"As Your Majesty instructed, the pregnant ladies have already brought the person into the palace."

Among the ladies who entered the palace, three were pregnant: the wife of the Marquis of Anshun, the wife of the heir apparent of the Duke of Yu's household, and the wife of Grand Secretary Lin.

"Your Majesty, no new children have been born in the palace this year. Why don't we share in the joy and move the seats of the three ladies to the front?"

"Yes, my dear consort is absolutely right. We will do as you say."

After hearing this, the eunuch withdrew from the hall to prepare.

The Empress had been pregnant twice since entering the palace, but both pregnancies ended in miscarriage.

Later, she injured her body and could no longer conceive. In this palace, whoever became the crown prince or ascended the throne, she would remain the empress, so it had little impact on her.

They were considered to be on the same side as the Emperor.

Consort De only gave birth to one daughter in the palace, and had no conflict of interest with the Empress. The two usually got along quite well.

The Empress naturally knew what Princess Chang'an had said earlier, otherwise there wouldn't be this banquet today.

Logically, they shouldn't believe it, but what happened to Chang'an was simply too unbelievable.

Afterwards, the emperor ordered an investigation, but Qixia had always been meticulous in her work and it was impossible for her to have revealed anything.

If it weren't for the reason Chang'an gave earlier, he really wouldn't know how Chang'an had found out.

With a mix of skepticism and anticipation, the group was somewhat looking forward to the banquet.

Putting that matter aside, the Empress brought up the matter of Prince Shun.

"That child has been at Dajue Temple for more than 20 years, so it's understandable that he has some resentment in his heart."

The Imperial Observatory said that Prince Shun's return to the capital will greatly benefit Your Majesty. If Prince Shun says anything inappropriate later, Your Majesty must control your temper and lest you become a laughingstock in front of the court officials.

"The Empress is absolutely right. Just make that rebellious son behave himself later, and I will not hold it against him."

Judging from his tone, the Empress knew the Emperor hadn't listened to her, and shook her head helplessly.

Actually, she wasn't biased towards Prince Shun. As the head of the harem, if the emperor and Prince Shun clashed at a banquet, she was the one who would clean up the mess and smooth things over.

She only spoke up to save herself some trouble, but now it seems all her words were wasted.

Seeing that the atmosphere between the Emperor and Empress was somewhat tense, Consort De stepped in to smooth things over.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, please help me decide which place to choose as my residence in Chang'an."

After today's banquet, Chang'an has finally made her presence known to all the officials, and from now on she will be the royal princess in name and in fact.

The Empress also joined in the discussion with great interest, until Chief Eunuch Yu came in and reminded her.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, it's time for the palace banquet."