Zong Zhengjin was slightly stunned, but quickly reacted, patted her back, and the anger in his heart had unknowingly been replaced by tenderness. He pulled her over, kissed the corner of her eye, "In my heart, your life cannot be measured with silver and money."

  "I won't cry" Su Jing blinked her eyes and smiled with an open mouth.

  Zong Zhengjin held her in his arms, "With me here, don't cry, I'm all here."

  Maybe she didn't love him that much, maybe he hadn't fallen in love with her yet, but at this moment, she could totally feel the sincerity of his words, which was something that even the best acting skills couldn't convey. With so many emotions mixed in, she could feel it deeply, so she was touched in her heart.

  It's not "very valuable" or "priceless", but it can't be equated with money, and the difference is still discernible by Su Jing.

  Zong Zhengjin didn't stay in Zuiyunwu for long, after comforting her fragile "glass heart", he returned to the Purple Imperial Palace, even if it was just for less than half a time, still envied by others.

  "It's almost a new year, a new beginning. I won't say much more. Be honest with people and do your job properly. You should have learned lessons from those who came and went this year. Think about where the people who started with you are now, whether they're doing well or not, it all depends on yourselves."

  "Today you have been wronged, ten taels of silver each will be given to you, it's also a token of my appreciation," Su Jing said to the servants kneeling on the ground. She then turned her head and said to several people kneeling in front of her, "As for you few, fifteen taels each."

  "This slave thanks the master for his reward."

  No matter how long it has been, the people kneeling on the ground still can't fully believe that trust is not related to time, but to people.

  "Alright, everyone go down now, change into some warm clothes so you don't catch a cold."

  Zichen Hall

  "What's wrong with the queen?" Zong Zhengjin sat at the top and spoke in a leisurely tone.

  Inside the palace, it had been a long time since the dragon-shaped incense burner had burned for twelve hours, but from the moment the empress entered, she couldn't help but feel a chill, her heart in agony, yet her face showed no signs of it.

  "I mentioned to the Emperor a few days ago that this year we should promote the ranks of all the younger sisters," seeing that he still had no expression, she continued, "I have already prepared the list, please take a look and make a decision, Your Majesty."

  Zong Zhengjin took the note handed over to her and flipped through it casually, "The Empress is the master of the six palaces, what the Empress decides is."

  "Yes, I have combined the performance of all the sisters in these days with some other situations and compiled this list. Each person will be promoted one or two levels," the queen said, glancing at the list he casually placed on the desk.

  "It's just that I think Zhen sister is a good person, can gain the emperor's favor, serve the emperor well, and I am also very happy. So I especially let her be promoted to the rank of Yuanyi. As for Yuexuan, she has not served in the palace for long, and this time it's not necessary to promote her."

  The queen had been secretly observing the emperor's expression, but she didn't seem to notice anything unusual, perhaps her guess was wrong.

  Zong Zhengjin nodded, "Mm, let's do as the Empress said. However, Zhen Bin has indeed served well, so let's promote her to Rong Hua."

  The queen was taken aback, his tone was casual, and even had a hint of playfulness. At this moment, she couldn't tell if he really liked Su Jing or not. Otherwise, with her current status as Yuanyi, she was already the only one, enough to make people jealous. Not to mention Ronghua, that would be openly inviting resentment.

  Pushing someone who is deeply fond of herself to such a stormy peak, whether she really likes it or not, she can't guess, or rather, the one he loves most in his heart is still Shu Guifei.

  At the thought of this, the Empress's heart was once again not at ease. No matter who that person was, it couldn't be Shu Guifei.

  "Yes, Your Majesty's words are extremely correct, then I will have someone draft an edict according to this."

  "Hmm," Zong Zhengjin picked up a nearby teacup and took a sip.

  On the eve of the New Year, as the name suggests, it is a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. The whole world celebrates together, so it's even more necessary to share the joy with the people. This banquet was not only for the imperial concubines but also included officials above the seventh rank.

  The banquet began at the beginning of the afternoon and was naturally held in the Taihe Hall.

  Su Jing stepped in with a gentle smile, accompanied by the sharp and clear voice of the eunuch's announcement, as well as a multitude of watching eyes, walking calmly to her designated position among the imperial consorts.

  "Concubines pay respects to Noble Consort Shu and Virtuous Consort."

  "Zhen Pei doesn't have to be so polite," Shu Gui Fei didn't make things difficult for Su Jing Xian, her status was the highest, naturally it was up to her to speak.

  "Yes, Zhen sister, why be so polite? We are all sisters, please get up quickly," Xian Fei also hastily spoke out at the same time as Shu Gui Fei's words fell.

  Su Jingxiao smiled and stood up, and Xianfei was still as "enthusiastic" as ever. The words she exchanged with Shu Guifei were warm and intimate, and it was clear who was closer to whom just by listening. If it weren't for someone who didn't understand the ways of the world, they might have believed that Xianfei was a kind person.

  Su Jing didn't know that the first two times were probably helped by Shu Gui Fei in secret, she had always thought that she was plotting something and must have had ulterior motives. Unfortunately, over such a long period of time, not only did she not come to find her, but instead appeared very indifferent, showing no familiarity and only coldness.

  However, she would never believe that Consort Shu was idle and wanted to help her. In this world, there are many good people, but there are also many bad ones.

  No matter what her purpose is, she just quietly waits for it.

  "Thank you, Your Highnesses," Su Jing got up and involuntarily glanced at Shu Gui Fei's position, but didn't expect that she was also looking at her. The two exchanged a glance before turning away from each other.

  Sitting in her own seat, Su Jingfan smiled calmly at those who were sizing her up. Given that she didn't know how much longer she could live, she should make the most of this beautiful time.

  "Zhen's sister is in a good mood, but I heard that the emperor went to Zuiyun Pavilion early this morning," said Qi Xiao Yi, sitting at the head of Su Jing Bian, seeing her smile was about to burst out.

  Whether or not it was suitable for her to say this sentence, just the fact that Gui Xiao Yi came to make things difficult for Zhen Fei was enough to stop people around them from gossiping and quietly watching.

  Su Jingxiang handed the purple gold inlaid hand warmer to Tingyao, then turned her head to glance at the person with ill intentions, hooked a smile on her lips and said, "Qi Xiaoyi was right, I'm feeling quite good."

  As soon as the words fell, several deliberately suppressed laughs sounded around, but still audible. Xiang Yu's face suddenly turned red with shame, pointing at Su Jingxian, "You"

  Su Jing glanced at her finger and turned away, no longer looking at her. "Qi Xiao Yi is now furious."

  "What nonsense are you talking about, Ben Niang doesn't have" Qi Xiao Yi suddenly came back to her senses, swallowed her words and softened her tone, "Is Zhen younger sister too ignorant of the rules, how can she randomly guess Ben Niang's meaning?"

  Su Jingxi disliked nothing more than being constrained by rules, especially when it came from someone like Shangguan Mei who wasn't exactly well-versed in them herself. Her tone was light and even, "Each to their own."

  "How dare you!" Qi Xiao Yi slapped the table and said loudly.

  "Alright, I see you're quite bold. Today's a grand feast, what's the point of making such a ruckus?" Consort Shu spoke up at the right moment, her tone extremely impatient. "If Xi Xiao Yi doesn't want to attend the banquet, she can just leave directly. I'll explain the reason to the Emperor myself."

  Shangguan Mei's face turned pale and white by turns, and upon hearing the sound, she looked down to see that the people below had already heard the commotion and were looking up.

  She naturally didn't want to leave, so she could only murmur, "The concubine knows her fault."

  Su Jing looked down at the next level, where the bright and smooth wide floor was covered with a red carpet. Those seated there were high-ranking officials who had the qualifications to be listed in the grand hall, even if they only occupied a relatively backward position in this grand hall, it was still an unparalleled honor.

  Among them, everyone is wearing neat official uniforms of the same color, but with different patterns on their clothes. For example, the first rank has a crane, the second rank has a golden pheasant, the third rank has a peacock, the fourth rank has a mandarin duck, the fifth rank has a white pheasant, the sixth rank has an egret, and the seventh rank has a quail.

  Her father was one of them, so Su Jing naturally couldn't see where her father was, and could only roughly estimate a position, taking a distant glance.

  Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, a yellow figure appeared at the entrance of the hall, and immediately voices rang out, "The Emperor has arrived, the Empress Dowager has arrived, the Empress has arrived."

  "Long live the Emperor, may the Emperor live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and forever. Pay respects to the Empress Dowager, may the Empress Dowager live for a thousand years, a thousand years, and forever. Pay respects to the Empress, may the Empress live for a thousand years, a thousand years, and forever."

  Su Jingxiang knelt down with the crowd, in such a solemn and majestic occasion, the voices of hundreds of people inside the grand hall echoed for a long time. At this moment, kneeling was no longer a matter of dignity or not, but a heartfelt reverence and respect for imperial power.

  The weak are preyed upon by the strong, and social class determines one's fate. The path one takes in life is predetermined at birth, and all that can be decided is how to walk it. Even though the emperor has been emphasizing the importance of promoting talented individuals from humble backgrounds and elevating their status in recent years, compared to those born into families with advantages and noble identities, the pain and pressure they endure behind closed doors are self-evident.

  She may have come into this world inexplicably, but she has never lived inexplicably. She knows the rules of this world and is not resentful. She kneels here very calmly, with a hint of resignation that comes from deep within her heart.

  "All of you, bow down," Zong Zhengjin walked to the highest position, stood up, and gently waved his hand, looking down at these people who were under his feet. The majesty of the emperor was fully displayed, and this was what it meant to rule over all under heaven.

  Palace Concubine (Yi) / 33 / 33265

  Gong Shu