Chapter 296: Instigation

Shen Xingnong and Chu Tiankuo worked together in tacit understanding, moving some of the stone carvings, colorful flowers, and potted plants placed nearby onto specific locations on the Taiji Bagua diagram.

Old Master Guo stood at the side, stroking his beard and watching, deep in thought.

The others all gathered around, watching quietly. Some pondered with furrowed brows, while others were completely clueless. No one dared to make a sound and disturb them.

Everyone knew that the two were currently breaking the formation.

After a while, Shen Xingnong held a white stone and said to the crowd, “Please everyone, enter this formation, we can get out soon.”

Hearing this, everyone stepped into the formation.

Then, Chu Tiankuo and Shen Xingnong simultaneously placed the black and white, round, giant cobblestones in their hands onto the black and white dots in the center respectively.

Suddenly, a strong light erupted from around the Taiji Bagua diagram. Everyone felt the black and white Taiji diagram beneath their feet slowly rotate and then swap positions. The surroundings lit up, and then they were sent out!

The ancient bell tolled, its sound echoing far and wide, lingering in the air!

There was a moment of silence, then a thunderous cheer erupted:

“The formation is broken!”

“The formation is broken!”

“The first ancient formation has been successfully broken! Princess Xingnong is mighty!”

“Princess Xingnong is mighty, the number one formation master in the world!”

“Princess Xingnong is the number one formation master in the world!”

The formation masters and people of Jin Kingdom were all incredibly excited.

All four kingdoms had ancient formations, but the four ancient formations of Jin Kingdom were the best among them. For over a hundred years, no one had ever broken them!

Now, someone had actually broken two ancient formations within a day. How could people not be happy?

Moreover, it was said that this last, first ancient formation, if used on the battlefield, could be used for both offense and defense, ensuring peace and prosperity for generations to come!

Now that their Jin Kingdom had a formation master who could break this formation, how could they not be happy?

No one dislikes peace, and no one likes endless war and displacement.

Moreover, the people also heard that Princess Xingnong had also developed high-yielding grain seeds, pest-free vegetables, and a four-seasons formation, in which fruits and vegetables could be grown all year round.

The Jin Kingdom emperor planned to find several places to set up four-seasons formations, specifically for growing high-yielding grains and pest-free vegetables.

In other words, it was very likely that everyone would be able to eat fruits and vegetables all year round in the future.

Would they still need to worry about having nothing to eat during times of food shortage in the future?

Under the deliberate promotion of the Jin Kingdom emperor, such rumors began to spread among the people:

“With the first ancient formation and the four-seasons formation, high-yielding grains, and pest-free vegetables, our Jin Kingdom will surely enjoy another hundred years of peace and prosperity!”

“Princess Xingnong is truly the lucky star of our Jin Kingdom. As soon as she returned, she brought such great blessings! Our Jin Kingdom will surely prosper for generations to come!”

For the next few days, the people of Jin Kingdom were all talking about Shen Xingnong, saying that she was the lucky star of the royal family, and that her return would surely bring a hundred years of peace and prosperity to Jin Kingdom.

These rumors were deliberately spread by the Jin Kingdom emperor because the empress investiture ceremony was approaching, and he was worried that some people would talk about Shen Ruoxi and Shen Xingnong’s humble origins, causing them to suffer grievances.

Therefore, he deliberately spread the news of Shen Xingnong’s achievements and abilities, allowing her to gain prestige among the people. This way, no one would focus on their origins. Even if someone tried to use their origins to attack them, there would be people who would speak up for them.

For a time, even before Shen Xingnong officially acknowledged her ancestry and returned to the clan, she had already won the love and respect of the people. Everyone was looking forward to the empress investiture ceremony.

These days, the palace maids in the imperial palace were extremely busy. The imperial consorts in the harem were restless.

The four consorts who had princes were still alright because their sons were grown up, the crown prince had been established, the brothers had a good relationship with each other and with Shen Xingnong. Although the empress was favored, they didn’t have much to worry about.

After all, when the crown prince ascended the throne, they could leave the imperial palace with their sons and become honored consorts in their respective prince’s residences, still enjoying a noble status and having the power to manage their own affairs.

However, those consorts who had entered the palace only a few years ago couldn’t sit still.

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Originally, the emperor wasn’t particularly interested in women and rarely visited the harem. It was common for him to only visit once every few months.

However, the emperor was very fair to the imperial consorts in the harem, sharing his favor equally. Each consort had the same number of nights with the emperor, and they were always chosen on days that were conducive to conception, without any bias. It was always for one or two nights, and whether or not they could conceive a dragon heir depended on their own luck. Therefore, although the emperor wasn’t particularly interested in women, he still had many princes.

But ever since the emperor brought back the empress, they had become mere decorations.

Now, the emperor did visit the harem every day, but he only went to Kun Ning Palace, and he demanded water every night, sometimes even more than once!

This completely shattered their understanding. Demanding water every night, and more than once, was this still considered not being interested in women?

As a result, this group of young consorts couldn’t sit still! Among them, Li Meiren, who came from the Minister of War’s family, was the most restless.

Li Meiren had never been favored since entering the palace. She was jealous that An Guiren had been favored before her and had even conceived a child, and she was also unhappy to see a woman of humble birth become empress and have authority over her.

She understood An Guiren, knowing that she came from the Duke Protector of the Nation’s family, had a noble birth, and was now pregnant. How could she be willing to be subservient?

Li Meiren, who was a close friend of An Guiren and knew her character well, pretended to casually ask, “Sister, has the Bureau of Imperial Clothing sent you the palace attire you need to wear for the empress investiture ceremony five days later?”

The weather was hot, and An Guiren, with her growing belly, had stayed in the palace these past few days while everyone else went to watch the formation competition. She couldn’t eat or sleep well, so she was feeling a little irritable. She touched the dragon heir in her belly and said impatiently, “Not yet, there are still five days left, why are you in such a hurry?”

Li Meiren shook her head: “My dress is certainly not urgent, but your belly is getting bigger day by day, sister. Why hasn’t the Bureau of Imperial Clothing sent the clothes over yet for you to try on and see if they fit? If they don’t fit, there’s still time to alter them!”

An Guiren’s hand, which was touching her belly, paused. “Perhaps the empress and Princess Xingnong’s palace attire haven’t been finished yet!”

Li Meiren shook her head: “I saw people from the Bureau of Imperial Clothing taking clothes to the empress and Princess Xingnong for fittings two days ago. The emperor truly dotes on the empress and Princess Xingnong, making this younger sister envious. I saw the ruby on the empress’s phoenix crown, it was even bigger and more numerous than the one on the empress dowager’s phoenix crown back then. I also saw that the princess’s crown is the amethyst crown that was paid as tribute from the Western Regions last year. How rare are purple gemstones? Noble Consort Liang asked the emperor for it, but he refused. I heard that Princess Xingnong likes purple, so the emperor bestowed it upon her.”

An Guiren’s face changed when she heard about the amethyst crown. It was a tribute from an overseas country last year, and she had liked it at first glance. She had also asked the emperor for it.

The emperor had said at the time that he would bestow it upon their little princess when she was born.

But now, before her princess was even born, he had given it to that Shen Xingnong?

What about her princess then?

This was simply outrageous!

How dare she steal things that belonged to her princess!

An Guiren was so angry that she abruptly stood up, then felt a pain in her stomach. Her face paled in fright as she clutched her belly.

Li Meiren was startled and stood up to support her: “Sister, what are you doing?”

She couldn’t let anything happen here!

If something were to happen, it had to happen in front of the empress and Princess Xingnong, otherwise she couldn’t bear the crime of harming a royal heir.

“It’s nothing, I’ll go see if the Bureau of Imperial Clothing has finished making my clothes.” The pain in An Guiren’s stomach only lasted for a moment before subsiding. Her face regained its color as she strode out.

She felt uncomfortable, but didn’t dare to question the emperor, nor the empress and princess. However, she could still vent her anger on someone from the Bureau of Imperial Clothing!

The emperor valued his heirs, and the little princess in her belly was her immunity charm!

Those slaves from the Bureau of Imperial Clothing dared to neglect her, they were simply courting death!

No one saw the flash of amusement in Li Meiren’s eyes after An Guiren left.

The empress had been enjoying the peonies in the Imperial Garden every day recently, and the way to the Bureau of Imperial Clothing happened to pass through the peony garden.

The emperor valued his heirs, and anyone who harmed a royal heir would be punished by the execution of their nine kinships! There was precedent for this, so the imperial consorts in the harem never dared to harm a pregnant consort.

If the empress caused An Guiren to have a miscarriage, would the empress investiture ceremony five days later still be able to proceed?

An Guiren’s palace maid hurriedly grabbed a parasol for shade and followed with an anxious expression: “Master, wait! Don’t walk so fast! Be careful of the little princess in your belly!”

Li Meiren also followed with an equally anxious expression: “Sister, slow down! Be careful of the child in your womb~”