Your Majesty, please do not disturb, the empress only wants to engage in business

Chapter 182 made it clear

Qiao Yanran is indeed a beauty.

Yao Jinse sat at the head of the table, taking advantage of the bright daylight outside to observe the beauty's appearance.

Qiao Yanran's skin was very fair, but not in a bloodless way; it was a translucent, crystalline state. Her outfit today wasn't particularly dazzling. Although her hair was simply tied up in a bun, it wasn't decorated much. Apart from the usual hair ribbons, she only had an orchid hairpin behind her right ear.

Even with such simple decorations, it's clear that Qiao Yanran always has high standards for her appearance and attire.

Moreover, although the orchid hairpin looks ordinary, it is actually carved from a single piece of tourmaline into the shape of an orchid, which is cleverly strung on a silver hairpin. The flower even has crystal beads used to simulate the stamen, which shows that it is an extremely exquisite item.

Such items are rare in Yuxiu Palace. Yao Jinse sighed silently, and in her heart, she marveled at Qiao Yanran's beauty.

In terms of beauty, the most outstanding one in the harem should be Consort Rong. According to her age, Consort Rong is twenty-seven or twenty-eight this year, which is the most beautiful age for a woman. Although Chen Yimiao has also practiced martial arts since childhood, it has not been for long. Moreover, with the wealth of the Duke's mansion, even if their daughter's skin became rough due to martial arts practice, they would naturally have a way to repair it.

Moreover, Consort Rong was known for her beautiful appearance. She was always straightforward and honest, never holding her emotions in her heart. She would confront anyone she didn't like on the spot. Since she didn't get angry, it naturally rarely affected her appearance and skin condition.

But Qiao Yanran is different.

Perhaps because of her noble birth and the considerable power of her family, she was a girl who grew up in a pampered environment.

Such a girl, with years of experience in studying poetry and literature, naturally possesses a unique and distinctive temperament.

"A person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance"—this is probably the kind of person described.

Qiao Yanran's beauty carried a subtle air of aloofness, like a solitary orchid blooming in a secluded valley, seemingly content with its own beauty. Such a temperament would be excellent if she stayed away from the messy power struggles of the imperial harem.

However, in Yao Jinse's opinion, the reason why the female protagonist in the original work was able to win over 60-70% of Xie Yun'an's heart, who later became increasingly cunning and calculating, among the endless beauties in the harem, was largely due to her character and pride.

What you can't have is always the best. To be able to pick a flower that looks like a snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains and hold it in your own hands is a fatal temptation for any man.

The emperor was no exception.

At present, Xie Yun'an doesn't really understand Qiao Yanran's true personality. His relationship with Qiao Yanran is more like that of a concubine who follows the rules and an emperor who is attracted to her beauty. Their real interaction and heartfelt connection are yet to come, but these things naturally have little to do with Yao Jinse.

For Yao Jinse, all she wanted right now was to maintain a good relationship with Qiao Yanran and have a debt of gratitude for their friendship. So she didn't care whether Qiao Yanran was arrogant or aloof.

She didn't really expect Qiao Yanran to do anything for her anyway; having this fleeting favor would provide her with some security in the future. The downfall of Consort Rong and the Duke's mansion was almost inevitable; she only hoped to protect them as much as possible when the time came. In reality, it was just a matter of doing her best and leaving the rest to fate.

The scrutiny of Qiao Yanran lasted only a few breaths, and Qiao Yanran recovered from her daze around that time. Yao Jinse's words had indeed surprised her, and even sounded somewhat heartfelt. Qiao Yanran naturally felt a little uncomfortable. The two of them had only met by chance, so why was it necessary to talk so deeply?
She now believed it to some extent. When Bai Fengping returned from the Empress Dowager's palace, she said that Yao Jinse had no ill intentions. However, everyone in the harem knew that someone like Consort Rong, who wasn't very quick-witted, would hardly have achieved such success over the years without Consort Lin's advice and strategies.

Previously, everyone's attention was focused on Consort Yi. Now that Consort Yi is gone, Yao Jinse, who was originally inconspicuous, has naturally come into the spotlight. The last witchcraft incident did not implicate Consort Rong at all; she only lost a concubine's rank. In fact, Consort Rong's faction even benefited. As a result, people in the palace realized that this Jieyu, who had a daughter, was also a strategist.

Then everyone belatedly realized that a woman who could give birth safely under the Empress Dowager's control could not possibly be an ordinary person.

But there's no point in saying all this now.

“What you said makes a lot of sense, sister. I usually read more history books and not so much these storybooks. But after listening to you, I think I might gain something different from reading them.” Qiao Yanran chimed in, “When we get back, I’ll probably have to find some to read too.”

Yao Jinse smiled but didn't say anything.

If you really want to read, she has so many here, you can just take a few with you. In the end, the relationship between the two of them is not that close right now, so there is no need for them to speak their hearts out. She just needs to maintain her image and doesn't need to say too much.

On the other hand, she was still waiting for Qiao Yanran to speak first.

After all, it was Qiao Yanran who took the initiative to come to our door today. Although she had left the "hook" the day before yesterday, it was just a casual remark. Now that the person in question has come to our door, it must be because she has a need.

"To be honest, the reason I came to see you today is to ask you a question. As you know, it's been almost a year since the imperial concubine selection, but I've been unwell all this time and have rarely been able to move around in the palace, let alone meet with the other ladies. Now that I'm feeling better, I'd like to ask you to introduce me to someone."

To whom should I recommend him?
This needs no further explanation; everyone understands perfectly well.

If you want to pay respects to the Empress, just go to Kunning Palace. If you want to see the Emperor, you don't need to go through all that trouble. Although the Emperor doesn't visit the inner palace often, if you completely abandon your pride and cry in front of Yangxin Hall, the Emperor will still see you.

The fact that they were able to seek help from Yao Jinse meant they wanted to get on the good side of Consort Rong.

However, Consort Rong had never been fond of exceptionally beautiful women. The reason why Consort Feng was able to catch Consort Rong's eye was because her appearance was not quite up to par. Moreover...

Yao Jinse put down her teacup, pretending to ponder something, and smiled silently to herself.

Just a few months ago, she plotted against the Imperial Concubine, and now she's begging for peace. Qiao Yanran isn't that naive; she's probably scheming behind those words.