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

Bai Tan is always meticulous and attentive in his work.

Since Yao Jinse had instructed her to escort Consort Chen back to the palace, she naturally had to make sure she delivered her safely before returning to report.

"Consort Zhuang hasn't retired for the night yet. I wonder what she's busy with. I noticed a few eunuchs in gray robes standing at the palace gate. The First Prince should be here. I suppose they're either discussing matters related to establishing a residence or testing the First Prince's knowledge."

Eunuchs' attire was regulated. After princes and princesses established their own residences, the eunuchs accompanying them would walk around outside. These eunuchs wore gray, similar in color to the clothing of commoners. The eunuchs inside the palace mainly wore cyan and blue, while high-ranking eunuchs wore clothes with more colors, and the fabrics often had embroidery. Bai Tan had sharp eyes and could tell them apart at a glance.

It's normal for the eldest prince to be in the palace at this time, even though it's a bit late. Consort Zhuang is a lady from a prominent family. Although she's not particularly shrewd or calculating, she's still quite knowledgeable, and teaching children is something she excels at.

Unfortunately, while Consort Zhuang was good at teaching academic subjects, she was not good at teaching people how to conduct themselves.

Their ability to control palace servants was even worse.

"After walking for a while and being exposed to the wind, Consort Chen sobered up. After returning to Changchun Palace, her pace quickened considerably. There wasn't enough time, so I didn't get a good look at her."

"After drinking so much wine today, Consort Chen has said some very frank things," Yao Jinse said, sitting in front of her dressing table, carefully removing the jewelry from her ears and neck. Bai Tao and Bai Tan also helped her with her hairpins and hair bun. "Speaking of which, she was quite favored when she was in the Prince's mansion, but unfortunately she didn't have any children. Now that she wants to have a child by her side, she will have to put in a lot of effort."

"So, does the young master need any help?"

Although Bai Tao is usually quick-witted, she is always a little lacking in this kind of witty banter, and she doesn't grasp things as quickly as Bai Tan.

She often couldn't ask questions when she was out, so she had to endure it. Now that she was at home, she naturally didn't have to restrain herself as much.

"Of course we should help. We should help people to the end. Since we gave the things away in the first place, we should lend a hand as much as possible. The reason why the palace is so quiet now is simply because everyone has no future. Only by having children can we protect them. With so few children now, how can it be lively?"

It wasn't that Yao Jinse was heartless; it's just that children in the harem were always difficult to raise.

Some concubines were unable to conceive, while others were able to give birth but their children did not survive. Ultimately, this was because while the harem appeared harmonious on the surface, fierce power struggles raged behind the scenes.

This place has never been one where I can avoid being attacked unless I attack others.

Everyone has their own plans and pursuits. No matter how pure and innocent a young girl is, she will eventually be corrupted by the environment of the harem. No one can escape it.

The concept of peaceful coexistence is a joke in this life-or-death situation.

Yao Jinse only had one daughter. Princess Dongyang was not as high-ranking as the Empress's Princess Gaoyang, nor was she as favored as Consort Rong's newly born Princess Zhaoyang. However, Yao Jinse was most satisfied with this position in the middle.

Without being favored or ostentatious, Princess Dongyang has recently begun to speak and greet people, but Yao Jinse has never thought of using this to impress Xie Yun'an.

It's not that I don't want to use my child to compete for favor, but at this time, it's meaningless to win favor. The emperor's heart can't stay in Yuxiu Palace. Coming here for a day or two is just better than nothing.

Anyway, I've already gotten what I was supposed to get. If I want to get something new next, it won't be something I can get just by relying on my relationship with my daughter.

She needed to let Xie Yun'an know that Lin Jieyu, who usually didn't stand out in his harem, was an irreplaceable person.

This special quality is certainly not the kind that makes someone irreplaceable in terms of beauty.

Actually, when you think about it carefully, there are many women in the palace, and all kinds of beautiful women of different styles. It's not really true that one of them has an absolute advantage.

Otherwise, with the beauty of a concubine like Consort Yang, how could the Emperor possibly have room in his heart for Qiao Yanran?
However, because of their different styles, the emperor liked them both and couldn't let go of either of them.

However, whether it's considered glamorous or innocent beauty, Yao Jinse doesn't rank among the top.

She has never had the advantage of beauty, so since she can no longer gain the upper hand in terms of looks, she has to find another way out for herself.

The identity of being a follower of Consort Rong is a thing of the past. Yao Jinse knows that neither she nor her daughter can or should rely on the name of Consort Rong to do anything in the future. They can only rely on themselves.

However, to be fair, Consort Rong did not play a very significant role in enabling her and her daughter to achieve their current titles and status.

In the end, Xie Yun'an still remembered her clever idea. Since she had used the concubine's idea to seek the reputation of a wise ruler, Xie Yun'an would not be stingy with some compensation.

Yao Jinse has now figured out this trick.

The only problem is that the women in the harem cannot interfere in politics.

These matters were entirely up to Xie Yun'an, but Yao Jinse didn't want to have such a reputation if she could avoid violating these untouchable rules.

Compared to interfering in politics, Yao Jinse's established technical approach is more reassuring. Her intelligence should have its uses; she doesn't necessarily have to be a female Zhuge Liang. Being a craftswoman who comes up with ideas would also be quite good.

As for the pressure of interfering in court affairs as a concubine, only someone like Qiao Yanran, who can be both a confidante and someone the emperor cares about, can withstand it.

……

Liuchun Pavilion.

With the help of the palace maids, Qiao Yanran removed her hairpins and jewelry, changed into her nightgown, and only felt her fatigue ease slightly after lying peacefully on the couch.

"Your Highness has been copying scriptures for the Empress Dowager these past two days, and it's finally finished. I can tell that the Empress Dowager really dotes on you."

These were obviously compliments, and Qiao Yanran didn't entirely believe them; she just listened and let it go.

She didn't have many people she could trust, only two personal maids who came to the palace with her as part of her dowry, one named Hanlu and the other Pinyan, both of whom had grown up with Qiao Yanran since childhood.

Although the palace provided her with some available staff, the number was not large. Her rank when she entered the palace was not very high, and she was not favored by the emperor at that time, so naturally there weren't many people serving her.

At that time, most people in the palace were busy promoting the newly promoted concubines. Who could have known that the then unknown Consort Qiao would one day rise to prominence?

"The Empress Dowager may not value me; she's only helping out of respect for the Emperor. It wouldn't be worth it to tarnish the Emperor's reputation or damage the bond between mother and son over such a trivial matter."

Empress Dowager Xu was willing to go to such lengths for the Emperor, and Qiao Yanran was certainly not a fool; she was well aware of her current position in the harem.

The emperor's favor can now be considered to have been acquired, but this affection has not been tempered and settled by time. Qiao Yanran had seen her father's new and old lovers while at home, and she had long foreseen these things.

Xie Yun'an was the emperor, and as such, he already had many women around him before she arrived, and he would have even more afterward.

She never sought any illusions of a lifelong, monogamous relationship. She could have romantic feelings for the emperor, but to take them as reality was naive. After so many years in the harem, what became of Consort Rong, the only one who truly loved the emperor, and her family?

Having personally participated in these events, Qiao Yanran gained a clearer understanding of how qualified Xie Yun'an was as the emperor. It was precisely for this reason that when Xie Yun'an proposed to promote her rank, Qiao Yanran said nothing, only thanking the emperor for his favor.

This was the emperor's decision, and regardless of the reason, she had no room to voice any objections.

“Your Highness, please don’t think like that,” Pin Yan, who was always optimistic, was always able to comfort Qiao Yanran. “In the end, the Emperor’s favor towards you is unique. As long as His Majesty is willing to put in the effort for you, the Empress Dowager won’t say anything.”

The imperial harem was ultimately the emperor's harem, not the empress dowager's harem.

Qiao Yanran simply shook her head upon hearing this, stopping Pin Yan from speaking.

“This promotion was not something I asked for. The Emperor wanted to use this Jieyu rank to reward me for my previous contributions to the Consort’s affairs. The court and the harem are connected. Since the Emperor thinks I am useful, he will naturally be more lenient towards my father.”

She paused, then waved her hand, "Go and rest in the outer room. I'll think about it myself."

Pin Yan withdrew in response, but Qiao Yanran's mind was in turmoil.

She is now Consort Ning.

As a title, the word 'Ning' is not necessarily bad. To receive a title and be promoted in rank at the same time is an extraordinary honor, but Qiao Yanran felt a little flustered.

She had been with the emperor for quite some time, but now she couldn't quite understand what the emperor was thinking. Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; no matter how anxious and cautious she was, she had made it through.

But the phrase "a ruler's heart is unfathomable" truly stumped her now.

Since entering the palace, she has always been dutiful and dutiful. When she first met the emperor, she vaguely sensed that he was attracted to her, and her time with him these days has confirmed this.

But that's all.

The emperor was more wary of the harem than she had imagined, especially of someone like her who understood court politics. On several occasions when she accompanied the emperor in the study of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Xie Yun'an had subtly tested her.

Fortunately, she was always on edge during that time and handled each situation with great care.

The fact that I have received this reward is naturally a result of my proper handling of the situation at the time.

Now that the affairs of the previous dynasty have come to an end, the emperor can no longer have an excuse not to enter the harem. The empress dowager hopes that the royal family will have many children, and the empress should also be a wise and virtuous mother of the country. It is likely that the emperor will not summon her to his bedchamber for some time.

I just don't know if not serving the emperor means that he's never seen at all.

She is currently in the eye of the storm. If she were to suddenly lose the emperor's protection at this time, she would be extremely exhausted to deal with the open and covert attacks in the harem.

Therefore, at least for now, she cannot let go of the emperor as her leverage.

Perhaps she should find some help.

……

Incense was burning in Le'an Hall.

The aroma wasn't very strong; it was light yet sweet. Bai Fengping, too, lay in bed unable to sleep.

The two maids, Yue'er and Xing'er, slept together on the outer couch. This was their habit at home. Although there were strict rules in the palace, there was no rule against two maids keeping watch together at night. Bai Fengping never had much to do at night, so she felt at ease with the two maids sleeping next to her.

Qiao Yanran is now a Jieyu.

During her time in the palace, Bai Fengping only had two or three nights to serve the emperor. The emperor never paid much attention to her, a concubine with no noble birth or outstanding looks, and each time he served her, it was a perfunctory affair, not taken seriously.

Bai Fengping certainly didn't think she had any problems. Her objective conditions were not as good as others, which was the truth. Otherwise, why would she have gone to so much trouble to befriend other concubines?

I met He Yunqing and Qiao Yanran during the talent show, and later I also had contact with Yao Jinse and others. These were just extra efforts when I was not good-looking.

But she also found the current situation very difficult.

Qiao Yanran is very favored.

These days, everyone in the palace knows about the splendor of Liuchun Pavilion, but whether it was when He Yunqing was favored before or now that Qiao Yanran is favored, no one has thought of helping her out.

—Yes, with He Yunqing and Qiao Yanran present, the Imperial Household Department pays close attention to everyone at Le'an Hall and has never been negligent in any way.

But she could do that by siding with Consort Lin and the Imperial Concubine, and she could even do it by spending her own money without knowing anyone else.

She never lacks money, nor does she worry about not being able to spend it.

But the emperor was not short of money.

Now that the world is at peace and everything is being rebuilt, the people's lives are getting better and better, and the national treasury and the emperor's private treasury are naturally becoming more and more abundant. The royal family has no shortage of silver and money.

Needless to say, if the emperor wanted, those corrupt officials had plenty of silver waiting for him to take it.

With the Duke's mansion fallen, the one who benefited the most was the Emperor himself.

Bai Fengping was a merchant's daughter. These days, she had been watching the drama unfold in the inner palace. She couldn't understand all the power struggles in the court, but she could see the comings and goings of these interests more clearly than anyone else.

But she was truly powerless to do anything about it.

They couldn't give money directly to the emperor, nor could they do business in the palace—the palace was completely isolated from the outside world. There was no reason to earn money inside, only to spend it outside. At most, the empress could set an example and lead the palace to be more frugal.

Aside from that, Bai Fengping really couldn't think of anything else related to money.

She buried her head under the covers and sighed softly.

From childhood to adulthood, when had she ever imagined that one day, even money couldn't buy her a way out? (End of Chapter)