Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

"Did Mother summon me for something?"

"No, the palace servant who came looking for you didn't say anything."

After listening, Jun Zechen pondered for a moment.

"I will go out later and take the Empress Dowager's people away. You send someone to escort Miss Su back to the banquet."

"Yes."

Jun Zechen looked down at her, a hint of doting in his eyes, "Are you satisfied now?"

"Brother Zechen is so nice."

Su Jingyao tilted her head back, her smile sweet.

He thought to himself, "I'll return them all after she comes of age."

He put the person down, straightened his python robe, and went out.

Su Jingyao waited for Jun Zechen to take away the palace servants outside Tingyu Tower, and then returned to the banquet under the guidance of the palace servants arranged by Anshun.

Just as Su Jingyao was about to go in, she happened to run into Ye Yaqin coming out from inside.

Ye Yaqin's gaze fell on Su Jingyao, her expression extremely complex, her eyes seemingly a mixture of confusion, jealousy, and wariness.

She herself wasn't quite sure what her true feelings were towards Su Jingyao. However, whether it was the conflict between their families or the future coveted position of Crown Princess, Su Jingyao would undoubtedly be her strongest enemy.

Ye Yaqin smiled gently and bowed slightly.

"Miss Su."

Su Jingyao also bowed politely, her expression calm, "Miss Ye."

"Where did Miss Su go? We didn't see you and Miss Chu at all during the entire banquet. We thought you were together, but it turns out you were alone."

Ye Yaqin asked tentatively, "The Empress's Lingxi Banquet was originally intended to matchmake men and women in the capital. Could it be that the two of them went to meet their lovers?"

Upon hearing this, Su Jingyao felt a surge of unease.

Yin Xue wasn't at the banquet? Where did she go?

Is something bad going to happen?

Despite some concerns, Su Jingyao replied calmly.

"Yinxue is a lively person and can't stay still at banquets. The palace is beautiful, so it would be nice to stroll around more. I was just wandering around outside and accidentally got lost, which is why I was delayed for a while."

Her tone was very familiar with Chu Yinxue.

"Miss Su and Miss Chu have such a good relationship."

Ye Yaqin's smile was somewhat stiff.

On the day they first met, Su Jingyao showed her kindness first, so why did she insist on walking with Chu Yinxue, whom she hated the most?

The Chu family also has an ambitious clan. Could Chu Yinxue's ambition be small?

What's the difference between her and Chu Yinxue?

"Yin Xue is a bit arrogant, but she's not cunning. It's very comfortable to be around her, and our relationship has definitely improved a lot in the last two years."

Su Jingyao was sincere and natural, and did not hide her friendship with Chu Yinxue.

Ye Yaqin's expression changed slightly, and she pursed her lips.

Does Su Jingyao mean she's cunning?

Before Ye Yaqin could speak, the palace maid beside the Empress finally found Su Jingyao and jogged over to her.

"Miss Su, your brother is perhaps a little tired and has rested in Qinghuan Palace. Her Majesty the Empress instructed me to inform you."

Su Jingyao's heart skipped a beat, and she felt something was wrong.

Rest?

Has something happened to my brother?

Otherwise, why would the Empress specifically send someone to find her?

Furthermore, Jun Zechen was also summoned away by the Empress at the same time. Could it be related to his brother? And Yin Xue is also missing. What exactly happened?

Su Jingyao was indeed a little flustered at this moment.

He turned to Ye Yaqin and said, "Miss Ye, I'm going to check on my brother."

Ye Yaqin stood there, watching Su Jingyao's retreating figure.

Has the Empress started to notice Su Jingyao?

Otherwise, why would they care whether a young master was tired, and even send someone to inform Su Jingyao?

Ye Yaqin recalled that her father and mother had mentioned that the Empress had begun to inquire about the situation of eligible young women from noble families, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Clearly, this is about choosing a suitable crown princess for the crown prince.

If the Empress takes a liking to Su Jingyao, what chance will I have?

Thinking of this, Ye Yaqin unconsciously clenched her handkerchief.

Ye Yaqin was raised in her family from a young age according to the standards of an empress, simply because the Ye family is a century-old family and had produced an empress in the Jun Kingdom.

Father had great ambitions, and Mother stood firmly on Father's side.

Therefore, she was raised to be generous and dignified from a young age, and her family never shied away from discussing the shameful and private matters of the inner quarters in front of her.

The Ye family is a large family, with several generations living together, and even my father's brothers live in the Ye family.

The open and covert struggles between sisters-in-law, the intrigues and backstabbing in her father's backyard—Ye Yaqin witnessed countless shady dealings.

Whether she marries the Crown Prince or enters another prestigious family, since she can't escape the schemes and plots, she naturally wants to climb up to the most prestigious Crown Prince.

Given her status, the position of Empress was not out of reach; she was determined to obtain it.

Su Jingyao, I hope you won't become a stumbling block for me. I like you quite a bit, but if we are destined to be enemies, I will never be merciful and let you go.

A cold glint appeared in Ye Yaqin's eyes.

She then took a deep breath, composed herself, and turned to re-enter the banquet.

An Jinyan had noticed Ye Yaqin and Su Jingyao exchanging pleasantries at the entrance quite early on during the banquet.

Her gaze would occasionally drift in that direction, her eyes revealing a thoughtful expression.

She was not one of them. An Jinyan's family background was not bad, but it could not be compared with the Ye family and the Su family.

Therefore, An Jinyan stayed by Princess Minghui's side the whole time. Even though Princess Minghui was not the Empress's biological daughter, she was still the only legitimate princess in the palace, and her status was undeniable.

If I could be fortunate enough to meet the Crown Prince through Princess Minghui, that would be wonderful.

-

When Su Jingyao stepped into Qinghuan Palace, only one palace maid, whom the Empress had left behind to take care of her brother, stood quietly by her side.

She quickly walked to her brother's side, and her heart tightened when she saw him lying unconscious.

"What happened to my brother?"

"Miss Su, the imperial physician has examined him; Young Master Su has simply fallen asleep," the palace maid replied.

How could her brother be asleep? He was clearly unconscious. But the palace maid meant that her brother was alright, and this answer was most likely the Empress's intention.

How could such a disgraceful incident as the Empress's banquet, in which the young master of the Su family was drugged, be spread?

So someone is secretly plotting against my brother?

What exactly happened?

Her brother hadn't woken up, and Su Jingyao didn't know who to ask.

The people sent by the Queen were clearly under a gag order and could not divulge any useful information.

Helpless, Su Jingyao walked out of the side hall. As she passed a room, a hand suddenly reached out and pulled her inside.

"Yinxue?! What are you doing here?"

Su Jingyao was startled by this sudden action. After seeing who it was, she lowered her voice and asked in surprise.

"It's a long story."

Chu Yinxue's face was full of tension and panic.

"Come here and see who this is?"

Without saying a word, Chu Yinxue pulled Su Jingyao to the bedside and pointed to the woman on the bed whose clothes were slightly disheveled.

Qi Wanyin!

The moment Su Jingyao saw that face, her brows furrowed.

Almost instantly, one could guess the whole story: her brother had been tricked by her.

She sighed inwardly. Her brother was too gentlemanly for his age. He would only become better after he entered officialdom and saw the wickedness of people.

"Yinxue, what exactly happened?"

Chu Yinxue began to tell her about what happened after she followed Qi Wanyin and Su Jingxuan.

"I followed them all the way, and then I saw Qi Wanyin deliberately fall down, but Young Master Su didn't help her up..."

After recounting what had happened, she continued, "When I entered Qinghuan Palace, I saw Qi Wanyin lying on top of Young Master Su, both of them unconscious."

"Afterwards, the Empress came, and I dared not go out. If I had gone out, your brother and Qi Wanyin would both have fainted, and I would have been unable to explain myself."

"After the Empress left, a palace maid was left behind. I didn't dare to go out, for fear of being discovered by her."

Su Jingyao sneered, "Qi Wanyin really doesn't care about using any means necessary."

Su Jingyao, reborn, had no intention of interfering with other people's life trajectories; she only hoped that everything could develop naturally.

She never felt there was anything wrong with her brother's kindness; with such a character, her brother would surely become a good official who wholeheartedly worked for the well-being of the people.

And that is indeed the case; the older brother from the previous life did it.

She is not a perfect person, but she will not impose her own standards of good and evil and her preferences on others.

From Su Jingyao's personal perspective, Qi Wanyin may not be a good person, but from her brother's perspective, the situation may not be so.

Some falls cannot be avoided simply by removing the obstacles in front of you.

Based on her brother's regret for Qi Wanyin in her previous life, she could roughly guess that her brother might have some degree of sympathy for Qi Wanyin.

However, the concept of "sympathy" simply does not exist in Su Jingyao's mind.

Because to sympathize with someone means to subconsciously take on their fate.

In her past life, many obstacles hindered her path to the position of empress: Ling Yue, Lin Miaoyin, Chu Yinxue, Ye Yaqin...

Su Jingyao never felt any sympathy for them; she only regarded them as enemies and rivals.

She particularly liked a quote she once heard: "In the adult world, there are only choices, not education."

Therefore, she will not interfere with her brother's choice.

However, there is another important reason why she can be so carefree: even if her brother makes a wrong decision, Su Jingyao has enough ability and confidence to cover for him.

It's just killing someone, what's there to be afraid of?

She has the courage.

Moreover, she also possesses the sharpest "knife".

Su Jingyao quietly led Chu Yinxue out and saw her onto the carriage. "The banquet is over. You should go back to your residence first. I'll wait for my brother to wake up in the palace."

"it is good."

Not long after returning to Qinghuan Palace after seeing Chu Yinxue off, her brother woke up, earlier than Qi Wanyin.

Su Jingxuan sat on the bed, clearly having been awake for a while, and his mind was beginning to clear.

Qi Wanyin actually drugged him!

"Is my brother awake?"

"Me and Qi Wanyin..."

Su Jingxuan found it difficult to speak, not knowing what had happened after he fell into a coma.

"Brother, don't worry, nothing happened between you and Miss Qi. Let's go home."

"it is good."

Su Jingxuan lowered his head.

Jun Zechen, who was summoned to Kunning Palace by the Empress, turned gloomy and his eyes were full of frustration after learning about everything that had happened that day.

"Mother, then let Qi Wanyin return to the Qi residence directly. Uncle has also returned. You should issue an imperial decree to have the Qi family choose a marriage for Qi Wanyin."

What qualifications does Qi Wanyin have to let him choose a husband for her?

I don't know where she got all these wicked thoughts from. Her mother's years of upbringing have been wasted. She can do such a shameless thing. If she is discovered, it will not only implicate her mother, but also the Qi family.

Seeing the Crown Prince's unhappy expression, the Empress sighed helplessly.

"Let's go along with the Crown Prince's idea."

After leaving Kunning Palace, Jun Zechen walked towards the palace gate and then got into Su Jingyao's carriage to wait for her, preparing to leave the palace with her.

When Su Jingyao saw him as she boarded the carriage, she stiffened, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, before immediately stepping into the carriage.

Her brother is in the other carriage next door!

"Brother Zechen, are you going back to the Crown Prince's residence? Why aren't you staying at the East Palace?"

"I would like to send you back to your residence, and it will be easier to see you if you stay at the Crown Prince's residence."

As Jun Zechen spoke, he gently pulled the person into his arms.

Su Jingyao was used to it and leaned against him, chatting with him casually.

The carriage swayed and creaked, and Su Jingyao's voice gradually became indistinct.

Soon, she fell asleep against him, her breathing even and steady.

After the banquet, An Jinyan accompanied Princess Minghui to her palace.

Princess Minghui proudly flaunted her jewelry and treasures in front of her, while An Jinyan wore a fawning smile and kept praising the princess, putting her on a pedestal.

When she walked from Princess Minghui's place to the palace gate to get on a carriage to go back, she unexpectedly discovered that the Crown Prince had gotten into a carriage!

After the prince got on, the carriage remained quietly parked there, showing no sign of leaving.

Is the Crown Prince waiting for someone?

An Jinyan's heart sank immediately.

After that, she hid in the corner and waited, her eyes fixed on the carriage, until she saw Su Jingyao get into it...