Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

Seeing that Jun Zechen remained silent, Ling Yue felt a little uneasy and called out softly, "Aze?"

Her voice was soft and careful.

Originally, Jun Zechen only intended to deviate from the original track little by little so that Ling Yue wouldn't suddenly feel too much of a drop. Now, he was a little curious about what Ling Yue was planning to do.

"Does Yue'er really want me to take a concubine?"

Jun Zechen smiled gently, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Seeing that Jun Zechen was still asking for her opinion, Ling Yue felt a little more at ease, but the goal still needed to be achieved.

"Aze, as long as you have me in your heart, that's enough. I don't care how many concubines you take."

Ling Yue responded to Jun Zechen with a faint smile, her smile seemingly sincere yet carrying an air of urgency.

"It is my fault that I cannot fulfill my promise to you, but if you insist, go and talk to the Empress Dowager. I believe that the Empress Dowager will have a better impression of you because of this."

Jun Zechen narrowed his eyes, his long, narrow eyes revealing shrewdness, as if he was considering Ling Yue's best interests.

But... will Mother really be happy?

When Ling Yue saw that he had agreed, a smile immediately bloomed on her face.

"Aze, I will inform the Empress Dowager and will not disturb you in handling state affairs."

Jun Zechen stared at Ling Yue's retreating figure, his gaze deep and complex, and unconsciously began to twirl the ring on his hand.

If Ling Yue were reborn, what she would want in this life would be power.

Ling Yue was overjoyed when it was mentioned that her mother's impression of her would improve. Was it because she wanted to please her mother?

After all, even though she ascended to the position of empress in her previous life, she was not worthy of the position. Her mother took away her empress's seal and edict. In addition, Jun Zechen did not treat her specially afterward, and he did not even care about the entire harem. Many high-ranking concubines from prominent families would ridicule her.

It's understandable that he should take a concubine ahead of time to please his mother.

"Anshun, what has the Crown Princess been up to lately?"

Jun Zechen suddenly asked.

Anshun did not notice anything unusual about the crown prince and answered truthfully.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess has summoned the two nannies you assigned to manage the Imperial Household Department these past two days. I heard that the Crown Princess is preparing to personally manage your household."

As Anshun spoke, he seemed genuinely happy for His Highness.

His Highness likes the Crown Princess, but the Crown Princess is not capable enough and has not managed the affairs of the Eastern Palace much before. The Crown Prince does not mind, and Anshun cannot say anything.

Now that the Crown Princess is willing to take the initiative to learn and do it, she will be able to become the Empress who will rule the world and be worthy of His Highness.

"There have been quite a few changes."

Jun Zechen's tone seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm; his voice was soft, yet chilling.

"What did Your Highness say?"

Anshun didn't quite catch the prince's murmur and asked in confusion.

Jun Zechen waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing.

Anshun immediately lowered his head, no longer disturbing His Highness's contemplation.

Although Jun Zechen was disgusted by women, he had become accustomed to it after decades on the throne.

Like his father, he was not the kind of person who could thoroughly investigate the affairs of the harem.

After all, if an emperor were to spend all his time dealing with matters of the harem, he would probably be exhausted long ago, and would still be able to handle state affairs.

He simply didn't have the inclination to concern himself with the scheming among the concubines in the harem, from high-ranking consorts and imperial concubines to lowly ladies-in-waiting and maids.

Ling Yue is willing to learn how to manage such matters, but some things cannot be changed simply by learning.

In her previous life, Ling Yue was the empress for her entire life. Even though Jun Zechen did not pursue her immoral behavior for the first ten years, she still had no ability to take back the empress's seal from her mother in the following decades.

Jun Zechen originally thought that if she behaved herself and lived a quiet life, he would send her to the position of empress and select some gentle concubines to enter the harem.

Unexpectedly, Ling Yue would cause trouble for him by asking him to take a concubine.

Jun Zechen chuckled softly, stopped pondering, and calmed down to deal with government affairs.

-

On the other side, Ling Yue hurried off to Kunyi Palace.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Ling Yue bowed respectfully, her head lowered and her body slightly bent.

When the Empress saw the Crown Princess approaching, she showed surprise, but quickly regained her composure.

After the Crown Princess married into the Eastern Palace, she would almost never come to see her unless summoned.

"Rise, Your Highness. May I ask what brings you here today?"

"Your Majesty, I wish to arrange for His Highness to take a concubine."

Ling Yue raised her head, a hint of self-satisfaction in her eyes.

The empress, who was elegantly sipping her tea, paused upon hearing this.

Hmm? Has the Crown Princess changed her ways?

The Empress's scrutinizing gaze fell on Ling Yue, trying to see through her thoughts.

She then smiled gently and asked, "When does the Crown Princess plan to arrange for the Crown Prince to take a concubine?"

"The sooner the better. I was ignorant before, which caused Your Highness to go two years without an heir. Now I have realized my mistake. Your Majesty can issue an imperial decree to allow young ladies from noble families to enter the palace for the selection."

Seeing the Empress's unusually gentle expression, Ling Yue felt that what she had done had pleased the Empress, so she added fuel to the fire and made her stance clear.

The Empress's heart sank deeper and deeper, but she remained outwardly calm.

"Does the Crown Princess not like Consort Su very much?"

The empress's smile appeared gentle, but her tone subtly tested the waters.

Ling Yue was completely oblivious to the change in the Empress's expression, looking utterly bewildered.

"Mother, I have no interaction with the concubine, nor have I ever made things difficult for her. Why do you ask this?"

Her brows furrowed slightly.

Did the concubine gain the Empress's support as soon as she entered the Eastern Palace? Could it be that Su Jingyao is the daughter-in-law that the Empress has always been satisfied with?

"I was just asking casually. Since there isn't one, that's for the best. You're here today to select candidates for the Crown Prince; does the Crown Prince know about it?"

The Empress sat upright, looking calmly at Ling Yue.

"Your Majesty, I came to see you after consulting with the Crown Prince."

Ling Yue responded obediently and gently, placing her hands folded in front of her.

"I am very pleased with your magnanimity, but I have other matters to attend to in the palace recently. There is no rush to select candidates for the Crown Prince. Let's do it in a month or two."

She didn't know why the Crown Princess had suddenly become so "magnanimous" today. Some people didn't know about her and the Crown Prince's affairs, but how could she, as the Empress Dowager, not know?

If she were truly magnanimous, she wouldn't have prevented the Crown Prince from taking a concubine for two years. Yet, after only three days of Consort Su's arrival at the residence, the Crown Princess openly arranged for the Crown Prince to take a concubine and even planned to use her name to select a concubine for him. Wasn't this going to completely offend the Su family?

The empress lowered her eyes, concealing the darkness within them.

The Crown Princess never considered her status or position; her heart was only filled with love and affection, and her gaze was only fixed on her small backyard. She could never see the bigger picture.

When Ling Yue heard her mother say that the selection would not be made in the near future, a look of disappointment flashed across her eyes.

Couldn't she change the time when those young women entered the palace?

In her previous life, An Jinyan and the others entered the Eastern Palace two months after Su Jingyao married into it.

For the next two months, will she be forced to watch helplessly as Jun Zechen and Su Jingyao are all lovey-dovey, just like in her previous life?

Upon thinking of this, Ling Yue's smile immediately froze, becoming extremely unnatural.

"In that case, I shall take my leave. There is no need to rush the selection of concubines. I came here today only to express my attitude to the Empress Dowager. It was my fault that I was unable to give birth to an heir for the Crown Prince in the past two years and did not arrange for him to take a concubine sooner. Now, I only wish to make amends."

Ling Yue suppressed her resentment and tried her best to keep her voice steady.

"Yes, it's good that you think that way. As the Crown Princess, the most important thing is to be tolerant of others."

The Empress looked at the Crown Princess with deep eyes and spoke earnestly.

His eyes held a warning, as if to tell the Crown Princess that she must not only tolerate the imperial heir, but also the Crown Prince's other women.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will follow your teachings. I have disturbed Your Majesty today. I will take my leave now."

After bowing and leaving, Ling Yue began to think rapidly.

What should she do?

Jun Zechen currently likes her. Should we try to win her over in the next couple of months?

After the new concubine enters the palace, she will be sent to deal with Su Jingyao.

Ling Yue's eyes revealed a resolute look.