Chapter 123 The Strife in the Harem: Women Are Always Flirting with the New

Hearing the attendant's words, Yu'er's mood, which had been sour because Yuan Yan had left so early, inexplicably improved. She hooked the string of beads with her fingertips and twirled it like a cat, and responded with a slight upturn of her lips.

At the same time, the system was also questioning Yuan Yan after the court session.

"Host, you've bestowed so many gifts upon Tuoba Yu'er and immediately appointed him as a court attendant... Won't that be too conspicuous in the palace?" the system said.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Yuan Yan said unconcerned. “I’m giving him these honors to reward him for his cooperation in the charade and for his contributions in relaying military secrets during the war between several countries. It’s not an exaggeration.”

Besides, would Yu'er be afraid of standing out?

Based on Yuan Yan's understanding of him, given Yu'er's flamboyant personality, he probably wouldn't care about other people's opinions at all.

As expected, the first thing Yu'er did after receiving her title was to return to Hejia's palace.

At this time, the news that a new Jade Attendant had appeared in the palace had quickly spread throughout all the palaces.

Even Yang Lingyi's palace servants mentioned it to him, talking about Tuoba Yuer's conferment of an official title.

Yuan Yan had breakfast with Yang Lingyi today, and he had already told Yang Lingyi about this matter beforehand during the meal.

Therefore, Yang Lingyi was already mentally prepared, and was not surprised when she heard the palace servants talking about it.

Sister Yan is really mischievous. She appointed the two brothers as Junior Minister and Attendant Minister respectively, without worrying that Attendant Minister Yu might have a falling out with his elder brother, the Emperor.

Yang Lingyi shook her head helplessly in her heart, but said on the surface.

"He's a prince, after all. If His Majesty likes him, it's not a big deal to appoint him as a court official."

When Shen Lianzhou heard the palace servants talking about Yu'er, he was about to ask about her appearance and temperament, and how she had suddenly gained the Emperor's favor.

Then a palace servant came to report that His Majesty would be coming to his palace soon.

"When will His Majesty arrive? Amber Dew... Go and prepare quickly."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lianzhou's eyes lit up with joy. Her attention immediately shifted, and her voice unconsciously became much gentler than usual.

Now he couldn't possibly remember Yu'er anymore. He immediately ordered all the palace servants to prepare everything, as he wanted to bathe and change clothes to welcome His Majesty.

While there was joy in Shenlian Boat Palace, the atmosphere in the other palaces was quite the opposite.

Lu Lingyue's bedroom.

A palace maid spoke up for Lu Lingyue, "Your Highness, you are already a senior servant of His Majesty and have made meritorious contributions, which is why you were appointed as a Minister of the Palace... This Minister of the Palace, Yu, is on equal footing with Your Highness right away. What right does a man from Wu Kingdom have?"

In fact, the palace servants' claim of being on equal footing is not entirely accurate. To be truly fair, Yu'er, a titled Attendant-in-Ordinary, should actually be slightly superior to Lu Lingyue.

Hengwu's brow twitched upon hearing this. Without looking at Lu Lingyue's expression, she quickly scolded, "Be careful what you say! How dare a palace servant like you utter such words?"

After he finished speaking, he turned around and, sure enough, found that Lu Lingyue had frowned slightly and stopped moving.

The palace maid's words just now had a somewhat provocative tone, and how could someone as intelligent as Lu Lingyue not understand it?

Lu Lingyue understood perfectly. Without hesitation, he immediately punished the palace servant, regardless of whether the servant intended it or not. From then on, this person was forbidden to serve in the palace and instead sent outside to do menial cleaning and sweeping work.

But the palace servant's words still took root in Lu Lingyue's heart. He pursed his lips and instructed, "Hengwu, help me find out what kind of person that Yu Shiqing is."

Hengwu responded and sent someone away.

On the other side, the air inside the Hejia Palace was practically condensed.

He Jia could not accept that Yu'er had taken away his chance to serve him in bed and was even granted the title of Attendant Minister.

Hearing the news only fueled his anger, and the man was consumed by rage. He had never suffered such humiliation before, and now he harbored a deep hatred for Yu'er.

He Jia ordered people to stay in the palace for a long time before Yu'er returned.

"stop!"

The moment He Jia saw Yu'er from afar, his eyes practically blazed with fire.

"Tuoba Yu'er, how dare you come back after doing such a thing? Do you even respect your elder brother? Kneel down!"

He was followed by a group of palace servants, who stared intently at Yu'er and shouted in a gloomy tone.

He Jia immediately ordered people to kneel as punishment, without thinking there was anything wrong with it. This was because he often punished people in this way when he was in the Wu Palace.

There's a reason why Hejia likes to punish people by making them kneel. Kneeling causes injury to the knees, which is painful but doesn't leave scars. Once the bruises under the knees fade, they become invisible, making it relatively discreet. Even if someone wants to complain later, they have no way to express their grievances.

Moreover, this punishment can be light or heavy. Although both involve kneeling as punishment, the underlying reasons are quite different.

In mild cases, one might be forced to kneel for one or two hours until their legs go numb and their knees ache; in severe cases, one might be forced to kneel in a damp, cold place at night and not be allowed to get up.

Over time, even the healthiest person will ruin their knees and their health.

Jia had used this method to punish Yu'er and others who had offended him before; the method was insidious and had become a habit.

"My brother, you punish people as soon as we meet this morning. It seems you have quite a temper."

Yu'er looked at him with a smile on her face. She called him "Royal Brother" but didn't move an inch, showing no intention of stepping forward to pay her respects. Her words carried a hint of provocation.

"Yu'er has just returned from serving the emperor. I don't know where she offended the emperor, but she has to be punished like this."

He Jia sneered, "Tuoba Yu'er, don't play dumb with me. You deliberately stole His Majesty from my palace, thinking that you could rise to prominence with just one act of favor?"

"You've only been in the Phoenix Kingdom for two days, and you dare to act like this. Do you think that once you're away from the Wu Kingdom and your wretched father is no longer in your hands, I can't do anything to you?" His tone was sinister and full of threat.

“Your Majesty has misunderstood me. I also wish to listen to Your Majesty. However, His Majesty is mighty and dotes on me, taking me all night long… Hehe, since waking up this morning, my body is still weak and powerless. I’m afraid I can’t kneel before Your Majesty right now.”

As Yu'er spoke, she pretended to be weak and put her hand on a palace maid for support, her words full of boasting.

His beautiful eyes and brows were filled with desire, and it was clear at a glance that he had been well taken care of last night.

"Tuoba Yu'er!"

He Jia looked at his expression and her face immediately changed, turning extremely ugly.

This lewd and despicable captive, in order to show off His Majesty's favorite, actually dared to say such things in public!

He Jia hesitated to speak, finding the words offensive, and couldn't bring himself to curse Yu'er. He was so angry with Yu'er that he couldn't utter a word, his heart filled with resentment.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger..."

Seeing this, the father-in-law quickly tried to calm He Jiashun down.

Seeing He Jiasheng's extreme anger yet his inability to do anything about it, Yu'er suddenly felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

He is no longer the nameless prince who was neglected in the past, but a newly appointed Jade Attendant in Yuan Yan's palace, no less lowly than He Jia.

On the contrary, He Jia, who used to get whatever she wanted, has now become a paper tiger without any support, yet she still hasn't realized the situation.

"Brother, please don't be angry. You'll hurt yourself if you get upset," Yu'er said, covering her mouth and feigning concern.

“Serving someone is a matter of skill to gain His Majesty’s favor. If you, my brother, wish to do so, you can ask His Majesty yourself.”

After saying this, he ignored He Jia's reaction, smiled smugly, and turned to leave with his palace servants.

...

Many people originally thought that His Majesty's interest in Yu Shiqing was just a passing fancy and that he would favor someone else the next day.

For several days in a row, Yu'er used all her charms and passionately clung to Yuan Yan, and even served him in bed several times, breaking the palace record.

In the bathhouse, in the imperial garden, in the water pavilion... he was bold and charming, always finding new ways to play in different places.

Yuan Yan liked Yu'er's initiative, so he tacitly allowed some of her willful little actions.

For example, not long after Yuan Yan entered Hejia Palace, she found excuses to vie for his favor and pull people into her life. Or she would often use various pretexts to stay by Yuan Yan's side, firmly capturing her attention.

This not only infuriated He Jia, but also Yang Lingyi, Lu Lingyue, and others couldn't sit still any longer.

After Yuan Yan began to favor Yu'er, the time he spent with Lu Lingyue became less and less.

Shen Lianzhou and Yuan Yan had been inseparable all the way, their deep affection for each other was unmatched by others, so it was no wonder they were favored.

However, even Yu Shiqing, a young man who has only recently entered the palace, is like this, causing Lu Lingyue great distress.

If things continue like this, will he lose even this last bit of his standing in Yuan Yan's heart?

Upon hearing the news that Yuan Yan would be staying at Yu'er Palace again tonight, Lu Lingyue silently and unconsciously clenched her palms, a certain thought gradually rising in her mind.

...

That night, Yuan Yan was about to rest at Yu'er's place.

Suddenly, a palace servant came to report that Minister Lu was ill and looked quite serious. His personal attendant requested that His Majesty go and take a look.

Is Lu Lingyue sick?

Before Yuan Yan could even ask, Yu'er became alert upon hearing the words "invite someone."

He, who had been lazily leaning against Yuan Yan's chest, sat up straight and hugged Yuan Yan's arm.

“Minister Lu… Hmph, what Minister Lu?”

Yu'er recalled Lu Lingyue's appearance. She remembered that Lu Lingyue usually had a cool and aloof demeanor and didn't talk much, so she didn't leave a deep impression. She never expected that Lu Lingyue would also use such means to win favor.

"If he's sick, he should go see the imperial physician. Why is he coming to His Majesty?" Yu'er rolled her eyes inwardly and said rather arrogantly.

The palace servants sensed Yu'er's dissatisfaction and dared not respond, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

At this moment, Yuan Yan asked, "What illness does Minister Lu suffer from?"

"They say it's a cold, but she currently has a high fever," the palace servant replied.

Lu Lingyue is not the type to disturb the Emperor's presence casually. The fact that a palace servant has come to summon her means she must be seriously ill.

Yuan Yan thought about it and decided to go and take a look.

"You go to sleep first, I'll go to Lu's palace to take a look." She pulled her arm out of Yu'er's embrace, ignored Yu'er's attempts to stop her, and left the palace with the palace servants.

Yu'er stared wide-eyed at Yuan Yan's departing figure, her face turning pale and then red, somewhat incredulous.

In the past, Yu'er was the one who would steal other people's affection; no one else would dare to steal his.

That Lu Shiqing, he never gets sick, but he just happened to fall ill when Lu was serving him in bed... He was sure that Lu was faking it.

Yuan Yan actually went along with it and left him and the palace servants behind.

"Yuan Yan, you heartless woman!"

Yu'er refused to let the palace servants in and angrily threw the pillow next to her in the hall.