Chapter 45: Promotion to a Beauty

"Your Majesty, Concubine Lian has always been so outspoken. Although she made mistakes, they are ultimately excusable. Your Majesty, considering that she has always followed the rules and has not made any major mistakes, can you please be lenient with her? How about... confining her to her house for ten days? As for Chunqi, although she made mistakes, she was just following orders. Twenty slaps on the face will be enough to teach her a lesson, and there is no need to send her to the laundry department. What do you think?"

Since the empress spoke, Emperor Yuan Yong had to give her some face.

Concubine Lian follows the rules? Haha, it's hard to say whether the Queen's words are a mockery or a sincere compliment, but it's quite interesting!

Xu Lanshan lowered her eyes and stood obediently, with no ripples in her heart.

It is impossible to say that you don't feel resentful. No matter who you are, you will feel bad when you encounter a disaster for no reason.

But she was only a concubine, and Concubine Lian was a concubine. She had only been beaten a few times. What else could she do? It was already good that the emperor could do this.

In this palace, where are the human rights and justice to talk about?

The basis of the word "justice" is power and status.

Without power and status, everything is empty!

Emperor Yuan Yong nodded and said, "As the Queen said, this will not happen again! If it happens again, I will not show mercy!"

"Yes, Your Majesty is wise! Concubine Lian, why don't you thank me quickly?"

Concubine Lian felt choked up and cursed the Queen for being too nosy. She wasn't stupid, didn't she know how to express her gratitude? Why did the Queen need to be so nosy?

Although she was unhappy about being grounded for ten days, she also understood that since the emperor had spoken, he would not back down. If she continued to challenge him, even if she was right, she would be wrong.

Just be patient today and wait for her!

She just didn't believe that Xu Xiuyi, a mere Xiuyi, could pull off such a trick. When the emperor lost interest in her, she would be able to kill her however she wanted.

"I thank the emperor for his grace!"

Emperor Yuan Yong snorted and said, "Xu Xiuyi has been wronged today. She will be promoted to the rank of Fifth Rank Beauty."

When these words came out, everyone was stunned.

Concubine Lian was so angry that she yelled: "Your Majesty——"

"Lady Xu, why don't you thank me quickly! Lady Xu must remember the emperor's grace and serve him wholeheartedly in the future." The queen felt a headache when she heard Concubine Lian speak, and she interrupted her without waiting for her to finish.

Otherwise it will never end!

Concubine Lian: “…”

Concubine Lian glared at Xu Lanshan fiercely, her eyes full of resentment.

Xu Lanshan was extremely surprised. She hadn't expected to skip two levels today?! What the hell was going on?!

But no matter what, it’s right to express gratitude quickly.

Anyway, what she needs most now is status.

"I thank the emperor for his grace!"

"Get up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Yuan Yong was slightly relieved at this. He wanted to promote Concubine Xu and see what would happen.

"Miss Xu, please stay. Everyone else please leave!"

"Yes, I'll take my leave!"

The Queen led the concubines away. Concubine Rou and the others were all in a mixed mood, feeling very uncomfortable.

Lian Fei gritted her teeth again and again before she could hold back her anger.

She was impulsive, but she would occasionally use her brains. For example, at a time like this, she knew that nothing she said would be of any use.

Leaving Ganyuan Palace, Concubine Lian couldn't hold it in any longer and sneered at the Empress, "The Emperor is clearly partial to Xu Xiuyi, but there's no such rule. Don't you think the Empress is failing in her duty by not admonishing the Emperor?"

The Queen: "Princess Lian, that's not Xu Xiuyi, that's Concubine Xu."

Concubine Lian: “…Hmph!”

Concubine Lian was so angry that she stormed out.

The Queen was not in a very good mood actually. She felt a little depressed when she returned to Fengwu Palace.

Nanny Yan poured tea and handed it to her personally, smiling and admonishing, "Isn't this exactly what the Majesty wants? Even if she is favored, her status is there. If she doesn't submit to the Majesty, she will inevitably suffer misfortune in the future. I think she is quite smart and will not leave herself a way out."

Flowers don't last forever, and this is especially true for the concubines in the palace. Although the emperor isn't particularly interested in women, he'll definitely hold a beauty pageant in three or four years. And it won't just be once.

Even if Concubine Xu is in favor now, how can she guarantee that she will always be in favor? Given her current favor, if she were to fall from grace one day, who knows how many people would seek revenge on her.

If she doesn't seek protection from the Queen, who else can she ask for help?

Who in the palace is more honorable than the queen?

The Queen smiled to herself and nodded: "Mammy is right, it was I who was mistaken!"

She then added, "So, now it's time for me to take good care of Lady Xu."

Nanny Yan smiled and said, "Even if the Queen says a few nice words, it's a compliment to her."

The Queen laughed loudly. Concubine Xu was of humble origin, so it was indeed a compliment!

Even if she was favored, what would it matter? In this palace, being favored was not enough to make you the last one laughing. Who among those who could laugh at the end did not have a strong family background and a powerful family background?

Without a family background, it would be a blessing to be able to climb to the position of a noble lady. She is now just a beauty. This favor is not even comparable to that of Concubine Yu.

In the Qianyuan Palace, as soon as the people left, Xu Lanshan called out "Your Majesty!" in a delicate voice and threw herself into the arms of Emperor Yuan Yong, saying pitifully, "Your Majesty, did I do something wrong?"

The woman's soft and fragrant body filled his arms. Emperor Yuan Yong had never expected her to be so bold. He was stunned but also felt a sense of freshness. His anger also subsided a lot. He embraced her and said with a smile: "Lan'er, why do you say that?"

Xu Lanshan raised her head slightly from his embrace, "I shouldn't have come to see the emperor, right? I should have gone to Fengwu Palace... But I was so scared at the time, my mind was blank and I didn't care about anything else. I only wanted to ask the emperor to make the decision..."

Emperor Yuan Yong was in a good mood. He curled his lips and chuckled, saying, "Lan'er is right. There is nothing in the palace that I cannot control. It just depends on whether I am willing to do so. I am still happy to make the decision with Lan'er."

Xu Lanshan lowered her eyes shyly, smiling sweetly: "Yes...I know that Your Majesty treats me well. As long as Your Majesty is around, I feel at ease. Your Majesty, rest assured that I will never cause trouble. I will just try my best to avoid Concubine Lian in the future..."

Upon hearing the name of Concubine Lian, Emperor Yuan Yong couldn't help but feel a bit rebellious. He snorted and said, "If she dares to be so arrogant again, I will never forgive her!"

Emperor Yuan Yong was very annoyed when he met Concubine Lian, who didn't remember to eat or be beaten.

I wish I could catch her in a big mistake someday.

Xu Lanshan knew when to stop and calmly changed the subject to talk about something else.

Emperor Yuan Yong was soon coaxed into smiling by her.

Xu Lanshan stayed in Ganyuan Palace for lunch. Emperor Yuan Yong agreed to visit her in the evening, so she went back.

After returning to Cuiyinxuan, the gifts sent by the Shanggong Bureau according to the promotion rules from the queen and other concubines arrived. Xu Lanshan thanked them politely and rewarded the people who came. After being busy for a while, she finally had a chance to take a break.

Xu Lanshan was also very impressed by the efficiency of the harem. Someone from Fengwu Palace mentioned it, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that it was the Empress' instructions, which was why the Shanggong Bureau was so fast, and it also made Concubine Xu very happy.