Harem Fighting Strategy 1
"Xiao Lang, Xiao Lang."
Tao Yuan heard the cry, slowly opened his eyes, and turned to look at the person standing beside the bed.
"Young man, it's time to get up. You're going to the palace today, so you should get ready early."
"Uncle Wu..." Tao Yuan sat up from the bed, looking sleepy.
There were seven or eight maids standing behind Uncle Wu, and on the trays in their hands were toiletries.
After seeing Tao Yuan sitting up, Uncle Wu stepped aside, and two servants came forward to help Tao Yuan wash up.
After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, Tao Yuan stood up and walked towards the dressing room. The maids retreated, and Uncle Wu and two attendants followed behind, entering the dressing room together to help Tao Yuan change his clothes.
Two servants opened the cabinet, and Uncle Wu took out the long robe with a light red background and silver thread patterns, preparing to help Tao Yuan put it on.
Tao Yuan looked at the suit and said, "I won't wear this one."
Uncle Wu was stunned for a moment and said, "This is Xiaolang's favorite suit. He chose it two days ago. Why isn't he wearing it anymore?"
"This outfit is not suitable for a flower viewing banquet. It's too formal..." Tao Yuan said.
"It's natural to dress formally for the Empress Dowager's Flower Viewing Banquet, and no one suits red better than me. Young ladies and young men from the imperial city and other provincial officials will be attending, so if I dress brightly, I'll stand out more, right?"
Tao Yuan shook his head and said, "Although it's the Queen Mother's flower viewing banquet, too much is as bad as too little. Being too conspicuous will only make people dislike you. Open all the wardrobes, I want to choose new clothes."
The person Tao Yuan was referring to was naturally the Queen Mother, who did not like overly gaudy attire.
The two servants had no choice but to open all the wardrobes containing formal clothes and let Tao Yuan choose again.
Tao Yuan chose a warm orange suit with a cloud pattern. While not as formal and eye-catching as the previous one, it was formal yet bright, perfect for a flower viewing party. Furthermore, the warm orange color softened the original owner's fair skin.
After getting dressed, Tao Yuan ate something to fill his stomach.
After rinsing his mouth again, he walked to the dressing table and sat down, letting the servant help him comb his hair.
Songzhi opened the large and small wooden boxes on the table and wanted to put makeup on Tao Yuan. Tao Yuan said, "I can do it myself."
Most of the guys in this world have a more neutral appearance, but there are also a few who are more masculine or more feminine.
Tao Yuan looked at his face in the mirror. The original owner's features leaned slightly towards the feminine, with soft contours, delicate features, and a rather charming appearance. However, the original owner was born into a military family, and his movements and demeanor were more masculine. Because his face was so beautiful, when he sat still, he looked like a woman. But when he spoke or moved, it was clear he was a man.
Although boys do not need to wear makeup when going out like girls, they will still wear some light makeup to enhance their appearance in more formal occasions. Moreover, going out without makeup in an occasion like the Empress Dowager's flower viewing banquet would be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager.
The original owner's face already had makeup effects. His skin was pink and tender, his lips were rosy as if they were about to bleed, his eye sockets were deep, and his nose was straight. Tao Yuan only needed to put on a little makeup so that people could see that he was wearing makeup.
After everything was ready, Tao Yuan walked to the gate of the Marshal's Mansion, got on the carriage, and went to the palace with pine branches and bamboo shadows.
Along the way, numerous carriages were heading towards the palace, filled with noble ladies and noblemen from both imperial and provincial families. The Empress Dowager's banquet was essentially a large-scale matchmaking event. The Emperor had just ascended the throne, leaving the harem empty. Not only was there no empress, but many of the positions of concubine and emperor were also unfilled. Several princes had also yet to marry, so any daughters and sons of officials of the sixth rank and above, both imperial and provincial, who were of the appropriate age, were allowed to attend the flower viewing banquet.
Many carriages were parked outside the palace gates. Since carriages were not allowed to enter, the ladies and gentlemen disembarked and walked into the palace with their maids and attendants. This world is populated primarily by men, followed by women, with men being the least numerous. Therefore, at this flower viewing banquet, the number of ladies was significantly greater than that of gentlemen.
After entering the palace, everyone went to the Imperial Garden to wait. This palace's Imperial Garden was very large. It wasn't just a slightly larger courtyard with some flowers and plants like in costume dramas. The Imperial Garden of this world's palace had pavilions, waterside terraces, long corridors, pavilions, lotus ponds, and fish ponds.
They were taken to the banquet venue by palace maids and waited for the empress dowager and the concubines to appear.
Although there were many people attending the flower viewing banquet, Tao Yuan and another person were not drowned in the crowd. Both of them were obviously the most outstanding in terms of appearance and temperament.
Ye Rong walked up to Tao Yuan and bowed slightly, "Mu Xiaolang."
Tao Yuan also bowed slightly in return, "Ye Xiaolang."
After the two greeted each other, they looked at each other calmly.
Ye Rong was wearing a light yellow robe today and a white jade sachet around his waist. Compared to his usual cold-toned clothing, this outfit was in line with the warm spring colors, and it was obvious that he had put a lot of thought into it.
Ye Rong was a bit surprised when he looked at Tao Yuan. He had expected him to wear a red robe, as red, a charming and flamboyant color, was the original owner's favorite color. However, the warm orange suit he wore today, while still making him look bright and dazzling, was not too ostentatious. Even the blooming flowers in the garden served as a foil to him, not to mention the other noble ladies and gentlemen whose looks and temperament were not as good as his.
There were many people attending the flower viewing banquet today, but behind Tao Yuan and Ye Rong, there was a small group of people standing respectively, and the clear distinction between the two sides was very obvious.
After the Queen Mother and several concubines came over, everyone stood up and saluted, with Tao Yuan and Ye Rong standing at the front.
The original owner's father was a Grand Marshal with a large force under his command, so the original owner was born into a military family. Ye Rong's grandfather was a prime minister, so he was born into a family of scholars and civil officials. Just as civil officials and military officials looked down on each other, these noble ladies and noble men were also divided into two factions, looking down on each other.
The Queen Mother looked at the two people standing in the front and was very pleased with their proper attire. She nodded and said, "No need to be polite, please stand."
"Thank you, Queen Mother." Everyone said in unison, and then returned to their seats.
Although the world is open-minded and unmarried women and men can walk the streets freely, and there is no rule that unmarried noble ladies and noble men cannot meet other men, even if they can meet, they still have to choose the occasion. On an occasion like today, everyone knows what the purpose is, so even the emperor and the princes would not show up.
The purpose of this flower-viewing banquet is to select concubines and ministers to enter the palace. However, these children of officials are very different from the concubines and ministers who enter the palace from the common people.
After entering the palace, young ladies and court officials from the common people would become maids and servants, that is, servants who served others. If they were particularly beautiful, they might be favored by the emperor and become concubines, but this was rare.
The children of these officials who entered the palace would either become concubines of high rank, or be betrothed to the prince as the principal or concubine, or become female officials or attendants of high rank. Most of the attendants would stay in the palace for a few years before being allowed to return home to be betrothed by their parents.
Members of the royal family were naturally the most honorable of beings; they were there to be chosen. The others knew full well that the empress and the imperial noble had already been chosen, and it certainly wouldn't be their turn. However, if they were chosen as a concubine or a noble noble, and could give birth to a prince, they would be very lucky to become a dowager or a grand lady. Even if they couldn't enter the harem, being a princess or concubine would still make them a distinguished member of the royal family.
Moreover, the court is in turmoil, and the harem is even more undercurrent. If you are lucky, you might be able to benefit from it.
On the pavilion opposite the lotus pond, the emperor and several princes were sitting in the top floor. They could be seen clearly through the open windows, but because of the angle, they could not see the emperor and the princes.
Since it was nominally a flower viewing banquet, but in reality it was a selection of candidates for the palace, it was natural that they couldn't just sit and chat; performances of talent were definitely necessary. Furthermore, with the Queen Mother and the other concubines present, not everyone had the qualifications or opportunity to perform in front of them.
Those who have the opportunity to show their talents are either those who have outstanding talents and are already famous in the circle of noble ladies and noble men, or those whose fathers or grandfathers hold important positions and are highly valued.
After watching the other noble ladies dance and the noble men play the flute and xiao, the Queen Mother looked at Ye Rong and said, "It's been a long time since I heard Arong play the guqin. Today is spring, and the flowers are in full bloom. Arong, please play a piece to suit the occasion."
Ye Rong immediately stood up and saluted, saying "Yes."
Ye Rong's attendant put the guqin on the table, and the palace maid brought him water to wash his hands. After Ye Rong washed his hands, he dried his hands with a cloth, concentrated on playing.
The sound of the piano is light and melodious, like the warm sunshine in the slight chill, which makes people feel very comfortable and corresponds perfectly to the bright spring sunshine.
The Queen Mother was very satisfied and looked at him with a smile, enjoying such moving piano music.
The others were either envious or jealous, but they all had to admit that he played very well. No matter how hard they practiced, it was difficult for them to achieve such excellent skills. No wonder even the Queen Mother praised his playing of the guqin.
The Queen Mother likes Ye Rong more and wants Ye Rong to be the Queen, not only because Ye Rong is the grandson of the Prime Minister, but also because she feels that Ye Rong is more suitable to be the Queen in all aspects than the original owner.
However, because the previous emperor favored Prince Yu, even though the emperor had successfully ascended the throne, the throne was not yet secure. He still needed to win over both civil officials and military generals, and then slowly regain power. Furthermore, the border war was urgent, so in order to appease and win over Mu Yongsheng, the empress dowager and the emperor decided to make Mu Xi the empress.
The sound of his piano drifted to the other side of the lotus pond. The emperor and princes on the pavilion could also hear his melodious music and could not help but admire his piano skills in their hearts.
Only Prince Yu Xiao Yuyang was in a complicated mood. He just woke up a little late. Everything that should have belonged to him was gone. He lost the throne, and even his beloved would soon become someone else's.
Although the current emperor is both the eldest son and the crown prince, the late emperor had already considered deposing the crown prince and appointing Prince Yu as the heir before his death. However, the crown prince had never made any mistakes and had performed well in all aspects, leaving the late emperor with no excuse to depose him. Instead, he sent Prince Yu to the border to make military achievements and gain the support of more court officials.
However, Prince Yu was seriously injured at the border and remained in a coma. The emperor was so worried that he fell ill and passed away suddenly. Then the prince ascended the throne smoothly. When Prince Yu woke up, everything had been settled. However, he still couldn't give up and felt that he should be the one to sit on the throne.
Looking out the window, Xiao Yuyang watched Ye Rong's back from afar. Thinking that he would soon become the emperor's man, he couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart. Although Ye Rong told him that even if she entered the harem, she would definitely remain a virgin for him, it was impossible for them to be together openly in this life.
Ye Rong is actually a time traveler. Before crossing over, he was a nerd who particularly loved playing strategy games. Because he was attracted to men, he played all kinds of BL games. In his original world, because of the unsatisfactory real life, he could only find a sense of existence in games, so he played all kinds of strategy games.
One day, he bought a newly released strategy game. There were many characters in this game that could be conquered, and conquering different characters would lead to different endings. After reading the game introduction, he directly chose the most advanced strategy, which was the harem strategy.
The real meaning of this harem strategy is that the player first enters the harem, then gradually becomes the young queen mother, and finally takes all the other captured targets into his own harem. And this harem, of course, does not refer to a real harem, but to those who are captured by him, who are fascinated by him and are willing to like him along with others.
Before the game began, he spent money to purchase various necessary skills, such as the eighth-level talent, which included the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and the fifth-level medicine skill, which allowed him to concoct various drugs and antidotes. The most expensive of these was the protagonist's aura, which could attract people to him and help him escape danger in times of crisis.
After he had a general understanding of the characters to be conquered, he immediately started the game, and then his soul was transported into the game world.
After a brief moment of disbelief, he quickly accepted the fact of his time travel and was extremely happy. In this world, he was a man and could openly love men. Most importantly, he not only possessed powerful skills but also the aura of a protagonist, allowing him to truly and personally experience the feeling of reaching the pinnacle of life.
His only regret was not purchasing more skills and detailed walkthroughs to save money. But after careful consideration, he decided it didn't matter much. He already had the aura of a protagonist. Even if the process might be a little difficult, the chances of completing the walkthrough were very high. Furthermore, he had played so many strategy games that he knew the game's mechanics like the back of his hand, so there was nothing to worry about.
After Ye Rong finished playing a piece of music, the Queen Mother and the concubines all praised him for his improved piano skills.
Ye Rong stood up and saluted, then returned to his seat. Seeing the envious and jealous looks from the others, he felt incredibly proud. He thought, spending so much money on skills was truly worth it. It was a pity that he still had some money left in his original world.
"How about Axi playing a tune as well?" The Queen Mother looked at Tao Yuan again and said, since she had personally asked Ye Rong to play a tune, she naturally had to ask Tao Yuan to play a tune as well. Even if she was more inclined towards Ye Rong in her heart, she couldn't show it too obviously in front of so many people, otherwise it would bring shame to the Mu family.
Tao Yuan stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, I have recently learned a new piece of music for the pipa and would like to present it to you."
"Oh?" The Queen Mother thought to herself, "So he can play the pipa." Since he asked, she agreed. "Okay, then play a piece for me and everyone else."
Songzhi brought over the pipa that Tao Yuan brought with him. After washing his hands, Tao Yuan took the pipa, sat on the chair in the middle, and prepared to start playing.
The pipa is a difficult and fascinating instrument, capable of producing a wide variety of musical styles, all seemingly played from the same instrument. Since today was a flower-viewing banquet, Tao Yuan's performance would naturally be appropriate to the occasion.
Tao Yuan first gently plucked the strings, evoking a feeling of gentle spring rain, nourishing the soul. As the sound grew louder, it felt like the clouds and mist had parted, and the sun was coming out, bringing a sense of comfort.
The pipa's sound is sometimes brisk and flowing, like the sound of melting ice and flowing spring water, and sometimes crisp and cheerful, like the beautiful chirping of birds. Suddenly, a hundred flowers bloom, birds sing and the flowers bloom. Those who feel the artistic conception of the music look out, as if they can actually see the flowers gradually unfolding, and their hearts are filled with joy.
All the princes looked out through the open windows, their hearts seemed to be plucked by the pipa music, and they couldn't help but exclaim in admiration in their hearts.
Emperor Xiao Junye stood up and walked to the window to look out. He originally thought that the guqin music he had just played was so important that the others were just accompaniments. However, he did not expect that after listening to the pipa music, he could not remember the guqin music at all.
These two people, one would become his queen, the other would become his royal prince, both had to marry him in order to secure his throne. Whether they were willing or not, they had no choice. Even as the emperor, he was helpless and had no choice, let alone them.
After the song ended, Tao Yuan stood up and saluted, holding the pipa.
The Queen Mother nodded in admiration and said, "Such exquisite piano skills, so captivating and fascinating. It seems you have put a lot of effort into it. Why haven't I heard you play before?"
The Queen Mother asked this because such exquisite qin skills could not be mastered in a day or two. When she was still the Queen, she held a flower viewing banquet every year, but she had never heard him play the pipa.
"In the past, I felt that my pipa playing was not good enough and I did not dare to embarrass myself in front of the empress dowager. Recently, I have been practicing pipa hard and finally feel that my playing is pleasant to the ears, so I want to present a song for the empress dowager." Tao Yuan replied.
"It's more than just pleasant to the ear." The Queen Mother smiled and said, "You are so thoughtful. I will reward you."
Two palace maids came up with a tray. The Queen Mother asked one of them to bring the contents of the tray to Tao Yuan and said to him, "I have always treasured this tea set and was reluctant to use it. I feel that only this set of tea is worthy of the song you just presented, so I give it to you as a reward."
"Thank you, Queen Mother, for your reward." Tao Yuan bowed to the Queen Mother, took the tray, and returned to his seat.
The Queen Mother then had a maid bring another tray of items to Ye Rong. "Your playing is on par with Axi's. This white jade lotus incense burner is also something I love. I'm giving it to you as a reward. You can use it to burn incense when you play the piano in the future."
Ye Rong quickly stood up and saluted, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for the reward."
The Queen Mother was indeed partial. The two's piano skills were far from evenly matched; Tao Yuan's playing was clearly far superior to Ye Rong's. But there was no other way. She was the Queen Mother, and if she could appear fair and impartial rather than completely partial, you should be grateful.
Ye Rong appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was actually in turmoil. He had been in this world for over a year, and no one knew he possessed such exquisite zither skills. Of the four talents of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, it seemed he had lost in the zither, but that didn't matter. He was sure he would win in the other three. He reasoned that since he had chosen the most difficult strategy, his opponent would definitely be a bit stronger. However, the appeal of talent alone was limited, and it couldn't compare to his protagonist's aura, so he didn't need to worry at all.
"It's springtime today, and the flowers in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. Ladies and gentlemen, go enjoy the blossoms. If you feel like writing poetry, compose one and send it to Your Majesty. I will have it presented to His Majesty, and Your Majesty will award the one with the best writing talent." The Queen Mother stood up and said, "I will rest for a while, and you can go and have fun."
"Farewell, Queen Mother."
After the Queen Mother and several concubines left, the noble ladies and gentlemen slowly dispersed to enjoy the flowers.
"Axi, your pipa music was really good, better than before..." Yu Qianyun wanted to say that she was many times better than the guqin player, but Tao Yuan stopped her with a look. Because the Queen Mother had just said that the two were equally good, if she said that, it would be a slap in the Queen Mother's face, which would be a crime of disrespect. She could only change her words and say, "Better than, better than the others."
When Ye Rong passed by them, he glanced at Tao Yuan. The two looked at each other for a moment, exchanged glances, then turned their eyes away at the same time and walked in different directions.
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