Harem Fighting Strategy 2
"When did you become so good at playing the pipa?" Sun Yuan was the original owner's best friend. His father, General Sun, was a good friend of the original owner's father, so the two of them were also very good friends.
"I've been training hard for a long time, just to be able to beat Ye Rong today." Tao Yuan whispered to him, "Everyone thinks I'm not as good as him, but I just want to prove that I'm better than him in every way."
"Not everyone thinks so." Sun Yuan also said in a low voice, "I have always felt that you are better than him."
Tao Yuan smiled and said, "Your selfish bias towards me doesn't count. I want to make those who selfishly favor Ye Rong think that I am better than him."
Yu Qianyun and the others followed and said to Tao Yuan, "Axi, you were so amazing just now. I was stunned. I've never heard such beautiful pipa music. My brother likes to listen to the pipa, but I don't. He said that listening to the pipa is like playing the lute to a cow. When I get back home, I must tell him that I'm not a cow. It's not that I don't understand, it's that those people didn't play it well enough."
"That's right, you play much better than... than that person. Those of us born into civil service families always look down on us born into military families, as if just because we're more talented than us, we're superior. It makes me angry just thinking about it."
"Every time at the flower viewing banquet, they take turns to perform, and we are just the foils. This time, they are also the foils. It's really a relief."
On Tao Yuan's side, the noble ladies and noble gentlemen born into military families all felt relieved. Previously, whether it was a competition of talent or poetry, they were always inferior. Because civil official families and military families valued different things, their methods of raising their children were naturally different.
On Ye Rong's side, after a period of awkward silence, these noble ladies and noble gentlemen also started to talk.
"Arong, the Queen Mother is so kind to you. That white jade lotus incense burner looks so beautiful."
"Of course the Queen Mother treats Arong well. Arong's talent and appearance are the most outstanding among all of us. Whether it's her character or her family background, she is the one that the Queen Mother is most satisfied with. In the future, the one who will be made the Queen will definitely be Arong."
"Yes, the Queen Mother and His Majesty, they definitely want Arong to be the Queen. No matter how you compare them, Arong is much stronger than him, Mu Xi. Even if the Mu family controls the military power, Mu Xi can only be the Imperial Noble at most, and definitely not the Queen."
"They were born into military families, and they are all simple-minded, strong-limbed, and uneducated. They definitely haven't learned the etiquette and rules. I don't think he's qualified to be an imperial prince."
"That's right. Even if he becomes the Imperial Lord, what does it matter? As long as His Majesty doesn't like him, and with his spoiled personality, he might not even be able to keep his position. Besides, we can't keep fighting at the border all the time."
They all felt that since the Empress Dowager was so devoted to Ye Rong, the Emperor must have been partial to her as well. Mu Xi had a reputation for being overbearing and willful, and even if he became a Royal Noble, he would undoubtedly be disliked by the Emperor. A Royal Noble who was disliked by the Emperor and disliked by the Empress Dowager was no better than a favored Imperial Noble. Furthermore, they felt that with Ye Xi's appearance and personality, she would undoubtedly be the most favored by the Emperor.
Most importantly, while Mu Xi's father's command of a large military force might seem advantageous to him now, it posed a far greater threat. In every dynasty, the emperor's greatest fear and vigilance were those who wielded military power. If his father refused to surrender his military power, the emperor would surely find a way to eliminate his entire family, and he, the noble prince, would be confined to the cold palace.
"Arong, this poem you wrote will be presented to His Majesty. You must write it well and let His Majesty see your talent. His Majesty will surely be attracted to you soon."
"Yeah, seeing how complacent they were just now really made me angry. They only got the limelight this once, as if they were so great. I think he can only play that one piece. I don't know what they are so proud of."
Everyone chatted for a long time, but Ye Rong remained silent. He didn't say a word. Because he had some understanding of this world, he knew that the first person to become the queen would definitely be Mu Xi.
Seeing that he had remained silent, the others looked at each other and said to him, "Arong, you should think carefully about the poem you will present to His Majesty later. We will go to the side to appreciate the flowers and not disturb you."
Ye Rong watched them leave, his head lowered as he began to ponder. However, he wasn't thinking about the poem he was going to write later. Instead, he was thinking about what to do next according to the progress of his strategy. Over the past year, he had successfully made Prince Yu fall in love with him, but according to his own choice, to complete the final strategy and become the Queen Mother, he had to enter the palace.
In fact, after he traveled to this world, he didn't have to follow the game's choices. He could choose another life. As long as he got engaged before the emperor ascended the throne, he wouldn't have to enter the palace. But he just wanted to complete the highest strategy in this real world, become the queen mother, and have his own harem.
The plot of him entering the palace is based on the fact that his grandfather would support whoever became emperor, making it impossible for him to marry Prince Yu. However, when he had to enter the palace, he told Prince Yu that even if he did, he would remain a virgin for him. He said this to express his helplessness and pain, hoping to make Prince Yu love him even more deeply. Most importantly, he wanted Prince Yu to know that he would remain a virgin for him, and if he had Prince Yu's child, Prince Yu would support him even more.
According to the plot, the current emperor will die in five years. He must get pregnant with Prince Yu's child within three years, and then he can become the empress dowager who rules the country from behind the scenes with Prince Yu's support. So before getting pregnant with Prince Yu's child, he can't have sex with the emperor, otherwise he won't know whose child he is pregnant with, and Prince Yu will definitely not be willing to support someone else's son. If Prince Yu becomes emperor, he won't be able to become the empress dowager, let alone the emperor, let alone the noble monarch, let alone the empress dowager with his own harem, because this dynasty will not allow a younger brother to marry his older brother's wife. So he has to plan every step carefully and must not make any wrong steps.
Ye Rong had thought of the poem he wanted to write a few days ago. Before that, he went to the palace to pay his respects to the empress dowager, who had already given him hints so that he would have enough time to prepare and write a good poem to win the emperor's favor.
Although the emperor wouldn't live more than five years, he had to make the emperor like him within those five years. Ideally, within three years, he could banish Mu Xi to the cold palace and make him the empress. Then, his child would naturally inherit the throne. He felt that with his leading role, it wouldn't be difficult for the emperor to like him. He already had the empress dowager on his side, so once he entered the palace, he would have plenty of opportunities to gain the emperor's favor.
The poem that Tao Yuan was going to present had already been written. Since it was to be presented to the emperor, showing talent was secondary. The most important thing, of course, was to write a poem that would suit the emperor's wishes.
For some of them, this opportunity to perform in front of the emperor only came once in their lifetime, so only those who were very confident in their poems wrote them down and handed them to the eunuch holding the tray, secretly hoping that their poems would be favored by the emperor.
There are those who want to enter the palace, and naturally there are those who don't want to. If they are not forced to enter the palace by their families and don't want to enter the palace themselves, then at this time they just need to try to reduce their sense of presence.
When the empress dowager went to rest, the emperor had already returned to the imperial study. The eunuch in charge of the empress dowager presented the poems to the emperor, and according to the empress dowager's instructions, he took out the one written by Ye Rong and gave it to the emperor separately.
After reading it, Xiao Junye nodded. He had heard of Ye Rong's talent, and the poem was indeed well-written. He had often heard his mother speak well of him before. This time, Eunuch Liu singled out Ye Rong's poem, which must have been his mother's intention, hinting that he could give his reward directly to Ye Rong.
Putting down Ye Rong's poem, Xiao Junye casually flipped through the papers on the tray. On one page, a piece of calligraphy, written in exquisite, flowing calligraphy, caught his eye. He couldn't help but pick it up, admiring the calligraphy. The free and elegant strokes, the graceful brushstrokes, could be said to be a masterpiece of penmanship.
When he saw the signature word "Mu Xi", he was stunned for a moment, thinking that he could actually write such beautiful characters. It seemed that Mu Yongsheng's upbringing of his children was not just about letting them wield swords and guns.
After carefully reading the content of the poem, Xiao Junye clapped his hands and exclaimed, "What a great poem!"
Eunuch Liu was stunned for a moment, then glanced at Ye Rong's poem placed on the table. He continued to stand with his head down, hesitating whether to clearly tell the emperor the empress dowager's intention.
The Queen Mother rested in the Nuanxiang Pavilion in the Imperial Garden for about an hour before returning to the banquet venue.
The ladies and gentlemen returned to their tables and sat down, waiting for the Empress Dowager to announce who would receive the Emperor's reward. However, they felt no suspense, as they all thought it would definitely be Ye Rong. Besides the fact that he was indeed a very good poet, the most important reason was that the Empress Dowager clearly favored him, so the Emperor's reward would definitely go to him.
Eunuch Liu arrived bearing the Emperor's gift: a block of graphite. Since it was a special gift from the Emperor, it couldn't be ordinary graphite. This graphite was tribute, and only five blocks were given each year. This was the Emperor's favorite. When he was still the Crown Prince, he could only get one block every two or three years. But Prince Yu could get it whenever he wanted it.
"Empress Dowager, this is the Xunhui ink bestowed by His Majesty." Eunuch Liu held the tray and saluted the Empress Dowager.
"Oh?" Even the Empress Dowager was a little surprised. "The Emperor bestowed Xunhui Ink? It seems that the person who received the Emperor's reward this time must have written a poem that was very pleasing to the Emperor, so the Emperor even gave him his favorite Xunhui Ink."
When the Queen Mother said the last sentence, she smiled and glanced at Ye Rong, then said to Eunuch Liu, "You read the Emperor's oral order."
"...Yes." Eunuch Liu did not dare to delay for too long and could only read out the emperor's oral order. "Your Majesty's oral order: Mu Xi, the young master of the Mu family, has brilliant literary talent, profound artistic conception, and his writing is as exquisite as flowing clouds and water. Your literary talent and writing style are truly pleasing to me. I specially grant you Xunhui ink as a reward. I hope that the young master of the Mu family will be diligent in writing and continue to improve."
The Queen Mother was stunned, and so was everyone except Tao Yuan. They all thought that Ye Rong would be the one to receive the reward, so why did Eunuch Liu read out the name Mu Xi?
Ye Rong was the grandson of the prime minister. His family had served as officials for generations and was a family of scholars. Ye Rong's literary talent had long been renowned. How could his poetry be inferior to that of Mu Xi, who came from a military family? How could this be possible? But why did the emperor reward Mu Xi and not Ye Rong?
"Is it Mu Xi that the emperor wants to reward?" The empress dowager confirmed with Eunuch Liu.
"Replying to the Queen Mother, His Majesty asked me to read Mu Xiaolang's poem. Then everyone will know why His Majesty wants to reward Mu Xiaolang."
"...You read it." Since the emperor has already said so, what else can she say?
After Eunuch Liu read out Tao Yuan's poem, everyone looked at Tao Yuan in surprise. They didn't expect that he could have such good literary talent.
When the Queen Mother was young, she was also a famous talented woman, so she liked people with good literary talent. She liked Ye Rong not only because he was the grandson of the Prime Minister and his character and upbringing were definitely impeccable, but also because of his good literary talent.
In her heart, Mu Xi was like a proud and overbearing peacock. Although she was very beautiful, she had a very poor character and upbringing. With such a character and appearance, she was fine as a noble prince, but she was definitely not suitable to be a queen. However, Mu Yongsheng did not want Mu Xi to enter the palace. He had said before that in their family, Mu Xi was only a legal wife.
Mu Yongsheng is brave and good at fighting. Not only does the emperor need his support, but the Wei Dynasty needs his protection even more now, so Mu Xi can only be the queen, and Ye Rong, who is originally the most suitable person to be the queen, can be the royal prince.
After hearing the poem that Eunuch Liu read, even the Queen Mother had to admit that it was a good poem. However, she was still somewhat dissatisfied with the Emperor's choice to reward Tao Yuan, because in addition to her preference for Ye Rong, she also wanted to balance the two sides.
Since Mu Xi was the Empress, while Ye Rong could only be the Imperial Noble, she naturally had to show her preference for Ye Rong in order to appease the Ye family, and the Emperor should have cooperated. She assumed the Emperor would understand her intention, so she didn't say it directly. She also didn't expect Mu Xi to surpass Ye Rong in literary talent. If she had known this, she should have told the Emperor that no matter whether there was a better poem than Ye Rong's, the reward should go to Ye Rong.
But since the emperor had already issued the order, it was too late to say anything now. The empress dowager could only smile at Tao Yuan and say, "This poem is indeed well written. No wonder the emperor rewarded you."
The Queen Mother raised her hand and signaled Eunuch Liu to deliver the things to Tao Yuan.
Tao Yuan stood up and saluted, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward, and thank you, Queen Mother."
After Tao Yuan took the tray, Eunuch Liu walked back to the Queen Mother and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has another oral order."
"Oh?" the Queen Mother said, "You go ahead and announce it."
"Your Majesty has orally instructed that Ye Rong, the young master of the Ye family, is worthy of being the grandson of the Prime Minister. His writing is well-organized and regulated, and he is a model. I hereby entrust the important task of repairing the incomplete copy of the Poetry Pavilion to Ye Rong."
The Queen Mother nodded inwardly after hearing this, thinking that he was indeed the Emperor. This arrangement was much better than rewarding both of them at the same time. Furthermore, if both were to be rewarded, then after reciting Mu Xi's poems, Ye Rong's poems would have to be recited as well. If Mu Xi's poems were as good as his pipa playing, far superior to Ye Rong's, then insisting that they were equally matched would inevitably disappoint the children of the military commanders.
Although repairing the incomplete copies in the Poetry Pavilion was not a reward or commendation, it also showed the emperor's recognition of his literary talent, and it was an extra layer of trust, which was also the best comfort to Prime Minister Ye, because trust in Ye Rong was trust in Prime Minister Ye.
Tao Yuan thought, after all, the emperor had been crown prince for twenty years. Furthermore, despite the previous emperor's extreme partiality and his meticulous efforts to legitimately depose him, he had managed to persevere and ascend the throne, demonstrating his extraordinary scheming. The strife and swordplay within the harem were more intense than the bloodshed on the battlefield; the slightest misstep could lead to irreparable destruction.
Xiao Junye took Tao Yuan's poem and admired the handwriting for a long time before carefully placing it between his books. He stood up and walked to the window, looking out and thinking, he had been a prince since birth. Over the past twenty years, he had endured countless dangers to persevere until now. Only he knew it best. Even as emperor, there were many things beyond his control. Holding onto the throne was not easy.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Xiao Junye suddenly started coughing. A fishy-sweet taste surged in his throat and came out with the cough. "Poof!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Eunuch Xu saw the emperor vomiting blood and immediately ran over to support him, saying nervously, "I'll go call the imperial physician!"
"Wait!" Xiao Junye stopped him and said, "I'm fine, there's no need to call the imperial physician."
"But Your Majesty..."
Xiao Junye raised his hand and said, "Help me go in and rest."
He knew the condition of his own body very well, and even calling the imperial physician would be useless. He didn't know how many years he could hold on, but as long as he was still alive, he would never give up the throne to Prince Yu.
After returning to his residence from the palace, Tao Yuan asked someone to carefully put away the gifts given by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and then went to take a bath and change clothes.
Soaking in the large wooden tub, Tao Yuan stretched out his legs and leaned back, closing his eyes as he thought. He had already thoroughly understood this world before arriving. He knew Ye Rong was ambitious, and that he was playing a large game all by himself. He was still playing with the mentality of a strategy game, believing that if he followed the routine, he would definitely win.
The background and character settings of this world are indeed the same as those in the game, but if he still holds on to the mentality of the game, then it is also a good thing for Tao Yuan, because he will be easier to deal with. Maybe he will even seek his own death without him having to do anything.
In this world, everyone is flesh and blood, with their own independent thoughts and personalities. Only oneself is the protagonist of one's own life. If Ye Rong believes that he is the protagonist of everyone and that he can be invincible with the protagonist's halo, then he will soon realize that in this world, his protagonist halo may bring him some benefits, but it is impossible to completely control people's emotions with the protagonist's halo.
After soaking for about twenty minutes, Tao Yuan emerged from the tub, picked up a neatly folded cotton cloth, and wiped the water off his body. Although this body was only sixteen years old, the ancients not only matured early, but also developed their bodies early. The original owner had a slender figure, curvaceous curves, and a pair of straight, slender, and white legs.
Although a boy's body structure is the same as a man's, his physique is more feminine and he is softer and thinner.
After putting on his underwear and walking into the bedroom, Tao Yuan decided to take a nap first and then get up to eat.
Today in the palace, even though the Queen Mother's preference for Ye Rong was not particularly obvious, everyone could feel it.
But this is inevitable. Ye Rong has been in this world for more than a year. Most of his time has been spent on trying to win over Prince Yu, and a small part of his time has been spent on pleasing the Queen Mother and showing himself.
The original owner's mother died young, and his father doted on him, so he did have a bit of arrogance, but not to the point of being overbearing. The original owner's reputation for being overbearing had only spread over the past year or two, thanks to Ye Rong's covert planning. He didn't even have to do anything personally; with just a little guidance, the officials and nobles who centered around him would naturally spread the word. The more people knew, the more they believed, and after a while, it became true.
After the flower-viewing banquet, everyone who received an imperial decree from the palace had to start preparing to enter the palace for selection.
After entering the palace, they were primarily trained in the various etiquette and rules of the palace. While the rank of those who ultimately remained in the palace depended largely on their family background, the ladies-in-waiting and attendants of Chuxiu Palace would report their daily performance to the Empress Dowager, a crucial step in determining their rank.
After entering the palace, these noble men and women were assigned to the best courtyard in Chuxiu Palace. After all, they were to be masters and could not mix with servants, so their courtyard was separated from other courtyards.
There were relatively few men in this world, and even fewer entering the palace this time, only about thirty. These thirty-something were assigned to the largest Xuanmo Garden, with two people per room, and each room was closely connected, with a large courtyard in the middle.
The palace attendants all knew that the children of civil officials and the children of military generals did not get along. In order to avoid trouble and implicate them, they tried their best to arrange them in the same room according to their family background.
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