Harem Fighting Strategy 3
Tao Yuan and Sun Yuan were assigned to the same room. They were not allowed to bring anything with them when they entered the palace; all the items they needed were brand new items that had just been delivered by the palace attendants.
Sun Yuan closed the door of the room, and the two of them prepared to change into the uniform of the ministers.
Tao Yuan watched him close the door, then walked behind the screen to take off his clothes. After Sun Yuan closed the door, he also walked over.
"My father told me that he has arranged everything for me. As long as I behave in a dull and ordinary manner, I will definitely become an attendant in three months. I can stay in the palace for two or three years and then go home." Sun Yuan said in a low voice.
As Tao Yuan changed his outer clothes, he spoke in a quiet voice, "Your father still loves you. He knows that the harem is not a good place, and he doesn't want to trade your happiness for the family's honor."
"I'm not very good-looking, and my talent is average. I can't attract the Emperor, nor will I please the Empress Dowager. Even if I stay in the harem, I won't gain any benefits for my family." Sun Yuan poked his head out, glanced at the door, and said in a lower voice, "But you must stay in the palace. Those people think you can only be an Imperial Consort at best, but I overheard my father's conversation, and he said the Emperor might very well enthrone you as Empress."
Tao Yuan said with a helpless smile, "No matter what you do, your fate is controlled by others."
Sun Yuan sighed, "Your father is the Grand Marshal of the Army. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager will definitely keep you in the palace. But even if you become the Emperor and Empress, what good will it be? Not to mention sharing your husband with so many people, the scheming and intrigue of life in the harem can lead to eternal damnation if you're not careful. I don't want to live like that at all, but some people consider entering the harem a great fortune."
"Everyone has different ideas, but their fate is not something they can decide. But what can they do? Although there are some who don't want to leave it to fate and want to fight for it, no matter what the result is, they have to bear it themselves."
"From now on, when you stay in the palace, whether you become queen or royal prince, you must be more careful and wary of others."
"I know. Now that I've entered this harem, I'm mentally prepared to face anything. But I'm not someone who can be bullied. What's mine, I won't give up to anyone."
Because of the original owner's family background, Tao Yuan had to enter the palace, and he also had reasons to stay there. Because his lover was the emperor in this life, he had to stay by his side. But even if his lover was the emperor, he would never share him with anyone else. They could fight for him, but no matter what the consequences, they would have to bear it alone.
The two changed their clothes, put the clothes they took off into the closet, and then walked to the table to sit down and drink tea and chat.
The next morning, led by the chief steward of Chuxiu Palace, they went to pay their respects to the empress dowager.
All the concubines wore pink, and all the ministers wore light blue. The styles were simple and elegant, making them look quite energetic. However, when everyone wore the same clothes, the contrast between their appearance and temperament became even more obvious.
The Queen Mother sat above the main hall, looking at the people standing below. She thought to herself that Tao Yuan and Ye Rong were indeed the most outstanding. Although the others were also very good-looking, standing next to them, they were just foils.
Although they all had to learn the rules and etiquette of the palace for three months, only Ye Rong and Tao Yuan had the opportunity to receive personal instruction from the Queen Mother. This also confirmed the rumors that one of them would be the Queen and the other would be the Imperial Noble Lord. However, in the minds of others, they believed that Ye Rong would definitely be the Queen.
Although the Queen Mother knew that Tao Yuan would eventually become the Queen, she didn't have much hope that Tao Yuan would be a good Queen. She felt that she would definitely have to let Ye Rong help her manage the harem, and to show her appreciation for him, she asked him to learn in advance.
…………………………
Two months later.
Tao Yuan got up early as usual, used the ingredients prepared the night before, made a few snacks in the small kitchen, and took them to Jingshou Palace to pay his respects to the empress dowager.
When Tao Yuan entered Jingshou Palace, the other ladies and the ministers were already waiting outside, ready to go in and pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. Tao Yuan arrived a little later than the others because he was making snacks, and the head of Chuxiu Palace turned a blind eye to his absence, as the Empress Dowager had personally ordered him to make the snacks.
When the others saw Tao Yuan coming, they all made way for him to stand in front. Seeing the snacks in his hands, they couldn't help but feel envious and jealous.
The chief eunuch Liu Gonggong, who was in charge of the Empress Dowager's affairs, came out and said to them, "You may go in and pay your respects to the Empress Dowager."
The Queen Mother had just gotten up and dressed, and was sitting in the main hall of Jingshou Palace, waiting for them to come in and pay their respects.
Tao Yuan and Ye Rong walked in front, and the others followed them in two rows. After entering the main hall, everyone saluted the Queen Mother together and said, "Greetings to the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother looked at them with a smile and said, "No need to bow."
"Thank you, Queen Mother."
After everyone stood up, Tao Yuan took two steps forward and respectfully said to the Queen Mother, "Your Majesty, I got up early this morning and made a few appetizing snacks for you."
The Queen Mother said directly yesterday that she wanted to eat the snacks he made, so Tao Yuan naturally had to make them for her.
The palace maid beside the Queen Mother walked over, took the tray from his hand, and brought it to the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother glanced at the exquisite snacks on the tray and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard. It's a blessing for me as a minister that the Queen Mother likes to eat it." Tao Yuan said respectfully.
The Queen Mother's appetite was immediately stimulated just by smelling the fragrance of the snacks. She had a poor appetite in recent days, and only the snacks made by Tao Yuan could make her appetite.
During these two months, the Queen Mother's opinion of Tao Yuan had changed significantly. She felt that he was not, as she had previously thought, a person who did not know the rules and had no manners. Not only was he very well-mannered, but he also behaved gracefully and appropriately, and understood everything she taught him immediately.
The most rare thing is that he is also an excellent cook, and the dim sum he makes is many times better than those in the imperial kitchen.
In the past two months, Tao Yuan had increased the Queen Mother's favor with these delicacies. Although the Queen Mother still favored Ye Rong, at least she now treated them equally.
The Queen Mother had just picked up her chopsticks and was about to taste the snacks when she suddenly heard a noise coming from outside the palace.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
The Queen Mother immediately put down her chopsticks and looked outside the gate.
The others immediately stood aside, knelt on one knee, and saluted the emperor who strode in. "Your Majesty!"
The emperor walked to the front and bowed to the empress dowager, "Mother."
The Queen Mother asked, "Why didn't you go to court?"
"The court has been dismissed." The emperor replied, then walked to the seat below and to the left of the empress dowager and sat down.
"Has the emperor had breakfast?" asked the Queen Mother.
"Not yet. I haven't had breakfast with my mother for a long time, so I came here to have breakfast with her after leaving court today." The emperor replied.
"Your Majesty, how about trying these snacks?" The empress dowager raised her hand and signaled the palace maid to share some of the snacks in front of her with the emperor.
The palace maid brought a table and placed it in front of the emperor, then placed the portioned snacks on the table.
Xiao Junye looked at the snacks on the table, then picked up a small soup dumpling with chopsticks. As soon as he put it in his mouth and took a bite, the delicious soup flowed into his mouth.
Xiao Junye was stunned for a moment and said, "Does the imperial kitchen have a new chef? I have never eaten soup dumplings so delicious."
"It wasn't made by the imperial kitchen, it was made by Mu Xi." The Queen Mother said with a smile
"Oh?" Xiao Junye was stunned for a moment, then turned to look down. Seeing Tao Yuan standing there with his head lowered and his eyes lowered, he couldn't help but stare at him a few more times. He thought to himself that he had never "coincidentally" encountered him since he entered the palace, while Ye Rong, who entered the palace at the same time as him, had "coincidentally" encountered him several times in the Empress Dowager's palace.
Xiao Junye thought, even though he has such good cooking skills, he has never sent me food since he entered the palace. Doesn’t he want to attract my attention?
"Try this puff pastry milk. It not only melts in your mouth, but also has a salty and sweet taste, not greasy at all. Mother especially loves it."
Xiao Junye took a bite and found it melt-in-the-mouth, sweet but not greasy.
"And you should try this egg yolk pastry. You will definitely like the taste." The Queen Mother said again.
"My Queen Mother, you must have eaten such delicious snacks often recently. Why didn't you ask me to have a taste?" Xiao Junye deliberately complained to the Queen Mother, but in fact he was praising Tao Yuan's cooking skills.
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future for you to eat your fill," said the Queen Mother with a smile.
The others' jealousy was like being scratched by a cat's claws, a painful and itchy feeling. Ever since they entered the palace, they had hoped every day to meet the Emperor while paying their respects to the Empress Dowager, and have him look at them more. Unlike Ye Rong, they could not stay in the Empress Dowager's palace frequently and had more opportunities to meet the Emperor. They had thought that for someone like Ye Rong who was favored by the Empress Dowager, their jealousy was useless, not to mention that there was someone who was definitely more jealous than them.
But unexpectedly, after entering the palace, that person gained more and more recognition from the Queen Mother. He could cook several delicious dishes, which made the Queen Mother praise him endlessly. Now, the conversations between the Queen Mother and the Emperor and his mother are all about praising his good cooking skills, both openly and covertly.
Xiao Junye was enjoying his meal when he suddenly frowned. The Queen Mother noticed and immediately said to the people below, "All of you please leave."
"promise."
Tao Yuan and Ye Rong took the lead and walked out, and the others followed behind them.
After returning to Chuxiu Palace, Tao Yuan and Ye Rong looked at each other. They said nothing, but the sparks flew just from their eyes. After staring at each other for a moment, they turned around and went back to their rooms.
The people behind them looked at them and thought that the more fiercely they fought, the better. In the end, if the emperor hated both of them at the same time, then they would have more opportunities.
Ever since Tao Yuan entered the palace, Ye Rong felt particularly regretful every time he saw Tao Yuan using delicious food to win the Queen Mother's favor. If he had known this would happen, he should have bought the tenth-level cooking skill when he purchased skills. At that time, because the cooking skill was too expensive, and each time he cooked, his appearance value would decrease by a certain amount, he did not purchase it.
However, he had recently asked his family to find a servant with good cooking skills to send to the palace. Once he became an imperial prince, he would have servants to serve him. He still felt that cooking should be left to servants. But even though he himself couldn't cook, he had to admit that using food to improve his favor was a good way, so he absolutely couldn't lose to him.
According to the game's plot, the three months of waiting for selection are the time Ye Rong, the protagonist, must find a way to gain the Emperor's favor. Because the game's setting dictates that the Emperor will marry both Mu Xi and Ye Rong simultaneously, on the wedding night, will he go to Mu Xi, the Empress, or Ye Rong, the Imperial Lord? This all depends on whether Ye Rong's favorability is high enough.
After Tao Yuan and the others left, the Queen Mother said to the palace maids, "You can also leave."
"promise."
All the other palace maids retreated, and only a few of the empress dowager's confidants were guarding outside the hall.
"How have you been these past few days?" the Queen Mother asked with concern. "Have you had many headaches? Are you coughing up blood?"
Whenever the Queen Mother thought of Xiao Junye's health, her heart ached, and even the delicious food lost its taste.
"I haven't coughed up blood in the past few days, and I've only had a few headaches. They're not particularly painful and I can still bear it." Xiao Junye comforted the Queen Mother, "Don't worry, Mother. This new medicine is very effective. It may be able to eliminate some of the toxins in my body."
"It was all because of mother that she failed to protect you. It was mother who harmed you." Every time the Queen Mother talked about this, she couldn't help but want to cry.
When Xiao Junye was a child, he was given a chronic poison. From then on, he frequently felt ill, but the imperial physicians were unable to diagnose the cause. Years later, he suddenly vomited blood and nearly died, only then did they discover he had been poisoned. Although he managed to survive, the poison was too severe to be cured, forcing him to rely on other medications to stay alive. Because there was no antidote, each attack of the poison caused severe headaches, and in severe cases, he would vomit blood.
However, over the years, the Queen Mother had never found out who poisoned him. In order not to shake Xiao Junye's position as the crown prince and to prevent people from knowing that he could die of poisoning at any time, the Queen Mother found a way to conceal the matter until he successfully ascended the throne.
Xiao Junye comforted the Queen Mother for a while, and when she felt better, he changed the subject, "It seems that your opinion of Mu Xi has changed. It seems that his performance since entering the palace has made you very satisfied."
"Over the past few days, my opinion of him has indeed changed a lot. He doesn't look like a child raised in a military family at all. Not only is his behavior generous and appropriate, but his speech and actions are also very dignified and elegant. He seems to be raised by a scholarly family. At first, I thought he was pretending, thinking that his true colors would be revealed soon. But in the past two months, I have also seen that if it weren't for the habits he cultivated since childhood, he would never be able to pretend like him. Besides, his excellent cooking skills are not something that can be learned in a day or two."
"My queen mother was not confident about him becoming the king before, but now it seems that she is relieved?" Xiao Junye said.
"I can't say I'm relieved. I can only say that he's not as bad as I thought. Whether he can be a good queen or not depends on himself and whether he has the ability to survive in this deep palace. If I were to choose, I would still choose Ye Rong as the queen. But now I don't look down on Mu Xi as much as before."
"Time reveals a person's true character. I've met Ye Rong several times in my mother's palace, but never once met Mu Xi alone. Judging from her patience, I think Mu Xi might be more suitable to be the Queen."
"Really?" The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment and said, "Mu Xi has been in the palace for two months, and you haven't met alone yet?"
Whenever Xiao Junye was in the palace and not particularly busy, he would come to pay his respects to the empress dowager. He had met Ye Rong several times in Jingshou Palace, but Tao Yuan had never met her, so he and the empress dowager were very surprised.
To quickly build up the Emperor's favorability before his wedding, Ye Rong purposefully encountered Xiao Junye several times. His strategy for Prince Yu was nearly complete, and he had also gained a lot of favor with the Empress Dowager. His primary target now lay with Emperor Xiao Junye, so of course he needed to encounter him frequently, hoping to attract him with his aura and appearance, leaving an impression on him and making his pursuit easier.
But what he didn't know was that Xiao Junye, who had changed his inner self, was immune to his protagonist's aura. He appeared in front of him several times, which only made him feel that he was very restless and had strong ambitions. He also didn't know what kind of incense Ye Rong used. Every time he got a little closer to him, the smell made him feel very uncomfortable.
After talking with the Queen Mother for a while, Xiao Junye stood up to leave.
The Queen Mother also stood up and said to him, "Yesterday, Mu Xi said that the roses in Jingshou Palace were in full bloom and he wanted to pick some to make rose cakes. I agreed to do so. I believe he is picking rose petals right now. When he is done, I will have someone send them to you to try."
The Queen Mother suddenly said this, and Xiao Junye naturally understood what she meant.
The Queen Mother had eaten so much of Tao Yuan's food during this period that, although her heart hadn't been won over, her stomach had been won over. She felt that no matter whether she was satisfied with Tao Yuan before, at least now it seemed that he was still a good person. So she wanted to create an opportunity for Xiao Junye and Tao Yuan to get along for a while before the wedding.
This is also because Tao Yuan worked hard to increase the Queen Mother's favor towards him, which is why the Queen Mother took such action.
Although Xiao Junye understood what the Queen Mother meant, he still had things to do, so he prepared to leave immediately.
Xiao Junye was walking along the corridor when he suddenly saw a figure passing by the corner in front of him. He paused for a moment, then stopped involuntarily and said to the eunuchs following behind him, "Stay here and don't follow me."
After breakfast, Tao Yuan took his basket and went to the garden to pick rose petals. Most of the time, life in the palace was quite boring. So when he didn't have to learn the rules and didn't have anything else to do, he would cook to pass the time, and by the way, he could also improve the Queen Mother's favor.
As for Xiao Junye, he wasn't in a hurry. After all, after the wedding, he was sure he would fall in love with him quickly. Furthermore, the poison Xiao Junye was in was only detoxified by him. Even Ye Rong, with his eighth-level potion-making skill, couldn't cure Xiao Junye's poison. Furthermore, in order to achieve his own goals, he was lucky not to poison Xiao Junye, so how could he possibly detoxify him?
Xiao Junye stood at the corner, looking at the scene before him, and suddenly he was stunned. The person standing among the roses was a hundred times more beautiful than the flowers, as if the flower god had descended, so beautiful that it seemed unreal.
Tao Yuan picked half a basket of petals and thought it was enough, so he prepared to return to Chuxiu Palace. As soon as he looked up, he saw Xiao Junye standing not far away, and was stunned for a moment.
Xiao Junye had walked into the garden without even realizing it.
After Tao Yuan came to his senses, he walked over and prepared to salute him.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Xiao Junye suddenly started coughing violently. He felt unwell and was about to turn around and leave when suddenly a fishy-sweet taste surged into his throat and he spat out a mouthful of blood. "Poof!"
"Your Majesty!" Tao Yuan dropped the bamboo basket in his hand to the ground, and then ran towards him quickly.
Xiao Junye's headache started to strike. He saw black spots in front of his eyes and the severe pain made it difficult for him to stand. Although he had had headaches frequently before, they were rarely this severe.
"Your Majesty, are you okay?" Tao Yuan supported him when he was about to fall.
Xiao Junye's body swayed and he fell on Tao Yuan. Although he had been poisoned for many years, he was naturally tall and had been practicing martial arts and riding and shooting diligently over the years, so he was still quite strong. He fell completely on Tao Yuan, and Tao Yuan, a sixteen-year-old boy, was unable to support him at all.
The two of them squatted on the ground together, Xiao Junye's head leaned weakly on Tao Yuan's shoulder. He suddenly smelled a very sweet smell, which made him feel a lot more comfortable. He couldn't help but breathe hard, wanting to inhale more of this fragrance.
Xiao Junye buried his face in Tao Yuan's neck and breathed hard. Tao Yuan could only tilt his head and then carefully watch to see if anyone was coming over here.
A sweet smell entered Xiao Junye's nose into his chest, and then spread throughout his body. His headache gradually eased, and his consciousness slowly returned.
Tao Yuan waited until he felt better, then shook him and said, "Your Majesty, are you okay? Do you want me to send for the imperial physician?"
Hearing Tao Yuan say that he was going to call the imperial physician, Xiao Junye immediately woke up. He endured the headache that he could still bear, looked at Tao Yuan and said, "No need to call the imperial physician, I'm fine."
"Your Majesty, you, you don't look like you're okay." Tao Yuan said, looking at his pale face.
"If I say it's okay, it's okay. You are not allowed to tell anyone about this. Do you understand?" Xiao Junye said with a stern face.
"I understand..." Tao Yuan said, "I will never tell anyone."
Smelling the fragrance on Tao Yuan's body, Xiao Junye couldn't help but move his face closer to his neck.
Tao Yuan stepped back and said, "Your Majesty, if you do this...it won't be good if someone sees you."
Xiao Junye then remembered that there might be palace maids passing by here, and it was indeed not a good idea to be seen the two of them being so intimate in broad daylight.
The two stood up, and Xiao Junye warned him seriously again, "Don't tell anyone about what happened just now."
"Yes." Tao Yuan lowered his head and answered respectfully and seriously.
Xiao Junye took another deep breath, then turned around and left quickly.
Tao Yuan looked at his back, stood there for a while, turned around to pick up his bamboo basket, and then left calmly as if nothing had happened.
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