Harem Fighting Strategy 6
The Empress Dowager brought the beautiful ladies and the ministers to the lotus platform in the center of the lotus pond, where they admired the lotus flowers, composed poems, played drinking games, and performed dances and piano.
They hid all their scheming and dislike for each other, and everyone chatted and laughed to please the Queen Mother, creating a lively and harmonious scene.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Hearing that the emperor was coming, everyone immediately became more excited, with uncontrollable joy on their faces. They thought that they must perform well in front of the emperor later, and maybe they could take this opportunity to gain the emperor's favor.
Everyone saluted the emperor. After the emperor saluted the empress dowager, he walked to the seat next to the empress dowager and sat down.
Next, it is time for these people to put their best efforts to show themselves.
The Empress Dowager had specifically summoned the Emperor. She was well aware of his physical condition. Due to the poisoning, he was like a tree, tall on the outside but riddled with holes on the inside. While the Emperor's health dictated that he not visit the harem too often, to ensure the birth of more princes and to prevent Tao Yuan's family from assuming sole dominance and receiving exclusive favor, the Empress Dowager wanted the Emperor to visit a few more concubines.
Therefore, the empress dowager created opportunities for them to perform well in front of the emperor, and also hinted to the emperor that it was time for him to favor other people.
Especially Ye Rong. While Tao Yuan had already slept with her many times, Ye Rong had not even once. The Queen Mother was getting a little anxious. So this lotus viewing banquet was actually mainly to give Ye Rong a chance to show off.
Xiao Junye certainly understood the Queen Mother's intentions. He was suffering from the frequent attacks of poison, and he didn't have much time to think about it. However, he also wanted to have a prince soon. Although he didn't know how much longer his body could hold out, as long as he lived, he would make more plans for his child. Even if he died, the throne must be inherited by his son, and it must be the eldest legitimate son born to the Queen.
Thinking of this, Xiao Junye couldn't help but look at Tao Yuan. During this period, whenever he held Tao Yuan's soft and fragrant body in his arms, he could not control himself. Every time he had favor with him, he felt a great sense of satisfaction both physically and mentally. Now, seeing him sitting there dignified, his appearance and temperament were more outstanding than others. Just sitting there, he already had the bearing and demeanor of a monarch and queen.
Tao Yuan felt Xiao Junye's gaze and turned to look at him. When their eyes met, Tao Yuan immediately turned away, pretending to avoid his gaze because he was embarrassed to be looked at by him.
Seeing his cheeks blush, Xiao Junye felt even more fond of him, finding him both alluring and adorable. But in bed, he was so alluring, it felt like he was seducing his heart and soul.
Ye Rong tried his best to act like a good boy, but seeing Xiao Junye constantly looking at Tao Yuan without even glancing at him, he couldn't help but feel even more anxious. After entering the palace, he only found opportunities to have affairs with Prince Yu a few times when he was there. However, he never had more opportunities to spend time alone with the Emperor, and the Emperor never took him to bed. Thinking about the upcoming wedding, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
On the night of his wedding, the Emperor will go to whomever he chooses. This is a crucial task in the game. Failure to complete this task will double the difficulty of pursuing the Emperor. However, he has now traveled through the game world and has no way of seeing the Emperor's favorability score. He also has no idea how much the Emperor's favorability score is still missing. In short, he must work harder to gain the Emperor's attention.
Ye Rong was playing the piano and writing poems. Seeing that the emperor finally looked at him, he felt a little relieved. He thought that this time he should be able to increase the emperor's favorability towards him. He just didn't know if he could successfully sleep with the emperor tonight.
Others also envied him for his great talent and the favor of the empress dowager, and felt that he would definitely be favored by the emperor.
Xiao Junye endured a dull headache and had no mood to listen to him play the piano seriously. He hadn't taken Tao Yuan to bed for the past few days, and Tao Yuan hadn't brought him snacks for two or three days. Now he just wanted to smell Tao Yuan's sweet scent to ease his pain.
The Empress Dowager was very satisfied with Ye Rong's performance. She felt that with his stunning appearance, temperament and talent, the Emperor should like him more. She was also very confused as to why the Emperor had visited Tao Yuan many times but never visited Ye Rong.
The Queen Mother glanced at Tao Yuan again, and seeing that he did not fight or compete for the spotlight, but just sat upright without showing off, she couldn't help but nod in her heart, and liked him even more.
Tao Yuan knew that if he rushed to steal the spotlight and show off at this moment, it would surely offend the empress dowager and reduce her favorability towards him. As the only person who had slept with the emperor multiple times, if he tried to steal the emperor's spotlight at this moment, the empress dowager would surely think he was trying to monopolize the emperor's favor and gain his exclusive favor, which would displease her.
Although he did have such an idea, his thoughts must not be known to anyone else, especially the Queen Mother.
The empress dowager had been sitting for a long time and felt a little tired. She wanted to take a rest and let them have fun on their own. The emperor stood up and sent the empress dowager to rest.
The Queen Mother stood up and said to Ye Rong, "Arong, accompany me to rest."
"Yes." Ye Rong immediately walked to the Queen Mother and held her other hand.
The others looked at Ye Rong with envy. This kind of treatment, where the Queen Mother personally created an opportunity, was not something everyone could enjoy. They felt that among all of them, only Ye Rong could receive such treatment.
After the Queen Mother and the others left, the others dispersed. Some gathered together to talk, while others sat alone, admiring the lotus flowers in a daze.
Tao Yuan also sat by the fence and admired the lotus flowers in the pond. It was a rare sight to see such a beautiful scenery, so he had to appreciate it carefully.
Sun Yuan walked over to sit beside him, looked at Lotus and whispered, "The Queen Mother is giving Ye Rong this opportunity. It seems that no matter what happens today, he will definitely go to the bedchamber."
Tao Yuan said calmly, "He must be anxious in his heart, but who knows what the emperor is thinking?"
Sun Yuan glanced back at the others and said, "It's not just him who's anxious. Most of the people here must be anxious too. After the wedding, he'll definitely have a chance to sleep with the emperor, but it's hard to say for the others."
In fact, if Xiao Junye had not taken Tao Yuan to the emperor's bedchamber, they would not have been so anxious, because everyone was the same, and if they did not go to the emperor's bedchamber, it meant that the emperor just did not want to visit someone temporarily. But Xiao Junye took Tao Yuan to the emperor's bedchamber many times, and they had to worry.
However, whether they were anxious or not had nothing to do with Tao Yuan; it all depended on their own abilities. Besides, apart from Ye Rong, the others were not even qualified to be his opponents.
As the weather gradually became hotter, although the lotus terrace was covered by a roof and was not exposed to the sun, it still made people sweat.
Everyone seemed preoccupied with their own thoughts. Some continued to sip tea and admire the lotus flowers, some wandered off to other places, and some sought a place to rest and change clothes. However, no one left the Imperial Garden, as the Empress Dowager would return to dine with them after resting.
Tao Yuan also felt a little sweaty, so he took the palace servants and maids to find a room to change clothes.
Xiao Junye sent the Queen Mother to Yuexiang Pavilion to rest. The Queen Mother sat on the bed and talked to Xiao Junye for a while. Suddenly, she said to him, "Your Majesty, you should also go and rest for a while. Let Arong help you change clothes."
"Okay." Xiao Junye stood up and was about to bow and take his leave when he suddenly frowned and said, "Mother, I suddenly remembered that I have some important matters to deal with in the imperial study. I won't be able to accompany you for dinner."
The Queen Mother observed his expression and knew that he was about to have a headache. She immediately said, "Since there is something urgent that needs to be dealt with, then go quickly."
"Your son will take his leave." After bowing, Xiao Junye turned around and strode away.
Ye Rong, who was standing aside, was stiff for a moment, and the lost expression on his face could not be hidden. The Queen Mother glanced at him, sighed in her heart, and then said to him, "Arong, you should also go and have a rest."
"Yes." Ye Rong bowed respectfully and retreated, but as soon as he left, anger flashed in his eyes. He wondered, why couldn't he compare to Mu Xi? He should have been the more favored one. No matter what, it shouldn't have been him, Mu Xi, who was favored alone. Whether in the game world or the real world, no one person could monopolize the emperor's favor. Not even he had ever thought of monopolizing the emperor's favor.
In the Shangchun Pavilion in the Imperial Garden, Tao Yuanrang and the palace maids stayed outside while he went into the inner room, took off his clothes, and wiped his body with a wet cloth. There were many red marks on his white chest, all left by Xiao Junye's kisses when he couldn't help himself. Tao Yuan was really embarrassed to let others see these marks. The last time Ye Rong saw them, it was completely accidental.
After changing into clean inner clothes, Tao Yuan wanted to lie down on the bed, close his eyes and rest for a while. After he rested for a while, he asked someone to come in and help him change into outer clothes. But as soon as he turned around, he saw someone standing behind him.
"Your Majesty..." Tao Yuan was startled, but he remained calm and saluted him respectfully.
Xiao Junye walked over, picked up Tao Yuan, then walked to the bed and laid him down on it.
Xiao Junye pressed on Tao Yuan's body, pinched his chin and kissed him, stirring in his mouth, plundering the sweet taste in his mouth.
Tao Yuan was kissed by him for a long time, and his tongue was about to cramp from being sucked by him. This domineering way of kissing seemed to have sucked all the strength out of his body, making him soft and unable to move.
Xiao Junye finally agreed to end this long and deep kiss, but immediately tore open Tao Yuan's clothes, revealing his snow-white skin with red marks, and then kissed him hard.
Tao Yuan tilted his head and bit his lips to endure it. He had gotten used to it during these days. It was useless to stop or struggle anyway, and it would only make him more excited.
Xiao Junye had always only kissed her chest before, but this time he kissed lower and lower.
Xiao Junye seemed to be unable to smell enough, and inhaled the sweet scent from his body vigorously, moving lower and lower completely unconsciously.
Tao Yuan was pressed down and kissed by Xiao Junye for a long time. When Xiao Junye buried his face between Tao Yuan's legs, Tao Yuan had to push him away. Then he sat up, closed his clothes, and said with a blushing face, "Your Majesty, it's almost time. I should return to the Lotus Terrace."
Xiao Junye smelled his fragrance and felt much better, but seeing his seductive appearance, his body became hot again. Then he couldn't control himself and started to pull his pants.
Tao Yuan clutched his pants tightly, looked at him nervously, and said, "Your Majesty, if I am late, the Queen Mother will punish me."
"I'll just take a look and do nothing else." Xiao Junye took his hand away and took off his pants.
Tao Yuan felt a chill in his lower body and couldn't help but let out a low cry, then clamped his legs together.
"Be good and let me take a look." Xiao Junye opened his legs.
Tao Yuan knew that there was no way he would just take a look, but after his legs were opened, he knew that there was no way to stop him.
Tao Yuan tried his best not to make any sound, for he was afraid that his screams would be heard clearly by people outside.
…………………………
Tao Yuan lay limp on the bed with his legs spread wide open, tears in his eyes and a dazed expression, as if he had been forced to be raped. After Xiao Junye finally stood up, he closed his legs and hugged the thin blanket, looking aggrieved and ashamed.
Xiao Junye had been a crown prince since birth, and now he was the emperor. He had never imagined that one day he would be unable to resist doing something like this. He straightened his robes slightly, and seeing Tao Yuan's aggrieved and tearful expression, he sat down beside the bed and comforted him, "The Queen Mother won't be returning to Lotus Terrace so soon, you don't have to worry..."
"After we entered the palace, His Majesty has only allowed ministers to sleep with him. The Queen Mother must be unhappy." Tao Yuan said with his eyes lowered.
"I'm the emperor, don't I even have the right to choose who sleeps with me?" Xiao Junye helped him up, pulled him into his arms and hugged him, saying, "Don't you want to sleep with me because you're afraid the empress dowager will be unhappy?"
Tao Yuan leaned against his chest and said, "I am not only worried that the Queen Mother will be unhappy, but also worried that Your Majesty will get tired of me too quickly, and in the future..."
"I can't live without the scent of you. You have caught my weakness and my weakness. Are you worried that I will ignore you in the future?" Xiao Junye said, looking down at him.
"Your Majesty, I am terrified when you say this. I deserve to die." Tao Yuan said in a terrified look.
"You can't die even once." Xiao Junye pinched his chin and said, "You must live well and serve me. You must be more proactive in the future and you are not allowed to resist me."
"Yes..." Tao Yuan was kissed by him again, and then he kissed him back carefully.
His response made Xiao Junye very happy and excited, and the two of them kissed for a long time before separating.
After Xiao Junye left, Tao Yuan quickly packed up and returned to the Lotus Terrace before the Queen Mother.
His face was still a little flushed, but the weather was a little hot and his skin was originally fair with a rosy glow, so no one else noticed that his face was blushing abnormally. Only Ye Rong noticed it.
The reason why Ye Rong noticed it was because he and Prince Yu had done it more than once, so he could see that the blush on Tao Yuan's face and the expression in his eyes were not caused by heat, but the state that would occur after doing something.
Ye Rong thought quickly in his mind. He hoped that Tao Yuan was also having an affair with someone else. That way, as long as he could find evidence against him, he would have no chance of recovery. But today, the person most likely to have secretly done something with him was the emperor.
Ye Rong thought to herself, she had tried so hard to perform in front of the emperor, but she still couldn't get the chance to sleep with him. The emperor had just said that he had something important to deal with. So what he meant by "important thing" was to go and have sex with Mu Xihuan, okay?
The more he thought about it, the more unwilling he became. He felt that this was definitely not going to work. No matter what, he had to complete the task on the wedding night. Since the emperor still had no interest in him, he had no choice but to use the power of his family.
………………………………
The night before the selection ended, almost all the ministers and concubines did not sleep, and this tense mood continued until the next day.
Before daybreak, some people had already gotten up because they couldn't sleep. They changed their clothes and then slowly washed and dressed. After carefully dressing, they had nothing to do, so they walked around the room. Although they knew that Eunuch Xu would not come so early to read the imperial edict, they really couldn't sit still.
Because today, they would officially remain in the harem. Some of them would officially become the emperor's subjects, and what made them most nervous was the announcement of their ranks. They were equals now, but with the ranks, they would no longer be equal.
Tao Yuan slept peacefully until dawn, then got up slowly to wash and change his clothes.
After Tao Yuan changed his clothes, he glanced at Sun Yuan who was sitting there in a daze and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm very worried. What if I don't become a maid in the end? I will have to stay in the harem for the rest of my life." Sun Yuan originally thought that he would not be nervous, but at this time, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
Among them, there are a very small number of people like Sun Yuan, who only want to be a female official or attendant for a few years, and then leave the palace to get married. They don't want to stay in the palace for the rest of their lives.
"Didn't you say that everything has been arranged for your father?" Tao Yuan said.
"My father said he had already made arrangements, but he was worried that something might go wrong."
Tao Yuan sat over and comforted him, "Don't worry. His Majesty won't have many people in the harem this time. And since your father has already arranged everything, it's unlikely that something will go wrong."
"Why aren't you nervous? What if you don't become the queen?" Sun Yuan said.
"If I don't get the throne, then I don't get it. This is not something I can decide. If being nervous can ensure that I can become the queen, I will definitely be more nervous than anyone else." Tao Yuan thought to himself, although I can't decide whether I can become the queen now, even if I don't get the throne this time, the position of queen will definitely be mine in the future.
"Whether you become the queen or the emperor, you must let me serve as an attendant in your palace in the future," said Sun Yuan.
"Okay." Tao Yuan agreed, then patted his hands and said, "Let's go have breakfast."
Finally, the time for reading the imperial edict came. All the ministers and concubines were brought to the square of Chuxiu Palace, and then waited for Eunuch Xu to read the imperial edict.
Tao Yuan and Ye Rong naturally stood in the front row again.
"The imperial edict has arrived!"
Everyone knelt respectfully to receive the order.
There were ten copies of the imperial edict, one for conferring a title on a lord or queen, one for conferring a title on an imperial noble, and one for all other titles of the same rank. Those not listed in the imperial edict would later serve as attendants.
"Thank you for your grace, our emperor lives long, long, long, long, long!" After Eunuch Xu finished reading out all the imperial edicts, everyone received the edicts and expressed their gratitude. Tao Yuan received the edict that conferred the title of empress, and Ye Rong received the edict that conferred the title of royal noble.
After Eunuch Xu and his men left, everyone began to discuss the situation. Some were happy with their ranks, while others felt disappointed that theirs was too low. Some wanted to become concubines, but could only serve as attendants, which made them even more depressed. Some originally wanted to be court ladies, but became concubines due to family reasons, and their feelings were also very complicated.
Tao Yuan turned around and looked at Ye Rong, and Ye Rong also turned around and looked at him, and the two of them exchanged glances.
Tao Yuan said with a half-smile, "Your Majesty Ye Huang?"
No matter how unwilling Ye Rong was in his heart, he could only kneel and salute, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Queen."
"No need to be so polite." After saying this, Tao Yuan turned around and went back to Xuanmoyuan.
The ministers from the military families looked at the ministers from the civil families with pride, and then immediately followed them.
None of them had expected Tao Yuan to become the empress, especially the children of the civil officials, who could not accept the idea of someone born in a military family becoming empress. Furthermore, Tao Yuan was clearly more favored than Ye Rong, and since Ye Rong was the favored empress, they couldn't help but feel a little worried about their future in the harem.
Tao Yuan returned to Xuanmoyuan not to pack his things. There was nothing to pack here. He was waiting for the phoenix sedan to take him to Fenghua Palace.
Sun Yuan got the job as an attendant officer as he wished. After that, he went to the attendant officer bureau to study before he could be assigned.
Tao Yuan was determined to stay in the palace. The one who made him happiest that he could become the empress was Sun Yuan. Although the imperial empress was only slightly lower in rank than the empress, and could be considered a concubine, a concubine had to perform the same rituals as a concubine when meeting the principal wife. So strictly speaking, a concubine was also a concubine, and it was better for her to be the principal wife.
Tao Yuan and Sun Yuan were saying goodbye and asking each other to take care of themselves when Xu Shiguan came with the palace maids and servants to pay their respects to Tao Yuan.
"Greetings to the Queen."
"No need for formalities." Tao Yuan said with a smile, "Thank you for your care these days, Officer Xu."
"I dare not." Officer Xu saluted again.
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