Unfortunately, Gu Jiangli has a silver tongue and can turn black into white. If she still can't get His Majesty's forgiveness, she's probably really in deep trouble today.
The emperor glanced at her, his expression unreadable.
The Empress Dowager's displeasure grew even stronger.
"Consort Lan, you've become a concubine in the harem, yet you speak so rudely! What kind of behavior is this!"
Lan Jieyu's face turned deathly pale, and she trembled, not daring to utter a word.
The emperor said slowly:
"It is understandable that Lan Jieyu is from her maternal aunt's family and is not satisfied with the status of Jieyu."
"No, no, no... I would never have meant that," Consort Lan hurriedly explained.
"Did I just hear that Consort Gu wants to demote herself to the rank of Talented Lady?"
Gu Jiangli suddenly looked up and met the emperor's cold eyes.
She replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I know that my status is inferior to that of the noble Consort Lan. If lowering my rank can prevent Consort Lan from harboring resentment, then I will have no complaints."
"Is this your true intention, or are you using a feigned retreat as a tactic to advance?"
The emperor's question sent a shiver down Gu Jiangli's spine.
She was indeed trying to advance by retreating.
Originally, it was thought that the Empress Dowager would make the decision. If the Empress Dowager demoted her, it would prove that the Empress Dowager intended to protect her relatives, which would be detrimental to the Empress Dowager's reputation. If the Empress Dowager wanted to target her again in the future, she would have to think carefully.
If the Empress Dowager doesn't demote her, it proves that the Empress Dowager doesn't value Consort Lan that much. Consort Lan will find it difficult to get the Empress Dowager's protection in the palace in the future, and naturally, the Empress Dowager won't have time to focus her schemes on her.
Her words put the Empress Dowager in a precarious position, meaning that whatever choice the Empress Dowager made would be in her favor.
The plan was about to succeed, but then an emperor suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Now that things have come to this, what else can she say?
Gu Jiangli hesitated for a moment before answering:
"Your Majesty... truly believes this."
After she replied, she was met with the emperor's silence.
Gu Jiangli carefully looked up, only to be surprised to find that she could see disappointment in the emperor's weak and tired eyes.
Why was the emperor disappointed?
Did she answer incorrectly?
Should she say that she was using a feigned retreat to outmaneuver the Empress Dowager?
No way...?
Gu Jiangli's brain was working at lightning speed.
Something's not right, something's not right, something's not right.
Something was off the moment the emperor appeared!
The emperor then asked the empress dowager, who was standing to the side:
"What does Mother think?"
The Empress Dowager smiled, her eyes revealing shrewd calculation.
"Since the Emperor knows that Consort Lan's rank is not commensurate with his position, and Consort Gu genuinely wants to relieve His Majesty's worries, why not go along with Consort Gu's wishes? However, there are other ways to achieve a difference in rank than simply demoting her, aren't there?"
Alarm bells rang in Gu Jiangli's mind.
If it doesn't decrease, it can only increase.
The Empress Dowager took this opportunity to give her a warning.
"Does the Empress Dowager intend to promote Consort Lan to the rank of Fourth-Rank Zhaoyi?"
The Empress Dowager did not speak directly, but said, "Your Majesty, please arrange it all."
The emperor stood up, glanced at Gu Jiangli, and his expression was filled with complex emotions.
After a moment, he spoke:
"Let it be as the Empress Dowager says, let's make Lan Hui'er a Zhaoyi."
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