readytorunbook Chapter 306 The Cannon Fodder Who Suffered the Massacre of His Family (13)
Chapter 306 The Cannon Fodder Who Suffered the Massacre of His Family (13)
In the original storyline, Gao Yun devised a plan to make the emperor suspect Gao Yan, thus reaping the benefits of the situation.
But simply criticizing others is not enough. Even if you appear indifferent to fame and fortune, you must also appropriately demonstrate your abilities. Otherwise, you will appear too mediocre and will not catch the emperor's eye.
This is why Gao Yun wanted to plant spies in the emperor's harem.
His ambitions are considerable.
Not long after Jiang Weilan left Mingyue Pavilion, the emperor arrived.
He had just sat down when he asked Qi Ning, "I heard that the Jiang family came to see you today?"
The emperor was quite well-informed about news from both the imperial court and the harem.
Qi Ning did not hide anything and answered frankly, "Your Majesty, Sister Lan did indeed come to see me this afternoon."
"Really? What did you say?"
The emperor looked at Qi Ning, his words carrying a subtle, probing tone.
Although he was lustful, he valued imperial power even more.
The emperor knew that Qi Ning was the adopted daughter of the Jiang family, so naturally he couldn't be completely unguarded against her.
Qi Ning sensed the probing in the emperor's words.
She never intended to start her plan to flatter him to death right away.
At this time, the emperor's affection for her was still superficial. After all, he had no shortage of women, and Qi Ning was just one of the novelties to him.
If Qi Ning arouses the emperor's suspicion, he could easily be sidelined.
At the very least, she should only proceed with her plan when the emperor has taken a liking to her, become addicted to her, and can no longer let go of her.
Faced with the emperor's probing, Qi Ning said with a hint of melancholy, "What else can I say? I was just gossiping about some girls. Your Majesty knows that I don't have any close friends in the harem, except for Sister Lan."
Upon hearing this, the emperor saw that Qi Ning did not say anything in defense of the Jiang family or Gao Yun, and his guard lowered slightly.
His tone softened slightly: "If that's the case, then when I can't be with you, my beloved consort can visit the eldest daughter of the Jiang family often, so you won't be too lonely."
Qi Ning smiled and said, "Thank you for considering my needs, Your Majesty."
That evening, the emperor stayed at Mingyue Pavilion again.
The system still weaves his own dream world.
The emperor was so engrossed in that wonderful dream that he was completely unaware of what was happening and was thoroughly enjoying it.
For the next ten days or so, the emperor stayed at Mingyue Pavilion almost all the time and did not visit any of the other concubines.
When has an emperor ever favored a concubine for so long?
Gradually, word spread throughout the palace that Consort Qi was so favored by His Majesty that she could be described as the most favored concubine in the harem.
Neither the Jiang family nor Gao Yun expected Qi Ning to be so favored; this was beyond their expectations, and they couldn't help but feel that they had hit the jackpot.
Besides, the concubines in the harem who originally didn't take Qi Ning seriously and were waiting to see him make a fool of himself gradually became wary of him.
Even Consort Shu, Gao Yan's mother, had heard palace servants gossiping about Consort Qi, who was the most favored concubine in the harem.
Speaking of Consort Shu, besides her son Gao Yan, she also had a seven-year-old ninth princess named Gao Xi.
The Ninth Princess was lively and adorable, and the Emperor doted on her.
It was precisely because of her son and daughter that Consort Shu rose from an ordinary palace maid to her current position.
On this day, when Gao Yan went to pay his respects to his mother and visit his sister, he suddenly heard Consort Shu mention Qi Ning.
"Yan'er, have you heard that Consort Qi has recently gained a lot of favor from your father, the Emperor?"
At that moment, Gao Yan was teaching Gao Xi to write when he suddenly heard his mother mention Qi Ning, and he was stunned.
"what happened?"
Seeing Gao Yan's unusual expression, Consort Shu asked in confusion.
"nothing."
Gao Yan handed the brush back to Gao Xi, indicating that she should write it herself.
He then looked at Consort Shu and said, "I just find it a little strange that Mother Consort has also started paying attention to these things."
Gao Yan was right; Consort Shu hadn't paid much attention to which concubine the emperor favored in the past.
Or rather, apart from Consort Shu, the other older, high-ranking concubines in the palace didn't care much.
After all, emperors change their concubines every few days, and most of those favors are just fleeting moments.
Those who had spent a long time in the harem had long since figured out the emperor's temperament and didn't care much about him at all.
Moreover, the senior concubines lack nothing and basically all have their own children. Their princes are almost grown up, so even if a newborn gives birth to a royal heir, it will only be a little baby and will not pose much of a threat to them.
Only newly favored concubines who have only recently fallen out of favor would care which new concubine the emperor has favored.
The reason why Consort Shu noticed Qi Ning was not only because she had been favored for a long time, unlike the previous newcomers, but also mainly because of her relationship with the Jiang family, and the Jiang family and Gao Yun were related by marriage.
"I heard that Consort Qi is the adopted daughter of Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Revenue, and Minister Jiang is the future father-in-law of the Fourth Prince."
“That’s right,” Gao Yan replied. “Why is Mother bringing this up?”
"I was just thinking that since Consort Qi is so favored now, she must have a lot of influence with His Majesty. This might be very beneficial to the Fourth Prince."
After a brief pause, Consort Shu continued, "I wonder if this Consort Qi was specially arranged for the Fourth Prince by the Jiang family."
Indeed.
That's what Gao Yan thought.
When this matter was brought up, Gao Yan's eyes turned somewhat cold again.
However, even a honey trap is still a trap. It can only be said that Gao Yun and his team's trick was indeed effective. Gao Yan has nothing else to say about it.
Now that Qi Ning is one of his father's concubines, Gao Yan will not tell anyone, including his mother, about Qi Ning's previous attempts to get close to him.
He only gave a vague reply: "Perhaps."
Consort Shu looked ashamed: "I have always felt sorry for you. I was born a palace maid and do not have a powerful family to rely on."
Gao Yan frowned: "Mother, why are you bringing this up again?"
Consort Shu raised her hand, signaling Gao Yan to listen to her continue.
"And then there's the Fourth Prince. His mother died young outside the palace, and he only received a posthumous title. He has no maternal family to rely on."
“You two are about the same age and in similar circumstances, but ever since the Fourth Prince and the eldest daughter of the Minister of Revenue got engaged, he has had a future in-law family to support him, and more officials have followed and fawned over him.”
"In fact, the Jiang family even arranged for an adopted daughter to serve His Majesty."
What Consort Shu said is indeed mostly true.
She exclaimed, "It's clear that having a good in-law family can be a great help, don't you think?"
"Yes," Gao Yan replied.
Consort Shu finally got to the point.
“You are only one year younger than the Fourth Prince, and you are already of marriageable age. I wonder when your father plans to arrange your marriage. If you also have the support of your future in-laws, it will be an extra layer of assistance.”
Gao Yan felt somewhat helpless upon hearing this.
"Mother, you've said so much just to say this?"
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Consort Shu gave Gao Yan a slight reproachful look.
She added, "I was thinking, should I mention it to your father and ask him to arrange a marriage for you as soon as possible?"
"Mother, you mustn't," Gao Yan said immediately.
"Why not?"
Consort Shu looked at Gao Yan with a puzzled expression.
Gao Yan said calmly, "If Father Emperor has this intention, he will naturally arrange the marriage. If he doesn't have this intention yet, if you ask him, he might overthink it and even think we have some ulterior motives."
"That...that makes sense."
Consort Shu knew very well that the Emperor was quite suspicious in some ways.
Since that's the case, she had no choice but to put the idea aside for the time being. She figured that even if she and her son didn't bring it up, someone else would remind the emperor.
However, the emperor wouldn't have the mind to worry about these things for the time being. His mind was currently focused on politics and Qi Ning.
Ever since he had "touched" Qi Ning once, the emperor had developed a taste for it.
He had never met a woman who so perfectly satisfied his desires. Sometimes, the emperor even suspected that Qi Ning was a gift from heaven, able to please him in every way.
Of course, he couldn't do that every day. After all, the emperor was getting old and his physical strength was not as good as before. But even if he didn't do anything, the emperor would go to Mingyue Pavilion every night, even if he only held Qi Ning in his arms and slept together.
What the emperor didn't know was that not only were his intimate moments with Qi Ning a dream, but all his other intimate acts were also a dream.
Every time he went to Mingyue Pavilion, he would lose consciousness and fall into a dream soon afterward.
The emperor felt that Qi Ning suited his tastes because everything he came into contact with was specially designed for him by the system based on his preferences.
After a while, the emperor did indeed fall into the gentle embrace that Qi Ning and the system had woven for him, and found it quite difficult to extricate himself.
Qi Ning saw that the time was right and her plan to flatter and kill was about to begin.
That evening, the emperor dined at the Bright Moon Pavilion.
Qi Ning placed a piece of food on the emperor's plate and asked casually, "Your Majesty, I feel that you look very tired lately. Is it because you are too busy with state affairs? Please take care of your health."
The emperor paused for a moment.
He has indeed been feeling somewhat tired lately. State affairs are about the same as usual, not particularly busy. The main reason is probably that he has been indulging in too much sexual activity lately, which has made him a little weak.
But it's impossible for a man to admit he's inadequate, especially in front of the woman he loves.
The emperor did not mention this, but said calmly, "Recently, I have indeed been quite busy with state affairs."
He wasn't entirely lying. Recently, those ministers had submitted memorials again proposing the establishment of an heir, but all of those memorials were rejected by the emperor.
The emperor felt he was in his prime and was not in a hurry to establish an heir.
Qi Ning said with concern, "Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance. Let the ministers and princes handle those trivial matters for you."
Qi Ning has always been bold in front of the emperor, and the emperor likes her personality. He has never restricted her words and actions too much, and sometimes he will even talk to her about court affairs while they are having a meal.
However, Qi Ning's words still touched a nerve with the emperor.
His eyes changed slightly as he looked at Qi Ning and asked in a deep voice, "Then, my beloved consort, which prince do you think I should appoint to handle state affairs for me?"
Qi Ning blinked, her expression innocent: "Your Majesty, why do you need to test me? You know perfectly well that I am the adopted daughter of the Jiang family, and the Jiang family and the Fourth Prince are related by marriage. Of course, I would speak on the Fourth Prince's side."
Upon hearing this, the emperor was taken aback. He hadn't expected Qi Ning to say such a thing, without even a hint of tact or subtlety.
On second thought, this does suit her personality.
However, Qi Ning's words were so blunt that the emperor was unsure whether to be angry or not.
"You're incredibly audacious."
Qi Ning lowered her eyes: "I just don't want to deceive Your Majesty. If I don't speak for the Fourth Prince, but instead speak for others, will Your Majesty believe me? Or does Your Majesty want to hear me tell lies?"
The emperor looked at Qi Ning, remaining silent and not uttering a word.
The eunuch Wang and Ji Mei, who were serving nearby, were already drenched in sweat and were about to kneel down in fear.
Qi Ning whispered again, "Besides, among all the princes, the Fourth Prince is the most capable, and his abilities are obvious to all."
As she finished speaking, her voice grew softer and softer, and she cautiously glanced up at the emperor.
"Your Majesty, you insist on asking me, and even though I told you, you don't want to hear it. Fine, I won't say it again. Please don't be angry."
The emperor sighed helplessly, "Alright, let's continue with our meal."
His tone was relatively mild, and he didn't seem angry.
The following meal was eaten in silence and a somewhat oppressive atmosphere; the emperor didn't say much more.
After the meal, he had planned to stay as he had in the past few days, but today he said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'm going back to the Hall of Diligent Governance. You should rest early."
After saying that, he glanced at Qi Ning and left with Eunuch Wang and the others.
Qi Ning could only follow behind and respectfully see them off.
Ji Mei supported Qi Ning, her face full of worry: "My lord, you..."
Qi Ning shook her head: "You take them down first."
Ji Mei hesitated for a moment, then responded and led her people away.
Qi Ning knew what Ji Mei wanted to say. She simply wanted to say that the emperor had been staying here every night for some time, but he didn't stay tonight because she had angered him with what she had just said.
Even the system said, "Host, the old emperor seems to be angry."
"I know, isn't this normal? It would be strange if he wasn't angry."
Qi Ning walked to the incense burner and used a silver hairpin to stir the incense ash inside.
"Don't worry, he'll be back in a few days."
Of course, Qi Ning wouldn't do something without being sure of success. Besides having the system's dream as a lure and the emperor's affection for her as leverage, she also had another layer of insurance.
She added something else to the incense, and after the emperor smelled it for a while, he suddenly couldn't smell it anymore, which made him incredibly restless.
The emperor was indeed quite displeased by Qi Ning's words tonight.
He led Eunuch Wang back to the Hall of Diligent Governance and sat down on the imperial couch.
Eunuch Wang personally served tea: "Your Majesty, please have some tea."
The emperor picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Standing to the side, Eunuch Wang observed the emperor's expression and tentatively asked, "Is Your Majesty angered by Consort Qi's words?"
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