The Female Lead Decides to Act Wickedly

As for the Hidden Guard subsequently discovering that Gu Jingyuan had married He Dian during his time of injury, the Emperor simply turned a blind eye.

However, because of this reason, the Emperor became somewhat familiar with Gu Jingyuan.

Especially not long after, his dear little brother, Prince Qi, even mentioned Gu Jingyuan, acting as if he were ”a person with potential.”

Emperor: ...what potential!

Serious injuries and memory loss can be understood, but memory loss doesn’t mean ”brainlessness”; how could he lack even the most basic common sense and vigilance?

A man in his twenties, even if he forgot he was married, should know, by simple deduction, that he ”should have” a wife.

And yet, he ended up marrying his savior.

Haha, it sounds nice, like some ”life-saving grace, repaid by marriage.”

In reality, he’s just cowardly, just selfish, just looking for a place to settle and survive!

The Emperor is too shrewd, with a sharp eye.

After summoning Gu Jingyuan a few times, he saw through his essence.

Yet Prince Qi took the initiative to recommend, wanting Emperor brother to reuse Gu Jingyuan.

The reason? Well, the Emperor also learned from the Hidden Guard—

There was no connection between Gu Jingyuan and Prince Qi; it was Gu Jingyuan’s wife who had helped the wandering Princess Yongning several times!

Now, with Princess Yongning’s return to Prince Qi’s Mansion, it counts as someone gaining favor.

And for those who helped Princess Yongning, naturally, they would rise along with her.

But the Ma Family is, after all, women, so Princess Qi can only reward them with some wealth.

Wanting more response required benefiting her husband and son.

Prince Qi ran to the Emperor to strongly recommend Gu Jingyuan; that’s one reason.

Princess Qi arranged for Ma Family’s eldest son to be a study companion for the Heir of Prince Qi; that’s another.

Ma Family is not purposefully seeking connections with the powerful, but she is familiar with the plot and knows that the Heir of Prince Qi, on the eve of the New Year’s Day, would be formally adopted by the Emperor and consecrated as the Crown Prince.

Once the Heir of Prince Qi became the Crown Prince, a few years later, when the current Emperor passed away, he would smoothly ascend as the new monarch.

And his study companion, naturally, would rise to prominence as a right-hand man in the Imperial court.

This was no longer a shortcut but an immense avenue to success.

Ma Family is not someone who actively seeks opportunities, but if she could more easily reach success, she wouldn’t refuse!

One item in her tasks was to let her children live well in the capital.

Ma Family thought directly letting her son become a confidant to the new monarch and eventually a powerful minister in the court was definitely over-completing the task.

Now her son became the Heir of Prince Qi’s study companion, just one step away from success!

This was also her active layout in dealing with real and fake Ladies in the Prince Mansion.

Chastising Princess Yongping, playing the role of the righteous hero, naturally was one reason.

But, the primary factor in harming others is to ”benefit oneself”!

Ma Family didn’t feel her three views were problematic; the rewards from distinguishing the real and fake Ladies in the Prince Mansion were what she deserved.

He Tiantian: ...uh, sorry, I truly didn’t mean it.

But you have your scheming, and I have my open strategies.

In the end, who will have the last laugh depends on whose plan excels.

The Emperor was unaware of the overt and covert struggles between these ”arch-enemies,” He Tiantian and Ma Family; Prince Qi’s words reminded him.

Gu Jingyuan is a Qianniu Guard, considered his trusted aide, isn’t he?

And the Medicinal Food Lady procured by Prince Dongchang is like ”wild mandarins” with Gu Jingyuan; though no longer husband and wife in name, they have the flag of life-saving grace.

Therefore, certain matters might be less conspicuous if assigned to Gu Jingyuan.

The Emperor secretly planned and then followed Prince Qi’s suggestion, promoting Gu Jingyuan.

Promoting him from an ordinary Qianniu Guard to rapidly advancing several ranks, directly making him an Assistant General, with a Standard Fourth Rank official grade.

Ma Family: ...I’m about to choke, aren’t I?

Damn this vile feudal dynasty, where women’s merits can’t be directly rewarded but benefit her husband and children.

The children benefit, and Ma Family is pleased.

But scoundrels like Gu Jingyuan benefiting instead, Ma Family is incredibly aggrieved.

”You just wait until the Heir of Prince Qi is conferred Crown Prince, and my son becomes the Eastern Palace Companion, before I properly deal with you.”

As the New Year approaches, Ma Family knew big events were impending.

She focused on the ever-changing court intrigues, unwilling to let Gu Jingyuan’s trivial matters distract her.

Ma Family merely continued to have people keep an eye on Gu Jingyuan, without focusing on dealing with him.

Soon, time entered the New Year’s Eve.

Gu Jingyuan became an Assistant General of the Standard Fourth Rank; Ma Family also gained a Fourth Rank imperial decree, obtaining the qualification to enter the palace for the New Year Gong Yan.

Acquaintances around her praised her fortune; wife benefited from husband’s rank!

Ma Family: ...to hell with wife benefiting from husband’s rank, I, myself, achieved today solely by my own effort!

Instead, it was Gu Jingyuan who benefited from his wife’s rank.

Sadly, such words for Ma Family could not be spoken aloud.

And all the stimuli Ma Family received today were far from limited to just this...