Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Chapter 901: Chapter 812: Unwilling to Be a Slave 32

So, right after Gao Jieyu’s promotion ceremony ended, Ruan Zhaoyi followed Lady Xuan back to Fangcao Pavilion. After returning to her residence, she quickly freshened up, changed into more casual clothing, and hurried to see Lady Xuan.

She lived under Lady Xuan’s roof, and whenever Lady Xuan was in a bad mood, she had to stay by her side to offer comfort and strategic advice.

As expected, the moment Ruan Zhaoyi entered, she saw Lady Xuan sitting expressionlessly in her seat, her lips pressed into a straight line, her gaze cold.

Truth be told, Lady Xuan was not an easy person to serve. Although she was generous with rewards, she was equally capricious in temper. Even Ruan Zhaoyi didn’t want to get close when Lady Xuan was not in a good mood.

But she had no choice. She relied on Lady Xuan to secure her position in the harem, and it was her duty to help Lady Xuan solve problems. There was no way to avoid it. So even seeing Lady Xuan’s unpleasant expression, Ruan Zhaoyi entered with a smile and respectfully greeted, ”I have seen the Empress.”

Lady Xuan looked at Ruan Zhaoyi, snorted coldly, her tone emotionless as she said, ”Why did you take so long to get here? Is this Fangcao Pavilion of mine very large? Is your residence that far from here, that you took such a long time?”

”It was my negligence, and I’ve made you wait for too long. It’s my fault. Please punish me,” Ruan Zhaoyi replied without any argument, quickly performing a ritual to submit because she knew Lady Xuan disliked hearing explanations.

Seeing Ruan Zhaoyi’s straightforward apology without quibbling, Lady Xuan’s irritation subsided a little. She didn’t pursue the matter further and gestured, ”Alright, get up. There’s no need for formalities between us. You must have noticed today, that vile woman Gao Yilan has been promoted to Jieyu.

The Empress, I don’t know what she was thinking, actually held such a grand promotion ceremony for that woman, giving her such face!”

Saying this, Lady Xuan couldn’t help but angrily slap the table beside her, exclaiming, ”That vile woman was quite pleased with herself today, daring to flaunt that hairpin in front of me. Does she think now that she’s a Junior Second Rank Jieyu, I can’t do anything to her?

I’m a Junior First Rank Lady, and she’s merely a Junior Second Rank Jieyu. It would be a piece of cake for me to punish her. Ruan Zhaoyi, come up with a good excuse for me to punish her properly and make her understand the concepts of rank and hierarchy.”

Ruan Zhaoyi felt helpless inside. She knew Lady Xuan would think like this, ”Empress, your current plan might be difficult to execute swiftly. Gao Jieyu is currently in high favor. If you punish her, the Emperor might not be pleased.

Previously, you punished her by making her kneel in the snow because you held an esteemed position then, and Gao Jieyu was still a servant. Plus, you were highly favored at the time, and she indeed had been speaking against you. So, when you punished her, neither the Empress nor the Emperor intervened.

Now, Gao Jieyu is in the Emperor’s good graces. If you punish her out of spite, you might end up being perceived by the Emperor as domineering and unaccommodating, which would be counterproductive. You must think carefully.”

Lady Xuan, listening to Ruan Zhaoyi, couldn’t help but express her anger, ”Are you saying I should just swallow my pride and let that wretched woman flaunt her power in front of me? I can’t swallow this anger.”

Ruan Zhaoyi smiled slightly, ”Empress, there’s no need for you to endure this. I’m just suggesting that you avoid direct confrontation with Gao Jieyu, which does not mean there aren’t other ways to handle her.

Gao Jieyu regained the Emperor’s favor by changing her style, using some seductive tactics to allure the Emperor to the Yingyue Palace several times, which led to her promotion. Empress, you can also change your style to attract the Emperor’s attention.”

Because both the Empress and the Emperor tacitly agreed not to disclose Gao Jieyu’s previous attempts at making suggestions to the Empress, in order to avoid inciting wrath from other harem members, none of them knew the true reason for Gao Jieyu’s promotion.

The other concubines assumed Gao Jieyu was promoted from Noble Consort to Jieyu because she had used newfangled methods to capture the Emperor’s attention.

Now, the Clothing Bureau was extremely busy making outfits for the concubines to give them an ethereal aura, with many urging them eagerly, all wanting to attract the Emperor’s gaze.

Lady Xuan was aware of this and even ordered the Clothing Bureau to make a couple of ethereal outfits for her. So when she heard Ruan Zhaoyi’s words, she thought she was suggesting she should follow Gao Jieyu’s lead by dressing ethereally to attract the Emperor.

Though Lady Xuan was planning to do so herself, the thought of mimicking Gao Jieyu’s methods made her feel uncomfortable, and she frowned, ”If you want me to imitate that wretched Gao Jieyu, I can’t accept it. Don’t you have any other ideas?”

Ruan Zhaoyi stood up and moved closer to Lady Xuan, ”Empress, you misunderstood my intention. Your demeanor doesn’t suit Gao Jieyu’s methods. Naturally, I want you to do it differently, to showcase your own unique elegance.”

As Ruan Zhaoyi said this, she leaned down and whispered a few words in Lady Xuan’s ear. As Lady Xuan listened, an eyebrow arched, revealing a satisfied smile. When Ruan Zhaoyi finished, Lady Xuan looked at her and said, ”You truly are clever; this way is indeed excellent.”

With the Clothing Bureau rushing to meet demand, the harem changed its style overnight. The radiant, wealthy beauties withdrew from the stage, replaced by an array of ethereal fairies, each one stepping forward with flowing garments, transforming the harem into an Immortal Palace.

The Emperor had grown tired of gaudy beauties over the years, so when the harem underwent this transformation, it brought him novel experiences, greatly piquing his interest. With the political affairs running smoothly of late, the Emperor was relaxed and inclined to linger more in the harem.

With the Emperor’s interest piqued, the concubines’ chances of seeing him skyrocketed. In his happiness, the Emperor even promoted several lower-ranking concubines; among them, his favorite, Lin Cairen, was promoted to Lin Meiren!

The Emperor spent one day here, another day there, showering attention on all concubines evenly, bringing the multitude of harem flowers into bloom, which incidentally diluted Gao Jieyu’s newly acquired favor somewhat.

Initially, the Emperor was dazzled by the varied efforts of the harem beauties to please him, absorbed in joy each day, but gradually, he still preferred visiting Gao Jieyu’s place.

Although the concubines were diligent in pleasing him, there were times when the overwhelming attention in the harem left him feeling fatigued.