The Second World in Ancient Times

Chapter 64: Winning over forces and consolidating status

In this ever-changing harem, after experiencing the turmoil with Concubine Li, I realized even more deeply that if I wanted to gain a lasting foothold here, relying solely on the king's favor was far from enough; I must have my own power. So, I began my plan.

One day, I called Wanqing to my side and said to her, "Wanqing, we can't be isolated and helpless like this anymore. This harem is like a huge network. Everyone has their own spies and helpers. We must have our own people too."

Wanqing nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right, but where should we start?"

I pondered for a moment and said, "Let's start with the palace maids and eunuchs around us. Although they have low status, they know a lot about the trivial matters of the palace and can be of great use to us."

The first thing I noticed was Cui'er, the maid in charge of cleaning my palace. She was conscientious and always quietly kept the palace spotless. I called her over and asked with a smile, "Cui'er, how long have you been here?"

Cui Er replied nervously, "Your Majesty, I have been in the palace for three years."

I took her hand and said gently, "You must have suffered a lot in the past three years. How are your family members?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Cui'er's eyes, as if she hadn't expected me to care about her like this. Her eyes reddened slightly: "My parents are still in good health, but I haven't seen them for a long time and I miss them very much."

I patted her hand gently and said, "I know how difficult it is for you palace maids. If you have any difficulties in the future, or want to bring something for your family, you can tell me."

Cui Er fell to her knees with a thud, tears of gratitude streaming down her face. "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I will serve you with all my heart."

I helped her up and said earnestly, "Cui'er, I don't need your empty words. I only hope that you can be loyal to me. In this harem, loyalty is the most important thing. If you treat me sincerely, I will not treat you unfairly."

Besides showing favor, I also display authority when appropriate. Once, a young eunuch made a mistake while delivering a message, nearly putting me in a difficult position. I called him over, my face darkening, "Is this how you perfunctorily handle the things I ask you to do? If your negligence causes me trouble, are you willing to bear the consequences?"

The young eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I will never do it again."

I stared into his eyes and said sternly, "I can forgive you this time, but if you do it again, I will never let you off easily."

By using this combination of kindness and force, more and more palace maids and eunuchs are willing to work for me.

While trying to win over these minor figures, I was also looking for concubines to form an alliance with. By chance, I met Concubine Lan. She had always remained neutral in the harem and did not participate in the struggles of other concubines.

I happened to run into her while admiring the flowers in the Imperial Garden. I smiled and said, "Sister Lan Fei, are you here to enjoy the flowers too?"

Concubine Lan nodded slightly: "Yes, the flowers are in full bloom, and it makes me feel good. Sister Concubine Yu, you look good today."

I walked over to her, looked at the flowers and said, "Sister, although the flowers in this harem are beautiful, the hearts of people are very complicated. I'm new here, and sometimes I really feel overwhelmed."

Concubine Lan glanced at me, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes: "Sister, life in the harem is not easy. After you are favored, it must be even more difficult."

I sighed. "Sister, you're right. I don't want to get involved in those meaningless fights, but sometimes I always get dragged into them. Sister, you've been in the palace for many years. Do you have any insights?"

Concubine Lan smiled slightly. "Sister, in this harem, it is important to protect yourself, but you can't let yourself be bullied. Although we won't take the initiative to provoke trouble, we must also have ways to deal with it."

I felt a stir in my heart, thinking that Concubine Lan was someone I could cooperate with, so I tentatively said, "Sister, I think we can support each other. You also know that I am in a difficult situation now. If you can form an alliance with me, we can share intelligence and look after each other."

Concubine Lan pondered for a moment and nodded, "My sister, this is a good suggestion. In this harem, it is always better to have one more friend than one more enemy. However, we are only trying to protect ourselves and should not take the initiative to plot against others."

I nodded quickly: "Don't worry, sister, I mean the same thing."

In this way, Lan Fei and I reached a preliminary alliance.

One time, Concubine Lan came to me in a hurry, looking a little nervous. "Sister Concubine Yu, I've heard that several concubines are planning to unite and slander you in front of the king, saying that you are secretly hiding witchcraft items in the palace and intending to curse the king."

I was shocked and frowned: "Sister, this is clearly a frame-up. They really will do anything to achieve their goal."

Concubine Lan nodded and said, "Sister, we have to find a way to deal with this. From what I know, they bribed a young eunuch and planned to secretly hide the witchcraft items in your palace and then bring people to search it."

I clenched my fists, a flash of anger in my eyes. "Hmph, now that we know their plot, we can't let them succeed. Sister, do you have any good ideas?"

Concubine Lan thought for a moment and said, "We can use their trick against them. We can set up a plan in the palace first, and when the eunuch comes in to hide something, we can catch him red-handed. Then we can bring him to the king and expose their conspiracy."

I nodded and praised: "Sister, this is a good idea. Let's do it this way."

As planned, we set a trap in the palace. Sure enough, in the middle of the night, the bribed eunuch sneaked into my palace. As soon as he hid the witchcraft items, we rushed over and captured him.

I looked at the young eunuch and sneered, "Hmph, you're so bold! You actually dared to hide something like this in my palace. Tell me, who ordered you to do that?"

The young eunuch was so frightened that he trembled all over and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was Concubine Hui and Concubine Zhen who ordered me to do this. I was forced into this situation."

I took the eunuch and the evidence and went straight to the king. The king was in his study, handling government affairs. Seeing me come so late at night, he was a little surprised: "Concubine Yu, what are you doing?"

I told the king everything that had happened, then presented him with the eunuch and the sorcery items. "Your Majesty, I am loyal to you. How could I have done such a treasonous act? It's clear someone is jealous of me and wants to frame me."

The king's face darkened as he angrily exclaimed, "How dare such a thing happen! Concubine Hui and Concubine Zhen are so bold!"

The next day, the king announced the punishment for Concubine Hui and Concubine Zhen in the court, demoting them to commoners and expelling them from the palace.

After this incident, my prestige within the harem increased significantly. Those palace maids and eunuchs who had originally wanted to join other factions now stood firmly on my side. And my alliance with Concubine Lan became even more solid.

The king's trust in me deepened. He came to my palace, took my hand, and said, "My beloved, it was thanks to your wit that we prevented those treacherous men from succeeding. I know you've suffered much injustice in this harem."

I snuggled in the king's arms, tears in my eyes. "Your Majesty, as long as you trust me, I'm not afraid of anything. I just don't want these conspiracies to destroy the peace of the harem, nor do I want to affect the relationship between us."

The king stroked my hair gently and said, "My beloved, I am very pleased that you have such a broad mind. It is my blessing to have you in my harem."

In this complicated harem, I gradually established my own power and consolidated my position through my own wisdom and means.