He asked you to serve him in bed and become his concubine, how did you manage to win his heart and s

Qiu Miaomiao is able to participate in the autumn hunt now entirely thanks to the note given to her by Yunxi.

The herbs mentioned above happen to be used for detoxification.

At first, she couldn't understand how these things could save her, but when she went to the garden that day and found the Twelfth Prince, everything became clear.

The emperor didn't have many brothers. During the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, most of the older princes were sent out of the capital and could not return without an imperial edict.

The only one who is still young is the twelfth child, who is only eight years old now and is still being raised in the palace.

This little brother is the emperor's closest brother now, but unfortunately he is a bit sickly. Although he is mischievous, he gets sick every few days.

The imperial physician said that this was a congenital illness, a kind of weakness, and that with proper care, the body would become strong as the child grew up.

But the weather is unpredictable these days, and my body is a bit weak.

Little Twelve usually likes to go out and play, and the autumn hunt is the only opportunity for her to leave the palace. That day, she went to the garden to get some exercise.

Unexpectedly, he accidentally disturbed a hibernating snake, and that's when he suffered the consequences.

Fortunately, Qiu Changzai arrived in time, personally sucked out the venom, and tore open a sachet she carried with her to apply medicine, thus preventing a disaster from happening.

This is a good thing, and naturally it will be rewarded.

Qiu Changzai finally got the chance to see the emperor. After almost a year in the palace, she was able to hear her name spoken by the emperor.

"I dare not take credit. The sachet was just a little life-saving gadget I made in early spring because I was afraid of snakes. I never expected it to save the Twelfth Prince by accident."

She made up a story, recalling that someone had said they saw a snake in the garden in early spring and that they were afraid of snakes, so she went to the imperial physician and got some medicinal herbs for use.

These all work well to cover up the lie. The imperial physician from Bian Sui was someone she knew, and later the matter of her getting the medicine could be added to the records.

Although the Emperor was suspicious and felt that the matter was too coincidental, the Twelfth Prince was still so young and had several more years before leaving the palace. He did not interfere in court affairs and was a prince who knew nothing. Even if Consort Qiu tried to curry favor with him, she would not gain any benefit.

How could Mu Xiaoci not know that Qiu Changzai had a father awaiting interrogation? But he didn't want to bring it up, and even more so, he didn't want to show any favoritism before the matter was resolved.

He had a concubine in his harem who was the daughter of a disgraced official. It was right for him to avoid suspicion, but since she had rendered meritorious service, he couldn't just deprive her of the opportunity to receive a reward.

It's definitely not possible to help her rescue her father.

Just as she was thinking about how to refuse him, she didn't expect that what Qiu Changzai was asking for wasn't that at all.

"Your Majesty, I have been in the palace for over a year. If I could have the opportunity to go on the autumn hunt, that would be the greatest reward."

"Just going on an autumn hunt?"

"I beg Your Majesty's mercy."

Qiu Chang spoke each word with unwavering conviction.

Yunxi told her that she absolutely could not reveal her father's affairs at this time. The emperor was suspicious, and she absolutely could not reveal what she wanted to know most.

That way, men will think more highly of her and maintain their attraction to her.

If she could gain the Emperor's favor now, her father could be exonerated, and the family wouldn't have to suffer too much.

That's how it is for women in the imperial harem; once they enter the palace, they can never leave.

If possible, everyone would want to seek some benefits here so that their family members away from home can live comfortably.

Qiu Changzai chose to listen to Yunxi, but now that she was isolated and helpless, she could only try anything as a last resort.

She was truly desperate.

The emperor quickly approved her suggestion and the next day the list of women from the harem for the trip was finalized.

Consort Su would certainly go; every year she would perform her equestrian skills on the spot, and even go hunting with men in the hunting area.

She was hailed as a heroine of our time, a woman who rivaled any man, and truly stole the show.

Even the concubines around Consort Su who liked to flatter her cheered at this time, and if they performed well, they would also gain some favor from the Emperor.

That's just how the imperial harem is; all those women just want a share of the emperor's favor.

In order to show the emperor that she was willing to be a supporting character to highlight the flowers, she wanted to be seen as a good thing.

On the contrary, it was Li Ruolan's people who couldn't go.

Her pregnancy was one reason, and another reason was that if she didn't go, how could Consort Wei dare to claim credit? She certainly wouldn't dare to anger the other party at this time.

Knowing that Li Ruolan was usually such a petty person, how could anyone dare to provoke her?

Let's just wait patiently. Just because we can't go this year doesn't mean we can't go in the future.

The Li family wields considerable power these days, and if you anger them, your own family will be unable to offer any assistance.

These concubines were not just concubines; they also represented an entire family.

The prosperity of a family depends not only on the father's prestige in the court, but also on the daughter's influence in the emperor's bedchamber.

If you're not favored, then you should at least avoid committing any offenses.

Otherwise, even a small action could bring disaster to the family members outside the palace.

No one would be foolish enough to gamble with their own family.

Even Qiu Changzai was no exception, and she knew that what she had to do now was to minimize the damage to her family.

Before her father was actually imprisoned, she absolutely had to keep herself calm.

It looked like a huge gamble, and only Qiu Changzai knew that it was the only thing she could do.

On the day the list was released, Li Ruolan, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, sent her a message.

She was never invited to previous tea parties, but now she's remembered.

When they met again, the sisters seemed much more distant than before.

Even Consort Wei became more talkative.

"I never expected that my sister would do a good deed and be noticed by the Emperor. Even the two of us older sisters couldn't participate in the autumn hunt, but my sister was allowed to go."

It wasn't easy for a concubine to go out, unless there was a major change in her family situation, or she was traveling with the emperor.

As for the others, it was absolutely impossible for them to leave this palace alive.

Not to mention that she was always by the emperor's side; how could that not be considered a form of favoritism?

Consort Wei was jealous.

She also thought that Qiu Changzai's father was about to lose his official position, but he was able to escape from a desperate situation at this time, which made people think that she was lucky.

But good luck can't last forever in the harem. If you're smug now, you might fall even harder later!

Jealousy is impossible to hide; not only Wei Cairen, but even Li Ruolan felt somewhat uncomfortable.

But she was relatively restrained, unlike Consort Wei who couldn't sit still.

"It's good that you're going. I'm pregnant now and it's inconvenient for me to travel far. You can also go and see Consort Su and report back to me if anything happens."

Yes, Consort Su still has no children, so she's probably thinking more about getting closer to the Emperor.

If you can't remember the child, you can't be intimate with the emperor, and that would truly mean you're destined to have no offspring.

As the saying goes, "Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders."

It would be better if Consort Qiu were to gain favor here than if that vile Consort Su were to benefit from it.

Li Ruolan has now thought it through clearly: if she is pregnant and unable to serve the Emperor, she can have Consort Qiu temporarily take her place.

After all, she had already managed to get the chance to leave on her own, and in terms of intelligence, she was indeed smarter than Consort Wei.

In addition, given that Consort Wei had witnessed her embarrassing moment in front of the Empress Dowager, to be honest, Li Ruolan now prefers Consort Qiu's straightforwardness.

Look at Qiu Changzai right now; even though he has gained power, his attitude remains neither humble nor arrogant.

Even in front of her, he remained unchanged and did not get angry with Wei Cai Ren.

The reason I allowed her to stay by my side in the first place was because I valued her honesty, wasn't it?

This is just right now.

When asking someone to do something, you have to be sincere. Li Ruolan understood this very well, and she also knew what the other party needed most right now.

"Miaomiao, I know your father is innocent. I haven't seen you these days because I'm pregnant and not feeling well. I felt much better yesterday and sent a letter home, asking my father to pay more attention to your father's situation."

At the very least, it will make your father's days in prison a little easier. You know that everything takes time these days, and you understand my good intentions, right?

The last rhetorical question has already made things very clear.

Li Ruolan wanted an obedient helper. If Qiu Changzai could offer something sincere, she could give her what she wanted.

Nowadays, nobody wants to get involved with the Qiu family's affairs, so it's already a huge help if even one person is willing to lend a hand.

She couldn't possibly not be grateful.

These were all things that Granny Gui told Li Ruolan yesterday.

If Qiu Changzai can truly continue her efforts and gain favor during this autumn hunt, she will be able to become their pawn during Li Ruolan's ten-month pregnancy.

During her pregnancy, the Emperor still wanted to extend his favor to all the concubines in the harem. She needed the help of more concubines so that the Emperor wouldn't always stay overnight at Consort Su's place.

Currently, the only person Li Ruolan can consider a rival is Consort Su.

Although Consort Wei was clever, she was always a little unlucky. She had served the emperor last time, but nothing happened afterward.

She has been in the palace for a long time, but she is still only a concubine.

At first, Consort Qiu was like that, but now Consort Qiu is different. She is the savior of the Twelfth Prince. Don't look down on the prince because he is still young. In a few years, when he has his coming-of-age ceremony and is about to move out of the palace, he may become one of their people.

Many plans are started in advance. Granny Gui knows best what it means to provide timely help, so she specifically asked Li Ruolan to seize Qiu Changzai's weakness.

Sure enough, when talking about her father, Qiu Chang's usually calm face showed a hint of sadness.

A few days ago, I sought help but was turned away when I went to their door, but now the situation has reversed.

She hadn't even asked for help before the other party made the request.

Before entering the palace, she thought she wouldn't have any entanglements with anyone, but once she entered the palace, she realized it was like entering a deep sea, and now she understands what it's like.

Having achieved his goal, he simply bowed slightly and thanked Li Ruolan for her promise to help.

But Qiu Changzai was still unsure of what to do next.

She just wants to find one person right now.

Looking for Yunxi.

I'd like to ask her what her next plans are.