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

Li Ruolan has an excellent figure; both her full breasts and waist have been trained by the best teachers in Kyoto.

Women generally find it difficult to talk about matters of the bedroom, but the First Madam was farsighted and knew what kind of women men liked. She even went so far as to hire someone to give her daughter some advice.

Li Ruolan herself looked down on these brothel-like pretentious behavior, but she couldn't resist the fact that the emperor liked it.

Yes, the emperor has three thousand beauties in his harem. What kind of noble ladies haven't he seen?

Whether they are daughters of generals or talented women, not to mention those skilled in poetry and prose, there are several of them easily found.

Even if Li Ruolan tried her best to improve her zither skills, it wouldn't necessarily win the emperor's favor based on that alone.

She had to learn both righteous and unorthodox methods.

Her clothes were also specially made to accentuate her beautiful figure; someone like Consort Wei could never fit into them no matter what.

Wei Cairen coveted these clothes simply because she wanted to wear them so that her figure would be like Li Ruolan's.

Unfortunately, they forgot that they started from different points, and Wei Cai Ren could never compare to them in this respect.

The reason I let Granny Gui in earlier was because I wanted to choose other clothes, but in the end I couldn't wear them, so I had to put them down.

Changing clothes took forever, and Wei Cairen was fiddling with something inside; even an incense stick's time wasn't enough to keep her busy.

Fortunately, Qiu Changzai was patient, and even Granny Gui was waiting to see what would happen.

When she finally came out, her clothes were a bit long, and even with a corset, they couldn't fit her properly.

The reason was the fabric on her chest. It fit Li Ruolan perfectly, but when Wei Cairen wore it, it looked like a misshapen mess.

But since she couldn't wear her wet clothes, Wei Cai Ren didn't dare to go out casually in this state!

She hurriedly sent her maid back to fetch a change of clothes, and then went back to her inner room to stay.

She certainly wouldn't dare to show her face in this state. From now on, she probably won't covet Li Ruolan's original clothes, but will instead be thinking about getting a few more bolts of good fabric.

Having dealt with one, Granny Gui then turned to Consort Qiu and led her out.

"Consort, our Lady needs to discuss some matters with you privately. Please come to us."

Initially, the plan for the autumn hunt should have been devised to avoid Wei Cai Ren.

After their last visit to Shou Kang Palace, Li Ruolan had a bad impression of Consort Wei and even thought she was a useless dog.

At this moment, Qiu Lie needed her own people present the most, but unexpectedly, despite her many schemes, she didn't get a position. Instead, the inconspicuous Qiu Changzai gained the emperor's favor.

The answer to which was more important and which was less important had already been given to Li Ruolan at this moment.

As for Consort Wei, let's talk about her when she's needed.

This was the first time Qiu Changzai had spoken to Li Ruolan in private, and she was somewhat flattered. She even hesitated to look Li Ruolan in the eye once she entered the room.

Unexpectedly, Li Ruolan became extremely close to her.

"What's wrong, my dear sister? Did Granny Gui not treat you well just now?"

Li Ruolan was beautiful and graceful in every gesture. She was still a concubine. She walked over and took Qiu Changzai's hand, making the latter almost afraid to look her in the eye.

A very beautiful person, and also very scary...

Qiu Changzai is very good at judging people. Having been by Li Ruolan's side for a long time, she is even more aware that the other party's current show of goodwill is definitely not that simple.

As it turned out, she was right.

Li Ruolan definitely needs her help.

"Sister, as you know, I can't accompany His Majesty on this autumn hunt. After all, it's not appropriate for the child in my womb to go to those places. You are my dear sister, and now you have gained the Emperor's favor. Would you be willing to do your elder sister a favor?"

They keep calling each other "sisters," and even those who weren't particularly close before suddenly become friendly.

It was as if the person who had been refusing to see anyone a few days ago was not Li Ruolan.

Those words, telling her that the Qiu family was at their wits' end and could only wait to die, didn't come from her mouth either...

Qiu Changzai trembled slightly with fear, but was gently comforted by Li Ruolan.

"Sister, I know about your father's matter. I said we needed to discuss it further because Wei Cai was here. I wouldn't dare to say anything to anyone."

The final words landed on Qiu Changzai's father, getting straight to the point.

"Your Majesty, will you really save my father?"

Avoiding touching on sensitive topics, Qiu Changzai was unwilling to probe any further and directly asked what was on her mind.

The Li family will really save her father, right?

Would the Li family really help with something that even the Emperor forbids others to interfere with?

True friendship is revealed in times of trouble. The kindness of helping someone in need can never be repaid. Once someone has helped you, no matter what the big deal it may be in the future, Qiu Changzai would do anything for Li Ruolan.

This is a suggestion from Granny Gui.

Once a person has a weakness, that weakness can be used to manipulate others.

Qiu Changzai wasn't very obedient before, but after today's events, she will become her person from now on.

No, it's a loyal and good dog.

But Li Ruolan didn't just say what she wanted Qiu Chang to do; she only made sure that Qiu Chang could become her person.

Once the decision is made, it is even more important to state one's position.

"I will tell you about this mission the day before the autumn hunt. Don't worry, it's definitely not a bad thing."

"Consort Qiu, I am now pregnant and naturally unable to serve His Majesty as well. If you need my help in the future, I will do so."

In just two simple sentences, all the benefits were clearly explained.

If Consort Qiu wanted to rise in the harem, she could not only rely on the Li family, but most importantly, on the Emperor's favor.

This is something every woman in the imperial harem should know.

Now, Li Ruolan has offered a benefit: giving Qiu Changzai a chance to serve the Emperor.

The emperor would choose a concubine every night, and even if he didn't stay overnight, he would visit the rooms of other concubines in the palace.

In this matter, the favor was indeed distributed evenly. Besides frequently visiting the palaces of the Empress and Consort Su, the pregnant Li Ruolan is currently the one receiving the most affection.

If she were willing to share some of her favor with the concubines below her, anyone would think she was generous.

The reason she's doing this now isn't because she's particularly generous, but because she doesn't want the Emperor to notice too much of her pregnant belly.

The belly is fake; it's stuffed with cotton. As the pregnancy progresses, I'm afraid I'll have to keep my distance from His Majesty even more.

Liars are naturally afraid of their lies being exposed, and this is also a way of preparing for the future.

What Li Ruolan lacks now is not money or favor, but loyal servants.

It's about finding those helpers who can appear whenever you need them.

Qiu Changzai is easy to manipulate, and she happens to be the helper I need now. At least in some ways, she is more patient than Wei Cairen.

After saying this, Qiu Changzai took her leave.

She came here for these reasons, and as for Consort Wei, that's not something she should care about.

Yunxi could see everything clearly from the corner. Although she didn't know what deal they had made in private, Qiu Changzai would never forget what happened between them.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, but Li Ruolan is not a tiger; she is a venomous snake.

Can one really live a peaceful and safe life surrounded by venomous snakes?

Yunxi only needs to see if Qiu Changzai will still come at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow.

She can help someone once, and she can help them a second time, but luck may not always be on her side.

Most of the palace staff in Jingyang Palace came from Yaoguang Palace before.

Everyone quickly discovered something.

Yunxi, who was originally the most favored by Consort Lan, seems to have fallen out of favor. Now most of the good things are happening to Qingqiu, while Yunxi is basically doing some small chores in the backyard.

I was either mending clothes or decocting medicine. Although it wasn't hard or strenuous work, I felt that I wasn't receiving as much attention as before.

But the most taboo thing in the palace is gossiping. Even if someone wanted to ask, they wouldn't dare to play tricks in front of Granny Gui.

Granny Gui was very strict, and she was incredibly accurate in judging people; no one dared to act recklessly in front of her.

With this regulation in place, life at Jingyang Palace became quite peaceful.

Every morning, Yunxi would take a flower basket out to pick flowers, saying it was to collect morning dew.

The morning dew was used by Li Ruolan to make spices. There was a fragrance that only Yunxi knew how to make, and only she could make that flavor.

It wasn't actually for Li Ruolan, but for herself.

That appearance must not be discovered by others, and those special herbs can only be made by oneself.

Even Qingqiu didn't know these secrets, so all she could do was let her leave early and return before everyone else got up.

The garden was the closest one in the neighborhood, and it usually had a lot of flowers, which was just enough to restrict Yunxi's movement and prevent her from attracting too much attention.

These days, the once quiet garden has attracted a lot of attention.

Despite this, Yunxi still arranged to meet here, clearly taking advantage of the situation.

When Qiu Changzai came for the second time, she was still very nervous. She had her maid keep watch by her side, and she didn't dawdle anymore. She went straight into the rockery and saw Yunxi.

"Miss Yunxi, what do you think I should do next?"

Ever since she returned from Jingyang Palace last time, she still felt uneasy.

Although the conditions offered by Li Ruolan were very tempting, she felt it was dangerous.

You know the other person's true nature all too well.

We're trying to win them over now that they're somewhat useful, but what if they're no longer useful...?

Qiu Changzai was still worried. Even though she received the emperor's reward, she wasn't particularly happy. Her mind was filled with thoughts of how to rescue her father.

Her father was still being escorted to the capital. If something were to happen to him, what would become of her mother and her young siblings?

It's probably not an act now; she's exposed almost all her vulnerability to Yunxi.

Yunxi simply raised her hand and gently caressed her shoulder.

"Qiu Changzai, have you thought this through?"

"I am but a lowly palace maid, and my methods are naturally no match for Consort Lan."

"If you choose me, and something unexpected happens in the future, won't you regret it?"