Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

Since Jun Zechen returned from his three-year campaign, the Empress Dowager prepared to select candidates for the Emperor, but the Emperor resolutely refused.

After that, the Empress Dowager had no way to deal with this emperor and could only sigh helplessly.

The fourth year of Chongwu.

In the imperial court, a group of court officials earnestly petitioned His Majesty to initiate a selection of imperial concubines to enrich the harem and ensure the continuation of the imperial line.

However, Jun Zechen seemed not to hear and remained unmoved.

Ultimately, these court officials turned to the Empress Dowager for help.

But the emperor had already explicitly forbidden the selection of concubines. Was she, as the empress dowager, going to lead the way in disobeying her son's imperial decree?

The Empress Dowager sat in the palace, her brows furrowed, her heart filled with turmoil.

Finally, she came up with an idea: instead of holding a large-scale talent show, the ministers should present beautiful women to the emperor.

After hearing Anshun's report, Jun Zechen frowned slightly and pinched his temple with one hand, seemingly somewhat helpless.

After a moment of silence, he finally gave up on opposing his mother's actions.

Three months later, the Empress Dowager carefully selected five beauties to enter the palace. This time, she did not consider the family background of the beauties she selected.

These five beauties each had their own distinct style, yet upon closer inspection, they all bore a resemblance to the deceased empress.

After the five beauties entered the palace, they did not dare to delay for a moment and went directly to Cining Palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.

When they arrived at Cining Palace, the six imperial concubines had already arrived.

The five beauties walked to the center and bowed to the Empress Dowager and the other ladies-in-waiting.

The Empress Dowager's gaze fell on five beauties, who were carefully selected from among the many beauties presented to her by the nannies she had specially dispatched who had previously met the Empress.

The purpose was to specifically find someone who resembled the Empress.

"Raise your head," the Empress Dowager said sternly.

Upon hearing this, the five beauties slowly raised their heads, their faces displaying smiles of roughly the same curve, a result of their rigorous training in palace rules.

The Empress Dowager's gaze was instantly drawn to the second beauty on the right.

It's so similar, it's uncanny.

"You, take a few steps forward."

The Empress Dowager pointed her finger at the woman in the pale yellow palace dress.

The woman was somewhat surprised, but her good upbringing prevented her from showing it, and she followed instructions and came out.

"What's your name?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"My name is Bai Yingyue. My father is Bai Xiang, the Assistant Director of the Imperial Academy," the woman replied softly, bowing her head slightly.

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly.

Although her family background wasn't particularly high, her looks were truly remarkable.

Lin Miaoyin then shifted her gaze to Bai Yingyue's face, her eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

She had long heard that the Empress Dowager was selecting women who resembled the Empress. When she first heard this news, she didn't take it to heart and even secretly looked down on it.

The queen had no sisters, so how similar could they be?

She couldn't believe there was anyone who could compare to the Empress.

But when she actually saw Bai Yingyue's face, she couldn't help but be startled.

Bai Yingyue's face resembled the Empress's by about 60%, but her temperament and demeanor were naturally not as arrogant and domineering as when the Empress was in the Eastern Palace.

"Please sit down," the Empress Dowager said gently.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

The women responded in unison and then took their seats.

After meeting the women, the Empress Dowager bestowed titles upon them according to their appearance and family background.

Bai Yingyue was granted the title of a fifth-rank beauty due to her outstanding appearance.

That evening, the Empress Dowager had Bai Meiren carried to the Qianqing Palace.

When Anshun saw that the beauty had been sent to the west side hall, he couldn't help but look embarrassed. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to report to His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, Consort Bai has already arrived at the West Hall. Would you like to go and see her? The Empress Dowager said that she specially selected her for you according to your preferences."

Upon hearing this, Jun Zechen frowned, his handsome, sword-like eyebrows now appearing to be knotted together, and a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.

What are his preferences?

He hasn't had any thoughts of touching women in the past few years, almost returning to the state of health preservation he had in his previous life.

How did the Empress Dowager know his preferences?

It's utterly absurd.

"Send her back," Jun Zechen said coldly.

"The Empress Dowager sent someone to say that this beauty must be to His Majesty's liking, and that His Majesty must go and see her."

Anshun's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his voice grew even softer.

Jun Zechen's impatience became increasingly apparent.

But he didn't want to offend his mother again and again, so after a moment of silence, he finally stood up and walked towards the west side hall.

Bai Yingyue sat on the edge of the bed, her hands folded on her lap, her body taut and tense.

She was dressed in thin clothes, and the slight chill made her cheeks turn pink.

Jun Zechen walked in, his footsteps making quite a commotion in the quiet west hall.

Upon hearing the sound, Bai Yingyue quickly stood up and bowed respectfully and properly.

"This humble concubine greets Your Majesty."

Get up.

Jun Zechen's voice was cold and distant. He didn't even glance at her, ignoring her completely, and went straight to lie down on the bed in the west wing. He casually placed one hand on his forehead and held a book in the other.

Bai Yingyue was momentarily at a loss. After a long while, she finally mustered her courage and whispered, "Your Majesty?"

Jun Zechen only turned his gaze from the book to her when he heard her voice.

His previously casual gaze suddenly sharpened the moment it fell upon her face.

Is this the beauty that the Empress Dowager was referring to, chosen according to his preferences?

Jun Zechen's face instantly turned gloomy, his lips pressed tightly together, the lines straight and stiff.

He suddenly stood up, his movement so forceful it created a gust of wind, and then walked straight out without saying a word.

Bai Yingyue was completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events, not knowing what she had done to offend His Majesty, and felt even more flustered and helpless.

She knelt on the ground with a thud, her voice trembling with tears: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, what have I done wrong?"

Jun Zechen had just reached the door when he heard her pleading and stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned his head, looking at her coldly, and said indifferently, "Get up."

He couldn't stand seeing her kneeling so humbly on the ground, with a face that resembled hers.

In that instant, Jun Zechen suddenly had another thought.

Since the Empress Dowager thinks he likes this kind of thing, then let him like it and let her see it, so that the Empress Dowager won't try every day to find ways to stuff women into his Qianqing Palace.

The Imperial Concubine is now unchecked in the palace. Because she has a prince and comes from a good family, her mother entrusted her with managing the harem. Her ambition has grown stronger, and she even dares to covet the position of Empress.

Then find her something to do.

Thinking of this, Jun Zechen lay back down on the bed, closed his eyes, and refused to look at Bai Yingyue again.

Bai Yingyue sat motionless on the edge of the bed, not daring to breathe, her heart filled with unease.

When the time was almost up, Jun Zechen got up and returned to his own bedroom, leaving Bai Yingyue sitting alone by the bed, unsure of what to do.

Anshun walked in with a smile on his face.

"Beauty Bai, you have worked hard serving His Majesty tonight. This servant will send someone to escort you back."

Bai Yingyue became increasingly puzzled, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion, and she gently bit her lower lip.

She did nothing tonight, but...

She looked up at Eunuch Anshun and saw that there seemed to be a deeper meaning in his words. Although she had many questions in her heart, she said nothing more.

She knew perfectly well that His Majesty had not summoned any of the concubines in the harem for many years.

Now that she has come today and stayed in the West Palace for so long, even if she has a low rank and a humble family background, it is likely that no one in the harem will dare to bully her easily.

Among the five newly arrived concubines, she did not come from the highest family background, but she won the favor of the Empress Dowager and was the first to be sent to the Qianqing Palace.

Therefore, she naturally couldn't let the other concubines know that she hadn't served the emperor that night.

The next day, news of His Majesty's favor towards Consort Bai spread like wildfire throughout the palace, stirring up waves of excitement.

Lin Miaoyin originally thought that she had long been able to let go of the Emperor. Even though the Emperor had not summoned any concubines for many years, she had a prince by her side and controlled the palace. Given time, it was not impossible for her to become the Empress.

But now, a beautiful white woman who resembles the Empress has arrived!

Her carefully maintained composure was instantly shattered, and her eyes revealed undisguised jealousy and unease.

Since the day His Majesty favored Consort Bai, he has summoned her to the Qianqing Palace almost every few days.

Seeing that the emperor had finally begun to favor his concubines, the Empress Dowager felt much relieved, and the look of satisfaction on her face became even more evident.

However, the other concubines in the harem who were not favored could only secretly envy Consort Bai. Whether they were newly entered concubines or former elders of the Eastern Palace, they dared not speak out against it.

Bai Meiren's rank would rise every few months, and in just one year, she rose to the rank of Consort, even higher than some of the older members of the Eastern Palace who came from well-to-do families.

When Bai Yingyue first entered the palace, she was cautious and timid.

But ever since she discovered that whenever any of the concubines made things difficult for her or punished her, His Majesty would stand by her side without hesitation, she became even bolder.

Now, she doesn't even put the Imperial Concubine in the slightest.

In the harem, her pomp and circumstance grew ever larger, and her arrogant demeanor became ever more pronounced.

The fifth year of Chongwu.

Jun Zechen, dressed in the clothes of an ordinary person, deliberately concealed his whereabouts, and led some of his concubines and several ministers south to Jiangzhou.

Although the concubines were dressed simply, they could not hide the delicate beauty and noble air in their eyes.

The three princes followed along. The second and third princes were very excited, but the eldest prince remained completely unmoved.

Meanwhile, after touring the entire imperial court, Ning Qian, along with Li Jing and Zhongli Mingchuan, arrived in Jiangzhou.

They found a courtyard in Jiangzhou that they liked and planned to stay there for two months before moving on to their next destination.