The Job Of An Imperial Concubine

2

TJOAIC 2 - THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE EMPEROR'S TASTE! (皇帝口味有问题!)

"So you're saying the ones who are currently favored the most are Noble Consort¹ Shu, Consort² Rou, and Noble Imperial Concubine³ Yan?" Zhuang Laoyan had eaten and slept well. After learning the personalities of the servants before her, she finally decided to start working on her plan.

"Responding to master, that's exactly so. His Majesty is also fond of Consort Ning, Zhaorong⁴Xu and Shuyi⁵ Ye. These three receive a lot of respect because of this. There's also Consort Xian and Consort Yuan, who have followed the emperor since he was the crown prince. For this reason, they are different from the other imperial concubines. Recently, the emperor spent a night with Jieyu Zhuang, Ronghua⁶ Bai, and Liangyi⁷ Jin." As the title of Jieyu Zhuang had left her lips, Yunxi studied her master's expression. Zhuang Laoyan did not so much as frown. Due to this, Yunxi thought her master was definitely more calm than before. She let out a soft sigh she had not known she was holding. Finally, the servants could look forward to their future.　　

To be honest, if it was just appearance, her master was one of the most beautiful in the imperial harem. Her skin was pale and tender, hair as dark as ink, and lashes long and exquisite. If it weren't for such an impeccable appearance, her master would never have received the emperor's affection. Unfortunately, her past personality had been too arrogant and not diligent, wasting her good looks.

Noble Consort Shu and Noble Imperial Concubine Yan had a talent for dancing, Consort Rou was a marvelous singer, Consort Ning excelled at painting, Zhaorong Xu was skilled in poetry, and Shuyi Ye possessed a pleasant attitude. Additionally, Ronghua Bai and Liangyi Jin were gentle and soft in both appearance and demeanor. That the harem's imperial concubines were skillful was apparent. If any of them lived in the modern age, a lot of men would chase after them. Too bad they were born in the wrong place and time.

Even Jieyu Zhuang, her sister from a different mother and who had spent the night with the emperor twice, was beautiful. No wonder after those two times, Wanyi Zhuang had been pushed into the recesses of the emperor's mind.　　

For those emperors surrounded by gorgeous women, only possessing beauty would not guarantee favor. Since in the imperial harem, the most dispensable thing was beauty.

As for the two women the emperor fancied the most, Noble Consort Shu and Noble Imperial Concubine Yan, their greatest talent was dancing... A wicked thought suddenly flashed in Zhuang Laoyan's mind. Those skilled in dancing often had tender bodies and skinny waists. The emperor probably loved these attributes. Because no matter the number of desired traits, for a man, certain attributes were the most important.

Zhuang Laoyan was currently a fifth-rank Wanyi. Therefore, after she removed those who weren't respectful or loyal, she had a total of three palace maids and eunuchs attending to her. Yunxi and Tingzhu as maidservants, and Fu Bao as the sole eunuch. Fortunately, Taoyu Pavilion did not have any big occasion planned in the near future, and things were still peaceful for now.

"Currently, I only have the three of you by my side. So if I use someone, that means I trust them. If I don't use someone, that means I don't. From now on, we will share weal and woe. If I reach the peak, I won't leave you lying in the dirt." Of course, Zhuang Laoyan did not believe that in this world people's heart could not change. However, she just needed the trio's loyalty for now, and that would be enough for her purposes. She wouldn't be stingy with words of morale.