Harem Battle Strategy 1
"Xiao Lang, Xiao Lang."
Tao Wan heard the voice and slowly opened his eyes. He turned around and looked at the person standing beside his bed.
"Xiao Lang, it's time to get up. You should be prepared to enter the palace today."
"Father Wu …" Tao Wan sat up from the bed with sleepy eyes.
There were seven to eight maids standing behind Father Wu. They were holding trays with toiletries on them.
Seeing Tao Wan sit up, Father Wu stepped back. Two maids came forward and helped Tao Wan wash up.
After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, Tao Yuan stood up and walked towards the dressing room. The maidservants retreated, followed by Father Wu and two attendants. They entered the dressing room together to help Tao Yuan change his clothes.
The two maids opened the wardrobe. Father Wu took out a light red robe with silver embroidery and prepared to help Tao Wan put it on.
Tao Wan looked at the robe and said, "I don't want to wear this."
Father Wu was stunned for a moment and said, "This is Xiao Lang's favorite set. He chose it two days ago. Why don't you wear this set again?"
"This is not suitable for the Flower Viewing Banquet. It's too grand …" Tao Wan said.
"It's the Empress Dowager's Flower Viewing Banquet. Of course, you have to wear something grand. Plus, no one is more suited to red than you. The young ladies and young men from the Imperial City and the other officials' families are going. Xiao Lang, you should wear something more eye-catching. Don't you think so? "
Tao Wan shook his head and said, "Although it's the Empress Dowager's Flower Viewing Banquet, going too far is as bad as not going far enough. Open all the wardrobes. I want to choose something else. "
Tao Wan was referring to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager didn't like clothes that were too flamboyant.
The two maids could only open all the wardrobes and let Tao Wan choose something else.
Tao Wan chose a warm orange formal suit with cloud patterns. Although this suit wasn't as grand and eye-catching as the previous one, it was formal and didn't lose its radiance. It was perfect for the flower-viewing banquet. And the warm orange color added a soft glow to the original owner's snow-white skin.
After he was dressed inside and out, Tao Wan ate something to fill his stomach.
After rinsing his mouth again, he walked to the dressing table and sat down, allowing the attendant to comb his hair.
Song Zhi opened the large and small wooden boxes on the table and was about to do Tao Wan's makeup. "I'll do it myself," Tao Wan said.
Most of the guys in this world had a more neutral appearance, but there were also a few who were more masculine or feminine.
Tao Wan looked at his face in the mirror. The original owner's face was slightly feminine, because his facial features were delicate, and he looked charming. But the original owner was born in a military family, so her actions were more masculine. Because this face was too beautiful, so as long as he sat still, he looked like a woman. But when he spoke and acted, it could be seen that he was a man.
Although a man didn't have to wear makeup when going out, but in more formal occasions, a man would also wear a little makeup to beautify his appearance. Not to mention an occasion like the Empress Dowager's flower-viewing banquet, without makeup would be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager.
The original owner's face had its own makeup effect. The skin on the face was pink and tender, the lips were red like blood, the eye sockets were deep, and the bridge of the nose was high. Tao Wan only needed to put on a little makeup to let people see that he had put on makeup.
After everything was ready, Tao Wan went to the gate of the Marshal's Mansion and got on the carriage. He took Song Zhi and Zhuying to the palace.
Along the way, many carriages were also driving in the direction of the palace. Sitting in the carriages were the daughters and men of the Imperial City officials and foreign officials. This time, the Empress Dowager's banquet was actually a large-scale blind date event. Because the emperor had just ascended the throne, the harem was empty. Not only had the empress not been appointed, but many concubines and monarchs had not been chosen. Several princes had not yet married, so among the Imperial City and foreign officials, the daughters and young men of the sixth rank and above, as long as they were of suitable age, could all enter the palace to participate in the flower-viewing banquet.
There were many carriages parked outside the palace gate. The carriages could not enter the palace, so the noble ladies and men got off and walked into the palace with their maids and attendants. In this world, men were the most common, followed by women, and the number of men was the least. So in this flower-viewing banquet, the number of noble ladies was much more than the number of noble men.
After entering the palace, everyone went to the Imperial Garden to wait. The Imperial Garden of this palace was very large. It was not like the ones in ancient dramas, where it was just a slightly larger courtyard with some flowers and plants. In this world, there were pavilions, waterside pavilions, long corridors, pavilions, lotus ponds, and fish ponds.
They were led to the banquet area by the palace maids, and then waited for the Empress Dowager and the old concubines to appear.
Although there were many people attending the flower-viewing banquet, Tao Wan and another person were not drowned in the crowd. The two of them were obviously the most outstanding in terms of appearance and temperament.
Ye Rong walked in front of Tao Wan and bowed slightly. "Young Master Mu."
Tao Wan also bowed slightly in return. "Young Master Ye."
After greeting each other, the two of them sized each other up without batting an eyelid.
Today, Ye Rong was wearing a light yellow robe and a white jade sachet at his waist. Compared to his usual cold-colored clothes, today's outfit was very much in line with the warm colors of spring. It was obvious that he had put in a lot of effort.
When Ye Rong was sizing up Tao Wan, he was slightly surprised. He thought that Tao Wan would wear a red robe because the charming and flamboyant red color was the original owner's favorite color. However, the warm orange formal attire today, although it still made him look bright and dazzling, it didn't seem too ostentatious. Even the blooming flowers in the garden became a foil to him, not to mention the other noble ladies and noble men who weren't as good-looking as him.
There were many people attending the flower-viewing banquet today, but there was a small group of people standing behind Tao Wan and Ye Rong. The two sides were clearly divided.
When the Empress Dowager and the old concubines arrived, everyone hurriedly stood and bowed. Tao Wan and Ye Rong stood at the front.
The original owner's father was the Grand Marshal of the army, so the original owner was born into a family of military generals. Ye Rong's grandfather was the Prime Minister, so he was born into a scholarly family of civil officials. Just like how civil officials and military generals looked down on each other, these noble ladies and noble men were also divided into two factions and looked down on each other.
The Empress Dowager looked at the two people standing at the front and was very satisfied with their appropriate attire. She nodded and said, "No need for formalities, rise."
"Thank you, Empress Dowager." Everyone said in unison and then returned to their seats.
Although this world was open and unmarried women and men could walk the streets, and there was no rule that said unmarried noble ladies and noble men could not see outsiders, even if they could see each other, there was a need to consider the occasion. On such an occasion, everyone knew what they were here for, so even the Emperor and the Princes did not dare to show up.
This flower-viewing banquet was to select the harem candidates and assistant ministers to enter the palace. However, these children of officials were very different from the harem candidates and assistant ministers of the common people.
The harem candidates and assistant ministers of the common people would become palace maids and palace attendants after entering the palace. They were also servants who served others. If there were some who were very beautiful, they might be favored by the Emperor to become a concubine in the harem, but there were very few of them.
When these children of officials entered the palace, they would either become imperial concubines with ranks or be betrothed to the Princes as their official concubines or concubines. Otherwise, they would become ranked female officials or attendants. Most attendants would stay in the palace for a few years before being sent home to be betrothed to by their parents.
The members of the Imperial Family were naturally the most honorable people, and these people were here to be selected. The others knew very well that the candidates for the Empress and Imperial Noble Lord had already been decided and would not be their turn. However, if they were selected to be an imperial concubine or noble lord, as long as they could give birth to a prince, they would be very lucky to become an Imperial Concubine or Imperial Noble Lord in the future. Even if they could not enter the harem, if they could become a concubine or a concubine, they would be considered honorable members of the Imperial Family.
Moreover, the situation in the imperial court was turbulent, and the harem was even more turbulent. If they were lucky, they might be able to benefit from it.
In the pavilion across from the lotus pond, the Emperor and the Princes sat in the room on the top floor. Through the open window, they could clearly see them. However, because of the angle, they could not see the Emperor and the Princes.
Since it was a flower viewing banquet in name, but in reality, it was to select people to enter the palace. Naturally, they could not just sit there and chat. Performances were indispensable. Moreover, the Empress Dowager and the other Imperial Concubines were present. Not everyone had the qualifications and opportunity to perform in front of them.
Those who had the opportunity to perform were either talented themselves and were already famous in the circle of noblewomen and noblemen, or had fathers or grandfathers who held important positions and were valued.
After watching the other noblewomen dance and the noblemen play the flutes and flutes, the Empress Dowager looked at Ye Rong and said, "I haven't heard Ah Rong play the guqin in a long time. Today is a good spring day with hundreds of flowers blooming. Ah Rong should also play a piece for the occasion."
Ye Rong immediately stood up and bowed. "Yes."
Ye Rong's attendants placed the guqin on the table. The palace maids brought water for him to wash his hands. After Ye Rong washed his hands, he used a cloth to dry his hands and focused on playing.
The sound of the guqin was light and melodious, like the warm sun in the cold, making people feel very comfortable. It was a perfect match for the bright spring scenery.
The Empress Dowager was very satisfied. She looked at him with a smile and enjoyed such a moving piece.
Other people were either envious or jealous, but they had to admit that he played very well. No matter how hard they practiced, it was difficult to practice such good guqin skills. It was no wonder that even the Empress Dowager was full of praise for his guqin.
The Empress Dowager liked Ye Rong more and wanted Ye Rong to be the Empress. Not only because Ye Rong was the grandson of the Prime Minister, but also because she felt that Ye Rong was more suitable to be the Empress than the original Empress in all aspects.
However, because the previous Emperor was biased toward Prince Yu, even if the Emperor had successfully ascended the throne, the throne was not stable. The civil and military officials had to be roped in and then slowly taken back the power. Moreover, the war at the border was urgent. In order to appease and win over Mu Yongsheng, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor decided to make Mu Xi the Empress.
The sound of the guqin drifted to the opposite side of the lotus pond. The Emperor and the Princes in the pavilion could also hear the melodious sound of his guqin. They could not help but praise his guqin skills in their hearts.
Only Prince Yu Xiao Yuyang's mood was complicated. He just woke up a little late. Everything that should have belonged to him was gone. The throne was gone. Even the person he loved was about to become someone else's.
Although the current Emperor was the eldest son and the Crown Prince, before the previous Emperor passed away, he already had the idea of abolishing the Crown Prince and making Prince Yu the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince had not made any mistakes and performed well in all aspects. The previous Emperor had no excuse to abolish the Crown Prince. He could only let Prince Yu go to the border to make contributions and get more support from the court.
However, Prince Yu was seriously injured at the border and had been unconscious. The Emperor fell ill and suddenly passed away. Then the Crown Prince smoothly ascended the throne. By the time Prince Yu woke up, everything had been settled. However, he still could not give up. He felt that the person who should sit on the throne should be him.
Looking out the window, Xiao Yuyang looked at Ye Rong's back from afar. Thinking that he would soon become the Emperor, he could not help but feel a throbbing pain in his heart. Although Ye Rong told him that even if she entered the harem, she would definitely keep her chastity for him, in this life, it was impossible for them to be together openly.
Ye Rong was actually a transmigrator. Before transmigrating, he was an otaku who especially liked to play strategy games. Because he liked men, he played all kinds of erotic games. In his original world, because his real life was not good, he could only find a sense of existence in games. Therefore, he played all kinds of strategy games.
One day, he bought the latest strategy game. There were many characters in the game that could be defeated. Different characters would lead to different endings. After reading the game's introduction, he directly chose the most advanced strategy, which was the harem strategy.
The real meaning of this harem strategy was for the player to first enter the harem, then step by step become a young empress. Finally, all the other targets would be taken into his harem. And this harem, of course, did not refer to the real harem. It referred to the people who were conquered by him. They were all fascinated by him and were willing to like him with others.
Before the game started, he spent money to buy all kinds of skills that he needed. For example, the eighth level talent, which included zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. The fifth level alchemy skill allowed him to concoct all kinds of poisons and antidotes. Among them, the most expensive was the protagonist's aura. It could make people uncontrollably attracted to him. In times of danger, he could also turn danger into safety.
After he had a rough understanding of the characters to be conquered, he immediately started the game. Then, his soul transmigrated into the game world.
After a short moment of disbelief, he quickly accepted the fact that he had transmigrated. He was very happy. Because in this world, he had the identity of a man. He could openly like men. Most importantly, not only did he have very powerful skills, he also had the protagonist's aura. He could personally experience the feeling of reaching the peak of life.
The only thing he regretted was that in order to save money, he did not buy more skills and detailed strategies. However, after thinking about it seriously, he felt that it was not a big deal. He already had the protagonist's aura. Even if the process was a little difficult, the chances of completing the strategy were very high. Moreover, he had played so many strategy games that he knew the routines of these games like the back of his hand. There was nothing to worry about.
After Ye Rong finished playing a song, the empress dowager and the old concubines praised him for his improvement.
Ye Rong stood up and bowed. Then, he returned to his seat. Seeing the envious and jealous eyes of others, he felt very proud. He thought that spending so much money to buy skills was indeed worth it. It was a pity that he still had some money in his original world.
"Ah Xi, why don't you play a song too?" The empress dowager looked at Tao Wan and said. Since she had personally asked Ye Rong to play a song, she naturally had to ask Tao Wan to play a song too. Even if she was more biased towards Ye Rong, she could not be too obvious in front of so many people. Otherwise, it would embarrass the Mu family.
Tao Wan stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, I have recently learned a new pipa song. I would like to play a song for you."
"Oh?" The empress dowager thought that he knew how to play the pipa. Since he took the initiative to ask, she agreed. "Okay, then play a song for me and everyone else."
Song Zhi carried the pipa that Tao Wan had brought over. After washing his hands, Tao Wan took the pipa and sat in the middle of the chair. He was ready to play.
The pipa was a very difficult and magical instrument. It could be played in all kinds of different styles. Moreover, it did not sound like it was played by the same instrument. Since today was the Flower-Admiring Banquet, Tao Wan's performance should be appropriate for the occasion.
First, Tao Yuan gently plucked the strings. The feeling that the artistic conception brought was like the patter of spring rain, making people feel as if their souls were being nourished. As the sound of the pipa grew louder, it was like the clouds parting and the sun coming out. It made people feel very comfortable.
The sound of the pipa was sometimes light and smooth, like the sound of ice melting and spring water flowing. At other times, it was crisp and cheerful, like the beautiful sound of birds chirping. In an instant, hundreds of flowers bloomed. The birds were singing and the fragrance of the flowers were fragrant. People who felt the artistic conception in the music looked over. They felt as if they were really seeing flowers gradually blooming. They could not help but feel happy.
All the princes looked out through the open windows. They felt as if their hearts were being plucked by the pipa song. They could not help but exclaim in their hearts.
The Emperor, Xiao Junye, stood up and walked to the window to look out. He originally thought that with the Guqin song just now, everything else was just a foil. He did not expect that after listening to the pipa song, he could not remember the Guqin song just now.
These two people, one would become his Empress and the other would become the Emperor. They were both marrying him to stabilize his throne. Whether they were willing or not, they had no choice. Even as the Emperor, he was helpless and had no choice, let alone them.
After the song ended, Tao Wan stood up and bowed with the pipa in his arms.
The Empress Dowager nodded and praised, "Such exquisite pipa skills. It is so touching and captivating. It seems that you have put in a lot of effort. Why have I not heard you play before?"
The Empress Dowager asked this because such exquisite pipa skills could not be learned in a day or two. When she was still the Empress, she held the Flower-Admiring Banquet every year. However, she had never heard him play the pipa.
"In the past, I felt that I did not play well enough and did not dare to embarrass myself in front of the Empress Dowager. Recently, I have been practicing the pipa and finally feel that it is pleasing to the ears. Therefore, I want to present a song for the Empress Dowager." Tao Wan replied.
"It is more than pleasing to the ears." The Empress Dowager smiled. "You are so thoughtful. I want to reward you."
Two palace maids came up with a tray. The Empress Dowager asked one of the palace maids to bring the things on the tray to Tao Wan. She said to Tao Wan, "I have always treasured this tea set and could not bear to use it. I feel that only this tea set is worthy of the song you just played. I will reward you."
"Thank you for your reward." Tao Wan bowed to the Empress Dowager. Then, he took the tray and returned to his seat.
The Empress Dowager asked the palace maid to bring the things on the other tray to Ye Rong. "Your performance is on par with Ah Xi's. This white jade incense burner is also my favorite. I will reward it to you now. You can burn the incense when you play the pipa in the future."
Ye Rong quickly got up and bowed. "Thank you, Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager was indeed biased. The two's pipa skills were not on par at all. Tao Wan was clearly much better than Ye Rong. But there was no other way. She was the Empress Dowager. If she could be impartial and not completely show favoritism, you should be grateful.
Ye Rong looked calm on the surface, but in fact, his heart was fluctuating. He had been in this world for more than a year, but he did not know that he had such exquisite pipa skills. He was talented in the four disciplines of pipa, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It seemed that he had lost in the pipa. But it did not matter. There were still three other disciplines. He would not lose in all of them. He thought that since he had chosen the most difficult strategy, his opponent would definitely be slightly stronger. However, the attraction of talent was limited. It could not be compared to his protagonist aura. So, he did not have to worry at all.
"Today's spring is just right. There are hundreds of flowers blooming in the Imperial Garden. Ladies and gentlemen, go enjoy the flowers. If you are in the mood for poetry, write a poem and send it over. Aijia will have someone present it to His Majesty. Let His Majesty reward the one with the best literary talent. "The Empress Dowager got up and said," Aijia will go rest for a while. You all can go play. "
"Farewell, Empress Dowager."
After the Empress Dowager and several Imperial Concubines left, the ladies and gentlemen slowly dispersed to enjoy the flowers.
"Ah Xi, the pipa song you played just now was really good. Compared to just now …" Yu Qianyun wanted to say that Ye Rong was much better than the one who played the guqin. Tao Wan stopped her with his eyes. Because the Empress Dowager had just said that the two were on par, if she said this, it would be a slap to the Empress Dowager's face. It would be a great disrespect. She could only change her words and said, "Compared to, compared to the others."
When Ye Rong passed by them, he glanced at Tao Wan. The two looked at each other for a moment. Then, they turned their eyes away at the same time and walked in different directions.
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