The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

After Concubine Chen Hui left, Xie Yuzhen immediately summoned Concubine Xu and told her all his plans.

Although Concubine Xu has been promoted to Concubine, she has not changed much in her dress and appearance. She still looks harmless. Her homely dress makes her look the same as when she first entered the palace. She is still so innocent and pitiful, and lovable. "I am very happy to share my sister's worries, but I don't understand. Can Madam Chu really play a role in this?"

"She is the wife of General He, the only promising grandson." Xie Yuzhen explained to Concubine Xu with a smile, "Your Majesty wants to keep General He, but I want to make some changes to the He family. Your Majesty will at most stand by and watch, but he will never help me. As the queen, I interfere in government affairs, which is already controversial. There are so many eyes waiting to catch my mistakes. It is not suitable for me to have too many direct conflicts with them at the moment."

"They can only use the tricks of women that they despise the most." Having said that, Xie Yuzhen took out a piece of paper from his hand and wrote down the relationships between the several branches of the He family.

"The agreement between Marquis Anguo and General He was reached between the two of them. Although the entire He family is willing to support Marquis Anguo's daughter under the old general's orders, long-term favoritism is bound to lead to discord. This preferential treatment will not last too long. If it is not handled properly, it will cause endless troubles."

"Not to mention that we have to help the daughter of the Marquis of Anguo inherit his title. By then, the wife will be noble and the husband will be humble, and the third branch of the He family will definitely make a fuss. That will be the best time for me to divide the He family. From that time on, Madam Chu can become a force for us within the He family."

"Although Yue Niang and her brother have established themselves in the army, this is not enough. I need more say in the army. The He family is undoubtedly the best breakthrough point. After all, the old general has served two dynasties and has great prestige among the military commanders. I need him to endorse Yue Niang after she returns to Beijing and consolidate her position again."

"By winning over the eldest grandson's wife in advance, we can not only keep control of the situation while we watch the He family's internal turmoil, but also, she is not on good terms with the He family's younger sister-in-law, and this Madam He is on good terms with Madam Dong Er of the Marquis of Anguo Mansion. At the same time, Madam He has always maintained a very good relationship with Madam Chen of the Duke of Shenguo Mansion."

As "shrews" known in the circle of power and influence, although Mrs. He and Chen Peiluan were seven or eight years apart in age, they always had a lot of common topics, especially on how to prevent their husbands from cheating.

Xie Yuzhen drew a circle on the paper, including all the names. "I need Madam Chu to drive a nail between these three people. While helping the seemingly not-so-smart daughter of Marquis Anguo, I also need to reveal to them a piece of news that, in their opinion, could very well cost me my life."

"Ah?!" Concubine Xu was surprised that Xie Yuzhen had hidden such a big thing from her. She was immediately shocked and angry, "Sister! Are you taking risks again?!"

In Xu Yueyuan's opinion, every step Xie Yuzhen took from a small talent to his current position was on the edge of risk.

Xie Yuzhen patted her soothingly: "You are already a concubine, so you should be more stable."

"I'd rather not have this imperial concubine. I just hope you won't keep scaring me like this!" Imperial Concubine Xu patted her chest. After seeing that Xie Yu was really calm, she quickly regained her senses. "Sister, you bundled all these people together. Do you want to catch them all in one fell swoop? No, there's also Concubine Hui!"

Her heart skipped a beat: "Madam Chen and Concubine Hui are sisters from the same clan. Is this also a way for Sister to test Concubine Hui again?"

Xie Yuzhen nodded: "Concubine Hui is not a difficult person to get along with. I really hope that she has no desire for the throne... She and Concubine Liu were able to give up the Sixth Prince. How can we know whether they are truly surrendering, or whether they are unwilling to sacrifice the child to catch the wolf?"

Concubine Xu calmed down and thought for a while: "I will keep an eye on the Sixth Prince for you. If you need me to do anything, just tell me."

She had become accustomed to discussing everything with Xie Yuzhen in advance, for she was afraid that what happened to Concubine Deng would happen to them again - because of the untimely exchange of information, they would fall into someone else's trap.

"For now, there is nothing I want you to do. Don't worry, I will still be polite to Ah Yuan." Xie Yuzhen happily pinched Concubine Xu's still tender cheek and said with a smile, "You just need to stabilize the Shang Palace situation for me and stabilize the concubines in the three palaces and six courtyards."

Concubine Xu also laughed, and then asked with some concern: "According to what my sister said, Madam Chu and Madam He are enemies. Then, will Madam Chen and Madam Dong, who are on good terms with Madam He, believe the news she leaked?"

"It is said that the person who knows you best is your enemy, but this fact can also be used by us. After all, the 'weaknesses' and 'big handles' that we personally investigate from our enemies are the ones that can convince us the most."

"And the most important reason why I like these ladies is that, besides the fact that they are more or less at odds with me and do not stand on the same side, the most coincidental point is that, whether it is Chen or He, their husbands are easily influenced or even controlled by their wives. As for Madam Dong II of the Marquis of Anguo's Mansion, the Marquis of Anguo will cooperate with her to make the Second Master misjudge."

"These men, again, use their wives to befriend other people's families, trying to influence the men of a certain family through women, making them act and judge in a way that benefits them. But when this kind of calculation happens to them, most men are often unable to distinguish clearly."

As he spoke, Xie Yuzhen curled the corners of his mouth sarcastically: "When I use it myself, it's just deception. When others use it, it's just a housekeeping trick, a woman's trick. Well, let me, a woman, play a woman's trick. Let's see how many good people I can kill this time."

In the sky of the Great Sheng Imperial Capital, the north wind brought a thick black cloud.

Chen Peiluan was not very willing to go out in this kind of weather - she was intercepted by Lin Qiao twice in a row when she wanted to take a concubine, and she was so angry that she vomited blood. She had to lie in bed for a long time before she recovered. Since then, her body has been afraid of cold and heat - but this time, the person who invited her was Mrs. He, with whom she rarely had common topics, so even though she was a little hesitant, Chen Peiluan finally decided to go out for the appointment.

The two of them made an appointment at a restaurant owned by an eldest princess in the capital, which specialized in entertaining aristocratic ladies.

When Chen Peiluan arrived at the place, she saw Madam He with a droopy face as soon as she entered the door. She opened her mouth and spit at her: "I am really angry. Marrying an unvirtuous wife will bring disaster to three generations. The ancients are right! Although your brother is still young, you should make plans early!"