The Second World in Ancient Times

In this game of palace intrigue, every move must be carefully calculated. I know that in order to completely defeat the Queen's alliance, I must use modern thinking to develop a meticulous and interconnected plan.

I first gathered my allies in a secluded corner of the garden, surrounded by dense flowers. This sheltered us from view while allowing us to quickly detect approaching enemies. With a solemn expression, I began, "Sisters, our battle with the Queen has reached a critical juncture. To achieve victory, we must thoroughly understand their every move, identify their weaknesses, and defeat them one by one."

I pulled out a booklet detailing my observations over the past few days. "The Empress is extremely concerned with appearances and her position, and will tolerate no threats. Of the concubines around her, some are greedy, some are vain, and some are timid. These are areas we can exploit."

Concubine Li asked curiously, "Concubine Yu, how did you know all this?"

I smiled faintly. "In this harem, the palace maids and eunuchs are the best spies. I treat them well on a daily basis, and they are willing to keep an eye on all the goings on for me. They're like modern information collectors, able to discern the overall situation from the smallest details."

Next, I began to explain the first step of my plan—swaying public opinion. "Let's start with public opinion within the harem, sowing dissatisfaction with the Queen and her allies. Concubine Hui, you are exceptionally intelligent and articulate. You can have your trusted maids go to various corners of the harem, especially where those gossipy concubines and maids gather, to subtly spread rumors about the Queen's extravagant lifestyle and her misappropriation of palace funds to purchase fine clothing and jewelry for herself. But remember, do it subtly, as if it were just casual conversation."

Concubine Hui nodded in agreement. "I understand. It's just like modern public relations techniques, slowly changing public opinion through word of mouth."

"And Concubine Li, you can use your connections in the music house to have the musicians occasionally play some sad songs when they perform, as if to tell the story of injustice in the harem, which will arouse people's imagination. This is like modern music marketing, using melody to convey emotions and information." I continued.

Concubine Li's eyes lit up: "This is a great plan, I will arrange it right away."

The second step in the plan was to create minor disturbances to disrupt the Queen's daily life. I looked at Concubine Rong. "Concubine Rong, your family has many businesses outside the palace, and presumably has connections with certain merchants. You could arrange for people outside the palace to intercept the supply of precious silks, spices, and other materials needed by the Queen's family, thus embarrassing her when preparing important palace banquets or rewards."

Rong Fei was a little worried: "Isn't this too risky? What if we get discovered..."

I soothed her, "Don't worry, we'll do it without anyone noticing. Just like the supply chain disruption strategies in modern business competition, as long as we plan carefully, there won't be any handles left. Also, Concubine Chun, you have a straightforward personality, but in some public occasions, you might seemingly unintentionally cause minor friction with the Empress' allied concubines. For example, when you were admiring flowers, you might accidentally knock one of hers off, which could spark a minor argument and cause internal conflicts among them."

Concubine Chun readily agreed: "Okay, I will make sure they have no peace."

While implementing these plans, I also sought opportunities to subtly demonstrate the queen's dominance to the king. Once, while the king was strolling in the imperial gardens, I "happened" to pass by and offered my greetings. At that moment, the queen arrived with her entourage.

The Queen saw me and deliberately raised her voice: "Concubine Yu, why don't you show me respect when you see me? Don't you take me seriously?"

I quickly knelt down, looking aggrieved. "Your Majesty, I was just panicked for a moment and never meant to do that. Please forgive me."

The king frowned and said, "Queen, why make such a fuss? Concubine Yu didn't mean it."

I took the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, the Queen has always been majestic, and I, your concubine, respect you. However, sometimes your demands are too strict, and I, your concubine, can't help but be negligent."

The king listened and thought for a moment, "Queen, you should also be more lenient and not make everyone in the harem feel anxious all day long."

Although the queen was angry, she could only agree: "Yes, I will follow your instructions."

After returning to the palace, I continued to think about my next plan. I remembered that modern psychology has methods of emotional manipulation, and decided to use this to further undermine the queen.

I arranged for a maid, skilled in handwriting imitation, to forge an anonymous letter, which revealed how the queen envied the other concubines' beauty and talent, even secretly cursing them. I then placed the letter at the palace gate of a favored old dowager. Upon reading it, the dowager was horrified and informed the king of the incident.

After hearing this, the king became somewhat dissatisfied with the queen and began to distance himself from her. The queen noticed the king's change, but she didn't know it was my fault. She was extremely anxious and her attitude towards the harem became even worse.

Our allies' plan to cut off supplies outside the palace is beginning to show results. At a banquet for foreign envoys, the Queen, originally planning to decorate the banquet hall with rich silk, discovered a shortage of silk and had to use ordinary fabric instead. This humiliated her in front of the envoys and earned her considerable criticism from the King.

Throughout this series of operations, we remained cautious, like walking a tightrope, each step precise and accurate. I constantly adjusted my plans with modern thinking, responding flexibly to the circumstances. However, I also knew that the Queen would not be easily defeated; she would undoubtedly strike back. We must remain vigilant and prepared for even greater challenges.