Wan Xiang and Xiao Chuanzi waited anxiously outside. When they saw Yan Ge coming out, they quickly approached.
“Master.”
Yan Ge gestured for them not to say much and handed the tea leaves to Wan Xiang.
Wan Xiang and Xiao Chuanzi noticed that his expression was off, but with Qiu Yue present, they had to restrain themselves.
The four of them remained silent on the way back to Chunfeng Courtyard.
As they entered the courtyard, Yan Ge noticed Song Ruhao, Du Zhengfeng, and Zhou Wenhan in the pavilion, watching him. He had a sense that things were going awry. He performed a distant bow, bypassed the flower thicket, and entered Chunfang Courtyard with Qiu Yue.
“That palace maid is Tian Guiren’s chief palace maid,” Zhou Wenhan said, both envious and jealous. “Yan Ge has indeed formed a connection with Tian Guiren. She has the Emperor’s favor, so by getting close to her, his rise is only a matter of time. It’s hard to believe that Yan Ge was hiding his true abilities all along.”
Song Ruhao refrained from commenting and pushed away the tea cup that had lost its warmth. “I’m feeling a slight discomfort, so I shall leave for now.”
Zhou Wenhan quickly stopped him. “ Song Guiren, please don’t go just yet. You were once the Emperor’s personal reader and had a close relationship with him. Wouldn’t you want to find a way? Are you willing to let Yan Ge surpass you in the future?”
Song Ruhao smiled faintly. “What are you suggesting, Zhou Daying? The Emperor’s power is immeasurable. What can I possibly do?” With that, he departed with his palace maid and eunuch.
Zhou Wenhan watched him walk away with frustration, then glanced at the expressionless Du Zhengfeng, furrowing his brows in anger before leaving as well.
Du Zhengfeng looked at the three cups of cold tea on the table, shaking his head. “Waited until it turned cold and left it undrunk?” He finished his own cup of tea, stood up, and left.
When the toothbrushes and toothpaste were completed, Wan Xiang and Xiao Chuanzi were delighted. They also heard Yan Ge say that it was best to replace the toothbrush every three months, so they had made quite a few during their leisure time. Yan Ge instructed Xiao Chuanzi to bring four toothbrushes and two bottles of toothpaste to Qiu Yue, and he asked Wan Xiang to grind ink.
Xiao Chuanzi and Wan Xiang finally understood Tian Guiren’s intention in approaching Yan Ge, and they were greatly surprised.
Yan Ge stood in front of the desk, meticulously writing down the instructions for making the toothbrushes and toothpaste. Once the ink had dried, he handed it to Qiu Yue.
Qiu Yue carefully tucked it into her sleeve pocket and kneeled down in gratitude. “Thank you, master. I shall take my leave.”
After she left, Yan Ge walked to the chair and sat down, grasping his waist with a sharp intake of breath.
Xiao Chuanzi hurried over to support him.
Wan Xiang was greatly alarmed. “Master, did Tian Guiren use cruel methods against you?”
Yan Ge neither confirmed nor denied it. He didn’t want to scheme against Wan Xiang and Xiao Chuanzi, but the information could only have leaked from them. For his own good and theirs, he had to teach them a lesson.
Wan Xiang and Xiao Chuanzi exchanged glances and quickly knelt down.
“Master, I swear, I did not leak the information about the toothpaste and toothbrush. If I speak a single lie, may lightning strike me and bring me to a wretched end!”
“Me too!” Wan Xiang’s face was filled with anxiety.
Yan Ge remained unperturbed, still smiling, yet he didn’t allow them to rise. He spoke, “Both of you should carefully consider when and where you mentioned it outside, where others might have overheard.”
Wan Xiang and Xiao Chuanzi lowered their heads, pondering for a long time. Suddenly, Xiao Chuanzi raised his head, a look of shame on his face. He forcefully knocked his head on the ground, making a resounding sound. “I deserve death, I deserve death! When I went to fetch bamboo that day, I muttered a few words to myself. There happened to be a palace maid passing by nearby. Since she was a bit far away, I didn’t pay attention. It’s likely that she overheard my words. Please punish me, master!”
The truth was revealed, and Wan Xiang glared at him with anger in her eyes.
That palace maid was most likely someone by Tian Guiren’s side. Everything now made sense. Yan Ge stared at Xiao Chuanzi for a while before saying, “Punishing you now serves no purpose. Go down and reflect on this.”
Xiao Chuanzi became even more unsettled when he wasn’t punished. He stood up in a dejected manner and, with a feeble expression, withdrew alongside Wan Xiang.
Yan Ge leisurely walked to the window, his hands behind his back, sighing with resignation.
He had underestimated the dangers within the deep palace. Even the creation of a simple toothbrush and toothpaste to improve the quality of life had attracted the attention of someone with ill intentions. What else could happen?
Song Ruhao, Du Zhengfeng, and Zhou Wenhao also concerned Yan Ge. These three individuals couldn’t possibly be like him, unwilling to become a consort. If they saw him walking with palace maids from other palaces today, it would surely arouse their suspicion, and he had no idea what would happen next.
The idea of preserving oneself wisely didn’t apply within the palace. Not seeking trouble didn’t mean trouble wouldn’t seek you. Was he only left with finding a powerful support within the palace? Yan Ge crossed his arms behind his back, leaning against the window frame, contemplating this possibility.
In the vast harem, the one with the greatest power was undoubtedly the Empress. But to become the Empress and maintain such a stable position, she certainly wasn’t easy to get along with.
The other consorts held respectable positions, but they were still women, and it would be awkward to mix with them.
As for Tian Guiren, she had to be ruled out. If she could threaten him over something as trivial as a toothbrush and toothpaste, tomorrow she might kill him over something else. As for Song Ruhao, Du Zhengfeng, and Zhou Wenhao, they were all men and could be approached more frequently, but the three of them held no significant position within the harem and couldn’t be considered “powerful support.”
Yan Ge mentally filtered through almost everyone in the harem, yet he gained no insights.
Suddenly, he remembered the system and called out in his mind, “System?”
The childish voice immediately sounded, filled with surprise and excitement. “Master, have you finally changed your mind?”
Yan Ge was speechless. He walked to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, lifted his robes, and sat down. “I’ll ask you, why did you say before that I would definitely change my mind? Do you know something?”
“Why bother asking? The higher you upgrade, the more benefits you receive. So, I believed you would change your mind,” the doll said triumphantly. “Master, have you encountered some trouble?”
Others didn’t know about the system’s existence, and the system couldn’t leak any information. Yan Ge didn’t mind having a chat with it and explained his situation.
The system’s voice suddenly increased by a few decibels. “Master! Who said the Empress holds the greatest power in the harem? It’s the Emperor, the Emperor! The Emperor is the thickest thighs to hold onto.”
Yan Ge chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “So, you’re suggesting that I hug the Emperor’s thighs?” The system hadn’t given up on its idea of climbing ranks.
The childish voice spoke earnestly, “Master, please don’t think that I said that to help you upgrade.”
Yan Ge thought to himself, ‘That’s exactly why you said it.’
“Just think about it. If you could truly make the Emperor your backer, wouldn’t you walk through the harem sideways? Even the Empress wouldn’t be able to do anything to you, and people like Tian Guiren would be insignificant. Master, holding onto the Emperor’s thighs would undoubtedly be beneficial! Please seriously consider my suggestion.”
Yan Ge listened absentmindedly at first, but something suddenly clicked in his mind. The current Emperor did not favor men, so he didn’t necessarily have to hold onto the Emperor’s thigh in the role of a “consort.” There were other ways he could achieve it. Tian Guiren had mentioned offering toothbrushes and toothpaste to the Emperor. If the toothpaste and toothbrush indeed piqued the Emperor’s interest, Yan Ge could use it as a starting point to come up with more brilliant ideas to gain the Emperor’s trust. By then, wouldn’t he be able to hold onto his thigh?
The more Yan Ge thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and a confident smile tugged at the corners of his lips. However, there was one point to consider. As the saying goes, “One accompanies a tiger as if it were a tiger.” When the Emperor trusted him, he would naturally be at ease in the palace. But if the Emperor’s trust waned…
Yan Ge felt he needed to think carefully and cautiously. The system called out to him several times, but he didn’t pay attention.
After contemplating all day, he still hadn’t made up his mind. The next morning, after having breakfast, he had to go and pay respects to Song Ruhao.
As always, Zhou Wenhao had arrived early and was sitting in his seat, sipping tea. When he saw Yan Ge, a strange smile appeared on his face.
Yan Ge ignored him and walked to the center of the hall, performing the ritual with precision. Even so, it didn’t diminish his inherent nobility in the slightest.
“Yan Daying pays respects to Song Guiren. May Song Guiren be blessed.”
“No need for formalities, please take a seat.”
Yan Ge felt that Song Ruhao’s response took a few seconds longer than usual, but he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.
After sitting down, Zhou Wenhao couldn’t wait to ask, “Yan Daying , was the young eunuch who came to find you yesterday from Tian Guiren’s side?”
Yan Ge could only nod, maintaining his usual smile. He had anticipated being questioned about this today.
Just as Zhou Wenhao was about to ask again, Du Zhengfeng walked in. Zhou Wenhao had to wait for Du Zhengfeng to pay his respects to Song Ruhao and Yan Ge before speaking again. “Du Changzai, it turns out that the young eunuch from yesterday was indeed from Tian Guiren’s side.”
“Is that so?” Du Zhengfeng sat calmly, holding a teacup and sipping tea, seemingly indifferent. He only glanced at Yan Ge briefly.
Zhou Wenhao was somewhat helpless and had to pursue the question himself. “Yan Daying, may I ask why Tian Guiren sought you out?”
Yan Ge smiled slyly. “Actually, it was just a misunderstanding. Tian Guiren heard from someone that this humble one is proficient in various arts, including qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She wanted to borrow a qin score.” He didn’t believe Tian Guiren would reveal the incident of “borrowing flowers to offer Buddha,” so it was safe to make up a story now.
Zhou Wenhao didn’t believe it at all. “What extraordinary piece of qin score requires Yan Daying’s assistance to borrow? Yan Daying, we all know that Tian Guiren has taken an interest In you, and you wouldn’t use that as a means of coercion. Why resort to such excuses?”
“Why would Zhou Daying say such words?” Yan Ge looked at him in surprise, innocence written all over his face as if he didn’t understand why he was being falsely accused. “Everything I’ve said is true. If Zhou Daying doesn’t believe me, you can go ask Tian Guiren.”
Zhou Wenhao was left speechless and drank his tea with a gloomy expression, his head lowered. He was just a mere Daying, and meeting a consort with higher rank wasn’t something that could be easily accomplished.
Song Ruhao cleared his throat and spoke gently to Yan Ge. “Yan Daying, please don’t mind Zhou Daying’s words. In truth, among the male consorts in this palace, there are only the four of us. Zhou Daying naturally wishes to be closer to you. If Yan Daying can truly gain favor through Tian Guiren, the three of us will only offer our blessings. Du Changzai, Zhou Daying, can you confirm what I’ve said?”
Du Zhengfeng replied, “Certainly.”
Zhou Wenhao also casually nodded.
Yan Ge smiled but remained silent. Song Ruhao had allowed Zhou Wenhao to interrogate him for a while, so he was not a simple character. It seemed that he truly needed to make a decision soon. Waiting until the crisis struck would be too late to respond.
