An San was a pretty young woman, twenty-five years old. After Xu Zifan explained to her that he was going to send her to be a spy for the Empress Dowager, An San's demeanor changed completely. She immediately transformed into a harmless and well-behaved maid, completely unremarkable. Xu Zifan was very satisfied and gave her more than ten kinds of high-quality medicines from his spatial storage, including medicines for internal and external injuries, poisons, and life-saving medicines, trying to make her mission easier.
When sending An San into the palace, Xu Zifan solemnly instructed, "I have a thousand ways to make her utterly defeated. You don't need to risk your life. If you encounter a life-or-death crisis, survival is the most important thing. Retreat immediately."
"Yes, Master." An San bowed with lowered eyes. "Mo Yun has remembered."
"Mo Yun" was An San's name as a palace maid. They parted ways at the palace gate; Xu Zifan went to court, while Mo Yun accompanied the eunuch to Anci Palace to see the Empress Dowager. Xu Zifan had personally told her that Mo Yun was a confidante sent to Fu Yuhua, specifically mentioning that she would fill Xiang Yun's vacancy. Even though he was a few days late in sending her, Fu Yuhua still had to keep her in that position. However, after exchanging a few words, Fu Yuhua smiled and made Mo Yun one of her four head maids. Privately, she instructed the other three head maids to keep a close eye on Mo Yun, forbidding her from coming into contact with anything she didn't want Xu Zifan to know.
During her stay at Anci Palace, Mo Yun followed the rules diligently, doing her job conscientiously without wandering off or asking questions, and showing no intention of spying or monitoring. Mo Yun got along very well with the head maid, the matrons, and the junior maids. She was cheerful, had a gentle voice, and while she had her own bottom line on important matters, she never fussed over trivial things, just like a gentle, optimistic, and cheerful woman.
This puzzled Fu Yuhua. She pretended to be bored and took Mo Yun for a walk in the Imperial Garden. She sighed and said, "Ordinary people think that the imperial family lives a carefree life, but sometimes I envy the simple joys of ordinary people. Just take the matter of marrying a daughter-in-law for example. Outsiders don't have to go through all this trouble. I wonder which one will be my son's empress."
Mo Yun stood to her right rear, head slightly bowed, her voice both amused and respectful, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is overthinking this. Forgive my impertinence, but His Majesty has always been filial to Your Majesty. No matter which noble lady becomes Empress in the future, she will be as filial to you as His Majesty was." Common people struggle to make a living, and there are often conflicts between mothers and sons, and between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. But Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is of noble status and has a kind heart. She will surely enjoy the blessings of her daughter-in-law and a happy family life in the future.
Fu Yuhua glanced at her with a smile, "You have such a sweet tongue, 'family happiness,' indeed, that's all I ask for now. As long as my son is well, I have no worries. Mo Yun, how long have you been serving the Regent? Does the Regent usually talk to you like this to relieve his boredom?"
Mo Yun smiled and said, "This servant was bought by the steward of the Prince's mansion half a year ago. Seeing that I rarely caused trouble, the steward had me serve tea and water in the Prince's study. Occasionally, when the Prince had free time, he would casually say a few words to me, praising me as 'wise,' but saying nothing more. A few days ago, the Prince sent someone to teach me palace etiquette, instructing me to serve the Empress Dowager well and not to trouble her. That was the most the Prince had ever spoken to me."
"Oh? What did he say?" Fu Yuhua squinted at the pond, seemingly casually, but actually waiting to hear Mo Yun's answer.
Mo Yun smiled and said, "His Highness said that the Empress Dowager is the kindest and gentlest person, and doesn't like to argue with others, but is easily troubled. His Highness instructed me to keep an eye on which servants around you are not doing their job well and are making you unhappy, saying that you deserve to enjoy the most relaxed and happy days in the world, and that I should do my best to make you happy, which would be my greatest fortune. His Highness also said that as long as I can make the Empress Dowager happy, he will give me a large courtyard and several servants when I get old, so that I can enjoy my old age in peace. Your Majesty, old age is still a long way off, and I dare not think too much about it. In this life, it is already a great fortune for me to be able to enter the palace and serve the most noble Empress Dowager in the world."
Fu Yuhua felt pleased to hear this, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile. She carefully observed Mo Yun; Mo Yun's eyes were sincere, and her expression was relaxed, clearly indicating that what she said was true. It seemed that Xu Zifan still cared about her; he genuinely wanted to prevent her from feeling bored, which was why he sent such a thoughtful and sensible girl. She had thought Xu Zifan wanted to monitor her; she was so nervous.
After this incident, although Fu Yuhua still had people keep an eye on Mo Yun, she no longer paid much attention to him. After all, she considered herself quite adept at judging people and possessed considerable cunning. If she hadn't seen any threat in Mo Yun, then there was no need for her to treat him like a major enemy. This was precisely Mo Yun's first step in infiltrating Anci Palace. While others needed seven parts truth and three parts falsehood to convincingly deceive, Mo Yun only needed one part truth and nine parts falsehood to make people completely believe her. This was her skill—successfully manipulating Fu Yuhua's psychology to lower her guard.
While Mo Yun took her first successful step inside the palace, Xu Zifan was also busy outside. He brought up the matter of establishing an empress in court and actually summoned several ministers to the Prince's residence to discuss which young lady was suitable to be the mother of the nation.
He instructed Xiangyun to serve tea to everyone, and while sipping the tea, he said, "My lords, I have invited you here today to discuss the selection of an empress."
Xiangyun's eyes lit up. She lowered her head and silently brewed tea, listening intently to their conversation.
The ministers exchanged glances discreetly, then tentatively suggested two families. "Your Highness," one said, "the eldest daughter of the Minister of War seems to be of marriageable age, and the granddaughter of the Duke of Chen is also of suitable age." One family represented a powerful court official, while the other was a powerful but powerless noble family. Their suggestion was a test to see if Xu Zifan genuinely wanted to find a useful force for the emperor, or if he was merely trying to deceive him.
Xu Zifan narrowed his eyes, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"I wonder if any sir knows anything about the girls from these two families, and what their temperaments are?"
The minister who had just spoken immediately changed his expression and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I have never had any contact with the women of these two families. My suggestion was too hasty."
Xiangyun was getting anxious. These people were so afraid of Xu Zifan! How could the ministers withdraw their proposal so easily after Xu Zifan just said a few words? She finished making tea and stepped aside, hoping Xu Zifan would announce the girl he had chosen. But Xu Zifan waved his hand, and De'an stepped forward and led her out. Xiangyun was stunned. She was anxious to stay and listen, but she couldn't show it. She could only follow De'an out the door, where she could no longer hear anything from inside.
Xu Zifan smiled and said to the ministers, "Gentlemen, please don't be nervous. The reason I asked this is because the Empress Dowager mentioned this matter to me a few days ago, expressing great concern about the Empress's character. You must know that the Empress is the mother of the nation. Her virtuous conduct and the people's love and respect enhance the nation's prestige. She is also a good wife and a capable assistant, allowing the Emperor to focus on state affairs without worries. In my opinion, an Empress must be broad-minded, considerate of the Emperor, tolerant, and genuinely kind to other concubines and imperial offspring. She must also be intelligent, magnanimous, shrewd, and capable of managing the affairs of the harem without being schemed against by those with ulterior motives. Only in this way will the Emperor not be troubled by the trivial matters of the harem. Harmony between the Emperor and Empress is essential for the prosperity of the nation. What do you all think?"
Xu Zifan elevated the position of Empress to a political level, and the ministers naturally nodded in agreement. They dared not nominate anyone hastily, instead subtly probing Xu Zifan's preferred candidate. Regardless of whether Xu Zifan intended to help or oppose the Emperor, they needed to know the chosen candidate to determine their own course of action.
Xu Zifan, however, remained silent, his expression suggesting he had already made up his mind. The ministers, guessing this was a power struggle between the Regent and the Emperor, dared not intervene and instead retreated to observe.
Upon receiving a secret message from Xiangyun, Fu Yuhua hurriedly consulted with the Emperor, fearing that Xu Zifan might act first and announce the candidate directly in court. That same day, the Emperor summoned two ministers who had visited the Prince's residence. However, when he inquired about the Empress, they declined, saying that a suitable candidate had not yet been chosen and that they needed to proceed with extreme caution. The Emperor was deeply troubled by this matter and, not wanting to explicitly name any woman, could only ask the Empress Dowager to speak with Xu Zifan again. But in the following days, Xu Zifan consistently avoided the main point, discussing trivial matters before leaving, leaving Fu Yuhua completely baffled as to what he was thinking.
This situation not only caused Fu Yuhua distress, but also made the emperor, who was eager to assume power but unable to control the overall situation, even more anxious and irritable. He even felt extremely depressed because of the sense of powerlessness he felt when facing Xu Zifan.
The original owner of this body was the regent, and he wielded considerable influence within the palace. Upon his transmigration, Xu Zifan immediately instructed Dark Five to contact them, instructing them to infiltrate the emperor and empress dowager's inner circle and the Sixth Bureau. They didn't need to be conspicuous or highly regarded; their goal was simply to carry out their tasks discreetly when asked.
One of the younger eunuchs, clever and quick-witted, used a ruse to get himself rescued by the head eunuch. Because of their mutual attraction and sweet talk, he recognized the head eunuch as his godfather! This greatly increased his chances of gaining favor with the emperor. He remained obedient and well-behaved by the head eunuch's side until Xu Zifan, sensing the emperor's growing resentment, approached him and asked him to find a way to arouse the emperor's interest.
The emperor was only fifteen years old. No matter how mature he seemed, he had grown up under the protection of the original owner of the body and the Empress Dowager, and wasn't actually that mature and composed, especially since he was full of curiosity about the outside world. The young eunuch showed him some trinkets, and when the emperor asked him about them, he heard many interesting things happening outside. The emperor immediately became eager to explore. Since he felt so stifled in the palace, why not go out and find some fun to relax?
Soon, the young eunuch was "forced" to secretly help the emperor slip out of the palace!
The first two times, the young eunuch was very nervous, only taking the emperor to teahouses to listen to storytelling, to street performances, and to Liuli Lane to browse for interesting little things. When the emperor secretly left the palace for the third time, Xu Zifan arranged for secret guards to cooperate with the young eunuch so that the emperor would overhear the conversation between two "drunkards".
"Brother Feng, don't... don't go to the gambling den. There's a place that's much more fun. Come with me..."
"Brother Li, tell me where you are first! What could be more exciting than gambling? I'm on a winning streak, I'm sure I'll win today..."
"Brother Feng, don't be in such a hurry. This way, this way. The place I'm talking about is called... Zui Xiang Lou. There's a big event going on today. All the important people in the capital are there. Come on, come on..."
The emperor became curious and asked the young eunuch, "What kind of place is that Drunken Fragrance Pavilion?"