Chapter 8, Promotion of Rank

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is 2," Ye Zhenzhen said, pointing to a small square.

Ji Wujiao frowned upon hearing this

"Your Majesty, you have arrived. The eunuchs outside are truly foolish, as they do not even know to announce your presence," Ye Zhenzhen said

The Emperor has arrived! Wang Youcai stood outside the Kun Ning Palace and shouted at the top of his lungs. Since he had never done such a thing before, his technique was incorrect, and by the time he reached the last word, his voice had already cracked, resembling a crow that had been forcefully silenced.

After Li Fei heard about this matter, her gaze towards Zhuang Fei became somewhat subtle, and when she spoke to her, there was a hint of sarcasm in her tone

Oh, by the way, the set of large toads made of purple sandalwood for Her Majesty the Queen has finally been sent out, consisting of one large toad and twelve small ones, totaling thirteen toads, filling two trays to the brim. When Consort Zhuang saw it, her face turned green.

This is not a magic square; it is called a Chongjiugong, a creation by a folk figure named Shi Tianchang. In this arrangement, the numbers one through nine must not be repeated in any row or column, and within each small magic square, these numbers must also not be repeated.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at him, her gaze peculiar. The meaning was unmistakable.

Ji Wujiao's gaze returned to the chessboard on the table, "Is this a Nine Palace Diagram? It doesn't look like one."

The two individuals were eating heartily, while outside, Feng Youde felt somewhat conflicted. He could not grasp the current intentions of the Emperor, which is why he did not come to request him to turn the牌子. He also did not know whether the Emperor's meaning aligned with his own understanding of that meaning

Ye Zhenzhen was still resting her chin on her hand, deep in thought, her brows furrowed, completely oblivious to the presence of Ji Wujiao

The case of the mooncakes from the Luhua Palace will be resolved within three days. Concubine Hui conspired to harm a palace maid and framed the Empress, employing cruel methods that had a severely negative impact. The Emperor issued an edict demoting her to the rank of eighth-grade selection attendant and transferring her to the side hall of the Yaoyue Palace

Thus, Ye Zhenzhen enjoyed her meal immensely. When one person eats with great relish, onlookers often find their appetites stimulated as well, and Ji Wujiao ended up eating more than usual. He also liked the bowl of venison, consuming several pieces. Ye Zhenzhen was not fond of others competing with her for food, so she transferred all the remaining pieces of meat into her own bowl, which was a palm-sized, yellow three-color dragon and phoenix bowl, now piled high with venison.

Ji Wujiao did not expect her to discover him, "What are you doing?"

That night, the Emperor did not turn over the牌子 but went directly to the Hall of Hanguang. Zhuang Pin was both surprised and delighted, for it had been some time since the Emperor had visited her Hall of Hanguang. Compared to the other concubines in the harem, her beauty was not particularly outstanding, and her talents were average. Although she had a silver tongue, she was more skilled in arguing with others rather than winning their favor, and thus she naturally did not receive much favor.

Ye Zhenzhen kindly advised him, "This item is divided into three levels: A, B, and C. Your Majesty, since this is your first time playing, the difficulty of level A is too high. It would be better to start with level C. I have game manuals here, covering various scenarios."

Why?

Ye Zhenzhen yawned and thought to herself, if all the members of the Xu family were like the Empress Dowager... then their family's decline would be quite understandable, and it cannot all be blamed on her grandfather

"A trivial skill." He disdainfully made a comment

The other concubines, upon witnessing this brutal reward, were equally alarmed, each resolutely firming their determination to report the matter to the Emperor

This Wang Youcai is Wang Xiaohu, and Ye Zhenzhen took the initiative to ask Ji Wujiao for him. He was originally a man burdened by guilt, and death would have been just death. However, Ji Wujiao showed leniency towards Huipin, and Ye Zhenzhen, being perceptive, said nothing. He then gave her this servant as a favor.

Ye Zhenzhen found Wang Xiaohu's name too common and unsuitable for a place like Kun Ning Palace. Therefore, in reference to Feng Youde's name, she renamed him Wang Youcai, which means having both virtue and talent, embodying the ideal of being well-rounded in both moral character and ability, how wonderful that is

Ye Zhenzhen was taken aback, turned her head to see Ji Wujiao, hurriedly stood up, and put on a feigned smile on her face

"Disrespectful." Ji Wujiao said, making a gesture with two fingers towards her, indicating that this was the second time, and I have noted it down.

Ji Wujiao, having become adept at the game this time, placed all the pieces without much thought, and it was correct.

Ye Zhenzhen thought to herself, I have pondered for so long and still cannot come up with a solution, you cannot possibly take this step so easily, let us see how you will conclude this matter in the end

Ji Wujiao suppressed the anger that was blocking his chest and asked with a pleasant expression: "What I mean is, who is the woman you dislike the most?"

Lady Zhuang. This response was very straightforward

How could this happen! Come again!

Ji Wujiao felt a tingling sensation on his face as he looked up, only to find Ye Zhenzhen's face just inches away. She was a beauty, captivating and radiant. Ye Zhenzhen had never understood the meaning of elegance; whatever sparkled was adorned upon her head. Gold, silver, emerald feathers, and various colored gemstones were all meticulously crafted with intricate and elaborate designs. If these adornments were piled on the heads of other women, they would likely be suspected of being the wives of nouveau riche. Yet, Ye Zhenzhen's features were both exquisite and grand, making these embellishments appear harmonious rather than out of place. They complemented her beauty, exuding a sense of liveliness without being vulgar, showcasing a refinement and splendor that had been honed by countless skilled artisans.

Ji Wujiao smiled and nodded, then got up and left

However, what perplexed Consort Zhuang was that, according to the Emperor's words, her potential promotion was a result of the Empress's kind remarks

It sounded somewhat interesting. Ji Wujiao walked to the table, casually touched a chess piece, and lowered his head in contemplation

Thus, the Empress Zhuang gradually became less obedient to the Concubine Li.

Ye Zhenzhen stuck out her tongue, secretly cursing in her heart

The noble consort felt both suffocated and somewhat resentful. She believed she had acted without guilt, having been exceedingly attentive to the beautiful consort in the past, while the beautiful consort had always treated her like a servant. Now, having merely heard a few rumors, the beautiful consort refused to show her a good face. Both of them were now on equal footing, yet the beautiful consort still tried to assert her authority in front of her

However, in Ye Zhenzhen's view, the Empress Dowager's actions were truly foolish. Hui Pin was already a discarded piece; if the Empress Dowager did not want to treat her poorly, she could have simply arranged for someone to take good care of her. Why drag her into the Yao Yue Palace to hinder Xian Fei? Moreover, Xian Fei had always maintained a low profile, possessing a somewhat aloof demeanor. At this moment, the Empress Dowager was making a grand show of bringing her to her side, openly assisting her in seizing the position of the heir, which was tantamount to turning her into a target.

Ji Wujiao came to his senses and placed a "2" in that small compartment, then shifted his body slightly to the side. He was still not quite accustomed to being too close to Ye Zhenzhen

Thus, Ye Zhenzhen held the chess manual, set up another first-class game, and presented it for him to solve

Ji Wujiao did not answer, but instead asked another question, "In this harem, who do you dislike the most?"

The string of pearls hung down, swaying gently, occasionally brushing against Ji Wujiao's face

Although Wang Youcai's terrible voice sends chills down people's spines, causing even the birds to take flight, Ye Zhenzhen seems oblivious to it all

Witnessing the internal strife between the two, Ye Zhenzhen smiled without speaking

Ji Wujiao: "... ..."

Inviting the Moon Palace, Inviting the Moon Palace... Ye Zhenzhen sneered, the Empress Dowager is still not giving up... It is not excessive to send Hui Pin to the cold palace for such actions; even if she is not sent to the cold palace, she would not fare well in any other palace, except for this Inviting the Moon Palace... Regardless of whether the Xianfei is willing or not, she can only stand on the side of the Empress Dowager now

"Verbose." Ji Wujiao said, as he replaced it with a piece engraved with "1" and placed it on the chessboard

Thus, the two of them gathered together to play the game of Nine Men’s Morris. Because the board was small, their heads were almost touching. Ye Zhenzhen had styled her hair into a cloud bun today, her thick black hair piled up, complementing her snow-white skin, resembling green clouds resting on snow. At the base of her hair, several emerald hairpins secured it, and on her head, she wore a seven-treasure hairpin and a golden double-stranded phoenix hairpin. The golden phoenix was carved vividly, poised to take flight, with two strands of pearls held in its beak.

Ye Zhenzhen did not understand what thoughts lay behind his expressionless face, nor did she care to find out. Eating was of utmost importance, and she needed to focus. She disliked having someone serve her food—this kind of treatment was typically reserved for those who were completely paralyzed, and normal people generally did not appreciate it, nor did Ji Wujiao. Thus, the emperor and empress each held their chopsticks and ate independently. Ye Zhenzhen enjoyed meat, and today the kitchen had stewed venison. She was unaware of the chef's methods, but the meat was tender and delicious, with a subtle fragrance that was reminiscent of flowers yet not quite floral, lingering between her lips and teeth.

Your Majesty, I have heard that the virtuous consort has not been feeling well recently. Will you not go and see her? Please hurry and go!

Moreover, after spending a night in the Hall of Hanguang, the Emperor promoted Consort Zhuang, granting her the title of Noble Consort of the Second Rank, placing her on equal footing with Consort Xian and Consort Li.

Ji Wujiao's way of concluding was to continuously arrange the chess pieces. Before long, he easily secured victory in a game of A.

Ji Wujiao suddenly recalled Ye Zhenzhen's original words: "Such a noble item is simply tailor-made for me" A wave of helplessness washed over him

Impossible! Ye Zhenzhen does not believe that such a thing could be easily solved in his hands. Although the principle is merely some arithmetic methods, it indeed requires considerable mental effort to perform the calculations, so he must have just happened to guess correctly earlier.

Engrossed in play, he continued until dinner time. Ji Wujiao, too lazy to move, had his dinner in the Kun Ning Palace. He felt remorse for indulging in such frivolities in the Kun Ning Palace, realizing that it was something belonging to Ye Zhenzhen. He considered it a temptation from Ye Zhenzhen to engage in such activities, and thus he vented his frustration on her, adding another entry to his little black book.

After finishing their meal, Ji Wujiao and Ye Zhenzhen both felt somewhat uneasy. According to custom, his failure to flip the card and his arrival at Kun Ning Palace for dinner implied that he intended to stay in the Empress's palace tonight. However, Ji Wujiao did not mean it that way, and Ye Zhenzhen certainly did not wish for him to mean it that way. The pain from their wedding night was still fresh in her memory, and the thought of possibly having to experience it again made her... She cast a displeased glance at Ji Wujiao. The pain from their wedding night was still fresh in her memory, and the thought of possibly having to experience it again made her... She cast a displeased glance at Ji Wujiao.

Her eloquence is too sharp; I cannot match her in conversation

As Ji Wujiao walked in, he saw Ye Zhenzhen sitting casually, her eyes fixed in a daze on something on the table. He approached her gently and noticed a nine-square grid chessboard spread out in front of her, with several ivory pieces scattered across it, each engraved with numbers. This nine-square grid was different from the usual one; it was composed of nine nested nine-square grids, forming a total of eighty-one small squares arranged in rows and columns, each of which seemed capable of holding a numbered piece.

Ji Wujiao frowned deeply

Ji Wujiao could hardly believe that Ye Zhenzhen actually thought this name was very elegant

Su Yue watched on the side, feeling the urge to facepalm, and quickly ordered someone to bring another bowl.