The maid's road to success

Someone from the Sixth Prince's side had already been working non-stop to convey the decree to enter Kyoto back to his fiefdom. As early as when they received the evidence of Duke Cheng'en's guilt, the Sixth Prince's people had already made preparations to enter Kyoto. In recent days, they had been paying attention to the developments in Kyoto and sent some people to Kyoto first, while he and the Sixth Prince's wife were waiting for news at the back.

Concubine Yun had already gone to Kyoto with the first group of people. It must be said that the aristocratic families are good at training personnel. Concubine Yun was so cowardly and timid. She was chosen to be a concubine because she was too timid and acted like a frightened rabbit in everything she did. But after all, she was influenced by her family since she was a child. There are some things she doesn't want to do, not that she can't do it.

After falling out of favor, she was completely abandoned by the Sixth Prince's wife. None of the women in the palace were simple people, and all of them resented her for having monopolized the favor. They had been well protected before, and with the prince's favor, most of them paid more attention to her. But after Liu Yan won the Sixth Prince's heart again, Concubine Yun lost his favor.

Without the love of her husband in the harem, and unable to stand up on her own, she is like a cat with its teeth pulled out, bullied at will. Zhuye came to her during that painful time. At first, he just tried his best to protect her and gain her trust. Later, he gave her advice and brought her beauty. It was also at that time that Concubine Yun guessed why she clearly felt that the Sixth Prince liked her very much. He also said in his words that Liu Yan was unlettered and had no fun in the boudoir.

At that time, the Sixth Prince had clearly shifted all his attention to herself, but just when she was the most favored, she was suddenly neglected. Concubine Yun had seen Liu Yan and found that she was 10% inferior to herself in appearance. She was as weak as herself, and even more delicate and timid than herself. But it was such a person who could make the Sixth Prince give up on her and hold her in his arms.

Concubine Yun had always thought that it was because Liu Yan had her own unique qualities that attracted the Sixth Prince again. It might also be because after all, they had been in love for two years and it was not so easy to give up. But since then, the Sixth Prince has never favored the women in the Sixth Prince's Mansion again. That was true exclusive favor.

When Zhuye took out Jiaoyan for the first time, Concubine Yun understood why Liu Yan was able to snatch the Sixth Prince from so many women. It was because of this. The Sixth Prince always held a snuff bottle and sniffed it from time to time. Concubine Yun's grandfather also used to use a snuff bottle to refresh himself, but he had never smelled this kind of smell. She was already suspicious at that time.

Concubine Yun naturally knew that Liu Yan had used this kind of thing before, and now it was in front of her again. There must be someone behind the scenes planning something, but she was oppressed too harshly. Those women seemed as beautiful as flowers on the surface, but were too vicious behind the scenes. They hid thin silver needles on Concubine Yun's clothes, or they framed her, added safflower to her medicine, and put snakes in her bathtub.

Concubine Yun knew that she was just a pawn. In the past, she was a pawn used by the Sixth Princess to suppress Liu Yan. Now, she was a pawn used by Zhuye's master for other purposes. Fortunately, Zhuye told her that her master did not intend to let her do anything dangerous. She just needed to use her delicate face to maintain her favor.

Concubine Yun had no choice but to accept the beauty given by Zhuye, just like Liu Yan had to accept the beauty given by Xing'er. They both had no one to rely on and no strong power. They were bullied and would be bullied to death if they did not resist.

But Concubine Yun was smarter than Liu Yan. Liu Yan had already used her delicate face to successfully gain favor and tied the Sixth Prince's heart firmly to her. Her situation now was like the second Liu Yan. It was the first time that a person who had fallen out of favor regained favor and made the Sixth Prince neglect all other women for her. If this happened once, it could be said to be a coincidence, but if it happened twice or three times, there must be something fishy going on.

Therefore, Concubine Yun did not choose to use Jiaoyan on herself, but made it into a purse and sent it to the Sixth Prince. After Liu Yan's death, she was the type of person the Sixth Prince liked the most in the Sixth Prince's Mansion. If it weren't for her behavior that always reminded the Sixth Prince of Liu Yan, she would have lived a good life even without Jiaoyan.

But after suffering humiliation from those women, Concubine Yun pursued not only a good life, but also to become the kind of person who is superior to them and can step on them under her feet. So, when a dog is desperate, it will jump over the wall, and when a rabbit is desperate, it will bite. If a timid and cowardly person is pushed to the edge, she will also become an executioner.

Concubine Yun gave the purse to the Sixth Prince. She only selected a small amount of medicine for use, so it did not arouse suspicion. In order to distract the Sixth Princess's jealousy, she also gave clothes mixed with medicine to women in other palaces. Now the Sixth Prince is truly getting the most out of everyone, except the Sixth Princess herself.

In the carriage, Concubine Yun had no idea what she was dreaming about. She frowned and looked very uneasy. Zhuye sat beside her, holding her hand and comforting her softly.

"The concubine has woken up. I just passed through a small town and bought some flower cakes. Would you like to use some?"

Concubine Yun shook her head, sat up and leaned against the cushion, staring at the bamboo leaves without blinking.

"We're about to arrive in Kyoto, why don't you tell me who your master is?"

Zhuye put down the teapot in his hand and looked at Concubine Yun with a smile. This woman has changed a lot since she became enlightened. Although she still looks weak and unable to take care of herself, she has actually become much smarter.

"Why do you keep asking, Concubine? Anyway, my master doesn't need you to do anything. He will only help you. What does it matter who you are?"

Concubine Yun seemed a little angry. The person behind the scenes took the initiative to help her regain favor, but she didn't know who it was or what the other party's purpose was. She was always uneasy, but Zhuye couldn't find out anything by using threats and inducements?

"You want to use my delicate face to control the Sixth Prince, but aren't you afraid that I won't use my delicate face anymore in the future? I'm afraid your plan will fail."

Concubine Yun wanted to scare Zhuye, but she didn't expect that she didn't see Zhuye's angry look, and instead laughed even more happily.

"Has your Highness noticed that the appearances of Concubines Chunyue and Xiahe have changed a lot recently?"

Concubine Yun didn't understand why she said that suddenly for a moment. Thinking about it carefully, the two concubines, Chunyue and Xiahe, seldom went out recently. When they were seen occasionally, they always covered their faces with round fans and applied thick watercolor on their faces. They looked older than before, with drooping eyes and thinner hair. They were laughed at for a while because their hair fell on the cushion of the Sixth Princess' chair when they paid their respects.

Suddenly thinking of something, Concubine Yun looked at Zhuye in horror.

"Jiaoyan, as its name suggests, will make the person who takes it look as pretty as a peach in spring, as pure as a chrysanthemum in autumn, truly as brilliant as spring flowers, and as beautiful as the autumn moon. If it is taken by a man at the same time, and they spend a certain amount of time together, they will naturally be affectionate. But people in the world say that medicine is three-quarters poisonous. Once this medicine is used for more than a month, it will be engraved into the bone marrow. Once the medicine is stopped, people will immediately lose menstrual blood in a short period of time and slowly show the appearance of old age. Simply put, taking Jiaoyan will make you more beautiful, and losing the nourishment of Jiaoyan will make you more ugly."

Seeing Concubine Yun becoming more and more frightened, Zhuye handed her a cup of tea.

"But don't be afraid, Concubine. As long as you keep taking this medicine, it will always maintain your appearance. It will not affect your body. On the contrary, it will always nourish your flesh and blood."

Concubine Yun didn't expect that this medicine would be so horrifying. Yes, it was horrifying. It was said that it could make one look charming, but once the beauty was lost, one would age. She had only given some favor to the two concubines, Chunyue and Xiahe, and yet the two beautiful women became like that. What about herself?

Jiaoyan Jiaoyan, such a beautiful name, but behind it there is such a painful price. Women love beauty very much, and women in the harem are even more so. Without beauty, a woman is an ugly person who can be trampled on by others. Using Jiaoyan is equivalent to being controlled by her for the rest of her life, unless the person who uses Jiaoyan does not care about his or her appearance or does not want to live anymore. But how many people in the world can do that?

"Get out!"

Concubine Yun didn't know whether she should be grateful to Zhuye for sending Jiaoyan to pull her out of the quagmire, or should be angry that she was dragged into the trap and could never get rid of Jiaoyan's control. But she really didn't want to see Zhuye's face. He always looked like a loyal servant who cared about her and served her attentively, but Jiaoyan cost her such a heavy price that she could not do without her until now. He told her about the side effects of Jiaoyan when the drug had taken effect on her.

Zhuye got off obediently and followed behind the carriage. The huge army showed how favored Concubine Yun was. Even the Sixth Prince's wife was no different. Unfortunately, people are strange. When she was still that timid concubine, the Sixth Prince liked to be with her very much and rewarded her with many treasures. At that time, she always dared not accept them and abided by the rules and did not dare to cross the line.

I remember what Concubine Yun often said.

"I have never been favored since I was young. I am just a floating cloud. I have no place in the world. I am lucky enough to enter the palace and enjoy the honorable position of concubine. I dare not ask for more."

These words were said to the Sixth Prince, the Sixth Princess, and the Grand Empress Dowager. However, ever since she fell out of favor and received too much bullying, things changed. Concubine Yun was never heard to say such words again. On the contrary, she began to plan for herself. For the sake of her own status, she became a scheming executioner. In just half a year, she had already killed people.

No wonder Master An Huang once said that human hearts cannot stand the test and even the most innocent people have a dark side.

Concubine Yun sat in the carriage, thoughts flashing through her mind. This situation has been going on for many days. She did discover something, but if she let others know, her name would be hurt. Ever since she went through that dark time, Concubine Yun could not completely trust the people around her. However, Zhuye's master wanted to know. Zhuye had tried many times, and she was afraid that he was determined to get the secret he knew. What if he used Jiaoyan to threaten her?

On second thought, it should be impossible. The Sixth Prince's dependence on Jiaoyan is deeper than he thought. Now he wears a purse filled with crushed spices almost every day. If he rashly cuts off Jiaoyan, his body will react immediately, which will attract the attention of many people.

But when he saw Zhuye talking to someone outside, he felt that it was very likely that the other party would use Jiaoyan to threaten him. After all, Zhuye was able to get by his side in the first place, and now he could send Jiaoyan to the Sixth Prince through someone else. After all, who wouldn't want the benefits of consolidating his favor and winning power, status and money? What's more, as long as this thing is used continuously, it will make one's face more beautiful and one's flesh and blood more youthful.

Concubine Yun was restless and thought about many things in just a cup of tea. Finally, she made up her mind after looking at the emerald green bracelet on her wrist. She could not leave Jiaoyan. She needed Jiaoyan more than Liu Yan did in the past.

Liu Yan was an orphan. After being taken out of the theater by the Sixth Prince, he bought her a house, gave her servants, and rewarded her with a lot of money. Even if she fell out of favor, it was not impossible for her to live a stable life as long as she lived frugally.

But I am different. My family is not strong enough and the daughters of my family can usually only marry the sons of third or fourth rank officials. I was lucky enough to become the prince's concubine because I grew up in the way that the Sixth Prince liked. Now I am the concubine of the County Prince, but I am already the best married one in the family.

There is no brave person in the family who can raise a person with such a personality. When he is favored, he thinks of ways to get benefits. When he falls out of favor and is bullied, he hates to acknowledge his own blood. He hides at home like a quail and dares not even accept letters for help.

If the master of the bamboo leaf gave up cooperating with her and refused to provide Jiaoyan, she could report it to the Sixth Prince and the Sixth Princess, but she was the one who drugged her. Could she be spared? Even if she could save her life by chance and drag the master of the bamboo leaf into the water, she would not have Jiaoyan. During this period, she had severely fought back against those who had bullied her. After falling out of favor and becoming ugly, Concubine Yun could not imagine how miserable her life would be in the palace.

Looking at all the luxuries in the carriage, Concubine Yun made up her mind. As the saying goes, it is better to let a friend die than to let myself die. Now that this opportunity has come to her, it belongs to her. The secret of the Sixth Princess, if Zhuye's master has enough ability, then she will be safe.

"Zhuye, come in and serve!"

When Zhuye heard Concubine Yun's voice, a smile appeared on her lips. It seemed that she didn't need to wait until Kyoto to find the young master for a solution.

"The concubine is calling me?"

Concubine Yun looked at Zhuye's appearance, gritted her teeth, and leaned close to Zhuye's ear.

He said a few words in a very low voice, and immediately saw Zhuye's face change. It was because of this. No wonder Concubine Yun was so flustered after coming back and claimed to be sick and did not go out. It turned out that it was because she knew the shocking secret.

The carriage was swaying slowly. Concubine Yun's cheeks turned pale when she mentioned this matter. Zhuye had a panicked expression on her face. Suddenly, there was no sound in the carriage. The two people looked at each other without saying a word. The sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the ground seemed unusually abrupt.

Zhuye wished she could immediately summon the convoy to speed up and rush to Kyoto, but after all, she was not the master, and the convoy was managed by the steward of the palace, so she could only bear it.