For half a year, Xuanyuan Mo had been busy rooting out the spies planted by the border tribes.
The An family father and son also made significant contributions at the border, striking fear into the tribes and deterring further incursions.
For a time, the An family rose to prominence in the court. Upon their triumphant return, they naturally received rewards, and the An family became a newly ascendant power.
In the harem, the lowly Noble Lady An also saw her status elevated due to the An family’s success.
From a mere sixth-ranked Noble Lady An, she was promoted to the fifth-ranked Concubine An.
Everyone thought Xuanyuan Mo would go to An Ningxiang that night, but unexpectedly, “he” went instead to the Imperial Concubine’s palace.
With that, everyone understood that the Emperor had only promoted Concubine An because of the An family. In his heart, he still favored the Imperial Concubine over Concubine An.
What no one knew was that the one comforting the Imperial Concubine at night was Xuanyuan Mie, while Concubine An got to see the true Emperor almost every night.
“Poor Ningxiang.”
Xuanyuan Mo held the woman in his arms. “Now that the An family is on the rise, as soon as things stabilize, I will give them an opportunity. When the time comes, your status can be elevated further. Compared to skyrocketing overnight, a gradual rise is more convincing.”
“Mm, Ah Mo, you’re so kind.” An Ningxiang’s heart felt sweet. She thought of the dazzling Imperial Concubine and hesitated. “If Ah Mo makes me Empress, what will happen to the Imperial Concubine?”
The man going to the Imperial Concubine’s palace was someone else. For the sake of royal dignity, Xuanyuan Mo would certainly not use this matter as an excuse to make trouble. General Tang had already died in battle, and the glory of the Tang family could no longer support the Imperial Concubine.
It could be said that if Xuanyuan Mo stopped favoring the Imperial Concubine, her days would likely become difficult.
Xuanyuan Mo also fell silent. If Ningxiang became Empress, he certainly wouldn’t continue to favor the Imperial Concubine.
From the very beginning, the person he liked was Ningxiang. The Imperial Concubine was merely a shield he had set up for Ningxiang.
According to the original plan, General Tang’s treason would have implicated the Imperial Concubine, leading to her being thrown into the Cold Palace.
Now, that method was no longer feasible.
His elder brother had once declared that the Imperial Concubine was his person, and Xuanyuan Mo truly didn’t dare to do anything rash to her.
Deep down, he didn’t really want to do anything to the Imperial Concubine either.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Let’s leave it as it is.”
An Ningxiang pinched her sleeve and bit her lip. “Is that really okay?”
“If Ningxiang becomes Empress, she’ll undoubtedly be scrutinized by countless people. It’s better to have the Imperial Concubine as a shield. That way, Ningxiang will face fewer troubles,” Xuanyuan Mo explained. “If the Imperial Concubine makes a mistake because of you, it won’t be too late to deal with her then.”
An Ningxiang’s heart eased. So, Ah Mo was thinking of her?
However, she still felt uneasy. Even if she became Empress, Ah Mo would still make everyone think that the person he favored was the Imperial Concubine.
She, as the Empress, would be seen as unloved. While the fate of the Imperial Consort does evoke some sympathy, people are inherently selfish when it comes to matters of the heart.
No woman could accept the idea that others believed her beloved cared for someone else more.
But An Ningxiang was smart. She wouldn’t share these thoughts with Xuanyuan Mo.
She refused to believe that the harem’s concubines could tolerate the Imperial Concubine growing more favored year after year. Once she became Empress, all she had to do was watch and wait.
Year after year passed, and three years went by in the blink of an eye.
An Ningxiang’s rank continued to rise as the An family father and son achieved repeated military successes. She was no longer Concubine An but was now respectfully addressed as Honorable Consort An.
Concubine Meng was promoted to Concubine Meng De, Concubine Yin was promoted to Concubine Yin Shu, Noble Concubine Lan was promoted to Lan Zhaoyi, Honorable Lady He was promoted to He Zhaoyuan, Honorable Lady Xu was promoted to Xu Zhaorong, and Noble Lady Yun was promoted to Yun Wanyi.
Meanwhile, Tang Guo, originally the highest-ranked of the four consorts, was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.
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