Rebirth Plan to Save Leader

Chapter 7

The next day, after seeing the Emperor off, Li Mu began to truly scrutinize his preferences and temperament. If one method worked, she wouldn’t have to spend all her energy worrying about how to deal with the other concubines and princes. Moreover, the Emperor was currently young; if she didn’t take this chance to make him care for her now, she wouldn’t find him so easy to talk to once his life experience grew.

Li Mu understood perfectly. The reason the Emperor was agreeable now was partly due to her status as Empress and partly because the ordeal in the delivery room had been so life-threatening. He likely still felt a lingering sense of pity, but such pity would not last forever.

As time passed, more concubines would enter the palace, including the Emperor’s beloved maternal cousin. She had to find ways to keep the Emperor coming to her quarters. Of course, as the Empress, she had to advise the Emperor to spread his favor among all the women, but as long as that didn’t stop him from prioritizing her, it was fine. Harmony between the Emperor and Empress was, after all, a celebrated tale.

Li Mu’s expression was calm. The weather was turning into summer, and she quietly gave orders for the wet nurses to pay extra attention to Yinreng’s health. The child was naturally weak, and she couldn’t allow him to fall ill with heatstroke now.

“The Emperor is busy with government affairs. Go and tell the Imperial Kitchen to brew some warming soup, but don’t say I specifically ordered it.” Being too deliberate wasn’t good. Besides, with so many concubines sending soups and tonics, the Emperor wouldn’t even have time to drink them all. She only needed to show a bit of sincere heart.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Snow Lotus nodded.

Then, it was time for her to formally summon the concubines to give her instructions. After all, focusing solely on the Emperor wasn’t enough; she had her own duties to perform. “Summon them all. Tell them I have matters to discuss. Lady Zhao Jia is heavily pregnant, so let her send a representative; there is no need for her to make the trip.”

“Yes,” Nanny Zhou withdrew.

Li Mu picked up a book and began to read it nonchalantly, mentally charting her next steps. The Emperor had to be won over, but the harem could not be neglected either.

The concubines who received the news were all somewhat surprised. The time for morning greetings had already passed, and they had heard that the Emperor had just left the Empress’s palace. Was the Empress trying to show off? Regardless of their private guesses, when the Empress gave an order, no one dared to disobey.

The first to arrive were Concubine Li and Concubine Dong. Living close to each other, it was normal for them to arrive together. Next came Lady Ma Jia and the two Guo Luo sisters, followed by a succession of concubines Li Mu had little memory of, and finally, Noble Consort Niuhuru.

This woman was interesting; it was as if she had calculated the time to arrive exactly in the middle of the group. Li Mu observed her closely. She had a rough idea of Niuhuru’s temperament: cautious to the point that no one could find fault with her, as if she were simply idling her days away in the palace. Even with her high rank, she never showed a hint of arrogance while the Empress was present.

This means my plan might actually work, Li Mu thought, glancing casually at Noble Consort Niuhuru.

Once everyone had arrived, the concubines rose to pay their respects. Li Mu arranged seating for them; those who couldn’t fit had to stand. Fortunately, they were all used to this. After the greetings, every eye turned toward Li Mu.

Concubine Li gathered her courage and asked, “Does Your Majesty have instructions for us?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Seeing you looking so radiant, there must be some great joyous news to share with us,” Lady Wang Jia added eagerly. She had heard that the Imperial Household Department was making grand preparations for the legitimate prince’s one-month banquet. Since the Emperor valued the prince so much, and she served the Empress faithfully, perhaps she could benefit from the reflected glory.

Li Mu found it slightly amusing. “Naturally, I have summoned you here for an important matter. To you, it is indeed a great joy.” She paused, smiling as she watched the expressions of the concubines below shift. “The Emperor is going to grant a Grand Investiture for the harem. Go back and prepare. Those who have rendered merit to the Imperial Family will not be forgotten by the Emperor or myself.”

Lady Ma Jia’s face changed slightly. She bit her lip. The Emperor was finally granting promotions, yet he was doing so now—after she had lost so many children and had only one daughter left. If only he had done this earlier… if only he had done this while her son, Saiyinchahun, was still alive. Now… a flash of ruthlessness crossed her eyes. She had to get pregnant again as soon as possible. She could not lose to the other concubines during this promotion.

The younger Lady Guo Luo’s eyes flickered with thought. The Emperor currently favored her, but the harem was full of talent. She was worried she wouldn’t secure a good position. She glanced at her sister; in the coming days, she would have to do her utmost to win the Emperor’s favor.

The women in the hall looked at everyone but themselves as enemies; there wasn’t a trace of kindness in their eyes. Noble Consort Niuhuru studied the scene, and seeing the Empress’s smiling face, her unease grew. During a Grand Investiture, shouldn’t the Empress be worried about losing control? Why does she look like this?

“Sister Niuhuru, please stay behind. I have something to discuss with you,” Li Mu said once the general discussion had died down.

Now, not only was Niuhuru herself surprised, but all the other concubines stared at her and the Empress. Thinking the Empress was giving Niuhuru a “backdoor” advantage, several cast hidden glares at her as they left.

Once the others had gone, Li Mu dismissed the servants until only the two of them remained. She looked steadily at Niuhuru. “I asked you to stay because I have a proposal for you. Niuhuru, do you want a child of your own?“

Niuhuru was startled. Why was the Empress suddenly bringing this up? As a woman in the deep palace, there was no reason not to want a child. However, she knew the Empress now had a legitimate heir, and her father had mentioned that the Emperor intended to establish the legitimate son as the Crown Prince. As someone who had once been the closest candidate for the Empress’s throne, she must not have a child of her own. Otherwise, her family would be feared by the throne, and her future in the harem would be cut short.

She shook her head and spoke truthfully: “I do, yet I do not.” If having a child meant gambling with her family’s future, she would rather remain childless for life.

“Good. For those words alone, I can be at ease.” Li Mu had guessed as much. Every move a high-ranking concubine made affected the court, let alone one from a powerful clan like the Niuhuru. “Are you willing to follow me? You cannot have a child, but that doesn’t mean the Niuhuru clan cannot produce a Prince.”

Niuhuru could no longer sit still. She was shocked by the boldness of the proposal, yet her mind instinctively began to chew on the words. She realized that for someone in her precarious high-yet-unstable position, this was the ultimate temptation.

If the Emperor truly established the legitimate son as the Crown Prince, staying by the Empress’s side meant staying by the mother of the future Emperor. Furthermore, even if she couldn’t have her own child, the Empress’s words implied she might allow a daughter of the Niuhuru clan to enter the palace as a consort later. If the Niuhuru clan eventually had a Prince who served as a loyal supporter to the Crown Prince, wouldn’t that be the greatest merit of all? Her family would flourish under the new Emperor.

Noble Consort Niuhuru was moved, but she forced herself to remain calm. She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. “What does the Empress require of me?”

“Nothing major. I will not ask you to do anything that endangers you or your family.”

Li Mu spoke clearly. As the Empress, she could not personally raise the sons of concubines, just as she couldn’t raise Baoqing. Moreover, she had already refused to raise Baoqing; it would be inconsistent to suddenly offer to raise another.

However, she knew that among the future “Nine Lords,” there were many capable men. It would be a waste to simply “butterfly” them away. Therefore, the future Fourth Prince and Eighth Prince had to be under her control. They had to grow up as close to Yinreng as if they were brothers of the same mother. She wanted to build a support system for Yinreng, not a succession battle. If any of them proved problematic, she would neutralize their ability to compete for the throne early on.

Noble Consort Niuhuru was her chosen instrument. Those princes could be raised under Niuhuru’s name. Although the Emperor and Empress Dowager might be wary of Niuhuru raising imperial children (which is why Baoqing’s custody almost fell to Li Mu instead), Niuhuru held a rare high rank. The Emperor couldn’t keep her from raising children forever.

Furthermore, as long as Niuhuru hoped for a biological child from her clan in the future, she would never grow too close to these foster sons. To stay safe, Niuhuru would likely be colder to her foster sons than any other consort. That would be the perfect time for Li Mu and Yinreng to step in and offer kindness.

As for why she was so sure Niuhuru wouldn’t eventually eye the throne herself…

Li Mu recalled the original owner’s memories. On her deathbed, to ensure her family’s glory and a chance for a clan-born Prince, Noble Consort Niuhuru had coughed up blood while pleading with the Emperor to let her sister enter the palace. She promised that the Niuhuru clan would not compete for power and that the child would have no designs on the throne. Later, even though the Tenth Prince had immense backing, he insisted on following the Eighth and Ninth Princes—perhaps out of a refusal to lose, knowing he had been denied the right to inherit from birth.

This woman could endure for the sake of the Niuhuru glory. Furthermore, the clan was already too powerful; any prince closely associated with them would never be considered by the Emperor as a successor.

“Is Your Majesty serious? If you are deceiving me, though I am merely a Consort, I can show you the power of the Niuhuru clan,” Niuhuru said, looking deeply at Li Mu. She was indeed tempted. She knew opportunities like this were rare. The fact that the Empress was seeking an alliance before the legitimate son was officially named Crown Prince was a sign that the Empress herself felt a lack of security.

But if she waited until the boy was named Crown Prince, the Empress might no longer need her. The initiative was not in her hands. She could already imagine her family shining in the future.

“I am serious. As long as Yinreng and I exist, the Niuhuru clan will never decline,” Li Mu promised decisively.

Noble Consort Niuhuru breathed a sigh of relief, stood straight, and performed a profoundly respectful salute. “From this day forward, Your Majesty, I shall follow your lead.”

“Yinreng and I will not fail you or your clan,” Li Mu whispered.

And so, the alliance between the Empress and the only other high-ranking consort was forged. Li Mu could now continue her plans without looking over her shoulder.