The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 2)

Chapter 233 - Standing on the Right Side

"Your servant greets Your Highness."

As soon as Zhou Cairen entered the room, she first paid her respects.

Ye Yun waved her hand. "No need to call me Your Highness, take a seat."

Although someone of the nine consort rank could be addressed as Your Highness and refer to themselves as "this palace", with so many higher ranks above her, using such titles now would seem a bit presumptuous.

For this reason, those at the consort level rarely called themselves "this palace" or allowed others to call them Your Highness. Usually, the title Your Highness was reserved for those ranked second grade or above among the consorts.

Zhou Cairen nodded and finally sat down in a lower chair.

Nanzhi served tea, and Zhou Cairen took a sip, finally relaxing a bit.

Earlier, outside Fengxi Palace, she had witnessed the conflict between Ming Xiurong and Su Jieyu, and now, seeing Ye Yun's unpleasant expression, she had been on edge.

So, she had addressed her as Your Highness to flatter her and lighten the mood.

However, upon seeing that Ye Yun wasn't upset with her, Zhou Cairen finally felt at ease.

"I asked you to come because I wanted to inquire about Zheng Baolin. You entered the palace in the same selection group as her. Do you know anything about her?" Ye Yun asked.

Clearly, Zhou Cairen hadn't expected this question, and after thinking for a moment, she finally spoke.

"During the selection, Zheng Shi seemed lively and cheerful, always smiling. She didn't come from a prominent family, and her looks weren't extraordinary either. She didn't make close friends or enemies, almost as if she didn't expect to be chosen. Among the other candidates, she didn't stand out."

"Your servant and she were in the same group during the final selection, six people in total. Both of us were chosen. It was the Empress who remarked that her smile was joyous, and the Emperor kept her. We thought she would be favored after entering the palace. Unexpectedly, the Empress neither supported nor promoted her, and the Emperor didn't care for her. After spending one night with him, there was no second."

"Your servant has no real connection with her."

Zhou Cairen shared everything she knew in one breath.

"In your opinion, is Zheng Shi someone we can use?"

Ye Yun picked up her teacup, gently blew on it, but didn't rush to drink.

"Your servant believes that now, with her out of favor and in a difficult situation, especially with her conflict with Su Jieyu, if Xiurong is willing to offer her protection, she would likely be willing to serve you," Zhou Cairen said.

By this point, the intention was clear. 

It was nothing more than trying to draw Zheng Baolin to their side to keep an eye on Su Jieyu.

Ye Yun lowered her gaze, silently agreeing.

Zhou Cairen stayed at Yuxiu Pavilion for lunch before leaving. 

Before she left, Ye Yun subtly mentioned the topic of promotion, hinting that when the New Year came, she planned to push Zhou Shi forward in rank.

Naturally, being promoted was a good thing, especially when there was no need to compete fiercely with other women for it—how easy it was.

For Zhou Cairen, promotion was no longer about gaining favor; it was simply about improving her quality of life.

Standing on the right side truly made things much easier.