She glanced over the data—none of the values were particularly high. It seemed that once each reached 100%, her body would achieve a state of perfection. Provided she could actually reach those levels, of course.
After completing this first task, the attributes she could upgrade were skin quality and—body fragrance?
Xu Lanshan: “…”
She didn’t hesitate to confirm the option for improving skin quality by 20%, which would bring the progress bar to 90%. But what on earth was this “body fragrance” thing? Was it really necessary?
Perhaps she had been staring at “body fragrance” for a bit too long, because the System kindly reminded her: “Sweetie, you need to confirm~ Don’t forget, we’re the Palace Intrigue System~ Our goal is to win the Emperor’s favor, become the queen of palace intrigue, and ascend to the throne as Empress~ Body fragrance is a very special bonus, it’s absolutely enchanting!”
Xu Lanshan’s mind suddenly veered into the gutter, and her face flushed with embarrassment. How utterly mortifying!
“Ahem,” Xu Lanshan pretended to be calm as she asked, “Could you explain this ‘body fragrance’ in more detail? I don’t want to turn into a walking incense burner, trailing scent everywhere I go.”
System: “Don’t worry, sweetie, that definitely won’t happen~ It only becomes noticeable during intimate moments… subtle, elusive, and utterly captivating… you know, that kind of atmosphere, that kind of feeling~ You get it, right?”
“Got it, got it. Fine, I’ll take it! It’s not like I’m losing anything by accepting it anyway.” Xu Lanshan’s face grew even redder as she forcibly slammed the brakes on her runaway thoughts. Well, it was what it was.
“Great, sweetie!” The System was delighted. “Skin quality improvement achieved 90%, body fragrance achieved 30%. Rewards distributed. Keep it up, sweetie!”
“Mhm, let’s work hard together!”
Xu Lanshan nodded with a smile. After all, she had transmigrated into such a pitiful identity and ended up in such a wretched place. Striving for favor was inevitable—without it, she wouldn’t survive. Having a cheat-like golden finger to help her was something she welcomed wholeheartedly.
“Alrighty, sweetie!”
Satisfied, Xu Lanshan lay down, ready to sleep. But just then, a “Ding!” echoed in her mind, and a line of text flashed across the screen: Palace Intrigue Task Continues—Achieve three nights of imperial favor within this month. Complete the task to receive rewards; fail and the host will be eliminated.
Xu Lanshan was dumbfounded and frantically called out to the System: “What’s going on? I don’t remember accepting a new task right now!”
The System replied weakly, a hint of guilt in its tone: “Um, well… once the first task is activated, the subsequent ones are all automated~ We’re high-tech, you know!”
What kind of bullshit high-tech is this?!
Xu Lanshan sneered, “Would you want this ‘high-tech’ for yourself?”
System: “…”
Angry as she was, Xu Lanshan had no choice but to swallow her frustration. “Forget it, forget it. Just be smart about it and help me when I need it.”
“Of course, sweetie!” Relieved that Xu Lanshan wasn’t angry anymore, the System sounded less guilty and reassured her, “Don’t worry, sweetie. Although tasks are randomly and automatically assigned, the difficulty is low at the beginning, which is why they come so frequently. It won’t be like this in the future~”
“Hmph…” Xu Lanshan replied sarcastically, “Naturally. If they kept coming one after another without giving anyone a chance to breathe, who could handle that? Even a workhorse in a production brigade isn’t driven that hard!”
System: “…”
After a moment of silence, the System added, “Oh, by the way, sweetie, today is the 19th of the third month, which means there are only eleven days left this month~ You’d better work hard, sweetie—”
"What did you say!" Xu Lanshan was so angry she could barely speak: "This month means this current month?"
"…Yes."
"Not thirty days?"
"Uh, n-no, it's not!"
Xu Lanshan felt a splitting headache. She had said it before—there's no such thing as a free lunch. This was a cheat, but it wasn't something just anyone could handle.
Three nights of imperial favor within eleven days—was it even possible for a lowly palace maid like her? The harem was filled with beauties of all shapes and sizes.
Besides their individual charms and talents, some had prestigious backgrounds—like Consort Lian, the Empress Dowager's niece; some had given birth to the Emperor's only son—Consort Shu; and some were dazzlingly beautiful, talented, and had always been favored—Consort Yu. So, even if the Emperor took a liking to her, how could he possibly summon her for three nights within eleven days under normal circumstances?
What made it worse was that, according to the original host's memories, the Emperor wasn't particularly interested in visiting the harem. Sometimes, the total number of nights he summoned concubines in a month didn't even reach ten.
Exhausted, Xu Lanshan couldn't be bothered to deal with this heartless, deceptive System anymore.
She was tired of saying "whatever." Since she was already here, what else could she do? Even if she were to be erased, she might as well treat it as an immersive tour of the harem.
It wasn't a loss, after all.
With this thought, she felt completely at ease and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, she didn't notice any special body fragrance, just as the System had said—it would only be noticeable during intimate moments. However, she did notice that her skin had indeed become fairer and more delicate.
It was like ice and jade, smooth and lustrous, with a natural, seamless fairness that was pleasing to the eye. Especially her hands—they were becoming increasingly captivating.
As the saying goes, fair skin can hide a hundred flaws. Surely, her appearance had improved by several degrees?
Xu Lanshan was in high spirits.
In the morning, the Emperor's decree arrived as expected.
It was Eunuch Dong who came to announce the decree. Since this body's surname was also Xu, Xu Lanshan was conferred the seventh-rank title of Changzai and granted residence in Cuiyin Pavilion. Song Meiren was promoted to the fourth-rank title of Ronghua. Both received rewards of brocade, rare ornaments, jewelry, and other items.
The harem ranks mirrored those of court officials, also consisting of nine ranks. Jumping from a palace maid to a seventh-rank Changzai, Xu Lanshan felt quite satisfied.
When Eunuch Dong congratulated her with a smile, she politely thanked him in return.
Song Ronghua suppressed the bitterness in her mouth as she kowtowed to express gratitude for the Emperor's grace, watching helplessly as Xu Lanshan left Yongchun Palace.
Cuiyin Pavilion was not close to Yongchun Palace—it was an independent small courtyard with three rooms and two courtyards, bright, tidy, and neat. Xu Lanshan quite liked it.
As a Changzai, she was only allowed one palace maid and one young eunuch for personal service. The Shang Gong Bureau sent people over, and Xu Lanshan selected two to stay—one named Yuchan and the other Xiao Fuzi. Both seemed decent.
As Xu Lanshan expected, another decree arrived at noon, instructing her to prepare well, as a phoenix sedan would take her to Qianyuan Palace that night to serve the Emperor.
Xu Lanshan expressed her shy delight and gratitude.
Yuchan and Xiao Fuzi were also overjoyed, busily preparing the clothes she would wear that night, the jewelry she would adorn, and hot water for her bath…
Yuchan beamed with joy and said, "The Emperor summoned you to serve him on the very day you were conferred the title of Changzai, Mistress. This is surely a good omen! With your beauty, you will surely win the Emperor's favor!"
Xiao Fuzi also nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, no wonder earlier I saw two magpies chirping on the magnolia tree in the courtyard—it turns out it was an omen for this! Our young mistress truly has great fortune!"