Beauty Strategy – Guan Chang, Zhang Jingyun

For a thousand years, the Xuan Kun Continent has been ruled by five clans: the Human Clan, the Phantom Clan, the Snow Clan, the Fire Clan, and the mysterious Spirit Clan. Six years ago, a great war broke out, and the Human Clan army nearly exterminated the other four clans, establishing their dominance. During the chaos of the war, Princess Shuo Ye of the Spirit Clan narrowly escaped and went missing.

In the Human Clan's palace, it was snowing heavily. A woman was enduring a brutal whipping in the snow. She was beaten to the ground, her face covered in scars, but her eyes remained sharp despite the pain. Lady An stood nearby, ruthlessly whipping her. The woman, pinned to the ground, could only beg for mercy.

At this moment, His Majesty's carriage arrived. In the deep palace, slaves were treated like ants. His Majesty's carriage stopped in front of the slave, and he remarked that there was no need for Lady An to dirty her hands with a lowly slave. After saying this, he left. Even ants like slaves will find a way to survive. This slave was actually Princess Shuo Ye of the Spirit Clan, but now she was known as Ling Zhi. Ling Zhi possessed a spell that allowed her to heal her injuries.

Ling Zhi had disguised herself as a slave to enter the Human Clan's palace in order to rescue her family. Late at night, a matron and some maidservants came to the servants' quarters to trouble Ling Zhi. Since Ling Zhi had offended Lady An, her life was bound to be difficult. Yet, Ling Zhi never gave up. The matron also warned her not to make any mistakes the next day, as Ling Zhi had to seize the opportunity at the consort selection event to gain His Majesty's favor.

The consort selection event began. Ling Zhi, as a maidservant, attended to the guests in the main hall. His Majesty Mu Xuanjue glanced at her. At this moment, the Grand Concubine arrived. She looked at the candidates and found none of them to her liking, thinking they were all unworthy. Knowing that the Grand Concubine liked flowers, Ling Zhi used her magic to bring flower petals from outside onto herself. Seeing the petals fall, the Grand Concubine was delighted and called Ling Zhi forward. She then decided to keep Ling Zhi for the consort selection, much to the astonishment of the candidates. The Grand Concubine, seeing that Mu Xuanjue had not objected, decided to have Ling Zhi serve in bed that night.

Everyone present was very surprised. Ling Zhi knew that getting close to His Majesty was one way to find her family's whereabouts. That night, after dressing up, Ling Zhi went to the bedchamber to prepare for the night, but upon seeing her, His Majesty immediately bestowed a white silk strip for her, leaving Ling Zhi very puzzled.

His Majesty threw the white silk in front of Ling Zhi, telling her to end her life. Ling Zhi immediately knelt down, arguing that executing her could jeopardize his safety. After all, the Empress Dowager held military power and had conferred her status. If the Empress Dowager used this as an excuse, it wouldn't be simple. His Majesty was surprised that Ling Zhi, a lowly slave, could analyze the situation so clearly. Mu Xuanjue had no real intention of killing Ling Zhi; he was merely testing her.

Mu Xuanjue's gaze at Ling Zhi reminded him of Princess Shuo Ye. Her expression was very similar to Shuo Ye's, but Shuo Ye had died long ago, so Mu Xuanjue dismissed the thought. Holding a sword to Ling Zhi's neck, Ling Zhi offered to prove her worth, saying she could become his weapon.

This intrigued Mu Xuanjue, so he arranged for Ling Zhi to stay in the palace. Although Ling Zhi became a consort, Lady An still sought to trouble her. When Lady An saw that the wounds she had inflicted on Ling Zhi a few days ago had fully healed, she attempted to strike again. This time, Ling Zhi fought back, grabbing Lady An's hairpin and reminding her that she was under the Empress Dowager's protection.

Mu Xuanjue, who had been watching from the doorway, intervened just as Lady An's hairpin was about to stab Ling Zhi. He gently asked Ling Zhi if she was hurt. Ling Zhi was startled by his kindness, while Lady An, filled with jealousy, dared not speak out. Mu Xuanjue ordered her to leave. Ling Zhi was puzzled by Mu Xuanjue's unpredictable behavior. Mu Xuanjue knew the Empress Dowager was using the slave to humiliate him, and by not resisting, he avoided falling into her trap. Lady An returned to Ling Zhi, offering her a gift.

At this moment, Consort Huan arrived. It was Ling Zhi's first time meeting Consort Huan. Upon learning that Ling Zhi was appointed by the Empress Dowager, Consort Huan called her forward. Consort Huan, from the Phantom Clan, now wielded great power in the palace. Lady An pretended to offer wine to Consort Huan, who, being cautious, handed it to Ling Zhi to taste.

Lady An knew that if a member of the Spirit Clan drank alcohol, their true form would be revealed. Ling Zhi refused to drink and accused Lady An of being arrogant and disrespectful to Consort Huan. As the two were about to clash, Consort Huan intervened. She grabbed Lady An by the neck and ordered her punishment, declaring that anyone who became arrogant due to favor would meet the same fate as Lady An.

Consort Huan handed the wine to Ling Zhi. Since it was from Consort Huan, Ling Zhi had no choice but to drink it. After leaving, Ling Zhi felt she could barely suppress her true form. If her identity were discovered, she would surely face death.

Ling Zhi felt she could barely suppress her true form and suddenly collapsed in the heavy snow. At that moment, a man in white standing on the city wall saw Ling Zhi about to reveal her true identity. This man was Bing Jian. He didn't expect to see Shuo Ye here. Bing Jian quickly healed Ling Zhi, who was still unconscious. When Mu Xuanjue arrived, Bing Jian gently laid the still-unconscious Ling Zhi down and quickly left to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Mu Xuanjue saw Ling Zhi through the gauze curtain. He ordered the sedan chair to stop. Ling Zhi, looking delicate and frail, forced herself to stand up despite her discomfort. She tried to explain that she had drunk the wine given by Concubine Huan, but before she could finish speaking, Mu Xuanjue gently touched her forehead. His expression then changed, and he told her to obediently go back since she was ill. Thus, he had her sent back.

In truth, the wine was deliberately given to Concubine Huan by Mu Xuanjue's subordinate. He suspected that the Ling Zhi before him was Princess Shuo Ye, but she hadn't revealed her true form, so he still had doubts. Ling Zhi returned to her bedchamber, curling up due to the cold. A maid brought her medicinal soup.

Ling Zhi forced herself to open her eyes and saw that it was a maid from Concubine Huan's side. She didn't want to drink the medicine, but the maid tried to force it on her. This was not a medicine that would improve her condition but poison. Fortunately, Mu Xuanjue arrived just in time, preventing Ling Zhi from consuming it. Seeing Ling Zhi's pained expression, Mu Xuanjue felt deeply distressed. He wondered if Ling Zhi was truly Shuo Ye, why she didn't remember him, given their deep love in the past. If she wasn't Shuo Ye, then who was she?

Ling Zhi's condition improved significantly under Mu Xuanjue's care. Now, all the maids treated Ling Zhi well. However, Ling Zhi couldn't understand why Mu Xuanjue saved her last night. At this moment, a girl who called Ling Zhi "sister" rushed into the bedchamber to congratulate her on becoming a Ling Beauty. She even brought her saved food for Ling Zhi. Seeing the dates and longans, Ling Zhi knew it was not easy for her to gather so much.

Ling Zhi told her younger sister Qing Yan that she needed her help to find someone. Knowing that the Emperor favored Ling Zhi, Qing Yan was very happy. The subordinates were curious why Mu Xuanjue, despite Ling Zhi being the Dowager's person, didn't kill her. Mu Xuanjue said he would not only refrain from killing her but would also cherish her more, making her his new weapon.

Concubine Huan, covered in wounds, came to beg Mu Xuanjue for mercy. Mu Xuanjue told her she was now a useless pawn. Concubine Huan cried, saying she had no choice. Mu Xuanjue also sent Ling Zhi gold, silver, and jewels, and instructed her to accompany him in three days to meet the leader of the Fire Clan. That evening, Mu Xuanjue wanted to stay. The maids, hearing this, sensibly left. Although Ling Zhi was reluctant, she had no choice but to use her body to gain Mu Xuanjue's favor.