Chapter 179 – The Concubine’s Counterattack: The Most Favored Empress – Xiao A Changes Owners (09)
Although Qiu’er had strong objections to being “imprisoned” by Luo Dai, it was just a dog—what could it possibly do?
Because it was the beloved pet of the Empress, the palace attendants treated it well with fine food and drink. Bai Tang would also come to see it from time to time, giving Xiao A the opportunity to absorb some of the fortune.
The protagonist aura and fortune that clung to Ma Aoshan were different from the kind accumulated by staying long-term with the male lead.
Moreover, even supporting characters possessed their own aura—otherwise, they wouldn’t have survived past infancy. Thanks to Bai Tang, however, his fortune had grown stronger and had already surpassed Ma Aoshan’s.
Under the influence of the combined fortune of Bai Tang and Luo Dai, Xiao A’s power grew stronger by the day. It even began to discern that the husky wasn’t an ordinary dog.
Compared to other dogs, this one was too clever. It knew how to act cute and beg for hugs, but it was defeated by a single sentence from Luo Dai: “Don’t hug it in a way that might hurt the puppy’s injuries.” As a result, Bai Tang could only watch and wasn’t allowed to physically interact with the husky.
Qiu’er was miserable and angry, but there was nothing it could do.
Xiao A would never bind itself to a mere dog. It was waiting for the right moment—waiting for the husky to return to Bai Tang’s side so it could take the chance to bind itself then.
After Ma Aoshan lost her luck system, it was as if she had lost her eyes, nose, and mouth in the palace—completely cut off from the flow of information.
She had only herself to blame; relying on her system, she had never taken the palace intrigue seriously. Since they couldn’t deal with Bai Tang, the other concubines shifted their target to the second most favored—Noble Consort Ma.
She had used her status to make life difficult for others for a long time. Those of lower rank had no power to resist and could only endure in silence. Now that something had happened to Ma Aoshan—bitten by a dog—the news delighted the rest of the harem.
Everyone knew the Emperor protected Bai Tang’s pet dog. There was already longstanding resentment between Qiankun Palace and Ganquan Palace. Now that the Emperor personally defended Qiankun Palace, it was clear that Ganquan Palace had fallen out of favor. Everyone could see it.
Each day, people visited Ganquan Palace to “show concern” for Ma Aoshan, but their words grew more venomous by the day—subtle yet cruel, cloaked in polite hypocrisy. Their insults were carefully phrased: part flattery, part sarcasm. This was the art of language. Ma Aoshan was furious but couldn’t do anything to punish them.
Listening to the gossip among the palace attendants, the husky became even more certain that the female lead’s system had disappeared. It was quite pleased with itself—this was all thanks to its efforts. In this life, as long as Tangtang stayed sweetly by Luo Dai’s side, that was enough. Anyone who tried to hurt Tangtang—it would bite them!
However, as the female lead, Ma Aoshan wasn’t someone who could be so easily defeated.
Just as the husky was about to return to Bai Tang’s side, it received news from Luo Dai’s trusted aide…
Ma Aoshan Was Plotting Rebellion with Prince Zhuang
Ma Aoshan was secretly colluding with Prince Zhuang to plot a rebellion.
The reason this was told to Bai Tang was to warn him—to keep his distance from Ma Aoshan and avoid falling into any of her traps.
From Luo Dai’s perspective, Ma Aoshan was a woman of humble origins, whose appearance had never been particularly striking. Yet overnight, she had become dazzlingly beautiful—so much so that she faintly overshadowed Bai Tang, who was then known as the most beautiful among the palace’s young ladies. That alone was suspicious.
Who knew whether she was using some kind of poison or dark magic? She had also somehow known his route and intercepted him on a secluded path in the imperial garden. Who could say how deep her influence ran within the palace?
It was through this incident that Ma Aoshan entered Luo Dai’s line of sight. To her credit, her wish to attract attention had worked—though her intentions were certainly skewed.
When Bai Tang heard that Ma Aoshan was plotting rebellion, he immediately clung to Luo Dai and said, “Then you mustn’t go see her! It’s too dangerous. What if she tries to assassinate you~?”
Bai Tang never liked the women of the harem, but he wasn’t one to make unreasonable scenes. Fortunately, Luo Dai’s affections had always been firmly with him.
He never spent the night in any other palace, and those who had complaints were quickly silenced.
Even the Empress Dowager—who initially voiced disapproval—mysteriously changed her stance after a private talk with Luo Dai and began helping Bai Tang suppress the other concubines.
Now, upon hearing that Ma Aoshan was plotting rebellion, she was immediately placed on the highest alert list.
The next day, when the concubines came to pay their respects to the Empress Consort, Ma Aoshan—now healed—was also present. Bai Tang couldn’t help but glance at her a few more times.
Bai Tang remained silent for an unusually long time, and the women, still half-kneeling, began to tremble with unease. However, seeing their longtime rival Ma Aoshan in even worse straits than themselves, they didn’t mind Bai Tang’s strange behavior today.
“You may rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Once seated, Bai Tang was the first to speak. “Noble Consort Ma, have your injuries healed?”
Under the Empress Dowager’s guidance, Bai Tang had learned how to present himself with authority in public—his presence was no less imposing than anyone else’s.
Ma Aoshan replied with deliberate provocation, “Thanks to His Majesty being there that night. If not, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”
She said it just to irritate Bai Tang.
If Luo Dai hadn’t already explained the situation clearly, Bai Tang might have actually gotten angry.
But instead, he smiled and said, “Noble Consort Ma was simply unlucky. If you hadn’t run into A Dai that night, you might have avoided Qiu’er’s bite altogether.”
That line had been taught to him by Luo Dai, specifically to help Bai Tang assert authority—and to show off their affection.
Sure enough, when the others heard Bai Tang call him “A Dai,” jealousy bubbled up.
But Bai Tang had always treated everyone fairly and was easy to get along with. Aside from monopolizing the Emperor’s favor, there wasn’t a single thing to fault him for. That was the reason the other concubines temporarily submitted to him.
Still, there was a long road ahead. Could Bai Tang really hold the Emperor’s favor for decades?
They were thinking it to themselves, never expecting their words would come true—Bai Tang really did end up being the Emperor’s only favored consort for life.
Ma Aoshan couldn’t keep her expression composed. Wasn’t Bai Tang’s remark basically saying she had brought the dog bite on herself?
Just then, Qiu’er came running out from the inner chambers.
It trotted straight into the main hall and began barking furiously at Ma Aoshan.
“Woof woof woof~~~” Stupid female lead, what wicked thing are you up to this time?
Everyone looked over. Wasn’t that the Empress Consort’s husky? They had seen it before when they bumped into the Empress Consort in the imperial garden—a small and adorable creature. They hadn’t expected it to be so fierce toward Ma Aoshan. That husky had never barked at them like this before.
Qiu’er (the husky): That’s because your combat level is too low. You’re no threat to Tang Tang.
When the husky saw the female lead fall back in fright, landing hard on the floor without caring about her appearance, it swaggered forward proudly to continue “intimidating” her.
But Xiao A, still clinging to the husky’s tail, immediately sensed something was very wrong when it saw Ma Aoshan’s movements.
Taking advantage of her supposed fright, Ma Aoshan scattered Love Flower Powder from her nails—painted a bright balsam hue—onto the husky.
The powder stuck instantly to the husky’s fur. Qiu’er remained completely unaware and happily trotted over to Bai Tang, begging for a reward.
When Ma Aoshan saw Bai Tang pick up the husky, her heart lit up with joy.
The so-called Love Flower Powder not only made someone fall hopelessly in love with the first person they saw, but also triggered burning desire, compelling them to seek intimacy with that person. In a palace full of concubines and eunuchs, if Bai Tang fell for anyone… well, that would be a fine mess.
Bai Tang cuddled the husky and stroked its fur. The Love Flower Powder dispersed into the air, just about to be inhaled.
Xiao A acted immediately. Without Bai Tang’s permission, it forcibly bound itself to him and activated Isolation Mode, sealing off the powder outside.
But Bai Tang’s spiritual domain was forcefully intruded upon—and he instantly collapsed.
Everyone was shocked. Some shouted for attendants, others rushed forward in concern. Whether their worry was real or fake didn’t matter—surface appearances had to be maintained.
Meanwhile, the Love Flower Powder rebounded and drifted straight into Qiu’er’s nose.
The husky sneezed. When it looked up again, its eyes landed on the jade thumb ring that had suddenly appeared on Bai Tang’s finger.
Qiu’er: Whoa! That jade ring is so pretty! I wonder if Tang Tang would give it to me if I asked nicely?
Xiao A: D*mn it. The dumb dog has its eyes on it.
The husky wanted to take things a step further and opened its mouth to lick the jade thumb ring. Xiao A, seeing the dog’s mouth getting closer and closer, screamed internally, ‘Don’t come any closer…’
Unfortunately, no one could hear it—the only one who could was still unconscious.
Before Qiu’er could succeed, a palace servant scooped it up and carried it away.
The priority now was summoning the imperial physicians to tend to the Empress Consort!
All the attendants in Qiankun Palace were loyal to Luo Dai, each one specially trained for the sole purpose of protecting Bai Tang.
At that moment, the head matron of Qiankun Palace stepped forward and declared loudly, “Silence! Until the Empress Consort regains consciousness, no one is to leave the front hall of Qiankun Palace.”
Some concubines were immediately displeased by being ordered around by a mere servant. “We are the Emperor’s consorts—why should we take orders from you?”
“Exactly! The Empress Consort hasn’t given the order—you’re just a palace servant, and you dare imprison imperial concubines…”
No one knew what had caused Bai Tang’s sudden collapse. What if he had some underlying condition that had just flared up? Would they be blamed for it?
With this thought in mind, a few of the more brainless, big-breasted women were even more unwilling to stay in Qiankun Palace.
The head matron then pulled out the golden token bestowed by Luo Dai. “This is the Emperor’s own decree. Anyone who disobeys—drag them out and execute them.”
Everyone dropped to their knees. The few troublesome concubines dared not utter another word.
In truth, the head matron was extremely anxious. They all knew how much Luo Dai loved Bai Tang—so much that the phrase “afraid he’d melt in the mouth or slip from the hand” was no exaggeration. Everyone in Qiankun Palace was silently praying that Bai Tang would be alright.
Ma Aoshan knelt at the front of the group, not the least bit flustered.
Though Bai Tang had fainted, she had seen clearly that he had inhaled the powder. This powder was a product of the system—it was guaranteed to be undetectable by the Imperial Medical Bureau. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the drama to unfold once he woke up.
Bai Tang was carried back to the inner chambers. The moment word reached the Imperial Medical Bureau that the Empress Consort had fainted, every physician rushed to Qiankun Palace.
Qiu’er, now held tightly by a palace maid, could no longer see the jade ring on Bai Tang’s hand. As its senses gradually returned, it began to worry about Tang Tang. This wasn’t part of the original plot!
Bound to Bai Tang, Xiao A felt something odd—it could sense strong fluctuations in Bai Tang’s soul.
It seemed… Bai Tang didn’t truly belong to this world.
But it soon stopped dwelling on that. In this world, no one other than Luo Dai possessed such a strong imperial fate. Ma Aoshan’s protagonist halo gave her luck, but Bai Tang also radiated powerful fortune—stronger even. Perhaps he had some great encounter.
That was even better. Once Bai Tang woke up, it could start negotiating terms.
Author’s Note:
Xiao A: Qiu’er, come here.
Qiu’er: I won’t. (But still obediently walks over.)
Xiao A (hugging Qiu’er): You say no, but your body’s being very honest~