Hustle Queen in the Harem: My Consort Won't Stop Grinding

Chapter 49: Chapter 43: A Job’s Come Up

And what was Jiang Xian doing at this moment?

She was tallying up the Palace Fighting Points she had recently acquired.

After constantly reinvesting and spending some of them, all that remained were the points from her recent promotion and a few minor events.

[Stunned everyone at the Longevity Festival. Palace Fighting Points +500]

[Promoted to Beauty. Palace Fighting Points +1000]

[Promoted to Noble Lady. Palace Fighting Points +2000]

[Due to the skip-rank promotion, both rewards have been increased by 50%. Total points awarded: 4500.]

Perhaps because it wasn’t human, the System was clearly a conscientious boss. Not only did it grant her the points for the rank of Beauty she had skipped, but it also threw in a bonus, encouraging its host to bewitch the Emperor and make him bend the rules even further for her.

[Received a new title. Palace Fighting Points +1000]

The rest were more fragmented:

[Received a reward from the Emperor. Palace Fighting Points +400]

[Aroused the Empress Dowager’s interest. Palace Fighting Points +300]

...

Then there were the rewards for attracting animosity:

[Incited jealousy from Consort Guo. Palace Fighting Points +20]

[Incurred resentment from the Noble Consort. Palace Fighting Points +200]

...

As they say, gathering favor means gathering resentment. But for Jiang Xian, who held the Palace Fighting System in her hands, both had their benefits. The risks were proportional to the rewards, however. Someone like Consort Guo was of low status and little influence, so her jealousy wasn’t worth much—a minor bonus at best.

At that moment, Jiang Xian was eating the late-night meal ordered by Chen Daying from next door.

Jiang Xian had no particular interest in food. It was Chen Daying who couldn’t bear to see her let the Emperor’s Holy Favor go to such waste, so she had taken on the job of ordering their meals... which, incidentally, also satisfied her own cravings. Today’s order consisted of two steamers of crystal shrimp dumplings, honey-locust sweet triangles, a goat’s milk custard, and a bowl of thin noodles in chicken broth. As she brought a bite to her lips, Jiang Xian had to admit it was delicious—a true indulgence.

Chen Daying asked, puzzled, "You always seem to be in such a hurry whenever you eat. That can’t be good for your stomach! It’s hard to digest."

"...I’m used to it."

In her past life, she had been so busy working around the clock that her takeout meals were often cold by the time she had a moment to take a few bites. Eating was just a necessity because hunger affected her cognitive function. She always kept chocolate and protein bars at her desk—the former to prevent low blood sugar, the latter as a convenient meal replacement. They were practical, but she got sick of them after a while. They were purely functional foods, supplemented by Red Bull to stay awake. After years of just getting by like this, Jiang Xian had forgotten that food could be savored.

But old habits die hard.

Just like now, she was picking up a shrimp dumpling with her chopsticks while looking at the Palace Fighting System’s virtual screen.

Jiang Xian: [Query my current Palace Fighting Points.]

System: [Host currently possesses 7,295 Palace Fighting Points. Progress is encouraging. Please continue your efforts! When your Palace Fighting Points reach 10,000, the system will undergo an upgrade, unlocking new item categories in the shop.]

New item categories!

’This is all great news!’

Every new item in the shop was another Golden Finger she could choose from, another tool she could rely on to survive in the harem. Her relationship with the Emperor was like any close relationship in the world—or any job. Just pleasing the boss would only keep you from getting fired. If you wanted a promotion and a raise, you had to increase your own value and make yourself irreplaceable. Otherwise, once your salary got too high, your boss would rather fire you and use your pay to hire three cheap, efficient, and energetic recent graduates.

’There are too many recent graduates.’

’By the same token, there are too many women who want to enter the palace.’

’You have to compete in the right way to carve out a place for yourself.’

Jiang Xian’s eyes lit up. [What will the new item categories be?]

The things she could think of for now, like elixirs, Hidden Weapons, clothes, and jewelry... all fell under the category of single-use consumables.

System: [Cannot be revealed before unlocking.]

’Now it’s trying to be mysterious with me.’

She was 2,705 points away from 10,000. Not too many, but not too few, either.

That was about the same amount as a single promotion. But she had just received a skip-rank promotion. Unless the Emperor completely lost his mind, he probably wouldn’t promote her again anytime soon just because he liked her. Even if he had the impulse, the Empress Dowager would intervene, and it might even attract criticism from the imperial court.

After finishing the incredibly smooth and delicate goat’s milk custard made by the Imperial Kitchen, Jiang Xian rested her chin in her hand and started thinking of ways to unlock the upgrade.

Just then, a messenger from the imperial court arrived with a report—the Emperor was on his way from Qiankun Palace. She was to prepare to receive him!

’Great. Overtime.’

Chen Daying tactfully took her leave. With the help of a palace maid, Jiang Xian quickly washed up to get rid of the lingering smell of food. She then lit a sachet of incense purchased from the System—Jiang Xian was worried about the ingredients in ancient incense and cosmetics, so she bought single-use consumables for both from the System.