I actually love this arc! It's such a breath of fresh air that the "villain" is actually smart, devious, and not pulling any punches. Tbh, she's reminiscent of Su Lüxia in her viciousness and disregard for stepping stones. She's the "underdog" concubine born daughter who has a lower place in society to the conventional "protagonist" first born who has everything given to her via birth right. She's only in a superior position when SL enters the world due to her smarts and charm. She manipulates the grandmother and father into favoring her and raising her status, undermines her enemy, and establishes a strong reputation in society so that people believe her words. She knows when to attack and when to back off. If this was from her perspective I'd seriously consider rooting for her "rags" to riches tale of overcoming societal barriers of concubine daughter to empress.