Chapter 1: The Harem Is a Battlefield
“You should at least learn from the others. Last month, Consort Li ran into His Majesty in the Imperial Garden and now she’s quite favored—she's served him three times this month already,” Ziru muttered nonstop.
“What should I learn from her? Dancing in the scorching heat of the Imperial Garden? I’d get heatstroke,” Shen Chuliu replied gently, clearly uninterested.
“Then learn from Consort Lu—she did embroidery for the Empress and got arranged to serve His Majesty a few times because of it.”
“You know I’m bad at embroidery. It’s tiring, and sewing will ruin my eyes.” Shen Chuliu still couldn’t be bothered.
“Then learn from Talented Lady Ning. Her calligraphy is beautiful…”
“Alright, alright, it’s almost time. Hurry up and do my hair.” Shen Chuliu sighed. “How do you manage to nag me every day without repeating yourself? I may not serve the Emperor often, but I’m still a Baolin, aren’t I? What’s the rush?”
“But you’ve already been in the palace for over a year! You came in as a Baolin and were better ranked than the others, but now they’ve caught up,” Ziru said as she sped up her hands.
“There are so many women in the harem. Am I supposed to surpass all of them? I entered the palace as an eighth-rank consort. What’s the rush?”
“It’s because of your family!” Ziru said anxiously.
Shen Chuliu smiled lightly. “So you do remember that. You used to be such a calm person, but now, even after a year in the palace, you’re getting worked up. I was already ahead when I entered the palace—there’s no reason I’ll fall behind later. What’s there to worry about?” She looked in the mirror, added a pair of earrings, and said, “Let’s go. Greeting the Empress is important.”
Because they lived far from the Empress’s palace and couldn’t use a palanquin, Shen Chuliu and her maid Ziru had to walk.
On the way out, they ran into Baolin Yao. She had come from the Prince’s residence and was the oldest among the harem concubines—two years older than the Emperor, already twenty-six this year.
Twenty-six might not seem old, but in the harem, with no favor, no children, and no family support, it basically sealed her fate.
After exchanging courtesies, they walked together toward the Empress’s palace.
Fengzao Palace was along the central axis of the palace, while their residence, Cuiyun Pavilion, was in the southeast corner of the rear palace. The journey to offer greetings wasn’t short.
“Did you hear? There was drama in the middle of the night,” Baolin Yao said with a smile.
“What happened? I slept so soundly last night, I didn’t hear a thing,” Shen Chuliu asked curiously.
“His Majesty stayed at Jieyu Li’s Bailu Pavilion, but in the middle of the night, it’s said that Meiren Cao summoned the imperial physician, claiming abdominal pain and dizziness. Turns out she’s pregnant. His Majesty was summoned to Qiushui Pavilion right away. Jieyu Li must’ve been furious. Just watch—this morning’s greetings will be interesting.”
Shen Chuliu smiled. “That’s quite the show. Meiren Cao is truly fortunate.”
“Exactly. But now there’s tension between Jieyu Li and Meiren Cao,” Yao said with a grin.
Shen Chuliu didn’t reply, just nodded.
Indeed, pregnancy was a big deal, but in the harem, being cut off from favor was just as significant.
Jieyu is a fourth-rank title, and Meiren is fifth-rank—both allowed their own separate pavilions.
Still, being a rank lower, even with a pregnancy, it was unusual to cause such a stir at night. It came off as spoiled behavior—perhaps even intentional.
But with so few heirs in the harem, if Meiren Cao carried the child to term, she’d be promoted to Jieyu and gain favor through her child. It wouldn’t be a bad outcome.
Jieyu Li was favored, while Meiren Cao rarely had the chance to serve the Emperor.
“Funny how Consort Yi has always been favored, but she hasn’t gotten pregnant,” Baolin Yao whispered.
Shen Chuliu nodded. That was true—Consort Yi was the Emperor’s favorite. Though only second-rank, she was titled right after the Emperor’s accession.
By the time they reached Fengzao Palace, they weren’t early or late—there were still people who hadn’t arrived.
Since the two of them were merely Baolin and not favored, and today wasn’t about them, everyone simply exchanged polite greetings and courtesies.
When Jiu Pin-ranked Consort He and Graceful Consort Song arrived, the room became lively.
Consort He talked a lot. Shen Chuliu always suspected that she was too chatty, which was why the Emperor didn’t favor her—despite having given birth to the eldest princess, and the princess being healthy, she was still just one of the Jiu Pin and not even the highest among them.
“Oh, I’m not late today, am I?” she laughed as she entered.
Everyone rose to greet her.
“Jieyu Li, did you sleep well last night?” Consort He asked as soon as she sat down.
Now that was just plain rude—bringing up the sore spot directly. No one else dared say it outright, but she did.
Still, no one outranked Jieyu Li, so no one could interfere.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Grace. I slept well,” Jieyu Li replied coolly, clearly looking down on Consort He.
Currently, the Emperor’s top three favorites were: Consort Yi (the only titled second-rank consort), Jieyu Li, and Talented Lady Ning.
Compared to the forever neglected Consort He, Jieyu Li held her own.
“Consort Shu has arrived,” someone announced.
Everyone quickly rose to greet her.
Consort Shu, Lady Feng, was the highest-ranking woman after the Empress—a first-rank consort. Among the four consort ranks (Noble, Virtuous, Wise, and Kind), she was the only one holding such a title.
She also bore the Emperor’s only son, the Second Prince, so her high rank was natural.
Yet, in terms of affection, she fared no better than Consort He.
Then came Consort Yi.
Consort Yi was strikingly beautiful, with limpid autumn eyes and willow-shaped brows. Her delicate figure and skin as fair as snow made her alluring and elegant.
She also played the zither beautifully and had a lovely name: Hu Nanfeng.
To be honest, Shen Chuliu nearly choked the first time she heard it, but the Emperor liked it.
He quoted the line, “The south wind understands my heart, blowing dreams to Western Zhou,” and said that Nanfeng shared his heart. Hence the title: Yi (meaning “intent” or “affection”).
Shen Chuliu always thought, if they were so connected in heart, why not just call her Tong (meaning “connection”)?
Ahem—just joking. Consort Yi really was a rare beauty with both looks and talent.
Her only shortcoming was her humble background. Otherwise, she’d surely have been one of the four first-rank consorts.
Everyone greeted Consort Yi, and she in turn greeted Consort Shu.
Then the Empress appeared, and all bowed to her as well.
“Be seated. Today isn’t the first or fifteenth, so no need to visit the Dowagers. We’ll just stay here and chat. Meiren Cao had some discomfort last night due to fetal movement, so she’s taken the day off,” said the Empress.
Everyone exchanged glances. Well, that explains her absence.
“To be fair, pregnancy is a joyful thing, but causing such a commotion in the middle of the night is just inconsiderate,” Consort He remarked.
She had just mocked Jieyu Li and was now turning her attention to Meiren Cao. No wonder no one liked her.
Nobody enjoys someone who is two-faced and overly talkative.
“What should I learn from her? Dancing in the scorching heat of the Imperial Garden? I’d get heatstroke,” Shen Chuliu replied gently, clearly uninterested.
“Then learn from Consort Lu—she did embroidery for the Empress and got arranged to serve His Majesty a few times because of it.”
“You know I’m bad at embroidery. It’s tiring, and sewing will ruin my eyes.” Shen Chuliu still couldn’t be bothered.
“Then learn from Talented Lady Ning. Her calligraphy is beautiful…”
“Alright, alright, it’s almost time. Hurry up and do my hair.” Shen Chuliu sighed. “How do you manage to nag me every day without repeating yourself? I may not serve the Emperor often, but I’m still a Baolin, aren’t I? What’s the rush?”
“But you’ve already been in the palace for over a year! You came in as a Baolin and were better ranked than the others, but now they’ve caught up,” Ziru said as she sped up her hands.
“There are so many women in the harem. Am I supposed to surpass all of them? I entered the palace as an eighth-rank consort. What’s the rush?”
“It’s because of your family!” Ziru said anxiously.
Shen Chuliu smiled lightly. “So you do remember that. You used to be such a calm person, but now, even after a year in the palace, you’re getting worked up. I was already ahead when I entered the palace—there’s no reason I’ll fall behind later. What’s there to worry about?” She looked in the mirror, added a pair of earrings, and said, “Let’s go. Greeting the Empress is important.”
Because they lived far from the Empress’s palace and couldn’t use a palanquin, Shen Chuliu and her maid Ziru had to walk.
On the way out, they ran into Baolin Yao. She had come from the Prince’s residence and was the oldest among the harem concubines—two years older than the Emperor, already twenty-six this year.
Twenty-six might not seem old, but in the harem, with no favor, no children, and no family support, it basically sealed her fate.
After exchanging courtesies, they walked together toward the Empress’s palace.
Fengzao Palace was along the central axis of the palace, while their residence, Cuiyun Pavilion, was in the southeast corner of the rear palace. The journey to offer greetings wasn’t short.
“Did you hear? There was drama in the middle of the night,” Baolin Yao said with a smile.
“What happened? I slept so soundly last night, I didn’t hear a thing,” Shen Chuliu asked curiously.
“His Majesty stayed at Jieyu Li’s Bailu Pavilion, but in the middle of the night, it’s said that Meiren Cao summoned the imperial physician, claiming abdominal pain and dizziness. Turns out she’s pregnant. His Majesty was summoned to Qiushui Pavilion right away. Jieyu Li must’ve been furious. Just watch—this morning’s greetings will be interesting.”
Shen Chuliu smiled. “That’s quite the show. Meiren Cao is truly fortunate.”
“Exactly. But now there’s tension between Jieyu Li and Meiren Cao,” Yao said with a grin.
Shen Chuliu didn’t reply, just nodded.
Indeed, pregnancy was a big deal, but in the harem, being cut off from favor was just as significant.
Jieyu is a fourth-rank title, and Meiren is fifth-rank—both allowed their own separate pavilions.
Still, being a rank lower, even with a pregnancy, it was unusual to cause such a stir at night. It came off as spoiled behavior—perhaps even intentional.
But with so few heirs in the harem, if Meiren Cao carried the child to term, she’d be promoted to Jieyu and gain favor through her child. It wouldn’t be a bad outcome.
Jieyu Li was favored, while Meiren Cao rarely had the chance to serve the Emperor.
“Funny how Consort Yi has always been favored, but she hasn’t gotten pregnant,” Baolin Yao whispered.
Shen Chuliu nodded. That was true—Consort Yi was the Emperor’s favorite. Though only second-rank, she was titled right after the Emperor’s accession.
By the time they reached Fengzao Palace, they weren’t early or late—there were still people who hadn’t arrived.
Since the two of them were merely Baolin and not favored, and today wasn’t about them, everyone simply exchanged polite greetings and courtesies.
When Jiu Pin-ranked Consort He and Graceful Consort Song arrived, the room became lively.
Consort He talked a lot. Shen Chuliu always suspected that she was too chatty, which was why the Emperor didn’t favor her—despite having given birth to the eldest princess, and the princess being healthy, she was still just one of the Jiu Pin and not even the highest among them.
“Oh, I’m not late today, am I?” she laughed as she entered.
Everyone rose to greet her.
“Jieyu Li, did you sleep well last night?” Consort He asked as soon as she sat down.
Now that was just plain rude—bringing up the sore spot directly. No one else dared say it outright, but she did.
Still, no one outranked Jieyu Li, so no one could interfere.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Grace. I slept well,” Jieyu Li replied coolly, clearly looking down on Consort He.
Currently, the Emperor’s top three favorites were: Consort Yi (the only titled second-rank consort), Jieyu Li, and Talented Lady Ning.
Compared to the forever neglected Consort He, Jieyu Li held her own.
“Consort Shu has arrived,” someone announced.
Everyone quickly rose to greet her.
Consort Shu, Lady Feng, was the highest-ranking woman after the Empress—a first-rank consort. Among the four consort ranks (Noble, Virtuous, Wise, and Kind), she was the only one holding such a title.
She also bore the Emperor’s only son, the Second Prince, so her high rank was natural.
Yet, in terms of affection, she fared no better than Consort He.
Then came Consort Yi.
Consort Yi was strikingly beautiful, with limpid autumn eyes and willow-shaped brows. Her delicate figure and skin as fair as snow made her alluring and elegant.
She also played the zither beautifully and had a lovely name: Hu Nanfeng.
To be honest, Shen Chuliu nearly choked the first time she heard it, but the Emperor liked it.
He quoted the line, “The south wind understands my heart, blowing dreams to Western Zhou,” and said that Nanfeng shared his heart. Hence the title: Yi (meaning “intent” or “affection”).
Shen Chuliu always thought, if they were so connected in heart, why not just call her Tong (meaning “connection”)?
Ahem—just joking. Consort Yi really was a rare beauty with both looks and talent.
Her only shortcoming was her humble background. Otherwise, she’d surely have been one of the four first-rank consorts.
Everyone greeted Consort Yi, and she in turn greeted Consort Shu.
Then the Empress appeared, and all bowed to her as well.
“Be seated. Today isn’t the first or fifteenth, so no need to visit the Dowagers. We’ll just stay here and chat. Meiren Cao had some discomfort last night due to fetal movement, so she’s taken the day off,” said the Empress.
Everyone exchanged glances. Well, that explains her absence.
“To be fair, pregnancy is a joyful thing, but causing such a commotion in the middle of the night is just inconsiderate,” Consort He remarked.
She had just mocked Jieyu Li and was now turning her attention to Meiren Cao. No wonder no one liked her.
Nobody enjoys someone who is two-faced and overly talkative.
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