Chapter 14: A Sudden Change of Fortune

Cai Cairen had never been particularly favored. That she managed to get pregnant was purely by luck—but luck isn’t something you can rely on again and again. So now, her situation would only worsen. Truly, a case of adding insult to injury.

When Cai Cairen heard the decree of her demotion, her vision went black and she fainted again.

It was indeed miserable, but no one sympathized with her.

Least of all Li Jieyu—she was downright pleased. Serves her right!

However, no one investigated what really caused her to lose the baby. No one cared.

The Emperor certainly wouldn’t. If she couldn’t protect the child herself, what was the point of carrying it to term?

When the news spread, at Cuiyun Pavilion, Shen Chuliu had just removed her hairpins and ornaments and was getting ready for a midday nap.

“Tch. This is truly a sudden change of fortune.”

“Baolin, this is… that Miao Cairen had only just been promoted! You can’t blame her for this, can you?” Zirui sighed, for the first time feeling a flicker of fear.

“You’re absolutely right—logically, that’s how it should be. But this is the harem. Who cares about logic? If your rank isn’t high enough, if you don’t carry enough weight, no one listens to your reasoning.” Shen Chuliu saw this as a good opportunity to open the eyes of this naïve maid. “Let’s say it’s me next time. If something like this happens, you must stay quiet. We have backup plans. But if we act recklessly once, then all we’ll have left is death.”

“Pfft! Don’t say such things, Baolin! That’ll never happen to you!” Zirui turned pale.

“I’ll do my best to avoid it, of course. But I want you to understand, don’t speak out of turn in the future. It’s one thing to say it here with me, but remember—this isn’t the manor anymore. And even when we were in the manor, were we ever free of trouble? I only brought you along because I trust you most. Don’t let me down.”

Zirui quickly nodded. “Yes, miss, I’ll remember.”
She even slipped and called her by her old title from home, her eyes reddening.

“Alright, don’t be afraid. This matter has nothing to do with us. Just remember, don’t overthink things. In the harem, truth or lies don’t matter. What matters is keeping your footing.”

Royal favor? Of course it’s nice to have. But if you take it too seriously, you’ve already lost.

That evening, Zizhu helped Shen Chuliu remove her makeup, speaking softly, “The weather’s gotten hot, and tempers run short. Cai Cairen’s health was poor to begin with. In all my years, I’ve never heard of a miscarriage happening like this.”

Shen Chuliu looked into the bronze mirror and smiled. “Smart girl, beating around the bush when you talk.”

Zizhu grinned. “I wouldn’t dare speak plainly—just voicing some doubts.”

“By rights, this is suspicious. But since His Majesty let it go…”

“Because he didn’t think it was worth investigating,” Shen Chuliu replied. “The late emperor’s harem was full of infighting. So many concubines, yet in the end only three princes and two princesses survived.”

Later, Consort Dowager Yang’s son died too, but that was after he’d grown up and something happened outside the palace.
What about the royal children who were never even recorded in the hierarchy? The ones miscarried early? How many must there have been?

“His Majesty has seen and heard enough. Naturally, he doesn’t think it’s a big deal.”

And what she didn’t say: Despite Qi Yixiu’s warm and gentle demeanor, he was actually cold-hearted and indifferent.

He didn’t like delicate, innocent types. He didn’t like the weak.

Whether it was Li Jieyu or Ning Cairen, even when they were pregnant, he never went out of his way to look after them.

Shen Chuliu had thought that maybe he would treat Cai’s pregnancy differently—but clearly, she’d misjudged.

In this palace, only those with the ability to protect their own children might earn a glance of favor.

Of course Qi Yixiu had noticed the suspicious circumstances around Cai’s miscarriage. But her conduct after getting pregnant was just too lacking in dignity.

If she hadn’t insisted on lowering herself to entangle with Wei, others wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take advantage.

Now, it was entirely her own fault.

Naturally, the Emperor lost all patience with her.

So demoting her was only to be expected.

As for Wei, she had always been a target—a warning to the rest of the harem.

With all this in mind, Shen Chuliu didn’t feel upset. She had already thought things through before entering the palace.

These days, it was impossible for a woman to escape her family. Without official identity, even a rich woman couldn’t survive.

So whether she was a side consort in the Prince of Xun’s household or the Emperor’s concubine—

There was no question.

Best to live with a clear mind. Don’t wallow in self-pity over things you can’t change.

The Emperor was very handsome. Sleeping with him wasn’t a loss. That was all there was to it.

The next morning during greetings, Wei Gengyi naturally sat in the last row.

It was truly pitiful.

Now that she had fallen so far, the high-ranking consorts no longer acknowledged her.

And with so few concubines in the palace and everyone more or less aware of each other’s dispositions, once the higher ranks ignored her, the others followed suit.

Cai Cairen was still in her confinement period after the miscarriage and naturally didn’t appear.

The Empress specifically addressed An Yunu: “Since you live alone now, that’s actually not a bad thing. I had originally thought of moving you to a new place where someone of higher rank could look after you. But now we’ll let it be. I’ll send a senior attendant to care for you. For safety’s sake, the other ladies should avoid disturbing her.”

Everyone hurriedly agreed.

But inside, their thoughts were churning: The Empress hasn’t had any children yet. Is she eyeing An Yunu’s womb?

Still, even if An Yunu did give birth and earned a promotion, she wouldn’t instantly rise to third rank and above, which meant she wouldn’t be qualified to raise the child herself.

At present, only three women in the palace held both high enough rank and lacked children: the Empress, Consort Yi, and Xiurong Song.

Xiurong Song wasn’t a threat—she never fought for anything.

Consort Yi had aligned herself with Shufei Feng, and for now wouldn’t dare make a move. Otherwise, it would mean severing ties with Feng.

If she were to bear a child, Feng would no longer need to support her.

The women smiled on the surface, but all were quietly calculating.

Of course the Empress saw right through their thoughts—and found them revolting.

It had been the Empress Dowager who told her to keep a close eye on An Yunu and not let anything happen again.

Even though the Emperor seemed cold-hearted, it was disgraceful that since his ascension, no child had been born—and one had even died.

As the summer heat grew unbearable, the Empress received permission from the Emperor to suspend morning greetings for a month.

Shen Chuliu suspected the Empress herself didn’t want to get up so early. After all, Chao Kingdom was in the north—it was never this hot in summer.

As the heat intensified, Shen Chuliu stopped going out, much like the previous year. She stayed inside reading books or playing cards with her maids.

The days passed easily enough.

Yao Baolin visited often, and the two of them enjoyed each other’s company.

Though they weren’t often summoned to the Emperor’s bed, Yao Baolin had strong family backing and was willing to spend money—life wasn’t hard for her.

Of course, a good part of their comfort was thanks to the Empress.

She came from a noble background and didn’t skimp on palace expenses, ensuring the concubines lived well.

And Da Yi was a wealthy kingdom—there was no need for the harem to suffer.

Of course, this only applied to the favored and regular concubines.

Wei Gengyi and Cai Cairen, having been demoted, were in a different category altogether.

After her miscarriage, Cai Cairen lost her appetite completely. Despite drinking many herbal tonics to stimulate it, none worked.