Shangguan Jin found it very strange that such an ordinary palace maid could compose such exquisite poems.

He transferred Mingyu to his side as a tea-serving maid. Unexpectedly, she was also an excellent tea brewer. Her technique was unlike anything he had ever seen before; it was fluid and beautiful, and tasted even better.

Shangguan Jin's interest in her grew even stronger.

One evening, Mingyu wore a strange dress and performed a strange dance, after which Shangguan Jin favored her.

Mingyu became one of the three thousand beauties in the imperial harem, and was given the title of Cairen (才人), with the honorary title of Yu (玉).

Although they had titles, their ranks were not high, and the concubines thought that the emperor was just having a whim and did not take it seriously.

As expected, the emperor only favored Consort Yu for three days before forgetting her and never summoning her again.

No one knew that the emperor would secretly go to Consort Yu's Yuheng Palace every night and leave only at dawn.

A new round of talent shows has begun, and many new actresses have joined the ranks. Yang Xiaoli, because her father is the Minister of War, has been granted the title of Noble Lady.

On her first day in the palace, she was favored by the emperor for three consecutive days and was given the title of Consort Li, with the position of head of the Jade Balance Palace.

Because of Minister Yang, Shangguan Jin had no choice but to favor Yang Xiaoli, but he disliked her in his heart because Minister Yang always used his status to boss him around.

They didn't respect the emperor at all, showing him absolutely no regard for himself.

Because of his hatred for Yang Xiaoli, Shangguan Jin simply used her as a shield for Mingyu. On the surface, he doted on her, but in reality, he treated her with no kindness whatsoever.

Yang Xiaoli has a cheerful personality and doesn't care about the emperor's favor at all. She just wants to live a quiet life in the harem as long as Shangguan Jin tries to show that he likes her.

Once, Shangguan Jin and Mingyu had a fight. Shangguan Jin got drunk and broke into Yang Xiaoli's palace, mistaking Yang Xiaoli for Mingyu. They had sex for one night, and Yang Xiaoli became pregnant.

Mingyu was very angry. Shangguan Jin wanted to get rid of the child, but at this moment, Mingyu showed reluctance.

“Jin, I can’t be so selfish. How can I deprive you of your right to be a father? Besides, you are the emperor.”

Seeing Mingyu heartbroken, Shangguan Jin came up with a plan. The two of them discussed it and put it into action.

Not long after, Mingyu stayed at home and became pregnant.

Yang Xiaoli was granted the title of Consort Li. She focused on her pregnancy and had a child. In the desolate and snowy harem, having a child was undoubtedly a great surprise. It not only gave her hope but also companionship.

Ten months of pregnancy, one day of childbirth.

Yang Xiaoli gave birth to a boy. She only had time to see a plum blossom-shaped mark on the child's arm before she fainted.

When she woke up again, she found herself in the Cold Palace. Because a hairy freak was carried out of the delivery room, the emperor immediately ordered the freak to be disposed of and demoted her to a low-ranking concubine, banishing her to the Cold Palace.

Not only was she banished to the cold palace, but the Yang family was also implicated. Minister Yang resigned and returned home, and the Yang family fell into ruin.

Yang Xiaoli cried out for justice, but no one answered. She clearly saw the child; it was a fair-skinned male fetus, but it had been switched.

The freak has been dealt with, but what about her child?

She was resentful, and with this resentment and the subsidies her father gave her when he sent her to the cold palace, she survived.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. She has been investigating the child's whereabouts, but unfortunately, there have been no results.

Back then, she and Yu Cairen gave birth together. She gave birth to a deformed child, while Yu Cairen gave birth to a boy. It's obvious whose path her child was blocking.

Yang Xiaoli kept a close eye on Consort Yu, watching her rise from a lowly Consort to a Concubine, then a Noble Consort...

Now, because she is pregnant again, the emperor has bestowed upon her a large number of rewards, and she will be promoted in rank once the child is born.

The next promotion would be Imperial Noble Consort. After the Empress's passing, the position of Empress was vacant, and the Emperor had vowed never to appoint another Empress. Therefore, Imperial Noble Consort was the highest rank one could attain.

Knowing that revenge was hopeless and unable to find the murderer, Yang Xiaoli was heartbroken and sighed by the lake, which was overheard by Shangguan Ti, the son of Consort Yu.

Shangguan Ti was very angry and tried to push Yang Xiaoli into the water. In a panic, Yang Xiaoli grabbed Shangguan Ti's sleeve.

Unexpectedly, her sleeve tore, and she saw a plum blossom-shaped mark on Shangguan Ti's arm.

She was utterly shocked; this was her child!

She suddenly understood everything: Consort Yu had switched her child; she had never been pregnant at all.

She just didn't understand why, if someone wanted a child, they could have one themselves; why steal her child?

She floated in the water, gazing greedily at Shangguan Ti; this was her child.

Finally, she sank and never came back up.

Several palace servants quickly started shouting and proclaiming that it was Shangguan Ti who pushed the concubine from the Cold Palace into the water. Even if she was a concubine abandoned in the Cold Palace, she was still the emperor's person.

Ultimately, the emperor demoted Shangguan Ti to a commoner and sent him to guard the imperial mausoleum, where he was forbidden from leaving without an imperial edict for the rest of his life.

?

Xiao Li felt someone push her. She quickly turned her hand and pulled, managing to grab a section of her sleeve.

"Sizzle..."

The sleeve was torn, and a plum blossom mark appeared before her eyes.

She understood; this was the original owner's child, and it was precisely when he pushed the original owner into the water.

Xiao Li quickly sank to the bottom, climbed ashore from another part of the pond, ran back to the Cold Palace, dried her hair, changed her clothes, and even brewed a bowl of ginger tea to drink.

The sound of voices came from the doorway.

"I heard that Consort Li was pushed into the water by the Second Prince, and we don't know if she's alive or dead. My aunt sent us to the Cold Palace to examine her. What can we find out?"

"Yes, we should go to the lake to retrieve it. In this cold weather, it's probably frozen solid and sunk to the bottom."

"Let's check this out quickly and leave; it's terribly cold here."

Two hurried footsteps grew closer and closer. Xiao Li sat in a chair, smiling as she looked at the door.

"Oh dear, there's someone here."

The round-faced palace maid was startled; her hand trembled, and the lantern almost fell to the ground.

The big-mouthed palace maid beside him bowed and asked cautiously.

"Is this Consort Li?"

Xiao Li hummed in agreement, "It's me."

The round-faced palace maid trembled, "You...you are a human...or a ghost?"

"Of course I'm human, what are you afraid of?"

The big-mouthed palace maid raised the lantern higher and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the shadow on the ground.

"What are you doing here? You didn't even turn on a light, it's terrifying."

"There are no lights, what are we going to use to light them?"

The big-mouthed palace maid shut up, and she and the round-faced palace maid exchanged a glance.

"Are you alright? This afternoon, the Second Prince pushed you into the water. How did you get back?"

Xiao Li raised her head and widened her eyes. "I wasn't pushed into the water. I'm perfectly fine. Are you sure you don't have something wrong with your eyes?"

The big-mouthed palace maid shut up, and the round-faced palace maid took over.

"Since you are alright, we will take our leave."

The two left without saying a word, without even leaving a light on for Xiaoli.

Xiao Li yawned, climbed onto the bed, and sat down to meditate.

She was freezing in the afternoon, but luckily she had water-repellent beads, though her clothes still got wet.

After a night of rest and recuperation, Xiaoli felt much better.

The baby-swapping incident is not simple; Shangguan Ti has also been implicated and is likely being used as a pawn.

Consort Yu is clearly problematic, but it's unclear which era she comes from.