Chapter 1
Amidst the green hills and clear waters, rows of blue cloth carriages travel along the official road. At the very front, several men dressed in red brocade robes, with large swords at their waists, ride horses to escort the group.
In the last carriage, Pei Jiu lifted the curtain and peered outside. She said, "We're now under the emperor's nose. We'll reach the capital in a little while. In the past, bandits were rampant here, and even noble families passing through would be skinned alive."
The carriage was silent; no one answered.
Pei Jiu was already used to it. She turned to look at the beauty who was sitting with her cheek propped up, her eyelids half-closed, and her raven-feather-like eyelashes casting a shadow under her eyes.
Despite wearing only coarse linen clothes, with her hair in a simple bun, and without any jade pendants or makeup, she was still stunningly beautiful.
Even the humble carriage seemed to gleam with light.
No wonder she was presented to the emperor as a beauty, while she was just a maidservant.
The beauty's name was Qi Yu. She was originally a country girl, but the father-in-law who was selecting her took a liking to her at first sight. He promised her wealth, honor, and a house full of gold and jade, and finally the beauty nodded.
Pei Jiu, having served as a maid in a high-ranking household in the capital, was literate and could read, and was specially chosen to serve Qi Yu.
The carriages carrying these women were filled with beauties selected from various places by Li Chang, the eunuch, to be presented to the emperor.
Speaking of the current emperor, it would take three days and three nights to finish talking about him. Pei Jiu left the capital at the age of nine. At that time, the capital was already a living hell. Even the palace gates were wide open, allowing the rebel king who stormed into the capital to burn, kill, and plunder with his bandit soldiers.
In September of the same year, the seventh prince led his troops into the capital, captured and killed the rebel king, and successfully ascended the throne.
The following year, the new emperor left the capital to suppress rebellions in various regions, and eventually the war ended, and he returned to the capital.
Pei Jiu is now fourteen years old, and the emperor has been on the throne for five years. He spent the first two years quelling rebellions, and the last two years he secluded himself in the deep palace, avoiding women.
No wonder Eunuch Li Chang, who has served the emperor since childhood, was so anxious and secretly making arrangements.
Unfortunately, the beauty most favored by the head eunuch, Young Master Li, was a blockhead; she wouldn't respond to nine out of ten questions. Who could like someone like that? It's likely that all the wealth and glory that was within her grasp would slip away, which would be the most regrettable thing.
Pei Jiu followed Qi Yu closely and found that she was unmoved by the other beauties' words of jealousy, belittling and mockery, or their sisterly affection and mutual support.
She was even a little dazed. While the other beauties were going on and on about how to get closer to her, Qi Yu just stared at her with a blank look, which made the others turn away.
Therefore, everyone knew that Qi Yu was not very bright. Gradually, even Eunuch Li seemed to realize this and tacitly allowed others to move Qi Yu's carriage to the back.
An hour later, the carriage entered the capital and stopped at the palace gate. The eunuchs who were riding horses and carrying swords dismounted and handed over the carriage to the two eunuchs who were waiting at the palace gate. The beauties also stepped off the carriage on small stools and gathered in twos and threes.
Only Qi Yu was alone with Pei Jiu.
Pei Jiu looked embarrassed and silently lowered her head.
Qi Yu, however, did not feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, she focused her attention on the towering palace gate. At both ends of the gate were wide corner towers, on which stood patrolling soldiers dressed in black armor and dark red clothes.
Eunuch Li had the beauties line up and enter the palace in turn.
The leading beauty was named Zhou Miaoyin. She came from a wealthy family and wore a bright red blouse with a large jade pendant hanging from her waist. She had a gold hairpin in her hair, a bright face, a long neck, and walked confidently forward.
Along the way, Zhou Miaoyin made many good connections with beauties by spending money lavishly.
Now she walks at the front, and those who are not convinced are secretly pulled back by the people around her. After all, if you take someone's money, you're bound to be lenient. Who hasn't accepted bribes from Zhou Miaoyin? Even Eunuch Li is no exception.
Of course, there was one exception: the beautiful woman who had been holding her sister's hand quietly looked towards the very back.
Qi Yu naturally ended up at the back of the line.
If a woman is chosen to be presented to the emperor, her father-in-law will give her one hundred taels of gold. Even if she is not chosen by the emperor, it doesn't matter; she will simply be sent back to her hometown.
However, their father-in-law would not provide them with clothes and jewelry; they would have to prepare them themselves. But with one hundred taels of gold, they wouldn't have any trouble.
Therefore, all the beauties present were extremely charming and beautiful, vying for attention with their youthful beauty, and were beautiful from head to toe.
Qi Yu was dressed in the simplest clothes. She had exchanged the hundred taels of gold for silver notes and placed them at the bottom of her box on the carriage.
Pei-ju never said a bad word about it.
An exceptionally beautiful woman would look good even if she wore a burlap sack.
Qi Yu was precisely this kind of beauty.
They walked slowly through the palace gates along the palace path.
Suddenly, a procession appeared at the other end of the palace road carrying a sedan chair with draped gauze curtains at the four corners. A woman could be vaguely seen sitting in the sedan chair, accompanied by an older aunt, a teenage maid, and several palace maids.
The maid's attire suggests she is not a palace servant.
The aunt looked much more dignified, but she would smile kindly when facing the woman in the sedan chair.
The team leader's father-in-law shouted, "Stop—"
The beauties stopped and followed their father-in-law to the side, lowering their heads and keeping their eyes straight ahead.
As the sedan chair passed in front of Qi Yu, she quietly looked up and peered into the sedan chair, clearly seeing the woman's face.
Exactly the same as her.
While resting in the sedan chair, Zhao Wanyi noticed a gaze that was hard to describe. She opened her eyes, leaned on the crossbar, and looked back. The sedan chair moved forward, and the person turned around as well. She only saw a figure dressed in lotus white, with her long black hair tied up with a ribbon, reaching her waist.
Zhao Wanyi looked at her aunt beside her and asked curiously, "Aunt Fangzi, who are those people?"
Aunt Fangzi said, "Madam Pei, those were beauties that Li Chang selected from all over the Great Yan to present to the Emperor. But Li Chang has done it so many times, yet the Emperor has never kept a single one. This time, it will probably be all for naught as well."
Zhao Wanyi lightly twirled her fingertips and uttered an "oh".
The maid Yuelu suddenly spoke up, playfully saying, "Miss, you don't need to care about these things. You are favored by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor also looks up to you. They are just passing through. How could they be so lucky as to catch your eye?"
Even though their daughter had married Lord Pei Jinpei five months ago and become Lady Pei.
However, Yuelu has served Zhao Wanyi since childhood, and her way of addressing her has not changed to this day.
Aunt Fangzi didn't mind Yuelu's interruption, thinking she was just being childish, and smiled when she heard it.
After all, Yuelu was right; none of the noble ladies in the entire capital were as distinguished as Madam Pei.
Lord Pei's father was His Majesty's teacher. When His Majesty was still the seventh prince, he was released from the capital. Lord Pei resolutely followed him and was willing to become an ordinary staff member by His Majesty's side.
Now that the Seventh Prince has become the Emperor, he naturally does not treat those who followed him and made contributions to his rise to power poorly. Among them, the Emperor is most intimate with Minister Pei Jin.
Zhao Wanyi was betrothed to Pei Jin since childhood. A year ago, she went to the capital to cultivate her relationship with Pei Jin and then got married, becoming Mrs. Pei.
Not only could they freely enter and leave the palace, but they also had some influence in front of His Majesty.
Just now at the Empress Dowager's place, when His Majesty arrived, Madam Pei had only performed half a bow according to etiquette before His Majesty helped her up.
This shows that the emperor's favor is very strong.
Zhao Wanyi glanced at Yuelu indifferently, then lost all interest in speaking.
On the other side.
Qi Yu never expected to meet the female lead on her very first day in the palace.
That's right, the female lead transmigrated into the book, and she also brought with her a simplified version of a system. As long as she completes the plot, it can send her back.
After transmigrating into the book, she tragically ended up in the middle of nowhere. When she finally found a town, she ran into Eunuch Li, who was selecting beauties for the palace.
Young Master Li looked at her for a long time and then spoke kindly to her for a long time. He didn't care that she was an orphan and came from the countryside. He insisted on giving her the identity of a respectable woman and brought her to the capital smoothly.
Qi Yu didn't use her own money to dress up, simply because she knew she would definitely be chosen by the Emperor.
This is a novel about forceful love and possession. The male protagonist, Wu Shiyan, is in love with his best friend's childhood sweetheart. At first, Wu Shiyan, as a cold-hearted emperor, did not realize his own feelings and thought that his feelings for the female protagonist were just a junior's kindness. However, when he watched his beloved marry another man and be intimately close with the minister he relied on, he finally understood his own feelings.
The fact that the Emperor liked his concubines was known to the Grand Eunuch, the Empress Dowager, and the Princess, but for the sake of the Emperor's reputation, they had no choice but to keep it a secret and secretly create opportunities for him.
After all, the emperor having no son is a matter of great importance concerning the stability of the country.
With their own interests highly intertwined with imperial power, they would do everything in their power to help the emperor choose whomever he desired.
It's not that the emperor is unmoved, it's that he's so indifferent to worldly desires that he'll hand over the entire empire to a member of the imperial clan.
At that time, the words of these eunuchs will no longer carry weight.
Eunuch Li was a trusted confidant of Eunuch Li Chang, and in the last two selections, he meticulously chose based on Madam Pei's appearance.
However, this time, with Qi Yu by his side, Eunuch Li crossed out all the other similar names from the list. With so many similar people, their intentions would be obvious.
Eunuch Li turned to look at the beauties, his gaze landing on Qi Yu. Of the dozens of beauties, Qi Yu was the only one he liked.
After walking along the palace path, the beauties were led to a side hall to wait.
The palace maids in the side hall knew nothing when asked. Zhou Miaoyin secretly slipped them some silver and asked when they could see the emperor. The maids accepted the silver but kept their heads down and said nothing.
The beauties were disappointed upon seeing this, and Zhou Miaoyin's tone became exasperated.
He glared fiercely at the palace maid.
Qi Yu looked around the side hall and noticed that the east side was separated from the main hall by several layers of curtains, which were still drawn. She turned her head away without paying any attention and went to find some water.
Qi Yu has excellent senses; she can see far and hear clearly. Therefore, she dislikes noise and gradually tends to overlook things, often making her seem arrogant and dull.
In the original storyline, she was placed next to Wu Shiyan as a substitute, a complete tool. These shortcomings are not much for a supporting female character.
It is not easy for unexpected setbacks to occur.
Qi Yu heard two voices speaking softly behind the curtain.
One of them was the one led by Eunuch Li, who had already left.
He was humble, and after a while, another person, perhaps also satisfied, praised Xiao Li.
Immediately afterwards, the two left behind the tent curtain.
Qi Yu then looked in the direction separated by the curtain. She quietly finished drinking her water, put down the cup, and walked in that direction. It was obvious that there was still space behind the curtain.
On the other side, Zhou Miaoyin was arguing quietly with a beautiful woman. Zhou Miaoyin stomped her feet angrily, and the pearls on her embroidered shoes shone with a beautiful luster.
Qi Yu was momentarily distracted by the glare, but quickly returned her gaze to the lowered curtain.
Her gaze seemed to penetrate the curtains and see right inside.
Qi Yu reached out her hand, and just as she touched the curtain, she saw a slender, beautiful hand with jade-like knuckles lift the curtain from the inside.
The veins on his hands were faint, and his nails were rounded. He looked like a man who had been pampered for a long time, yet his fingers bore indelible scars.
Qi Yu tilted her head slightly.
The curtain was half-lifted, revealing the person standing inside.
He was a tall but somewhat thin man with a pair of dark and brooding eyes, like a hawk locking onto a swimming fish. His gaze remained fixed on Qi Yu's face without ever leaving her.
Upon seeing the man in a black robe embroidered with dragon patterns and the palace maids kneeling to pay their respects, the people in the side hall followed suit, calling out "Your Majesty!"
Then another beautiful woman's hand touched her hair bun and waist ornaments, quietly adjusting them.
Qi Yu thought that perhaps it was because of Zhou Miaoyin's movements that she didn't hear the footsteps behind the curtain, and she didn't know that someone else had come behind the curtain after Eunuch Li left.
In one day, she not only met the female lead, but also the male lead.
Qi Yu lowered her head, intending to bow first, but her chin was lifted by the hand that had been observing her closely.
Her gaze remained steady as she looked down, not directly at the emperor's face, allowing him to scrutinize her.
He asked, "Who is she?"
The eunuch Li, who arrived later, spoke with delight: "This girl is named Qi Yu. She is from Hedong County and comes from a good family. Her parents have been farmers for generations, but unfortunately, they were both unlucky and died young. When I found Miss Qi, she was staying at her aunt's house."
The fabricated family background of Eunuch Li was discussed with Qi Yu no less than ten times in the beginning, all to ensure that he had no connection whatsoever with Zhao Wanyi's Zhao family.
If there is even the slightest possibility that Qi Yu is Zhao Wanyi's sister, should the Emperor keep her or not? Should he send her back to Madam Pei's side to win her favor?
All their efforts in bringing Qi Yu before the Emperor would have been in vain.
They assumed that Qi Yu would also keep it a secret, after all, having come this far, who wouldn't yearn for the riches and glory of the imperial family?
Qi Yu certainly wouldn't expose this matter. She appeared suddenly in Hedong County, and her life before the age of eighteen was a blank. Someone gave her an identity that couldn't be found fault with, and she was overjoyed.
In the original book, "she" was a substitute for the female lead, raised in the palace by the male lead. When the time was right, "she" and the female lead switched identities, and "she" naturally died of illness in the Pei family.
This is the storyline that Qi Yu needs to complete.
Her system, however, was a useless little thing that could only recognize task progress and would only send her back once the task progress was complete.
Apart from that, it has no other functions.
Along the way, Qi Yu seemed to be distracted, but in reality, she wrote one complaint letter after another to the system.
Now, she has barely accepted reality. After all, in the original book, the substitute did not suffer any hardship. She was a favored concubine in the palace. After being switched to the Pei family, she even got a gentle and refined husband. It's just a pity that in order to avoid being exposed in front of her husband, she had to fake her death.
The female supporting character who faked her death used the wealth she had accumulated over the years to become a hidden tycoon, living a life of luxury and traveling the world. She never appeared in the capital, but she did make a brief appearance in the extra chapters, proving that she was alive and well.
Wu Shiyan withdrew his hand, leaving behind the words: "Keep her in the palace and make her a concubine."
He then prepared to leave in a huff, as if there was no need to look at the others anymore.
The other beauties couldn't sit still at this sight. The beauty closest to Zhou Miaoyin tugged at her sleeve. Zhou Miaoyin's mind went blank, and her voice was so sweet it could melt anyone's heart. She softly called out, "Your Majesty."
Eunuch Li had already accepted Zhou Miaoyin's money, and Qi Yu was well aware of this. Zhou Miaoyin was also determined to enter the palace.
Although Qi Yu rarely spoke during the time they spent together, she still gained some understanding of these beauties.
Although Zhou Miaoyin is the daughter of a merchant, her family is dominated by illegitimate sons. If Zhou Miaoyin returns empty-handed this time, she will have to hastily marry a local official who is twenty or thirty years older than her.
So even though she knew the emperor was not interested in women, she still wanted to try staying in the palace.
Eunuch Li said, "Your Majesty, if it's just Miss Qi alone... I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain."
Leaving only one similar person in the palace clearly indicates a ulterior motive.
Wu Shiyan stopped abruptly as he was leaving. He naturally knew who Xiao Li was referring to. He frowned slightly and pointed to a few people: "They stay too. Li Chang will handle the rest."
Zhou Miaoyin was among the group. She looked pleasantly surprised. Although she didn't know what the Emperor and Eunuch Li were talking about, it was good that she could stay.
The silver she had scattered along the way was almost a desperate gamble to stay in the palace, and she had already cut off her way back.
Suddenly, Zhou Miaoyin found Qi Yu much more agreeable.
However, it is not difficult to judge from what was said just now that Qi Yu is outstanding, and she was granted the title of Consort upon her first appointment, which they could never catch up with.
Zhou Miaoyin's expression became complicated.
As Wu Shiyan walked away, Qi Yu unexpectedly met the gaze of Eunuch Li.
The scrutinizing gaze that had been directed at Eunuch Li throughout the journey had now transformed into one of respect and caution.
He quickly approached, smiling, and said, "Miss, may I call you Little Li? If I have offended you in any way along the way, please forgive me and let me off the hook."
Qi Yu casually looked away, without a trace of a smile on her face.
It's obvious they're not someone you can get along with.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
