Chapter 169 The Cannon Fodder Concubine of the Harem - First Arrival
Yao Yao was woken up by the cold; her whole body was chilly, and she couldn't feel any warmth at all.
When Yao Yao struggled to open her heavy eyelids, a chill instantly swept over her. She couldn't help but shiver, rubbing her eyes, trying to wake herself up.
With the help of the faint light streaming in through the window, Yaoyao was finally able to see her surroundings.
She found herself lying on an antique-style bed, with ordinary bed curtains hanging around it, emitting a faint fragrance. However, the bed felt unusually cold, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
Yao Yao reached out and touched the blanket, only to find it was cold and not warm at all.
She looked around; an eerie silence filled the room, no sound breaking the stillness. The empty room instilled a sense of unease, and the howling of the cold wind outside the window was quite distinct.
Yao Yao knew she had arrived in a new place again.
Looking at the shabby surroundings, Yao Yao felt a little gloomy. There wasn't even a charcoal brazier here! The cold air made her shiver involuntarily.
Yao Yao sighed inwardly, "This situation doesn't look good..." But there was no other way at the moment. She decided to first receive the original owner's memories, understand this world and her own identity, and then think of a way to deal with the current predicament.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to absorb the memories. As the memories flooded in, Yao Yao gradually gained a clearer understanding of the world she lived in.
However, when she saw the original owner's experiences, she couldn't help but frown.
The original owner's name was Xu Yaoyao, the daughter of the prefect of Yangzhou. Her father's family was the Marquis of Dingyuan in the capital, and her mother was the daughter of the richest man in Yangzhou. The two were still deeply in love.
Xu Yaoyao also has a younger brother who is only ten years old. The family of four is happy and fulfilled.
Logically speaking, given her family background, Xu Yaoyao should have had a good life, but the turning point in her fate was the year of the talent show.
In the fifth year of Jingping, as spring returned to the earth and all things revived, an imperial edict spread throughout the land: the court decided to hold a selection of consorts to enrich the imperial harem and continue the royal bloodline.
This news, like a spring breeze, caused a huge uproar.
Local officials were busy selecting suitable candidates from among the many women to send to the capital for the imperial concubine selection.
For a time, countless people were filled with tension and anticipation, because being chosen meant that their family might receive the emperor's favor and rise to prominence.
Most women would not give up the opportunity to rise above others; they longed to become the emperor's concubine and enjoy wealth and honor.
Many wealthy families and officials spared no expense in hiring renowned teachers to instruct them in etiquette and skills, hoping to stand out in the talent show.
Not everyone wants to live in the palace, nor do every parent send their daughter into such a dangerous place for their own wealth, status, and career advancement.
On the day the imperial decree was received, Xu Chonglou's parents decided not to let the original owner participate in the imperial selection, and the original owner did not want to enter the deep palace.
Therefore, Xu Chonglou did not include his daughter Xu Yaoyao's name in the initial list of candidates for the imperial concubine selection.
However, due to the underhanded dealings of the Marquis of Dingyuan's family in the capital, Xu Yaoyao's name appeared on the final list, which made Xu Chonglou so angry that he vomited blood.
Xu Chonglou's investigation revealed that it was his own family who were behind the scheme, all to get her into the palace and secure the favor of his eldest daughter, the Consort Shu in the palace.
When Xu Chonglou learned of this, there was nothing he could do, and Xu Yaoyao had no choice but to go to the capital for the imperial concubine selection.
As expected, Xu Yaoyao was selected to enter the palace. Since her father was only a prefect, her initial title was Lady.
Rather than saying she entered the palace to help Consort Shu secure the emperor's favor, it would be more accurate to say she was used as a womb to bear children.
Because after giving birth to a daughter, Consort Shu was secretly poisoned, damaging her health and rendering her unable to conceive again. In the palace, no ambitious concubine would be content without bearing a prince to secure her position.
Moreover, she is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Dingyuan, a famous family in the capital!
Therefore, after discussing it with her mother, Consort Shu decided to find a woman who was easy to control to enter the palace, so that the mother could leave and the son could stay.
However, the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion did not have any concubine daughters of suitable age. Those who were of suitable age were already engaged, or were too young. In the end, they could only choose from collateral branches of the family.
Xu Yaoyao was chosen without her knowledge.
The best way to control someone is to let them fall to their lowest point first, and then lend them a hand; they will surely be grateful.
Consort Shu intended to use this strategy to better control Xu Yaoyao.
Therefore, Consort Shu secretly arranged for her to be placed in the most remote place in the palace, where she would suffer cold treatment, and then she would rescue her after a certain period of time.
Before Consort Shu could make a move, Xu Yaoyao was secretly poisoned to death by Consort Li, her death occurring silently and without causing a ripple. This was because Consort Li was jealous of her beauty and worried that she would surpass her and be favored by the Emperor.
When Consort Shu heard the news of the original owner's death, she only felt a slight pang of regret and nothing more.
Consort Shu knew that Consort Li had killed her, but she had no intention of avenging the original owner of this body. She just smiled and said to the palace maid beside her, "Beauty is often short-lived. Being too beautiful is not a good thing. Look, this is why she has attracted people's attention."
The most heartbroken were Xu Yaoyao's parents. When Xu's mother, Sun Jun, heard that her daughter had died, she was devastated and cried every day. She died of depression less than a year later.
After his wife's death, Xu Chonglou's hair turned white overnight. He resigned from his post as prefect and lived the life of an ordinary citizen with his son, Xu Feng. Less than two years later, Xu Chonglou died of depression, leaving Xu Feng to grow up alone with his maternal grandparents.
Because of the deaths of his parents and sister, Xu Feng lived a lonely life until his unexpected death.
This family, who should have been happy and joyful, paid a huge price because of someone else's greed. How innocent they were!
The original owner was extremely unwilling!
The male lead in this storyline is actually Consort Shu's younger brother, the heir of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion.
The female protagonist is a female doctor who travels the world. By chance, the two meet, get to know each other, and fall in love.
Marquis Dingyuan naturally could not accept that his beloved son liked a woman of unknown origin. The male protagonist tried his best to win her over, but to no avail.
Consort Shu initially disagreed. After the original owner died, she sent her mother into the palace, intending to find another person to serve her. During this time, she heard her mother say that the female lead's master had a family heirloom that could cure all poisons, and Consort Shu began to have designs on it.
Consort Shu asked her mother to bring the female lead into the palace, promising her that if she could cure her infertility, she would persuade Marquis Dingyuan to let her marry into his household.
The female lead agreed.
In the end, the female protagonist stole her master's family heirloom, and Consort Shu recovered from her illness and successfully became pregnant with the dragon's son.
With the help of Consort Shu, the female protagonist also marries into the Marquis's mansion.
Consort Shu was overjoyed. This time, she was careful and cautious, and safely gave birth to a prince. This was Emperor Jingping's first son, and the ministers of the court were finally relieved.
In the end, Consort Shu was made Empress, her son ascended the throne, the male lead became the Emperor's brother-in-law, and the female lead was made a first-rank imperial consort.
The original owner's family was brutally murdered, while the culprit's life was smooth sailing. Who could accept that?
*
Hearing the noise of someone getting up inside, Hongguo, who was sleeping outside, quickly ran in to serve them.
Hongguo entered from behind the screen and saw her mistress leaning against the bedpost, deep in thought. Even though they had been together for two months, Hongguo was still captivated by her mistress's beauty.
Everyone says that Consort Li is the most beautiful woman in the palace, but Hongguo wants to tell those people, you haven't seen my Lady Li! She is breathtakingly beautiful, and no one dares to disturb her.
It's a pity that she was unlucky enough to be assigned to such a remote place, with no one around the courtyard. If only she could meet the Emperor, Hongguo thought, the Emperor would surely be captivated!
Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has devoted himself to governing the country for five years, expanding the territory and focusing all his energy on the affairs of the court. He can count the number of times he visits the inner palace in a month on one hand.
Therefore, there are only two concubines in the harem to date: one is the eldest princess born to the late Empress, who died in childbirth; the other is the second princess born to Consort Shu.
The position of Empress has remained vacant to this day. The few concubines in the palace have tried their best to seduce the Emperor and enter the harem in hopes of giving birth to a prince and seizing the Empress's position, but all of them have failed.
This year's imperial concubine selection was ordered by the Empress Dowager. The Emperor did not participate at all; only the Empress Dowager and a few high-ranking concubines from the Crown Prince's residence were involved.
"Yes, did you wake up from the cold again? It's all my fault for being useless. I won't give you our allowance. I'll go to the Imperial Household Department again today to ask for it!" Hongguo was very anxious as she looked at Xu Yaoyao's dazed expression.
Seeing Hongguo's anxious and worried expression, Xu Yaoyao felt a warmth in her heart. This allowance was not something that could be obtained just by wanting it; otherwise, the original owner of this body would not have been so aggrieved even after death.
Before entering the palace, Xu Jun brought a lot of silver and silver notes for her daughter, intending to use money to pave the way so that her daughter could have a better life in the palace.
But now, even if you have money, you can't get your share, because your good cousin, Consort Shu, secretly ordered that your share be reduced.
Xu Yaoyao really liked Hongguo's round little face, which looked just like a little apple. She reached out and pinched Hongguo's cheek, saying cheerfully, "Thank you for trying so hard, Hongguo. We don't need to ask for it anymore. I'll think of another way."
Hongguo's face immediately turned bright red. Imagine if a beautiful woman were standing so close to you, smiling so brightly at you, wouldn't you be shy!
And this is the first time in two months that Cheng has smiled so easily and brightly. She looks so beautiful!
Hongguo stammered nervously, "Okay...I...agree."
Seeing Hongguo's adorable reaction, Xu Yaoyao's smile widened.
"Alright, there's still a while until dawn. You don't need to serve us here. Go back and rest for a bit."
"Oh, oh." Hongguo blushed, turned around and left, her steps light and her heart filled with excitement.
Xu Yaoyao leaned against the bed, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed, and her face drooped. The situation was not optimistic!
We must find a way to get winter allowance as soon as possible, otherwise we won't wait for others to harm us; we'll freeze to death in this weather first.
According to the original owner Xu Yaoyao's account, she was killed by Consort Li in the fourth month after entering the palace, which was around January of the following year.
It's currently the end of November, and if things continue as they are, we still have about a month to plan.
It is of utmost urgency to attract the emperor's attention!
*
The winter day was cold, and the sun rose a little late. The sunlight shone on the earth, making the room very bright.
Xu Yaoyao got out of bed. Hongguo had already brought back breakfast from the kitchen in the inner palace.
With Hongguo's help, Xu Yaoyao began to dress and wash up. The clothes here were quite varied, and if Xu Yaoyao were to rely on herself, she might not be able to put them on properly.
Wearing a light pink hibiscus-patterned cotton-padded jacket, simple and warm, Xu Yaoyao even added an inner lining underneath, yet still didn't look bulky.
Xu Yaoyao sat in front of the mirror, letting Hongguo comb her hair.
Yao Yao carefully examined the appearance of this body and found that it was about 80% similar to her original appearance.
The original owner had delicate features, with slightly upturned eyes that made her look more charming. Her eyes were large and bright, her nose was small and pert, her cherry lips were a little pale due to the weather, her skin was fair and supple, and her hair was jet black and shiny.
Even her figure is a gift from heaven; she has a small frame and a slender body, but her curves are full in all the right places! And she's only seventeen! It has to be said, the original owner was very well-developed.
Hongguo simply styled Xu Yaoyao's hair with a single sideburn. It wasn't that Hongguo was lazy; it was just that Hongguo really wasn't very good at it.
Before Xu Yaoyao entered the palace, Hongguo was just a lowly maid who swept the floor and had never served the concubines closely.
So when she learned that she had been assigned to be a personal maid, Hongguo was very happy.
Even though she lived in a remote place and her master was not favored, Hongguo did not feel any dissatisfaction. She was a content person and felt very honored to be able to serve such a fairy-like person in this life!
Xu Yaoyao's good mood continued until breakfast. When she saw that breakfast consisted of cold steamed buns, two small side dishes, and even very thin porridge, Xu Yaoyao couldn't control her expression and looked very angry!
Looking at Xu Yaoyao's stern face, Hongguo felt very guilty and useless.
The kitchen used to give more food, but today, for some reason, the food was not only cold but also very little. When I tried to find the eunuch in charge of serving the food, he completely ignored me, so I had no choice but to leave.
Looking at Hongguo's downcast eyes and guilty expression, Xu Yaoyao knew that the girl was probably overthinking things again.
At the tender age of fifteen, like a blooming flower, she had such a profound mind, and she took all the blame upon herself.
Xu Yaoyao quickly changed her expression, mentally encouraging herself, and then said cheerfully, "Hongguo, let's eat together! Today we'll reminisce about the past and appreciate the present, you can't refuse! Don't worry, your master will definitely treat you to the best food and drink!"
Hongguo nodded repeatedly, her voice choked with emotion, "Master, thank you! You're the first person to have been so kind to me!"
Seeing how moved Hongguo was, Xu Yaoyao's fighting spirit grew even stronger; she was determined to seduce the Emperor!
Xu Yaoyao walked to the bedside in the inner room, looking at the desolate courtyard and listening to the howling north wind, her heart filled with light.
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