Because Liu Heng canceled the talent show, the Empress felt humiliated and, in her embarrassment and anger, never brought up the topic again.
However, by autumn, everyone in the harem realized that there was actually no selection of concubines. Although they did not show it in front of the Empress when paying their respects, they all knew the truth in their hearts.
They had all experienced being overwhelmed by the Empress when they were still in the Prince's residence. At that time, the Empress was unmatched in power in the inner court, and none of the concubines dared to have any thoughts; they all had to keep a low profile.
Unexpectedly, times have changed. Now, Consort Lin enjoys the Emperor's exclusive favor, and the Empress has also been disgraced by the Emperor.
Chen Xiaoyi and Han Ronghua were among the first to serve Liu Heng. They used to have some disagreements over vying for his favor, but after Liu Heng married a princess, they became like yesterday's flowers, with nothing left to fight over, and their relationship improved instead.
As she placed a piece on the chessboard, Chen Xiaoyi sighed with a hint of envy, "Only a beauty like Consort Lin could catch His Majesty's eye."
With her beauty, privileged background, favored status, capable elder brother, and son, Consort Lin possessed everything that others could only look on with envy and resentment.
"She's only been favored for a few years. If we don't hold a talent show now, there's still a long time to go, and new people will have to come in eventually. A woman's youth is fleeting; how many years can she stay fresh? Our Empress is a perfect example."
Since it was just the two of them in the room, Han Ronghua spoke more casually.
The imperial harem is never short of beautiful women in their prime, and the emperor's favor comes and goes quickly. Now, Consort Lin is in charge of the harem, but how long can this glory last? Who dares to say?
Even the Empress, who was once the sole favorite, has been surpassed by Consort Lin. Who knows if another new favorite will emerge in the future and overshadow Consort Lin?
"Your words are so sour. How many vats of vinegar did you drink at noon! Even if she falls on hard times one day, she is still a unique imperial concubine with a son. She can't be worse off."
By blocking Han Ronghua's path with a single black piece, Chen Xiaoyi won the game and was in a good mood, mocking him.
"yes."
Han Ronghua sighed, her smile full of self-mockery. She had only been indulging in some empty talk.
In reality, both women knew that whether they were the Empress or the Imperial Concubine, they had titles and sons, and no matter what, they had hope for the future. They were far better off than the other two.
These fallen and aging concubines, childless and without children, had only time to pass the time.
Not wanting to continue feeling heartbroken, Chen Xiaoyi thought of Baili Zhaoyi, who lived next door in Liuan Palace, and leaned closer to Han Ronghua to whisper in her ear.
"That woman from Liuan Palace still frequents Xifu Palace. Has she really lost all sense of propriety now? Even if she's going to gamble, she shouldn't be hanging around those two. Who are they? They can't even get close to His Majesty."
Having lived together in the backyard for so many years, they all knew what kind of person Baili was. That person was all talk and no action, always dreaming of getting something for nothing; there was no such thing as a free lunch.
However, Baili Shi did not do anything at first. He just talked and then left it at that. He didn't gain any benefits, but he didn't suffer any losses either. This was pretty much Baili Shi's way of surviving.
"Yes, that's really strange."
Han Ronghua was also puzzled. Baili Shi was acting quite strangely, as if she was about to make a move. At this point, instead of discreetly protecting herself, did she intend to stir up trouble?
"Are you courting death!"
Spitting out a mouthful, Chen Xiaoyi happily ate the tea cake.
Seeing that there was no hope left, they resigned themselves to their current positions and retired peacefully. If there was any excitement happening around them, they would watch it to pass the time.
Han Ronghua also grabbed a handful of peanuts, and while eating them, she and Chen Xiaoyi guessed what Baili Shi was planning to do.
She was neither favored nor pregnant, and it was clear that she had no future. Yet, she didn't want to settle for mediocrity. Instead, she wanted to give it another shot. This kind of spirit impressed even Han Ronghua, who had long since given up hope.
At the same time, it's funny. Is Baili Shi really that stupid? Even if one of the two concubines gains favor, their low status means they can't accomplish anything significant. Does she think she can help her out?
In Xifu Palace, Lady Baili also diligently helped the two talented women find a path to "advance".
At this moment, she was racking her brains to tell Zhen'er and Ji'er everything she knew about the various concubines in the harem.
"You said that Consort Lü has a cough and asthma and has to take medicine every day?"
Zhen'er extracted the key point she needed from Baili's words and confirmed it with her again.
"Yes, we have to send someone to the Imperial Hospital to get medicine every month."
Not understanding Zhen'er's meaning, Baili subconsciously offered an explanation.
Jill, who was standing nearby, guessed what she was thinking, but frowned and said, "Are you out of your mind?"
A cold smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Zhen'er didn't respond, exchanged a few words with Baili Shi, and then let her leave.
"What kind of attitude is that!"
Once outside Xifu Palace, Lady Baili was also enraged. She was, after all, a Zhaoyi (a high-ranking concubine), while Zhen'er was merely a Cairen (a lower-ranking concubine)—how dare she be so disrespectful to her!
She came here to give them advice, and they didn't fawn over her or treat her with respect. That's fine, but they also put on airs like this. Just because they have the Empress backing them doesn't mean they're so great!
They look down on her now, but once she's promoted to the rank of Consort, will she still need to stoop down and deal with such lowly people as them? Therefore, Lady Baili became even more determined to do this for the Empress; no matter what, she was determined to be promoted to the rank of Consort.
Bai Madam's attendant, seeing her displeasure, added fuel to the fire, "Isn't that right? It's all because you're not a concubine yet, that these people who fawn over the powerful and bully the weak!"
After Baili left and there was no one else in the room, Ji'er continued to worry and advise, "You mustn't do anything foolish! Even if we can't win the emperor's favor, we should accept our fate, but we mustn't take risks."
"Accept your fate? Why should I?! Even after entering the palace, do I have to be bullied by those scoundrels?"
Zhen'er shook off Ji'er's hand, her face turned pale, and she looked at her with tears in her eyes.
She was determined to take a gamble; it was all or nothing!
Seeing that her words had no effect, Jill stopped trying to persuade her.
She knew about Zhen'er's inner turmoil, but she wasn't as fiercely resolute as Zhen'er. When she was young, she had many brothers and sisters in her family, and they were so poor that they were on the verge of starvation before she was sold to the Wang family.
Before she left, her mother held her hand and earnestly gave her some advice, which she kept in mind.
"It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death; we must live well."
Zhen'er remembered everything her mother said, as well as the reluctance and hope in her eyes. She had to live on, and with this will, she calmly endured all the hardships she suffered in the Wang family.
For her, as long as she had food to eat and could live, she could keep going. There is no suffering that cannot be endured, and no sin that cannot be suffered.
Seeing that Zhen'er had said all she wanted to say and seemed about to leave, Ji'er remembered something and immediately grabbed Zhen'er's sleeves with both hands, her voice trembling with tears, "Don't go, I'm scared!"
Jill looked at her hands, which were wet with her tears, and felt a similar gloomy, suffocating feeling in her heart.
"I won't leave; I'll get through this with you."
Holding Zhen'er's shoulder, listening to her suppressed sobs, Jill also burst into tears. She couldn't help but resent God for treating them this way.
The reason why they felt this way can be traced back to when they first entered the palace.
Because Xifu Palace was located in a remote area and the two women were of low status, they became pitiful people who were neither valued by their superiors nor spared from being bullied by the eunuchs and maids serving them in the palace.
The eunuchs and palace maids who had served the late emperor's concubines in the palace were all senior and difficult to deal with, and they were also good at putting on a show.
The palace was a melting pot of all sorts of people, with palace maids and eunuchs forming their own social circles.
The eunuchs of Xifu Palace easily found out the two women's backgrounds. They heard that they came from humble origins and had never been favored by the emperor, and they all looked down on them.
Consort Lin is exceptionally beautiful and favored by the Emperor; it seems unlikely that the Emperor will remember these two lowly concubines.
Moreover, there will be more talent shows in the future, with more and more beautiful women emerging, but their youthful beauty is fading away, so they are bound to have little future.
The steward of Xifu Palace, named Huang San, was born with an unruly and arrogant nature. He was not only a tyrant in Xifu Palace, but also recognized the eunuch Lang of the Inner Palace as his godfather. With this background, his already powerful position was further strengthened, and no eunuch in the Six Western Palaces dared to offend him.
Huang San had a large number of eunuchs under his command. They were bold and daring, and also had a penchant for women with oval faces and slender waists.
Although his physical body had been severed, the primal desires of a man remained in his heart. In fact, because he could not actually enjoy sensual pleasure, he became even more ruthless in bed.
Many palace maids were forced into submission by his lewd power. Based on his experience, Huang San even developed a complete set of procedures for managing and controlling women.
Whenever Huang San takes a liking to a beautiful palace maid, he will rely on his large number of followers and powerful connections to mobilize the eunuchs and palace maids he knows to bully, humiliate, intimidate, and threaten her until he succeeds.
Several attractive palace maids, in order to gain favor, did not hesitate to offer themselves as concubines.
Some eunuchs, having severed their ties to the mortal world and having no other hope, only aspired to serve in the favored palace in order to rise in rank.
However, some are different. Like Huang San, he stayed in the most remote Xifu Palace in the Western Six Palaces, not thinking about his future, but instead living a carefree life of bullying men and women.
Huang San grew increasingly audacious. During the reign of Emperor Jianwu, he even managed to seduce several low-ranking concubines in the Xifu Palace. He visited them almost every night and enjoyed their company, much more so than the emperor himself.
With Huang San leading the way, several bold eunuchs who followed him also followed his example and did the same thing. Even the timid ones dared not bully the concubines, but they were not afraid to bully the palace maids.
Not only in the Western Six Palaces, but also in other palaces, such sordid dealings among the eunuchs were not uncommon.
They dared not lay a hand on favored concubines, nor did they dare to act recklessly towards those of high rank. Only low-ranking and unfavored concubines were their targets. Once they set their sights on someone, they would seize the opportunity to take her in.
As soon as Zhen'er and Ji'er entered Xifu Palace, Huang San took a liking to them. Zhen'er, in particular, had the most beauty that matched Huang San's aesthetic, and being a virgin, she made him even more irresistible.
When Zhen'er was first looked at with such lewd eyes by Huang San, she was both angry and frightened, and threatened to appeal to the Empress for justice. But Huang San was not afraid at all, and laughed loudly when he heard her threat.
"Go ahead and try, my lady! Not only will you lose your reputation, but you'll also be unable to serve the Emperor anymore. Besides, when you get to the Empress, Chen Fu, Xiao Liu Zi, and the others will all testify for me that it was you who seduced me first."
The eunuchs and palace maids pointed out by Huang San all smiled maliciously, and their faces terrified Zhen'er.
After all, public opinion can be a powerful force, and fearing that they might unite to distort the truth, she dared not tell anyone else who could stand up for her.
She understood that these people dared to speak so openly because they must have a backup plan. Once things came to a head, she wouldn't gain anything, let alone get any justice.
Thus, Huang San's existence completely plunged Zhen'er into a nightmare.
She never imagined that the eunuchs in the harem would wield such power, daring to attempt to rape the concubines.
In the days that followed, Huang San would frequently touch her inappropriately, groping her face and hugging her waist. He would even appear in her room at night, pulling back her bed curtains while she was half asleep.
Like a cat teasing a mouse, Huang San's actions drove Zhen'er to the brink of collapse within days.
Jill was also frightened by this, but fortunately, Huang San was mainly harassing Zhen'er, and she had no power to help Zhen'er resist, so she could only hug her and cry together.
"If you continue like this, I can't control you. I'd rather end it all myself!"
In order to protect herself from being defiled by Huang San and to avoid being dragged into the mire, Zhen'er repeatedly held a hairpin to her throat.
However, Huang San had seen many such threats over the years, and he naturally knew that these concubines would not be able to accept it at first. But as long as he continued to harass them, sooner or later they would obediently lie under him and let him do whatever he wanted.
"She's quite the spirited young lady, and that's exactly my type!"
They didn't push her too hard, but Huang San had been corrupting the harem for many years, so he naturally had many despicable methods to deal with Zhen'er.
After witnessing Huang San and her maid Lantian making love on her bed, Zhen'er was so frightened that she turned pale, covered her mouth, and rushed out to vomit, never wanting to sleep in that bed again.
And this disgusting scene reminded her of those dark memories that had been sealed away in her mind many years ago.
It turned out that Zhen'er's father died shortly after she was born, and her mother remarried the following year, taking the child with her.
My stepfather, Zhao Dayou, was a bricklayer in the village. Because his family was poor and his character was bad, he was still unmarried even though he was getting old.
Zhen'er's mother was eager to remarry so she would have someone to rely on. Zhao Dayou was naturally happy to agree when the matchmaker suggested it. He was happy to have a wife, and he wouldn't be picky even if she was a widow.
Zhao Dayou was also a scoundrel. After years of being a bachelor, he finally got married. Once he got involved in sex, he became extremely unrestrained. No matter day or night, whenever he had free time, he would drag Zhen'er's mother to do that kind of thing.
Zhen'er's mother's home after her remarriage was not well-off, with only two rooms and one bed. Therefore, from the time she could remember, Zhen'er was forced to witness her stepfather and mother having sex, and had to get up and go to sleep amidst the unique atmosphere of that sex.
What she found most unbearable was that her stepfather began to lay hands on her when she was only a few years old.
Although she was young and didn't quite understand what they were doing, Zhen'er instinctively felt that her parents' behavior was dirty and didn't want to have any contact with them. She was filled with disgust and loathing for them.
She was so unlikable that neither her biological mother nor her stepfather liked her much. Later, after her mother gave birth to a younger brother, her stepfather sold her off.
She felt no sadness at this; on the contrary, she felt relieved.
During her years growing up in the Wang family, she, like Jill, endured a lot of hardship and suffering. But her temperament became increasingly tough, and she possessed a kind of fearless and bold spirit.
After being selected to join the Prince's mansion, Zhen'er was even more eager to gain favor and escape her previous lowly status.
Now, having encountered Huang San, this vicious wolf, Zhen'er has made up her mind even more. Either she accepts his favor and escapes this life, or she dies.
"Have you thought this through? No matter what, you can't do anything illegal. As long as you're alive, you'll get through this eventually."
Leaning against Jill's chest, Zhen'er scoffed, "What do you think I'm going to do?"
Ever since she witnessed Huang San's disgraceful deeds, she no longer goes into her own room and sleeps only in Jill's room at night. Resting her head on Jill's shoulder, Zhen'er whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. Besides, Her Majesty the Empress is hoping we can get ahead. As long as we make up our minds, with her secret help, things will be much easier for us. If this plan doesn't work, I'll accept my fate. At worst, I'll just throw away this body."
Hearing Zhen'er's resolute words, Ji'er felt even more uneasy. She and Zhen'er had grown up together, supporting and encouraging each other through thick and thin. When they grew up, they were even chosen as concubines together and entered the palace together. With such a bond, she couldn't bear for anything to happen to Zhen'er.
Feeling Jill's hands trembling, Zhen'er comforted her instead.
"If I rise to prominence, I will definitely help you out. Then we can get rid of these disgusting lackeys together!"
She hadn't thought about getting ahead, but hearing Zhen'er say that, Jill's hope was rekindled. She sighed, wiped away her own tears, and also wiped away the tear stains on Zhen'er's cheeks.
They just wanted to live a peaceful and good life, no longer to be oppressed and humiliated, and no longer to suffer pain and torment.
After leaving Xifu Palace that day, Lady Baili was sullen for several days. Before she could calm down and go back to Xifu Palace, she heard that Consort Lü was seriously ill and coughing up blood every day, and that she probably wouldn't last much longer.
She could guess at a glance that Lü Liangdi's matter must be related to Zhen'er. Zhen'er probably used her words in Xifu Palace. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
Fearing that this matter would implicate her, Lady Baili retreated to her palace and dared not go out again. But the more she hid, the more trouble came knocking on her door.
Upon hearing that Zhen'er had sent a maid to tell her to go to Xifu Palace to speak with her, Baili Shi felt a chill run down her spine, knowing that she would be put to use again.
But she was already living in fear, and no matter what Zhen'er's plans were, she didn't want to get involved anymore.
"Who does she think she is, daring to make me run errands for her!"
The old woman beside her, Bai, knew that although she said those words, she was actually afraid of causing trouble for herself. She felt contempt for her, but she still had to persuade her verbally.
"You don't need to worry about Consort Zhen, but if you help her gain favor, you'll have done her a favor in her eyes!"
Granny Bai pointed upwards, and Lady Baili knew she was referring to the Empress.
"Besides, you've already humbled yourself and taken the initiative to befriend Consort Zhen. You've already crossed the threshold, so what's the last step?"
Baili hesitated because he found her words to be reasonable.
Seeing that her words had an effect, Granny Bai was overjoyed. "If you ask me, with that person's secret promotion, Consort Zhen's future will surely be bright. If you get what you want, it would be good to have a prince by your side."
At first, she was a little confused and didn't understand what Granny Bai meant. After thinking for a moment, Baili's heart started pounding.
Having children has always been her biggest regret in life. As she gets older, she has little hope of having any more children.
If Consort Zhen gains favor and has a child, and given her low rank, I could adopt her, thus securing my future.
Reminded of this, Baili Shi's thoughts gradually changed, and she decided to help Zhen Cairen and risk everything to try her luck.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com