The new emperor was a woman, and in that year, the empress held a selection of concubines to enrich the harem with new women.
Many young men from prominent families harbored aspirations, hoping to enter the palace, gain favor, and bring glory to their families.
One of the men was named Xiao Yichen, who came from an official family, was exceptionally talented, and had an outstandingly handsome appearance.
He stood out in the talent show and successfully entered the palace.
When Xiao Yichen first entered the palace, he was neglected because of his aloof personality and his inability to flatter.
However, he did not harbor resentment because of this. Instead, he played the zither, recited poems, and occasionally practiced swordsmanship in the palace to relieve his loneliness.
One day, the Empress happened to pass by the palace where Xiao Yichen lived and heard the melodious sound of a zither, which was ethereal, clear and extremely moving.
The Empress followed the sound and entered, where she saw Xiao Yichen, who was tall and handsome, and immediately felt affection for him.
After that, the Empress often visited Xiao Yichen, and they talked about the past and present, and their feelings for each other deepened day by day.
Xiao Yichen gradually gained the Empress's exclusive favor, which aroused the jealousy of the other male concubines in the harem.
Especially the concubine Zhao Yuxuan, who was handsome, good at flattery, and whose family had considerable influence in the court.
Seeing that Xiao Yichen was favored, Zhao Yuxuan plotted to frame him by tampering with Xiao Yichen's clothes, making him look bad in front of the Empress.
Fortunately, Xiao Yichen was quick-witted and cleverly resolved the crisis, and discovered that it was Zhao Yuxuan who was responsible.
The Empress was furious when she learned of this and confined Zhao Yuxuan to his quarters to reflect on his actions.
However, Zhao Yuxuan did not give up. He joined forces with several other disfavored male concubines to spread rumors in the palace, saying that Xiao Yichen was seducing the Empress and intended to interfere in court affairs.
Although the Empress had doubts upon hearing the rumors, her feelings for Xiao Yichen led her to choose to believe him.
Xiao Yichen knew he was in a difficult situation and decided to take the initiative.
He secretly collected evidence of Zhao Yuxuan and others forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, and presented it to the Empress.
Upon seeing this, the Empress was furious and banished Zhao Yuxuan and the others to the Cold Palace.
After this struggle, Xiao Yichen's position in the harem became more and more secure, but he also understood that the turbulent changes in the harem never stopped, and he would have to be even more cautious in dealing with the future.
After Xiao Yichen established himself in the harem, Empress Chu Yunlan's favor towards him grew even stronger.
However, this aroused the jealousy of another unassuming male concubine—Murong Jin.
Murong Jin appears gentle and refined, but in reality, he is deeply scheming.
On the surface, he was on good terms with Xiao Yichen, but behind the scenes he was plotting a much bigger conspiracy.
On one occasion, when Chu Yunlan went out to pray for blessings, Murong Jin took the opportunity to deliberately create trouble in the palace and falsely accused Xiao Yichen of stealing palace treasures.
Xiao Yichen knew this was a slander, but he couldn't find any evidence to prove his innocence.
Just as everyone was discussing and pointing fingers at Xiao Yichen, Xiao Yichen's personal attendant risked leaving the palace, found Chu Yunlan's returning party, and told Chu Yunlan what had happened in the palace.
Chu Yunlan hurriedly returned to the palace and personally investigated the matter thoroughly.
After some investigation, Chu Yunlan discovered Murong Jin's conspiracy.
It turns out that in order to frame Xiao Yichen, Murong Jin had secretly hidden treasures in Xiao Yichen's palace beforehand and bribed palace maids and eunuchs to give false testimony.
Chu Yunlan was furious and severely punished Murong Jin.
Xiao Yichen was grateful for Chu Yunlan's trust and treated Chu Yunlan with even greater devotion.
However, the power struggles within the harem did not cease.
Liu Yunxuan, a newly arrived male concubine, is ambitious because his family has gained new power in the court.
He secretly rallied various forces, attempting to suppress Xiao Yichen and seize Chu Yunlan's exclusive favor.
Liu Yunxuan first pretended to be well-behaved and sensible in front of Chu Yunlan, winning Chu Yunlan's favor.
Then, he orchestrated a situation where Xiao Yichen made a small mistake in front of Chu Yunlan, causing Chu Yunlan to feel a slight dissatisfaction with Xiao Yichen.
Xiao Yichen realized Liu Yunxuan's thoughts and decided not to sit idly by and wait for his death.
On the one hand, he carefully dealt with Liu Yunxuan's schemes, and on the other hand, he devoted himself to accompanying Chu Yunlan, making Chu Yunlan feel his sincerity.
At a palace banquet, Liu Yunxuan deliberately stirred up trouble, putting Xiao Yichen in an awkward situation.
However, Xiao Yichen cleverly resolved the crisis with his intelligence and composure, which instead exposed Liu Yunxuan's true colors.
Chu Yunlan finally saw through Liu Yunxuan's true colors and reprimanded him.
Xiao Yichen once again relied on his wisdom and courage to protect his position and his relationship with Chu Yunlan in the complicated harem.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
