Bai Pin supported Shen Shixi, whispering softly, "Baolin, this way, she will likely hold a grudge against you!"
"If she holds a grudge, so be it. If I pay her any mind, will she stop resenting me?"
In the eyes of many, she was a beneficiary of connections, a parachuted candidate who had blocked their path.
In the harem, everyone served as playthings for the emperor’s pleasure. Even the Empress was not held in particularly high regard, and the infighting here was fiercer than in the previous dynasty.
Thus, she wanted nothing to do with anyone. Let them fight and kill as they pleased, as long as no blood splattered onto her.
"She was the first to serve the emperor and believes she holds a place in his heart. She either dislikes me or wants to extract some information from me."
It was enough to quietly fulfill her duties as a beneficiary of connections—there was no need to compete for anything!
The emperor was a creature who could grant favors but not take them away, and Li Yuanke’s temperament was particularly foul.
Back then, he had refused to appoint a Crown Princess. The reason Empress Pei existed now was due to political pressure upon his ascension, and he likely harbored resentment over it.
However, he had one great virtue: he looked down on everyone equally. Thus, when he did something wicked, he did it openly, never resorting to underhanded schemes.
The Empress was also discussing this matter. "The emperor’s intentions are becoming increasingly difficult to decipher. Tell me, what was his purpose in keeping all five of them at once?"
The selection process was far from fair competition, especially since this was the first selection after the emperor’s ascension.
The Empress handed the list of the five women to Qu Mama. "Lady Shen was predetermined by Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. Lady Li took the initiative to show favor to the emperor that day. As for the other three—Lady Lin, Lady Pan, and Lady Su—I truly cannot understand what sets them apart that they were all kept at once."
The other predetermined candidate was Lady Chen, whose family, the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, had secured her position through the Empress’s influence.
The Empress naturally agreed. With Lady Shen entering the harem, it was best to pit Lady Chen against her.
"At least it’s better than having a few others enter, or Her Majesty would have even more headaches," Qu Mama said. "Aside from managing palace affairs, Her Majesty’s most urgent task now is to recuperate and give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible."
Pei had been brought into the Crown Prince’s residence at the age of thirteen, before her first menstruation. Later, she encountered the late emperor’s passing, and after the mourning period ended, it wasn’t until last winter that she finally consummated her marriage with the emperor.
She also wished to give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible, preferably ahead of everyone else, to bear the emperor’s first son after his ascension.
"What does Mama think of this young Lady Shen?" The Empress always felt somewhat uneasy. Compared to the deceased one, this one was truly unfathomable.
Qu Mama reassured her, "She is clever. The cleverer she is, the less Her Majesty needs to worry. Such a person knows her limits. This servant observes that she respects Your Majesty. If Your Majesty allows her to be, she will surely coexist peacefully with you."
The Empress thought the same. "I know that in this palace, anyone else can encounter trouble, but she cannot!"
As for others who might target Shen Shixi, that was beyond her control.
She summoned someone to deliver the rewards to Shen Shixi, deliberately increasing the quantity: four bolts of palace satin and eight pieces of jewelry, all of fine quality.
The breakfast at Zhaoyang Palace today was quite good—varied in selection, well-presented, and the taste was passable.
Such were the benefits of being favored, which was why the women of the harem fought so fiercely.
The emperor’s rewards also arrived, delivered personally by Li Fude, who read out the gift list:
"By imperial decree, Baolin Shen, skilled in etiquette and dignified in conduct, is hereby promoted to the rank of Cairen."
Shen Shixi was stunned for a long moment before Li Fude reminded her, "Cairen Shen, receive the decree and give thanks!"
Only then did Shen Shixi express her gratitude and accept the decree. Unrolling it, she saw it was Li Yuanke's handwritten imperial edict—perhaps the Hanlin scholars had helped him draft it. Otherwise, how could he, blind as he was, have written such phrases as "skilled in etiquette and dignified in conduct"?
"Thank you for His Majesty's great kindness!"
"Cairen Shen, His Majesty also has rewards for you!" Li Fude waved his hand, and seven or eight chests were carried in one after another, all filled with gifts for her.
Instead of reading the gift list, Li Fude handed it directly to Shen Shixi. She glanced at it: a hundred taels of gold, two thousand taels of silver, twelve bolts of silk, twenty-four pieces of jewelry, along with various ornaments, calligraphy, and paintings.
It seemed that after hearing she had spent her own money to exchange ornaments at the Imperial Household Department, he had rewarded her generously.
The gifts were indeed substantial. Li Fude had selected them according to the emperor's instructions, fully aware of their value. He had expected Cairen Shen to be overjoyed, but she merely glanced at them and said, "Put them all away and register them in the inventory."
Li Fude grew somewhat anxious, thinking to himself that this Mistress Shen had high standards. The twelve bolts of cloud-patterned brocade were of the finest quality, usually reserved for consorts of higher ranks, yet she seemed unimpressed.
"Cairen Shen, here is a pair of jade bracelets. His Majesty acquired them several years ago and has kept them aside, reluctant to part with them. Only today did he decide to bestow them upon you!"
Li Fude took them out and presented them with both hands.
The pink jade bracelets resembled peach blossoms crystallized in a light drizzle, their delicate pink hue clear and translucent.
They were exquisite, exceptionally rare, and finally caught her eye.
Shen Shixi slipped them onto her wrist, where they floated like a ring of peach blossoms, their pink and white hues complementing each other like a drifting shower of peach petals scattered over a handful of snow.
"Thank you for His Majesty's gifts. You have been most thoughtful, Eunuch!" Shen Shixi instructed Bai Pin to reward him generously.
Bai Pin handed a pouch to Li Fude. It felt light, but he knew its contents were substantial.
"It is His Majesty who values Cairen Xi. I dare not take credit!" Li Fude said with a smile.
"His Majesty only says to reward me. Would he personally go to the treasury to select gifts? Whatever is given is surely due to your consideration for me. How could I not recognize such kindness?"
However, this pair of bracelets had been specifically requested by the emperor to be given to Cairen Shen. Li Fude did not mention it, but such special gifts were not to be tampered with unless the emperor explicitly said so.
Cairen Shen was clearly an intelligent person; there was no need to spell it out.
After her promotion, the number of attendants serving her increased, with two additional eunuchs and two palace maids. Shen Shixi instructed Chao En and Lan Ying to manage them well, forbidding anyone in Zhaoyang Palace from having any connections with people from other palace quarters.
Today, everyone in Zhaoyang Palace received rewards.
Afterward, Shen Shixi instructed Chao En to go to the Office of Imperial Affairs and have her jade plaque removed.
"Mistress, why is that?"
Chao En did not understand, nor was he the only one. Wasn't this a favorable turn of events? The emperor had not blamed her for her rudeness and had even bestowed generous rewards. Yet, instead of expressing gratitude, she seemed almost dismissive.
"Just do as I say. Don't ask so many questions." Shen Shixi had never been fond of explaining herself.
Chao En dared not inquire further and carried out her orders.
Meanwhile, in Qianyuan Palace, Li Fude returned to report, "Mistress Shen was deeply grateful and delighted with Your Majesty's gifts. She was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes!"
Li Yuanke looked up at Li Fude. "How much did she bribe you?"
Li Fude thumped to his knees. "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, please see clearly! Master Shen rewarded this servant with a hundred taels of silver. I… I was afraid… afraid Your Majesty would be too upset, so…"
Li Yuanke had no intention of pursuing the matter. "She didn't even take a fancy to that peach blossom bracelet?"
"She did, she only took a fancy to that peach blossom bracelet. She didn't pay much attention to anything else."
"Hah, that scoundrel. She's utterly heartless and ungrateful."
"Your Majesty, there's one more thing!" Li Fude simply closed his eyes and blurted it out in one breath. "Master Shen has withdrawn the jade plaque."
The jade plaque bore the names and ranks of the imperial consorts. Every evening before dinner, the emperor would flip the plaques, and whoever was chosen would serve him for the night. Unless one was ill or hanging red, the plaque was generally not withdrawn.
Withdrawing it meant not serving the emperor.
"Is she ill?"
"No Imperial Physician was summoned," Li Fude replied.
"What happened during today's morning greetings?" The emperor knew that Shen Shixi had insisted on attending the morning greetings today.
Li Fude recounted Jiang Jieyu's provocation during the greetings. The emperor's face darkened as he listened.
Soon, an edict arrived from Qianyuan Palace: Jiang Jieyu was demoted to Cairen on the grounds of "uttering obscenities and slandering the emperor." This was a grave offense. The emperor sparing her life could only be described as exceedingly merciful.
But merciful was hardly the word for the emperor. It was more accurate to say that the emperor also knew Jiang Jieyu hadn't meant it that way, but he detested her sharp tongue all the same. Even if Li Yuanke cared little for face, he didn't want to be gossiped about as having indulged in pleasure all night and dozing off on his way to court.
The main point was, while the two of them had stirred up trouble, Shen Shixi had gone to the morning greetings as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Cairen was terrified, and Lady Xu, who shared Huilan Hall with her, was stunned as well.
She had actually been reborn. Why couldn't she have been reborn a little earlier? She had absolutely no desire to enter the palace and become a favored consort!