In the twenty-seventh year of De’an in the Dongling Kingdom, the Chongyuan Emperor passed away after a severe illness. The entire nation mourned as Crown Prince Jun Ji ascended the throne before the imperial coffin, changing the era name to Yongning. He was known as the Zhaoming Emperor.
By the third year of Yongning, the Dongling Kingdom was powerful and prosperous. The people lived in peace, and the court was stable. Many ministers submitted memorials advising the Zhaoming Emperor to decree a grand selection to fill the Imperial Consorts’ Palace and extend the imperial lineage.
Mu Mansion, Fufeng Courtyard.
Seated at a writing desk was a woman dressed in a moon-white soft smoke-silk skirt. Her waist was as slender as a willow, her skin as white as snow, and her red lips and pearly teeth gave her a soul-stirring beauty. She was Mu Li, the legitimate eldest daughter of the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Mu Yuan.
“Miss, Miss! It’s bad, something terrible has happened!” a young maid’s cry echoed from outside.
Mu Li looked up at Shan Wu as she ran inside. The young maid had run so fast that the silk flower in her hair was crooked, and Mu Li couldn’t help but find it slightly amusing.
Chang Xiu, who was standing to the side, frowned and said, “Shan Wu, how many times have I told you? Do not be so impulsive!”
“It is fine. You have a steady nature, and Shan Wu is more lively; having the two of you by my side is just right,” Mu Li said with a smile.
Shan Wu looked panicked. “Miss, Sister Chang Xiu, it really is a major matter. Miss, I just overheard the one from Liuchun Courtyard telling the Master that she wants to marry you off to Old Prince Chengan as a concubine. That Old Prince Chengan is so old! What are we going to do?”
Mu Li’s expression remained calm, but Chang Xiu looked shocked. “Miss, you are the legitimate daughter of the mansion. How can you be someone’s concubine? Besides, that Old Prince Chengan is even older than the Master!”
There were some things Chang Xiu didn’t say aloud. Everyone in the capital knew that although the Chengan Prince’s Mansion was said to have held a hereditary title for generations, every generation had been useless and achieved nothing.
Only because their ancestor had saved the Taizu Emperor’s life were they granted the title of Prince. Having passed down to the present, all that remained was a title, and the house had long since fallen into decay.
Mu Li lowered her eyes, her thoughts unknown. Shan Wu choked back a sob. “Miss, what should we do? With the Master’s temperament, as long as it brings benefits to the mansion, he will surely marry you off without hesitation.”
Chang Xiu also looked at her mistress with a face full of worry. “Yes, Miss, you must think of a way! Why don’t we go find Old Madam Mu?”
Shan Wu immediately nodded. “Yes! Find Old Madam Mu! She has always doted on Miss. If she finds out about this, she will surely stand up for you.”
Mu Li curled her lips slightly and looked at the two young maids to reassure them. “There is no need to trouble Grandmother over such a small matter. Rest assured, your mistress will not let her have her way.”
The two maids exchanged a glance. Shan Wu wiped away her tears, and both of them smiled. It was true; their mistress was so clever, she surely had a counter-strategy.
Night, Mu Mansion’s Study.
Uncle Xu, the old servant who served Mu Yuan, was just coming out of the room. When he saw Mu Li approaching, he smiled and said, “Eldest Miss, you’ve come. The Master is inside reading; please go in!”
“Thank you, Uncle Xu,” Mu Li said with a polite smile.
Inside the study, Mu Yuan was reading. Although he was over forty, one could still see traces of his youthful handsomeness. Hearing the noise, Mu Yuan looked up and put down his book. “A-Li, why have you come? Do you have something important to discuss with your father?”
Mu Li stood still and looked at the man before her. Her relationship with her father could not be considered close, especially after her mother died and Madam Liu was brought into the house. Her brother had been sent to guard the border three years ago.
If it hadn’t been for her grandmother protecting her all these years, how could the servants have treated her as the Eldest Miss? She had long since grown disappointed in this father of hers and felt no affection for him.
“Father, I heard you intend to marry your daughter to Prince Chengan as a concubine. Is this true?” Mu Li asked directly.
Having his thoughts exposed, Mu Yuan’s expression changed, and he said unnaturally, “Where did you hear that?”
Mu Li smiled knowingly and looked at him. “It seems it is true. If I told you that I am unwilling to be a concubine for Prince Chengan, but instead wish to enter the palace, what would Father do?”
“Enter the palace? You actually have such an ambition.” Mu Yuan was jolted. It was true! If his daughter entered the palace and became a consort to the Emperor, the benefits would be a thousand, ten thousand times greater than her being a concubine for Prince Chengan.
Mu Li smiled, her gaze firm. “What does Father think? I will surely secure a place for myself in the Imperial Consorts’ Palace, ensuring Father’s official career remains smooth and the Mu Mansion prospers for generations.”
Hearing this, Mu Yuan looked up. This was the first time he had truly taken a good look at this daughter of his. It was undeniable that Mu Li’s appearance was sixty percent like her mother—the former number one beauty of the capital.
With such beauty, if she entered the palace, would she need to worry about not catching the Emperor’s eye? He nodded slowly. “Father agrees to this matter. Go back and prepare well.”
Mu Li had already expected this. This father of hers only had the interests of the family in his eyes; he had long since lost any sense of familial affection.
Fufeng Courtyard.
“What! Miss, you’re going to participate in the imperial selection?” Shan Wu was shocked when she heard the news.
Chang Xiu also said, “Miss, once one enters the palace gates, it is as deep as the sea; it will be very difficult to ever come out again. Have you truly thought this through?”
“Yes, there is no other path. They say the palace contains endless glory and wealth. Even if only for that supreme power, I must go in and see for myself,” Mu Li said.
Shan Wu said heart-wrenchingly, “Miss, I feel for you. You’ve just escaped a wolf’s den, only to enter a tiger’s lair.”
Chang Xiu knelt down and took Mu Li’s hand. “No matter what decision Miss makes, Chang Xiu will follow you.”
“Shan Wu too! Wherever Miss goes, I go.”
Mu Li smiled slightly. “Good.”
How could she not know that the two maids were worried for her? But she had to enter the palace. The palace was a place everyone fought to enter because it held endless riches and the power that everyone craved.
Mu Li’s mother was An Yue, the legitimate daughter of the former Prince Zhenbei, An Xiaotian. She had been titled Princess Ning’an and was known as the number one beauty in the capital.
At that time, Mu Yuan was merely a minor seventh-rank official, yet Princess Ning’an had set her heart on him and refused to marry anyone else. The Prince Zhenbei and his wife doted excessively on their only daughter and eventually granted the marriage.
Thereafter, by leveraging the connections of the Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion, Mu Yuan climbed step by step to his current position.
Good times did not last; Prince Zhenbei died on the battlefield, and his wife, overwhelmed by grief, followed him. Princess Ning’an was so shocked by the news that it triggered a premature labor, during which she gave birth to Mu Li.
Once Princess Ning’an lost her support, Mu Yuan ignored his wife, who had just given birth, and brought Madam Liu into the house. The following year, Madam Liu gave birth to a pair of twins.
Mu Yuan then used the excuse that Princess Ning’an was unwell and should not overwork herself to hand over the management of the household to Madam Liu. Even though Old Madam Mu was dissatisfied, she could do nothing.
From then on, Mu Yuan ignored Princess Ning’an even more and was very cold toward her children. When Mu Li was five years old, Princess Ning’an passed away from illness.
Once the primary wife of the mansion died, although Madam Liu was never officially promoted to the position, in the eyes of the servants, she was the next mistress. Everyone called her “Madam,” and Mu Yuan never objected.
From a young age, Mu Li understood that her father bore a great responsibility for her mother’s death. She wanted power; only power could protect those she wished to protect. As for love and affection, she did not care for them. Since she was to be a concubine, she might as well be the concubine of the most noble man in the world.