The first to lose composure was Consort Wei. Clutching her handkerchief, she went to Jianzhang Palace and poured out many jealous words to the Empress.
Her complaints boiled down to this: how dare a mere Changzai monopolize the Emperor? With His Majesty’s countless duties, how could she coax him to personally visit Xianfu Palace? She must be an ill-behaved and unruly creature. Consort Wei also looked down upon Li Pin, sneering that a consort whose title was based on beauty must rely on looks to please the monarch—a short-lived strategy—and was likely cut from the same cloth as Consort Xi.
The Empress listened and found it all quite fitting.
She privately shared these thoughts, but as the Empress, such sentiments were unbecoming. She could only say, “You mentioned Li Pin—when she first entered the palace, she enjoyed a brief period of favor too, but now she’s faded into obscurity. It’s merely a passing novelty, and as you said, she’s just a Changzai. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Your Majesty is too lenient, which emboldens such people.”
The Empress sighed softly, unwilling to continue.
Though aware of her own pettiness, she was no fool. Palace consorts came to her to gossip about Consort Xi only to provoke her into taking action. “I grow weary of hearing this,” she said. “Consort Wei, you may withdraw.”
“May Your Majesty rest well. This humble consort takes her leave.”
Failing to achieve her goal, Consort Wei left in a huff.
Not only had the Empress refused to intervene, but she had also avoided endorsing Consort Wei’s remarks to prevent giving others ammunition. Frustrated by her unsatisfying gossip session, Consort Wei headed to Zhongcui Palace to have tea and melon seeds with Xu Guiren. “The Empress isn’t worried—she still receives the Emperor on the first and fifteenth of every month at Jianzhang Palace. But what about us? Don’t be fooled just because the Emperor has only visited Consort Xi twice lately. These days, aside from her, he hardly steps into the rear palace… Oh, I nearly forgot—there’s also Sun Changzai. The feng shui at Xianfu Palace must be extraordinary!”
Xu Guiren echoed her resentment, sharing more sour remarks, then suddenly lowered her voice:
“If we can’t enlist the Empress, Sister, you can handle it yourself. Open moves would draw the Emperor’s attention, but there are plenty of ways to discreetly prevent her from serving the bedchamber. If the Emperor neglects her for a month or two, by the time she’s available again, he’ll have forgotten all about her…”
This genuinely tempted Consort Wei.
But she wasn’t foolish and outwardly shook her head. “Enough. At most, she’s just a Changzai—not worth fearing. It’s not worth risking myself. The ones who should be most restless are the other ladies who entered the palace with her. Let’s wait for the one in Yanxi Palace and her dear ‘sister’ to make a move.”
Seeing Consort Wei’s resolve, Xu Guiren dropped the subject and shifted to praising how well-behaved and adorable the little princess was.
“Little Ruyi is at that troublesome age—only outsiders who don’t have to care for her hand and foot find her adorable,” Consort Wei said, her face brightening at the mention of her three-year-old daughter. Her words feigned regret but betrayed delight. “I used to see the Emperor three or four days a month, but then I was diagnosed with pregnancy, and I couldn’t serve in the bedchamber for a whole year. The Emperor never remembered me again… Thankfully, I have Ruyi for company.”
The Emperor had few children—only two princesses and one prince to date.
Consort Wei had been promoted to her rank only after giving birth to a princess.
Princesses of Yan Chi weren’t required for political marriages, but they would still marry eventually. Consort Wei longed for a son to secure her and her daughter’s future. Since she had conceived once, it proved her fertility, so she rejoined the rivalry in the rear palace, striving to give Ruyi a little brother.
Thus, Consort Xi became a significant obstacle in her eyes.
Consort Wei recalled that exceptionally beautiful face, yet lamented the lack of a matching intelligent mind. She’d probably stumble into someone’s trap in the rear palace without even realizing it. Without the ability to distinguish friend from foe, one could never stand firm in the harem.
However, Consort Wei miscalculated one thing.
Yun Jiao knew all too well who her enemies were.
Waking from her afternoon nap, she saw a string of unfamiliar names suddenly appear under the 【Hostile Relations】 section in her interpersonal connections… Enemies swarmed from all directions while she merely sat in her palace! This anxiety led her to finish only two bowls of rice.
Normally, she would eat three.
Xue Ya remarked, “My lady, your appetite seems poor today.”
Yun Jiao nodded. “I keep feeling someone means me harm.”
“Has my lady noticed something suspicious?” Gong Mei exclaimed, recalling an incident. “Indeed, even within Xianfu Palace, Li Pin and Sun Changzai’s servants often peek toward our side or try to strike up conversations with Xue Ya and me, attempting to gather information about the daily routines in the western chamber. Every time Xue Ya returns from fetching meals, she’s on edge, fearing the food might have been tampered with during the slightest pause.”
The rear palace was a gladiatorial arena with too many monks and too little meat.
Those who fought for favor weren’t necessarily infatuated with the Emperor—it was because all power and benefits revolved around him. Whoever held the title of Emperor became the object of contention; he was a lofty symbol of authority. Through him, the consorts saw power, status, and heirs.
Xue Ya agreed, “Xue Ya and I keep a close watch, but my lady must also be careful on your own.”
Yun Jiao took this to heart.
What tactics were used in harem struggles?
The very next day, Yun Jiao witnessed the first move: finding fault with her adherence to palace rules.
If no faults existed, they would create them.
After giving up on the two lower-ranked ladies in her own palace, Li Pin paid them no mind during morning greetings, making it easy for higher-ranked consorts to target them. Each time after paying respects, Yun Jiao actually left early, avoiding trouble, but her palace attire was restrictive, and her legs were short, so she hadn’t gone far when Consort Feng intercepted her. With a sinister tone, Consort Feng said, “Oh? Consort Xi sees me but doesn’t offer greetings? Just a little favor, and you think you can disregard the rules?”
Consort Feng had ambushed her from a blind spot at a corner along Yun Jiao’s route back to Xianfu Palace.
Her position was perfectly hidden from Yun Jiao’s line of sight—even professional scammers would call her senior.
Yun Jiao accepted defeat and promptly reloaded.
Her last save was from about twenty minutes earlier, just before the morning greetings ended.
This time, before Consort Feng could even step out, Consort Xi raised her voice loud enough to be heard from miles away and bowed deeply: “This humble consort pays respects to Consort Feng!!!!”
Palace maids and eunuchs on duty or passing by instinctively turned to look.
Several other consorts leaving Jianzhang Palace also jumped in surprise.
All of them became her witnesses.
“…A greeting is a greeting, but why shout so loudly?”
Consort Feng covered her chest, her plan foiled, and stared at Yun Jiao displeased. “I didn’t even see you. Did you see me? Why start bowing out of nowhere while walking?”
“I didn’t see you, but this humble consort caught the scent of Sister Consort Feng.”
Yun Jiao looked at her with utmost sincerity.
“Oh? Was it a fragrant scent?”
“Um… if Sister Consort Feng says it’s fragrant, then it must be.”
This time, it was Consort Feng’s turn to wonder if she had some widely noticeable body odor. Too preoccupied to bother Yun Jiao further, she hurried back to her own palace.
As a veteran player of palace intrigue games, Yun Jiao knew this was merely an appetizer.
It was equivalent to the welcome trinkets in a newbie gift pack—no one had truly come at her with serious intent. They were merely testing her resilience and gauging how far the Emperor would go to protect her.
Nearby, Xu Guiren witnessed the entire scene. When Yun Jiao paid her respects, she didn’t make things difficult, only remarking, “Consort Xi, you are clever and have a bit of luck. Did you notice Feng Pin’s elongated shadow under the scorching sun and prepare accordingly? But Consort Xi, one cannot always rely on such fortune.”
Yun Jiao: …
Xu Guiren had overestimated her intelligence.
After Xu Guiren left, Xue Ya advised her mistress not to take it to heart, citing the example of a certain Zhang Daying who, after serving the Emperor, was intimidated by a consort and fell gravely ill from fear.
“I’m not afraid,” Yun Jiao said. “We’ll cross the bridge when we come to it. Heaven always stands on my side.”
At the same moment, in the Military Affairs Council, Xie Zhihang—who had painstakingly explained the military deployment to his ministers only to have to repeat it all over again—once again felt that Heaven had no eyes.