Fu Xinghe’s scalp tingled. Her words had clearly not been like that, yet the Tyrant Emperor understood them perfectly.
After a moment, she realized it must have been the simplified characters Meng Dongting was too sharp. Even when the characters were smudged, he could still recognize them. Luckily, it wasn’t something else.
This served as a warning: she mustn’t reveal the slightest flaw in front of Meng Dongting. Absolutely not. Once she left the palace today, she would leave the capital entirely.
Fu Xinghe bowed low and admitted her fault: “Your Majesty, this servant has been blind and careless, speaking nonsense. Please forgive me.”
Meng Dongting said, “Tomorrow I will discuss your proposal with the Grand Preceptor.” Fu Xinghe: “……” Not much of a discussion, the Grand Preceptor has already gone overboard himself.
She noticed Meng Dongting was deliberately mocking her and inwardly cursed him for being bored.
Meng Dongting looked at Fu Xinghe’s lowered, timid expression. He didn’t believe she was truly afraid. That day, she must have recognized his voice; otherwise, how could she have run away?
He had visited the Grand Preceptor’s residence several times. It was not surprising that Fu Xinghe recognized him. So that meant, at the brothel last time, Fu Xinghe had seen him as well and pretended not to notice. Quite brave indeed. “Stop pretending. Stand up.”
Fu Xinghe pressed her lips together. According to the book, a tyrant’s temperament was unpredictable. Having been seen through, overacting would only provoke him. She knocked her head lightly and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity.”
Everyone present, except Li Xiaozheng, was baffled; they had no idea what kind of secret exchange was happening.
Meng Dongting despised her opportunism, but when he saw Fu Xinghe raise her head and smile, bright as when they first met, he suddenly didn’t want to reprimand her.
Scanning the assembled women, Meng Dongting strode to the main seat. The yellow dragon robe billowed with the motion. Chief Eunuch Fu presented a roster at the right moment. “Your Majesty, please review.”
Li Xiaozheng, hand on his sword, stood beside Meng Dongting, curious about how his brother would choose consorts. Face, family background, skills in arts and music?
Meng Dongting took the roster, flipped to a page, and with a sidelong glance at Fu Xinghe, suddenly remembered the memorial he had set aside earlier. A preemptive strike. Seeing Fu Xinghe triggered an idea for handling it better.
Thwack the consort selection roster was closed and tossed aside. Fu the Eunuch gasped. “Your Majesty, don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind again!”
His eyes followed the roster, only to see someone catch it steadily. Meng Dongting had thrown the roster to Miss Fu!
What did that mean? Everyone had their own guesses. Most assumed he meant to hit someone with it, perhaps spectacularly so, and Fu Xinghe, foolishly, dared to catch it.
Li Xiaozheng glanced between the two, pondering. They had planned to beat that “scholar” eighty times upon the next meeting had His Majesty selectively forgotten? Quite unusual when had Meng Dongting ever been so generous?
Fu Xinghe instinctively assumed the roster had been thrown to her personally and caught it out of habit. Perhaps the tyrant simply wanted to use her as a servant, settling an old score with the literary club.
She kept her wits about her, minimizing her presence. Before coming, she had Fu Ming Xu give her a modest makeup, deliberately dulling her features to hide some of her vitality.
Meng Dongting stared at her. “Not smiling anymore?” Earlier, she had been hiding behind the rice paper, yet her smile had been radiant, as if the smudged ink were a joyous event.
Fu Xinghe forced a faint smile, barely showing any strain. Meng Dongting nodded, giving two perfunctory compliments: “Your smile is charming, and your eyes bright.”
Ruthless indeed completely unlike the Grand Preceptor. Her smile was more pleasing than anyone else’s.
Since that was so, Meng Dongting’s mouth curved slightly, as if imitating Fu Xinghe’s professional smile. A bad feeling rose in Fu Xinghe’s heart. She looked back in disbelief. Then the tyrant emperor said, word by word, “I hereby confer Fu Xinghe as Consort Qian.”
Countless eyes, sharp as knives, converged on her, seemingly wanting to peel back her flesh to see what made her special. Was there really no one else in the harem? Even someone as insignificant as Fu Xinghe had been granted a high consort rank!
Consort Qian ranked just below the Empress. Today, His Majesty clearly had no intention of appointing an Empress, so Fu Xinghe had been promoted to the highest consort rank directly.
Some were envious, some jealous, some hopeful if the emperor appointed consorts so casually, wouldn’t they all have a chance? Fu Xinghe froze in place, forgetting even to express gratitude.
Chief Eunuch Fu, full of care for the harem’s first consort, smiled kindly. Seeing Fu Xinghe dazed, he whispered, “Consort Qian, please formally receive the decree.”
Fu Xinghe’s mind was in chaos. She thought of fifty years ahead in the deep palace, always cautious, concealing her identity. For the first time, she even entertained thoughts of killing the emperor.
Meng Dongting found her reaction amusing, twitching the corner of his mouth before dropping another bombshell.
He stood, looking over the assembled women: “State affairs are pressing. Consort Qian will have full authority over consort selection.”
Fu Xinghe’s scalp tingled at his audacity.
Chief Eunuch Fu could barely watch. He knew His Majesty disliked consort selection, but appointing a Consort and walking away immediately?
Meng Dongting genuinely intended to leave, with a pile of memorials still unchecked. Passing by Fu Xinghe, he added: “Thank you for your hard work, my love.” “Full authority?” Fu Xinghe asked suddenly, emphasizing “full authority.”
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, consult Chief Eunuch Fu. I’ll leave it for you,” Meng Dongting said, leaving in large strides, without a backward glance.
Once the emperor left, Fu Xinghe stood out like a crane among chickens. No one expected that the woman they had mocked as a “brothel-trained fake smile” would become the object of everyone’s favor.
She felt dizzy. Li Xiaozheng followed Meng Dongting, marveling. What a cushy job! The appointed Consort Qian managed selections, and the chosen ones were all loyal.
Fu Xinghe, however, saw no benefit. She didn’t know which girls were connected to her family, nor could she openly form factions. Most importantly, Meng Dongting had told her in an audible voice: “You will be responsible for all the consorts you select.”
Meaning, she would bear lifelong responsibility for them. Anyone causing trouble would be her problem.
For a moment, she wanted to select all unattractive women. Then she calmed down and Meng Dongting wouldn’t sleep with ugly girls, leaving her with the responsibility herself. Choosing beautiful ones meant balancing the harem, from plump to slender, perfect appearances across the board.
Fu Xinghe inhaled deeply. After years in corporate management, she hadn’t done HR work onsite for a long time. She hoped her skills hadn’t rusted.
“Chief Eunuch Fu, prepare brushes and ink for everyone.” Fu was clueless but obeyed. Fu Xinghe approached Sheng Bailu, her gaze kind.
Sheng Bailu, aware her fate was sealed, felt humiliated and fearful, unwilling to beg Fu Xinghe or withdraw. Seeing the emperor in person made her jealousy nearly unendurable.
Fu Xinghe spoke politely: “If your legs aren’t broken, go out on your own.” “Consort…” Sheng Bailu called in humiliation. No one paid her any attention. She ran out crying.
The others looked at Fu Xinghe with a mix of fear and respect. A single word could describe the feeling: at home. Her smile was so genuine, it drew reciprocation from everyone.
Fu Xinghe dipped her brush in vermillion, interviewing the girls one by one, taking notes as they handed over their “resumes.”
“Gao Ni, preferred position: court maid. Can play the guzheng…” Fu Xinghe’s voice was like a spring breeze. “If the emperor cannot treat everyone equally, would you bear resentment?”
Gao Ni blushed deeply, avoiding eye contact. “Consort Qian, your beauty and virtue justify your favor from His Majesty.”
Fu Xinghe: “……” That wasn’t what I meant. Don’t project your psychological test onto me; the tyrant is yours, not mine.
“Next.” Zhu Qunling, daughter of a magistrate from Yangzhou, skilled in pipa and painting, delicate and modest.
Fu Xinghe asked, “If you ever commit a small fault in the palace and are harshly punished by a superior, yet feel you did nothing wrong, what would you do?”
Zhu Qunling replied respectfully, “My lady, both rewards and punishments are the emperor’s grace.” Fu Xinghe marked her notes and moved on. Looking at one girl’s paper, she noticed “does not accept reassignment” written clearly. Observing her expression, Fu Xinghe understood immediately.
Those who truly wished to enter the palace dared not reject their assigned rank. Fu Xinghe maintained her composure. “Do you mind sharing a palace residence with someone else…”
…
After interviewing most of the girls, she noticed a problem: They all knew the decision rested with her, showing deference. Their answers revealed they would not compete with the Consort Qian.
But was that truly good? A harem needed vitality. If newcomers were all passive, the emperor’s attention would naturally focus on the outspoken Fu Xinghe.
Fu Xinghe, experienced in hiding in plain sight, tapped the table, already planning. Next came Yan Pianpian, high-nosed, exotic-looking, dressed in red, bright-eyed and confident like a horse rider leaping from the grasslands.
Fu Xinghe’s eyes lit up. This candidate was exceptional. She then selected a calm, unassuming Wang Chanshi, and a sweet-voiced, round-faced Xiao Fengfeng…
Her assembled harem covered arts, music, and performance, with personalities ranging from elegant and gentle to lively and playful. She felt confident that the tyrant would be satisfied.
Fu Xinghe copied the final roster onto blank sheets, then, in front of everyone, burned the documents. She asked Chief Eunuch Fu, “Should the emperor review the roster?” A blue figure flashed along the palace wall, speaking briefly to Fu, who nodded. “The lady’s decision is sufficient.”
Fu Xinghe raised an eyebrow clearly as something had happened, and the emperor knew everything. Any private motive would have doomed the list. Some influential families had eagerly sent daughters. If they were rejected, Fu’s family could incur grudges.
Fu Xinghe had no choice but to bear responsibility. Against imperial authority, there was no resistance.
Chief Eunuch Fu read aloud: “Consort Qian, acting under imperial decree, selects consorts with fairness and diligence. Selected: Imperial Concubines Yu Feng and Wang Chanshi; Talented Consorts Yan Pianpian and Gao Ni; Court Maids Zhu Qunling, Lei Juanyuan, Luo Shixi, Xiao Fengfeng.”
The emperor had only granted the rank of Consort Qian. Fu Xinghe had intentionally kept ranks moderate; Imperial Concubines were third-rank officials. Too high a rank would be presumptuous.
For daughters of influential ministers, giving a low rank risked offending them; not selecting them at all would also offend. She had to navigate carefully.
Fu Xinghe was certain Meng Dongting didn’t want daughters of ministers in the palace either, avoiding extra troubles at court. That he left this task to her was excessive.
Yet she, as the selector, would not choose ministers’ daughters; she didn’t want anyone standing above her. The selected girls were to remain in the palace that night, assigned to their residences.
Fu Xinghe hadn’t expected Meng Dongting to be such a lunatic, no preparation, no farewells.
After the roster reading, she propped her delicate wrist on her chin. “Those who wish to return home to bid farewell may take two clever palace maids with them. Those who do not may return to their assigned residences.”
Chief Eunuch Fu’s wrinkles knotted in confusion. “Consort Qian, this… isn’t by protocol.” He indicated a palace on the east side. An older housekeeper stood at the door. A palace maid hinted: “The girls must pass one more assessment before entering.” “Including me?” Fu Xinghe asked. The palace maid nodded.
Fu Xinghe also nodded, appearing cooperative, but her eyes suddenly chilled. “I will not go.”
Chief Eunuch Fu broke into a cold sweat. In forty years in the palace, he had never encountered such a thorny Consort Qian.