==Chapter One==
Wuzhou lies near the Jiangnan region, where fine, silky drizzle falls year-round—gentle and enduring. The delicate threads sweep diagonally across the river surface, blurring into a misty ink-wash painting amid the rain haze, silently dampening the blue bricks and dyeing the drooping branches along the riverbank a lush green.
Recently, the residents of Wuzhou City have noticed something amiss: patrols by the city guards have grown increasingly frequent, especially around the Prefectural Magistrate’s Mansion, where security is exceptionally tight.
Shen Mansion, Qixia Garden.
A woman sat on the couch, dressed in a light and soft ruqun skirt, her dark hair loosely tied up. Her slender, fair neck bore no adornments, save for a single emerald jade bracelet on her raised wrist. Despite the simple attire, her pristine face shone dazzlingly white in the faint morning light.
She wiped her tears repeatedly, her cheeks and the corners of her eyes flushed crimson. Her weeping appeared pitiful yet strikingly vivid, a beauty so captivating it was almost overwhelming.
Shen Wenjun stood silently by the window, watching the Meiren shed tears. In the past, he would have softened his voice to comfort her at the mere sight of a frown, let alone tears. But times had changed, and their relationship could no longer be as it once was.
Shi Yuan pretended to cry for a while, but seeing that Shen Wenjun showed no intention of comforting her, her heart sank halfway.
Now, she truly felt heartbroken, and tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.
Shi Yuan believed she was truly unfortunate.
She had been born with good looks since childhood, but her family was impoverished, and even her natural beauty had been worn down to a mere shadow of its potential.
The year she came of age, the harvest in the fields was poor. Her parents, who heavily favored sons over daughters, were preoccupied with her elder brother’s marriage arrangements, which required money for every aspect. She vividly remembered that morning when her usually silent mother served her a bowl of rice so full it filled her with dread.
Panicked, she glanced around, calling out anxiously for her father and mother several times, but everyone remained silent. Then, she was placed onto a carriage.
Through the curtain, she watched her father and mother accept a bag of silver. Suddenly, she fell silent, though tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
She wasn’t foolish; she knew she had been sold.
Because of the poor harvest, because her brother needed to marry, the family could no longer afford to feed an extra mouth. Everyone else mattered more than her, and she was naturally discarded.
She cried all the way to the establishment, weeping so fiercely and unattractively. Yet, Mama looked at her with gleaming eyes. Unfortunately, she was so thin she barely had any flesh on her bones. Driven by Mama’s mentality of hoarding rare goods, she was nurtured for two to three years—forced to learn characters and practice talents—until she was molded into this outstanding appearance and finally pushed into the spotlight.
When she was first sold, she was terrified. But within a month, Shi Yuan suddenly felt that being sold wasn’t so bad after all.
After being sold, her meals were no longer watery soups where even rice grains were scarce. Instead, she had fish and meat, and almost every meal included white rice. Even her brother had never been taught to read, yet Mama was willing to hire someone to teach her characters and books.
Even though practicing talents often resulted in her palms being struck, Shi Yuan still found it easier than bending over in the yellow soil. She was a carefree girl, unwilling to think about the future.
Those who couldn’t even eat their fill had no energy to ponder the future.
On her very first day performing, she encountered a banquet hosted by the Prefectural Magistrate. She was invited to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Mansion to showcase her talents, and within three days, she was carried into the mansion in a small sedan chair.
Even Mama marveled at her astonishing luck.
Shi Yuan didn’t believe it was luck; she felt it was all she deserved. Mama would often gaze at her face and say that with such beauty, no man in the world could fail to like her.
After hearing this repeatedly, Shi Yuan came to believe it wholeheartedly.
No matter how high-ranking and illustrious Prefectural Magistrate Shen was, in the end, he was still a man.
Prefectural Magistrate Shen treated her well, and his wife was kind. Shi Yuan felt life in the Prefectural Magistrate’s Mansion couldn’t be more comfortable.
But the good days didn’t last long. Just one month after entering the Prefectural Magistrate’s rear courtyard, she received shocking news—a great figure had arrived in Wuzhou City, and the Prefectural Magistrate wanted her to meet him.
Shi Yuan felt as if the sky had fallen!
She wasn’t foolish. Having spent so long in the brothel, she understood the underlying meaning of such words all too well.
Shen Wenjun was going to give her away!
She had only been in the Prefectural Magistrate’s Mansion for a month! The life of luxury had just begun! How could she bear to let go of such immense wealth?!
Tears streamed down Shi Yuan’s face as she gazed sorrowfully at Shen Wenjun with her beautiful eyes. Clear tears traced down her fair cheeks, her weeping enough to break anyone’s heart:
“Was it because my request the other day was too excessive? Is that why you no longer want me?”
Shen Wenjun had remained silent until now, but at these words, he gave Shi Yuan a complicated look.
Shi Yuan had high demands, perhaps due to her background. She was particularly fond of wealth. Some time ago, after they had been intimate, she had mentioned with seemingly envious admiration a set of jewelry worn by the wife. That set was part of the wife’s dowry, truly priceless, and not only that—its craftsmanship was something money alone couldn’t buy.
But her tone had been so pitiful, and she had made the request at such a moment. Though Shen Wenjun hadn’t promised anything, he had already privately sent people to search far and wide for it.
Shen Wenjun rubbed his aching temples:
“It’s not that.”
It wasn’t?
Shi Yuan paused, confusion flashing in her eyes. She asked bewilderedly, “Then why?”
Her heart grew cold again, her voice trembling:
“Is it because you think I haven’t served you well?”
Sometimes, Shen Wenjun had no idea what went through her mind. She seemed clever, yet she was so naive that anyone could see right through her—even saying such things outright. But if she were foolish, she seemed to have a natural talent for pleasing others.
Seeing her on the verge of tears again, Shen Wenjun felt a headache coming on:
“Be quiet.”
Shi Yuan immediately covered her mouth with her hand, but her teary eyes still gazed up at him.
Shen Wenjun looked at her with a complicated expression. He did like Shi Yuan. He wasn’t particularly passionate about matters between men and women; apart from his wife, whom his parents had arranged for him in a proper marriage, she was the only concubine he had taken.
But it was just her misfortune that on the day she went to the front courtyard, she happened to catch the eye of that person.
Even if it was merely a passing whim, who could defy the will of the emperor?
After a long while, Shen Wenjun said:
“Go see the wife.”
Hearing this, Shi Yuan instantly knew there was no room for negotiation.
She clutched her handkerchief, watching Shen Wenjun leave, filled with resentment—resentment toward Shen Wenjun, resentment toward that great figure, hatred for heaven and earth, but never for herself.
She pitied herself to death.
How could her fate be so bitter!
But no matter how unwilling she was, Shi Yuan had no choice but to see the lady. Since Shen Wenjun had decided to give her away, there was no place for her in this mansion anymore. She could only hope that the person Shen Wenjun intended to give her to would show her some compassion.
Inside the main courtyard of Shen Mansion.
Sun Yun Ning also wore a troubled expression, her wet nurse puzzled by her demeanor:
“Why is the lady so unhappy? Isn’t it a good thing that the master is sending her away?”
Hearing this, Sun Yun Ning pursed her lips in irritation, finding it difficult to explain.
She understood what the wet nurse meant. Ever since Shi Yuan entered the mansion, the master spent eight out of ten days at Qixia Garden. In the eyes of outsiders, she, as the lady, should have harbored great displeasure toward this concubine.
But in reality, when Shen Wenjun wanted to take Shi Yuan into the mansion, he had asked for her opinion in advance.
No one knew that when Sun Yun Ning heard this news, she nearly jumped up in delight.
Everyone said Shen Wenjun treated her with respect. For over five years of marriage, he had never taken a concubine, not even a bed-warming maid. But who knew her suffering?
In five years of marriage, she already had three sons and a daughter.
Her husband treated her so well that Sun Yun Ning knew she should be content. But she was truly afraid of the pain.
When she married Shen Wenjun, she was just of age. During intimacy, she found little pleasure. In the very month of their marriage, her monthly cycle stopped. At first, she was overjoyed, but the scene from the day she gave birth remained vivid in her memory.
She thought she would die that day.
Afterward, every time she was intimate with Shen Wenjun, she was filled with fear. Yet, for some reason, her body conceived after just two or three encounters. No matter how many times she went through childbirth, she could never get used to it.
She was truly terrified.
Thus, she considered finding a concubine for Shen Wenjun. But he showed little interest in the matter. Ambitious in his career, he did not want to waste energy on the inner courtyard. After being rejected twice, Sun Yun Ning hesitated to bring it up again.
If word got out, people might say she did not know how to appreciate her good fortune.
So when she learned Shen Wenjun wanted to take a concubine, Sun Yun Ning was even more enthusiastic than he was. But who could have imagined that just a month after this concubine entered the mansion, such a thing would happen again!
Yet Sun Yun Ning also knew that imperial decrees could not be defied.
Sun Yun Ning sighed. When the announcement came from outside, she immediately allowed the visitor in.
Soon, she saw Shi Yuan’s eyes, swollen from crying. Sun Yun Ning instantly raised a hand to her forehead. Such a shallow mind—how would she survive if she entered the inner palace?
Shi Yuan had no idea what the lady was thinking. She only felt her fate was bitterly cruel.
Was she not even allowed to cry when she was so miserable?
It was only when she heard the lady vaguely mention that person’s identity that Shi Yuan froze. Her mind went blank for a long time before she snapped back to reality. She suddenly looked up, her words stumbling:
“Lady, you—you mean that person is… is…”
Sun Yun Ning immediately cut her off: “Watch your words.”
Shi Yuan covered her mouth with her hand, only her eyes burning brightly.
Sun Yun Ning felt a slight suffocation. With such a temperament, would she even survive in the inner palace?
Since she was leaving from Shen Mansion, Sun Yun Ning earnestly reminded her:
“That person’s status is noble. Once you go there, you must act carefully and avoid angering him.”
Shi Yuan listened absentmindedly, her heart already drifting away.
The Emperor?
So Shen Wenjun was giving her to the Emperor.
Oh my, if a Prefectural Magistrate is already so wealthy, then how extravagant must the imperial palace be?!
Shi Yuan instantly felt no more resentment. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight, lively and captivating. She smiled with curved eyes, so delicate and tender, her gaze brimming with emotion, as if all the brightness in the world resided within her brows and eyes.
A surge of intense gratitude welled up in Shi Yuan’s heart. With utmost sincerity, she thought, Lord Shen truly is a great person!
Author’s Note:
【Finally starting the story! Bringing our dear daughter Yuanyuan to meet everyone!】
【Update frequency: Daily updates, currently scheduled for 12:00】
【As always, a palace intrigue style. The female lead is carefree, not a kind-hearted person, self-interested, focused on palace struggles—not a sweet romance. Proceed only if you can accept this!】
【Random comment red packets will be dropped at the start of the story~】
【A palace intrigue preview, “The Noble Consort’s Rise to Power,” is available in the column. Sisters, if you like it, feel free to bookmark it!】
【As usual, here is the rank table for this story. There are many private settings, but it follows the same rank system as previous palace intrigue stories, so sisters should be familiar with it】
Empress
First Rank: Imperial Noble Consort
Senior First Rank: Noble Consort, Virtuous Consort, Moral Consort, Worthy Consort (Noble Consort is the head of the four consorts)
Junior Second Rank: Consort
Senior Third Rank: Zhaoyi, Zhaorong
Junior Third Rank: Xiuyi, Xiurong
Senior Fourth Rank: Jieyu
Junior Fourth Rank: Guipin
Senior Fifth Rank: Pin
Junior Fifth Rank: Meiren
Senior Sixth Rank: Cairen
Junior Sixth Rank: Baolin
Senior Seventh Rank: Yunu
Junior Seventh Rank: Guan Nuzi
Note: Only those of the third rank or above, as the primary consort of a palace, are eligible to raise imperial heirs [unless granted special favor].