After Jiang Yunshu’s new palace servants had been assigned, it wasn’t long before the Emperor’s rewards arrived.
They were personally delivered by Li Quan, the young eunuch serving under Wang An.
It had also been Eunuch Li who had come to announce her first night of imperial favor.
What did that signify?
It meant that Wang An had taken notice of her, and it also showed that the Emperor truly had an interest in her.
If she wanted to hold firmly onto this newfound favor, she had to work even harder and strive to rise in rank as soon as possible.
As Eunuch Li prepared to leave, Jiang Yunshu immediately shot Erya a meaningful glance.
Understanding at once, Erya stepped forward.
“Eunuch Li, allow this servant to see you out.”
Li Quan smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits.
“Your Ladyship, please have a good rest. His Majesty probably won’t be visiting the harem for the next couple of days. Affairs in court have become rather troublesome.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch.”
After seeing him off, Jiang Yunshu turned her attention to the imperial gifts laid out inside the hall.
There were three bolts of fabric.
One of them was cicada silk—a light, sheer material perfect for making summer dresses now that the hot season was approaching.
The other two were obviously rare and extremely valuable textiles.
Even Dingxiang couldn’t take her eyes off them, looking as though she wanted to reach out and touch them.
The rest consisted of various pieces of jewelry.
Among them sat a small box that looked particularly different from the others.
Jiang Yunshu opened it.
Inside were three or four neatly stacked gold ingots, along with several pieces of broken silver.
The corners of her lips lifted into a smile.
She hadn’t expected Chu Yi to be so thoughtful—to give her gold.
Gold was her absolute favorite thing in the world.
The tackier, the better.
She carefully inspected every single item to make sure nothing suspicious had been hidden among the gifts before instructing Ziyun to store everything in the treasury.
What surprised her was that…
The moment Ziyun turned around, she had already finished recording every single gift.
Three bolts of fabric.
Several hairpins.
Several dangling buyao ornaments.
Strictly speaking, someone of Jiang Yunshu’s current rank wasn’t even permitted to wear buyao hair ornaments.
Yet the Emperor had rewarded them to her anyway.
Jiang Yunshu, who had an obsessive appreciation for neatness, looked at Ziyun’s elegant flower-style regular script and the meticulously organized inventory.
She immediately realized the girl was exceptionally meticulous.
“Ziyun, your handwriting is beautiful. Were you in charge of the storerooms when you served the Dowager Consort?”
Without the slightest hint of flattery or surprise, Ziyun calmly replied,
“Reporting to Your Ladyship, this servant’s father was a scholar, so I learned to read and write.
“When I served the Dowager Consort, I was responsible for clothing and provisions.”
Jiang Yunshu nodded thoughtfully before dismissing her.
Erya then stepped forward.
“Your Ladyship… did you know this servant and Dingxiang already knew each other? Is that why you deliberately kept Dingxiang by your side?”
Jiang Yunshu had indeed noticed, but she pretended otherwise.
“Oh? When did the two of you become acquainted? You’ve only been in the palace with me for three years.”
Looking toward Dingxiang standing outside the hall, Erya said,
“Life was difficult in the past. Sister Dingxiang once helped this servant. Over time, she became my only close friend in the palace.”
Jiang Yunshu looked toward the palace entrance.
Dingxiang stood there quietly, her hands naturally resting at her sides.
The string of pale purple fragrant beads on her wrist glittered brilliantly beneath the sunlight, drawing the eye.
That faint, lingering fragrance once again drifted through the air.
Lowering her lashes, Jiang Yunshu said softly,
“Rise. Since you already know each other, cherish that friendship and look after one another.”
Erya happily answered,
“Yes!”
Within these deep, secluded palace walls…
Everyone was lonely.
Having even one sister she could confide in made Erya genuinely happy.
A trace of envy flickered across Jiang Yunshu’s heart.
Only a trace.
Ever since she had transmigrated into this world, her fate had already been decided.
Since she had accepted it, she would never waste time blaming heaven or lamenting her circumstances.
The next two days passed just as Li Quan had predicted.
Chu Yi never visited the harem.
Rumors gradually spread through the Inner Palace that someone in court had angered the Emperor.
His Majesty had been in an exceptionally foul mood lately, and everyone serving him had to tread carefully.
Yet no matter how careful they were, disaster still struck.
A palace servant was beaten to death at Qiankun Palace on the Emperor’s orders.
The news sent a chill through Jiang Yunshu.
This was a tyrant.
She had almost forgotten.
His temper was unpredictable, and he was deeply suspicious by nature.
In the blink of an eye, the fifteenth day of the month arrived.
It was the day all the imperial consorts gathered to pay their respects to the Empress.
As usual, Jiang Yunshu arrived early.
But someone had come even earlier.
Consort Xiang.
She appeared gentle by nature. Seeing Jiang Yunshu enter, she smiled warmly.
“Sister Jiang, you look much healthier today. Life in the palace has gotten easier for you, hasn’t it?”
In the past, the original Jiang Yunshu had never interacted with Consort Xiang.
Still, Consort Xiang enjoyed an excellent reputation throughout the harem.
She treated everyone kindly and never made enemies.
She was considered one of the senior women in the palace.
She had entered the palace at the same time as Noble Consort Wan and Consort De.
Those two had always enjoyed abundant imperial favor.
Her own favor, however, had been average.
In the four years since entering the palace, the Emperor had visited her only three or four times each year.
She seemed entirely uninterested in competing for favor, quietly living her own peaceful life.
Perhaps because her maternal family held considerable influence, even without much favor, her life had never been difficult.
Since Consort Xiang had taken the initiative to greet her, Jiang Yunshu naturally returned the courtesy.
She stepped forward and gave a respectful bow.
“This concubine greets Consort Xiang.”
Consort Xiang gently helped her up and pulled her over to sit beside her.
Consort Xiang held the Fifth Rank, while Jiang Yunshu was Sixth Rank, so their assigned seats happened to be next to each other.
As they sat together, Consort Xiang chatted casually about everyday matters.
Jiang Yunshu simply responded politely without saying too much.
The more one spoke…
The easier it was to make mistakes.
There were no truly kind-hearted people in the imperial harem.
What one’s eyes saw could very well be nothing more than a carefully crafted façade.
Keeping a certain distance from everyone was the wisest choice.
As they chatted, a breeze drifted into the hall carrying an unmistakable fragrance.
The scent was unique and striking.
A figure dressed in rose-red palace robes soon came into view.
Consort Xiang lowered her voice.
“Consort An ‘s father has recently earned His Majesty’s great favor. The Emperor has visited her several times as well, and now she’s become arrogant from being spoiled. She hardly even respects the Empress anymore.”
Jiang Yunshu made no reply.
Consort An had already entered the hall, her sharp gaze landing squarely on Jiang Yunshu.
Jiang Yunshu rose and bowed.
“This concubine greets Consort An .”
Consort An deliberately refused to tell her to rise.
Jiang Yunshu could only remain bent in her salute.
Maintaining the posture for so long quickly strained both her knees and her waist.
Watching the overbearing Consort An , Consort Xiang suddenly pressed a hand to her forehead.
Her maid immediately caught on.
“My Lady, has your headache returned?”
Consort Xiang shook her head.
“It’s nothing serious.”
Consort An had never intended to target Consort Xiang in the first place.
She glanced at the maid.
“Why are you still standing there? Help your mistress sit down.”
Consort Xiang smiled faintly at Consort An .
Whether Consort An accepted her goodwill or not, Consort Xiang seemed completely unconcerned.
She was the sort of person whose heart remained as still as water.
Others could become angry, but she never would.
Nothing in the world seemed to concern her.
Consort An then turned back to Jiang Yunshu.
“Consort Jiang, did you not properly learn palace etiquette after entering the palace? Why does even a simple salute look so reluctant?”
Seeing that Consort An was deliberately making things difficult, Erya opened her mouth, wanting to speak…