The young eunuchs began calling out names, and the selected ladies-in-waiting stepped forward to pay their respects and await the Emperor and Empress Dowager's selection. The ladies-in-waiting all tried their best to win the Emperor's favor.
As Qingluan had predicted, the Emperor did not respond particularly to the ladies' advances. The Empress Dowager made all the decisions, selecting several daughters of high-ranking officials and a few virtuous women from humble backgrounds, while those who displayed seductive behavior were rejected. Qingluan, naturally, behaved impeccably, winning the Empress Dowager's favor and being successfully selected.
"From now on, you will be the Emperor's concubines. These next few days, go back and listen to your instructors' teachings, learn the palace rules well, and serve the Emperor wholeheartedly. Tonight, the imperial edict will be issued to determine your ranks." Although the Empress Dowager's tone was gentle, it carried an air of authority. No one dared to be negligent and knelt down, replying, "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Empress Dowager!"
That evening, the imperial edict was issued, granting the selected ladies corresponding ranks based on their family backgrounds and performance before the emperor. Wei Lanyi was made a Virtuous Consort, Linghu Ling a Virtuous Consort, Cui Qiao'er a Noble Consort, Wang Xiuya a Elegant Consort, and Qingluan a Consort of the Spirit... The position of Empress was left vacant! However, Qingluan thought about it again and felt it made sense. This way, neither of the two major forces would be offended. The emperor was indeed far-sighted.
As the days passed, after the instruction in palace rules was completed, everyone moved into the palaces bestowed by the Emperor. The Virtuous Consort was granted Zhongling Palace, the Virtuous Consort Xiangyu Palace, the Noble Consort Qiao Deling Palace, the Elegant Consort Yayu Palace, the Azure Phoenix Yunhuang Palace, and several talented ladies and beauties were granted Yongxiang Palace and Jinli Palace respectively.
Because the position of Empress was vacant and the Empress Dowager disliked crowds, the daily morning and evening greetings were waived, and people were only summoned to the Empress Dowager's Fengxiang Palace for audiences on festivals or special occasions.
While everyone else was racking their brains to win the Emperor's favor, Qingluan was thinking about how to avoid his attention and stay away from the vortex of palace intrigue. Fortunately, Qingluan's medical skills, which she had been proficient in since childhood, came in handy. She only needed to fall slightly ill to get what she wanted.
When the Empress Dowager heard that Qingluan was unwell, she instructed her to rest quietly and ordered the imperial physicians to visit her frequently and report back on her condition. Qingluan finally got the opportunity to rest peacefully and also took the opportunity to observe the conflict from the sidelines, looking for an opportunity to strike.
Because she lived alone and was required to recuperate by imperial decree from the Empress Dowager, Yunhuang Palace was usually deserted, with very few visitors. Indeed, everyone was busy currying favor with the Emperor and his two favored concubines; who would remember the unassuming Ling Jieyu? During the day, Qingluan would send out her newly recruited palace maids—Caidie, Caiwen, Lüyi, and Lüjiao—to gather information from the other palaces. At night, when it was quiet and deserted, she would go to a corner of the Imperial Garden, a place where spiritual energy gathered, to cultivate her internal energy.
Originally, Qingluan practiced the internal energy cultivation taught by her master to strengthen her body, but now that she bears heavy responsibilities, she naturally needs to become stronger to accomplish more. Having martial arts skills for self-defense is especially important. However, Qingluan doesn't like fighting and killing; she only practices agile light footwork and hidden weapons. Of course, the most important thing is cultivating internal energy. Qingluan discovered that cultivating in places where spiritual energy gathers yields twice the results with half the effort, so she specifically chose this precious place to cultivate diligently during this time.
Although the news from each palace was not fully known, it was fairly clear: Wei Lanyi did not obtain the title of Empress, but was only granted the title of Virtuous Consort. However, she was not discouraged and served the Emperor and Empress Dowager diligently every day. Although the Emperor did not favor her greatly, he respected her, and she lived up to the title of Virtuous Consort. Linghu Ling, on the other hand, gained the Emperor's favor due to her beauty and genuine nature. Her father was a powerful general, and the two were evenly matched in the harem, engaging in fierce competition and open rivalry. No other consort could rival them; some were still observing, while others had already chosen their sides and were ready to join. Virtuous Consort Wei Lanyi's side was no exception, with the assistance of Cui Qiao'er and Wang Xiuya, as well as Shi Huaiying, Shi Chongyuan, and a scholar—all of whom had fathers who were civil officials. Consort Linghu Ling's side had several daughters of military generals, Yu Lianhe, Lian Xiuyuan, and several beauties.
The emperor's impartiality towards the two men perfectly reflects the confrontation between the civil officials led by the prime minister and the military generals led by the general in the court.
The Azure Phoenix kept a low profile, quietly waiting for its opportunity.
Because Qingluan had been recuperating from illness and was taciturn and deliberately reserved, others, seeing her as unambitious and unassuming, paid her no attention. Meanwhile, Consort Yu, who had deliberately vied for the Emperor's favor, offended the two concubines and was found guilty of a pretext to be beaten to death. Her body was then thrown into a mass grave, a truly tragic end. Consort Yu's death immediately quelled the competition for the Emperor's favor in the harem. Everyone understood that to get close to the Emperor, they had to choose an alley, to choose a master!
☆、VII、Palace Intrigue
After dinner, it was completely dark. The sky was as black as ink, dotted with countless stars. The crescent moon hung shyly to one side, playing with the stars. A few wisps of breeze blew by, refreshing the soul.
After washing up, Qingluan told the servants that she was feeling unwell and needed to rest, asking them to leave and not disturb her. Once the maids were gone, Qingluan changed into her night clothes, and seeing that no one was around, secretly slipped out the window to practice her martial arts in the Imperial Garden. As she meditated, one finger pointing to the sky and the other to the ground, gathering her energy in her dantian, she suddenly heard several light footsteps. Because her internal energy cultivation was becoming increasingly refined, Qingluan's hearing was much better than that of ordinary people.
Qingluan quickly gathered her energy to the four seas, quietly got up, and hid behind a large rock. She wondered, who would come to such a secluded place so late at night?
Then a few whispers came from behind.
“Your Majesty, I spend every day with Consort Xian and the others, and I try my best to show her my loyalty, but she still trusts her good-for-nothing cousin the most!” a voice said anxiously.
"Don't worry, I have a way to make her completely trust you. Tomorrow..." The voice trailed off.
Hearing those two voices, Qingluan was utterly shocked. It was them! How could they be together? In a daze, she moved her foot, and a pebble rolled away from her feet.
"Who is it?" The voice was very tense.
Qingluan sighed inwardly, quickly used her lightness skill to bounce back a few steps, leaping two zhang away, and found a small cave she had discovered while practicing her skills. She quickly placed a few stones at the entrance of the cave, then hid inside, remaining motionless and breathing softly.
Footsteps followed, stopping at the cave entrance.
"This place is so open, there's no way to hide here. You must have misheard me because you were nervous."
"Perhaps. We've been out for too long; we need to hurry back to avoid arousing suspicion!"
"Okay, let's proceed as planned tomorrow."
"I will obey Your Majesty's orders."
The sound of footsteps faded into the distance.
Qingluan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling at ease. It seemed that the hastily arranged Nine-Turn Exquisite Array at the cave entrance had worked. Although there was clearly a cave, they thought it was an open space. Fortunately, it was nighttime, and visibility was limited under the cover of darkness. Otherwise, this hastily arranged and crudely arranged array would have been exposed, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Qingluan left the cave; it was late at night, and time was running out, so she had to head back. As she walked, she kept thinking about why the two women were together. Were they in cahoots from the beginning? It was truly astonishing! What were their plans for tomorrow? She was very curious; she would find out what they were up to tomorrow!
Early the next morning, Consort De sent a palace maid to deliver a message, saying that the hibiscus flowers in the palace were blooming beautifully and inviting all the sisters in the palace to come and admire the flowers. Qingluan originally wanted to feign illness to decline the invitation, but remembering what she had heard the night before, she agreed.
She summoned Cai Die to style her hair into a common palace-style "flowing moon bun," adorned with a crescent moon hairpin. Her face was bare of makeup; her pale complexion was befitting of someone recovering from illness! Dressed in a pale purple gown, she truly looked like a pitiful, sickly beauty. The palace maids of Yunhuang Palace knew that Consort Ling was not one for words, so Cai Die quickly finished her hair and makeup and then bowed her head and withdrew.
Qingluan arrived at Xiangyu Palace in a sedan chair, and helped Caiwen down from the chair. Consort De's Xiangyu Palace was extremely luxurious, with precious Shu brocade used for the curtains and decorations inlaid with gemstones. Even the bowls and chopsticks used daily were inlaid with gold and jade. The entire hall was dazzling and glittering under the sunlight, which complemented Linghuling's flamboyant personality.
Most of the concubines who had come to admire the flowers had arrived, and they all exchanged greetings and pleasantries. Upon seeing Qingluan, most of the concubines ignored her. However, because Qingluan had been recuperating for so long, she hadn't even seen the Emperor, so no one was wary of her. This was understandable; for a concubine confined to the cold palace for so long, it was practically the same as being in the Cold Palace. Flattery and currying favor were the survival rules of the palace. As long as they didn't try to harm her, Qingluan was grateful! Only a few concubines of low status came to greet Qingluan. Qingluan didn't mind, simply finding an inconspicuous corner to stand in, waiting to watch the show.
"The Empress Dowager De has arrived! The Empress Dowager Xian has arrived!" the eunuch shouted.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Please rise, my sisters!" Linghu Ling walked over, holding Wei Lanyi's hand. They seemed affectionate, but everyone knew that the two were sworn enemies and were only maintaining a facade of peace.
The two women were dressed with great care today. Consort De was extravagant, adorned with jewels, while Consort Xian was elegant and had a unique charm. The two of them came hand in hand, which was truly a feast for the eyes!
"My dear sisters, please don't stand on ceremony! Since I entered the palace, His Majesty has learned that I love hibiscus, so he specially instructed the gardeners to plant a garden full of hibiscus for me. Among them are several rare varieties, which the gardeners have just cultivated and cannot be seen anywhere else. The hibiscus flowers are in full bloom these days, so I have specially invited you sisters to come and admire them. Please go and admire them, and don't miss this garden full of spring beauty!" Linghu Ling smiled charmingly.
Consort De loved hibiscus, and from the moment she entered the palace, the Emperor ordered painters to meticulously cultivate hibiscus flowers in her palace, hoping to please her. Was her ostentatious invitation to everyone to admire the flowers a way of showing off her favor?
Before this, Qingluan would have thought she was just a pretty face with no substance, but after her conversation with Wang Xiuya last night, Qingluan was certain that this was not as simple as it seemed. Yesterday, they kept mentioning Consort Xian, Wei Lanyi—were they trying to get rid of her?
Qingluan was lost in thought, paying no attention to the flowers, when suddenly Ya Xiurong cried out. Everyone gathered around to see what had happened. They found her fallen to the ground, clutching her stomach, her face contorted in pain. Consort Xian, being closer, quickly went to help her up and methodically arranged for a maid to summon the imperial physician. She directed several people to help Ya Xiurong into the hall to sit down, while the other concubines sat down to rest. Consort De, standing beside Ya Xiurong, hesitated for a moment before also rushing over to offer her comfort. Everyone knew the two had a long-standing feud, and Consort De's hesitation only confirmed their suspicions. Qingluan smiled knowingly at this scene, but the smile vanished quickly, replaced by an anxious expression.
The imperial physician arrived quickly and reported to the highest-ranking Consort Xian and Consort De: "Consort Ya Xiu Rong has fallen and injured herself. The external injury is not serious and only requires some medicine. However, Her Highness is already two months pregnant and triple-pregnant. We are afraid that it may affect the fetus. Your Highness will immediately prescribe a medicine to stabilize the pregnancy. However, Her Highness needs to rest quietly for a while to ensure that there is no problem."
Consort De waved her hand, signaling the imperial physician to go and write a prescription.
When the imperial physician finished speaking, everyone was stunned. Wang Xiuya was too lucky. She became pregnant with the imperial heir so quickly. If it was a boy, he would be the eldest son of the emperor!
At this moment, Consort Ya suddenly burst into tears: "Your Highness, why did you push me just now?"
Consort De was stunned, and immediately said, "When did I push you?"
Ya Xiurong continued to sob, "That day I was unwell and summoned the imperial physician. After he took my pulse and left, you called him over to take Ping's pulse. You knew I was pregnant all along. Just now, you pushed me down when no one was looking. Wasn't that to make me miscarry? How cruel you are!"
"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Upon hearing of such a serious incident, the Empress Dowager could no longer remain seated and rushed over. After carefully inquiring about what had happened, she asked Consort De, "Consort De, Consort Ya said that you pushed her, causing her to fall and get injured. What do you say about that?"
Consort De immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I was standing next to Consort Ya at the time, but I did not push her. Everyone was admiring the flowers, and I did not notice what happened that caused Consort Ya to fall. I do not know why Consort Ya insists that I did it."
The Empress Dowager immediately asked Wang Xiuya, "Did you see clearly who pushed you? If someone truly harbors ill intentions, I will certainly stand up for you. If what you say is untrue, once the matter is investigated, I will punish them severely without hesitation!" The Empress Dowager's tone was authoritative, making everyone feel very oppressed.
Wang Xiuya's expression changed, and her tone softened: "Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, Consort De was standing behind me when I fell—"
"So you're saying you didn't see Consort De push you with your own eyes?" The Empress Dowager pressed on.
Under pressure from the Empress Dowager, Wang Xiuya had no choice but to nod.
"Then," the Empress Dowager turned to look at the other concubines, her phoenix eyes flashing, "who witnessed what just happened? If anyone is hiding anything, you will know the consequences of deceiving me!"
A timid voice rang out: "I saw that Consort Ya accidentally stepped on Consort De's skirt and fell down." It turned out to be a concubine named Fang, who was not favored by the emperor.
"Well, in that case, it was all a misunderstanding. Consort De, please don't hold it against Consort Ya; she only loves her son dearly. Consort Ya, next time something like this happens, be careful with your words and don't implicate others. If it happens again, I will not let you off lightly! Alright, from now on, everyone in the harem should get along well and be careful with their words and actions!" The Empress Dowager smoothed things over, giving each person a twenty-point lash. However, Qingluan also admitted that there was no better way to handle it.
Everyone hurriedly knelt down and replied, "Yes, we will obey the Empress Dowager's decree!"
Consort De smiled and said, "How could I possibly make things difficult for Consort Ya? She is now carrying the imperial heir and has rendered meritorious service. We will certainly take good care of her in the future and hope that she can give birth to a prince smoothly."
The Empress Dowager was very pleased and said, "Consort De is very sensible. Consort Xian and Consort De, you are the highest-ranking consorts in the harem. I entrust the elegant beauty to you. You must take good care of her."
Consort Xian and Consort De immediately replied, "We will certainly live up to the Empress Dowager's expectations!"
The Empress Dowager said, "Then I am relieved. Have someone escort Ya Xiurong back to the palace to rest. Instruct the imperial physicians to take good care of her and ensure nothing goes wrong. Everyone else may leave!"
Consort Xian and Consort De hurried to make arrangements and then saw the Empress Dowager out.
The others also took their leave and returned to the palace.
The farce has finally come to an abrupt end.
Qingluan has also returned to the palace. She watched a good show and is a little tired! So that's what they were planning.
On the surface, Wang Xiuya is Consort Xian, Wei Lanyi's person, but in reality, she is Consort De, Linghu Ling's confidante. Today's play must have been prepared by Wei Lanyi to deal with Linghu Ling, but unexpectedly, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Linghu Ling used her well, allowing Wang Xiuya to successfully become Wei Lanyi's confidante.
Wei Lanyi harbored doubts about Wang Xiuya, which is why she wanted to test her loyalty through today's actions. Since Wang Xiuya was able to confront Linghu Ling face to face today, Wei Lanyi should be able to regard her as a confidante and trust her wholeheartedly!
What fall? She clearly lay down on her own when no one was looking. The imperial physician must have been bribed beforehand to say it was a fall, no matter the circumstances. As for that Consort Fang, she was probably a pawn planted beforehand! One thing leads to another, full of danger yet resolved peacefully. It seems Linghu Ling is not as simple as she appears! Even Qingluan had to admit she was right.
However, Wang Xiuya is a bit hard to understand! She's adept at playing both sides, taking considerable risks. What is she after? Is she really willing to be manipulated and become someone else's tool?
This harem is indeed full of hidden talents!
☆、Eight、Master's Sect
The Imperial Garden was filled with rare plants, and it was the season when all kinds of flowers were in full bloom. The flowers of all colors were vying for attention. The red one was the king of flowers, the green one was the banana leaf, the pink one was the beauty's face, the yellow one was the butterfly love flower, and the purple one was the hydrangea playing...
Strolling casually through the Imperial Garden, seemingly admiring the flowers, Qingluan was actually planning to dismantle the Nine-Turn Exquisite Array she had set up that day to prevent any future trouble. She had been somewhat surprised by the conversation between Linghu Ling and Wang Xiuya that day, so much so that she forgot to dismantle the array when she left. Although others might not see anything amiss, she was just afraid of the possibility of something going wrong.
The blue phoenix stopped in front of a rare and elegant orchid with purple and white blossoms. It leaned closer to gently inhale the orchid's delicate fragrance, but its eyes darted around, finding no one nearby. The blue phoenix lowered its head, preparing to kick over the stones it had arranged earlier, but then noticed a strange mark.
There was a mark carved on the stone, very inconspicuous, but it was the communication code taught to me by my master, the nameless Taoist, who arranged to meet me here at midnight tonight.
Could it be Master? Qingluan was overjoyed. She hadn't seen her master for many years and missed him dearly. She wondered how he was doing. As she thought this, she kicked the stones around and used her hairpin to draw the secret code.
At midnight, Qingluan sent the palace maids away early and used her lightness skill to arrive at the Imperial Garden as agreed. There she saw a man in black standing there. From the back, his figure was similar to her master's, but she could not see his face.
Qingluan hesitated whether to speak, but the person spoke up: "Come out!"
Qingluan knew that his internal strength was very profound, and he had already recognized Qingluan's footsteps.
Qingluan had no choice but to step forward. The person turned around, and it wasn't her master!
Qingluan was filled with suspicion. She wanted to escape but knew she couldn't, so she could only feign composure. While still considering what to say, she pretended to be a passing palace maid.
The man then asked, "Are you a Qingluan?"
Qingluan was stunned. How could anyone in this palace know her name?
Seeing Qingluan's wary expression, the man smiled: "Don't be afraid, I am your senior uncle Tianyuan. I happened to pass by here and saw the Nine Revolutions Exquisite Array you set up. I knew there was a disciple of our sect here. Our sect has always been passed down through two lineages with a single lineage. Since you are not my disciple, then you must be my senior brother's disciple, Qingluan!"
With a kind expression, Qingluan relaxed and bowed gracefully, saying, "Qingluan greets Uncle Tianyuan."
"I've heard about you from my senior brother. Aren't you from the Xia Kingdom? Why are you here?"
Qingluan looked at her Uncle Tianyuan with sincere eyes and a concerned expression, and told him everything about her experiences over the past few years and the purpose of her visit.
Tian Yuan paused for a moment and said, "Don't worry, my senior brother told me that if you have any difficulties, I must help you. And there's one more thing—given the current situation, I will definitely lend you a hand! Go back first, and I'll contact you again in a few days."