Noble Princess Consort Rong, who leveraged her family background and the Holy Favor to run rampant in the harem, now intended to humiliate Jiang Xian and refused to let anyone rise.
The newly arrived concubines had not yet mastered the art of holding their deep curtsies for extended periods. They were beginning to tremble, but terrified of the Lady's reputation, they strained to keep their bodies from wavering. They thought they concealed it well, but to the high-ranking concubines seated at the head of the room, their struggles were in plain view.
The Noble Consort sneered inwardly.
'This bunch of people wouldn't dare blame me. They can only redirect their anger toward this Jiang Daying, blaming her for catching my eye and forcing them all to remain kneeling.'
Yet Jiang Daying, the one who had been singled out, held her curtsy more steadily than any of the other newcomers. Even under the Noble Consort's imperious gaze, she didn't waver in the slightest.
But little did anyone know, Jiang Daying was boasting to the system in her mind: 'See? All those squats I did in the middle of the night are finally paying off! A stable lower body and strong core are essential for palace fighting! Quick, help me sign up for more fitness classes.'
Palace Fighting System: '...'
Seeing that the other newcomers were about to lose their balance, Noble Princess Consort Rong finally let out a faint smile.
"Simply looking at you is distasteful. All of you may rise."
Only then did the newcomers dare to stand.
Since she had only asked Jiang Xian to raise her head, the comment "Simply looking at you is distasteful" was clearly directed at her. After everyone was standing, the Noble Consort addressed the Empress again. "Over the past few years, including those from the grand selection and the concubines and official women who received the Emperor's favor, there have been ten in total."
The Empress didn't respond.
The Noble Consort continued on her own, "Of those ten, only one was promoted to Changzai, and she now resides in Princess Consort Zhang's palace."
Princess Consort Zhang, having been mentioned, lifted an eyelid.
"As for the other nine, they either committed some offense and were demoted, or they fell ill and can no longer serve the Emperor."
Noble Princess Consort Rong possessed a melodious voice, but her gentle telling of the harem's brutal competition sent a chill down the newcomers' spines.
In the harem, concubines and official women without favor or prominent families were no different from servants. They could disappear at any moment, swallowed by the man-eating tide. She smiled, then singled out Jiang Xian again. "And in my opinion, Jiang Daying is hardly a one-in-a-thousand treasure."
Harem women were expected to be virtuous and submissive, so Noble Princess Consort Rong's words were exceptionally blunt and cruel.
A thin-skinned woman from this era would have been mortified and flushed red.
'But to a corporate drone, what was this?'
'Whatever the boss says, goes.'
Noble Princess Consort Rong, feeling she had just launched a vicious attack, was taken aback to see Jiang Daying nodding earnestly. "Your Ladyship's insight is profound. For you to show such concern for the well-being of concubines and official women truly moves and terrifies this servant."
'The director is flexing on the receptionist. I'll just play along.'
Noble Princess Consort Rong faltered, then looked away. "Such a sharp tongue. With so many new faces in the harem, it's certainly gotten much noisier."
Having put Jiang Daying—who she felt had a similar air to herself—in her place, she toyed with the exquisite jade bracelet on her wrist and added disdainfully.
"Bringing in new women this year was the Empress Dowager's idea. If Your Ladyship feels it's too crowded, perhaps you should mention it the next time you pay her respects," Hui Pin suddenly interjected. "If Your Ladyship is in a hurry, this servant can go mention it to the Empress Dowager for you right away."
Noble Princess Consort Rong shot her a glance, her expression growing even colder.
Throughout the entire harem, very few dared to talk back to the Noble Consort.
The Empress and Princess Consort Zhang were two such people.
But both had easygoing temperaments. As long as Noble Princess Consort Rong didn't get too out of line, they generally couldn't be bothered to bicker with her.
As for Hui Pin, although she only held the rank of concubine, her background was formidable. Her family, from her great-grandfather down to her uncles, was illustrious. Her grandmother was the official daughter of a Prince, and her father was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a highly respected figure at court. Furthermore, her paternal aunt was none other than the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager lived in seclusion, devoted to her Buddhist prayers and rarely receiving visitors, yet she would occasionally summon Hui Pin for a private gathering, a clear sign of favor and prestige.
Since she had invoked the Empress Dowager, everyone assumed that even if the Noble Consort refused to back down, she would at least have to tolerate the slight.
Noble Princess Consort Rong let out a soft laugh. "Hui Pin is indeed the Empress Dowager's niece. You certainly have more opportunities to see her than the rest of us."
A smug look crossed Hui Pin's face.
But then the Noble Consort's tone shifted as she asked sweetly, "And yet, you see the Emperor so rarely, Hui Pin. Could it be that you don't wish to?"
'Good question!'
'Why doesn't she see the Emperor? Is it because she doesn't like him?'
'It's because she can't get an audience, obviously.'
Her lack of favor laid bare, Hui Pin's face went pale with rage. Just as she was about to snap back, the Empress spoke. "I am tired. You may all be dismissed."
And so, everyone dispersed.
Once they were a safe distance away, Chen Daying dared to whisper to Jiang Xian, "How did you manage to get on the Lady's bad side? Noble Princess Consort Rong's grandfather is an Alien Prince, her father is General Yun Hui, and she has the Emperor's favor in the harem. Back before she entered the palace, there wasn't a single noble lady in the Capital City who didn't suffer her wrath." She paused before adding, "But our ranks are so low, she'll probably forget all about you in an instant. Just be careful in the future."
'So she's one of those types, been throwing her weight around since she was a kid.'
Jiang Xian gave a noncommittal response.
After returning to Yizhu Pavilion, she began diligently practicing her Qinggong and the Slow Step Dance.
Chen Daying had been right. When it was time for the evening greetings, Noble Princess Consort Rong didn't single her out again.
Of course, there was another reason: Noble Princess Consort Rong hadn't attended the evening greetings at all. She had been summoned to accompany the Emperor, a clear testament to the immense favor she enjoyed.
Consort Guo's face was tense the entire evening.
Chen Daying said to Jiang Xian, "Consort Guo definitely thought she would be the first of the new arrivals to have her nameplate chosen. She never expected that on the very first day after we finished our etiquette lessons, the Emperor would be monopolized by the Noble Consort!"
Jiang Xian replied, "You really are on the front lines of all the harem gossip, aren't you?"
"What?"
"Nothing. I was just complimenting you on how well-informed you are."
Chen Daying pouted. "Well-informed? Hardly. My father is just a petty official, only slightly better off than yours. His rank is low, but the area he governs isn't poor. I thought I could rely on my looks to make a name for myself in the palace... but after today's greetings, I realized how wrong I was. The one thing this palace isn't short on is beauties! Forget about winning his favor; I doubt we'll ever even get our nameplates chosen. There are over thirty of us, and the Emperor doesn't visit the harem every day. It'll be a miracle if he ever thinks of us. We might as well just turn in early tonight."
The concubines who still hoped to be chosen would keep their lamps lit late into the night.
Chen Daying considered her own rank and her monthly silver allowance and decided it wasn't worth worrying about. She would rather just go to sleep.
The lamp oil allotted to concubines and official women was pitifully scarce; staying awake only meant sitting in the dark anyway.
Jiang Xian's life was even more difficult.
The harem servants had their own information network. The Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household was one of Noble Princess Consort Rong's people, so without her even needing to give the order, he knew that the Lady was displeased with Jiang Daying. He began shamelessly cutting her rations. The food delivered to her each day consisted of wilted vegetables, and the meat portion was always cold, congealed fat.
The palace maid Mian Xia was distressed. "This is outrageous! How dare those people from the Imperial Kitchen bully you like this, my lady!"
"With a low rank and no favor from the Emperor, her days in the palace are bound to be difficult," Zhenqiu, who was more level-headed, offered in a soothing tone.
Jiang Xian picked up a wilted leaf and put it in her mouth.
She was reminded of her previous life. Desperate to make money, she'd been tricked into working in a sweatshop and had even stumbled into a pyramid scheme. The food there had been pretty much the same as what she was eating now.
'Being a low-ranked concubine, it turns out, is just like being another cog on a sweatshop assembly line.'
"Don't worry,"
Jiang Xian ate with composure, finishing every last bite of the cold, unappetizing food that even her palace maids found hard to stomach.
"Your lady is an expert at getting promotions. Just you wait and see."