Chapter 1: The Day of the Palace Selection

Chapter 1: The Day of the Palace Selection

His Majesty places great emphasis on the selection.

In the late winter and early spring, the accumulated snow in the palace had mostly melted.

The winter jasmine outside the Yunwu Pavilion had bloomed early, heralding the arrival of spring.

The sunlight was bright, slanting down on these clusters of winter jasmine, resembling clouds and rosy hues.

Su Jiaojiao sat before the bronze mirror as her maid, Yu Ying, helped with her makeup.

Today was the final round of the triennial palace selection for beauties, and the palace was bustling with activity. Everyone, from the highest to the lowest, moved hurriedly, wary of offending any of the masters.

From concubines to servants and commoners, all were abuzz with talk of the grand event.

For those in the harem, the arrival of new beauties signaled an impending reshuffle of power dynamics.

And for Su Jiaojiao.

She had bided her time in Yunhua Palace long enough—

Her brows were delicately arched, her lips softly rouged.

As Yu Ying placed the last hairpin on Su Jiaojiao, a sharp, angry voice shouted from beyond the door: "My lady commands you to clean the courtyard—why do you dawdle? If you offend my lady, you’ll regret it!"

Su Jiaojiao’s brow furrowed slightly.

Ting Chun was the personal maid of Talented Lady Jiang, who lived in the same Yunhua Palace as her.

She was known for her domineering and harsh behavior, leveraging Talented Lady Jiang’s higher rank.

Typically, Su Jiaojiao endured, maintaining a respectful demeanor over the past three years.

Yet on this pivotal day, she dared to act with such audacity.

How utterly foolish.

Yu Ying shared a glance with Su Jiaojiao before reluctantly setting the comb aside.

She approached politely, hands clasped, and curtsied, saying softly, "Greetings, Madam Ting Chun. We understand Hanxiang Hall is understaffed, but we are unable to assist. Only Yu Ye and I serve our lady, along with one maid for menial tasks, leaving no one to spare."

She sighed, her expression genuinely troubled, and her already bent knees dipped even lower: "Yunhua Palace, near the Yeting Bureau, has ample staff, but Yunwu Pavilion, serving Lady Su of the selected rank, is understaffed. We truly cannot spare anyone. Perhaps I could request assistance from the Yeting Bureau on your behalf. I believe, given the urgency, they could allocate additional staff."

The young maid in the courtyard, broom in hand, was near tears, and Yu Ying, observing this, felt a pang of displeasure. Yet, despite her displeasure, her words remained impeccable.

Her lady held only the selected rank, wielding little influence.

With only Yunwu Pavilion and Hanxiang Hall occupied, and the lady’s rank far surpassing the selected rank, offending her was unthinkable.

The Yeting Bureau, swamped with the current selection of beauties, had no time for Talented Lady Jiang’s unreasonable requests. In fact, they might even feel resentful towards her because of this.

If Ting Chun had thought things through, she should have known that given Talented Lady Jiang’s current favor, it was not wise to create further discord with the Yeting Bureau. Yu Ying had thought that by saying this, she could make Ting Chun drop the idea.

However, upon hearing this, Ting Chun frowned and immediately lowered her voice: "Are a few maids not to be used by my lady? The charge of disrespecting superiors is something even your lady of the selected rank cannot bear!"

It was one thing for Ting Chun to speak to Yu Ying like this, but she had even disrespected her own lady.

Yu Ying’s delicate face immediately darkened.

She was just about to speak when Su Jiaojiao's soft, gentle voice called out from behind.

"Auntie Ting Chun."

Su Jiaojiao slowly emerged from the inner room, standing respectfully behind the threshold to look at her.

She was as frail as a willow swaying in the breeze, her voice as refreshing as a spring breeze. She looked like a delicate, ethereal beauty.

She glanced at Ting Chun with her eyes half-lowered, then shyly averted her gaze, as if too timid to meet her eyes, pleading with Ting Chun, "There’s no one left in Junwu Pavilion... Auntie, could you please..."

Before Su Jiaojiao could finish, Ting Chun’s patience ran out, frowning and saying, "Could what? Absolutely not!"

"If the Talented Lady gets angry, both Selected Rank Su and I will be in serious trouble!"

She lashed out in anger, staring directly at Su Jiaojiao, waiting for her to give in.

But as she stared, Ting Chun suddenly sensed something was off.

Su Jiaojiao had lived in Yunhua Palace for three years, always meek and obedient, always deferring to Talented Lady Jiang, never daring to speak a word against her.

She had watched her grow from a twelve-year-old girl into the young woman she’d become.

She still remembered their first meeting, when Su Jiaojiao was just a child. Her fair face and dark, expressive eyes seemed to speak volumes. She was always sweet to everyone, calling her Auntie Ting Chun in her clear, sweet voice.

She had long since grown used to Su Jiaojiao’s pliant nature.

But over the years, Su Jiaojiao had blossomed.

Her pale green wide sleeves and goose-yellow undergarment.

Her flawlessly styled Ling Snake bun, with a fresh yellow winter jasmine tucked near her temple.

Her figure was well-proportioned, slender, and in the bloom of youth.

Paired with such a light, elegant palace dress, she exuded a charm that was alluring yet not vulgar.

Even Ting Chun, who looked down on her, could not deny Su Jiaojiao's beauty.

In an instant, her anger seemed to dissipate, and Ting Chun stared at Su Jiaojiao hesitantly, her heart pounding.

No matter how lowly her rank, she was still a proper mistress, and going too far would always leave her uneasy.

Moreover, Selected Rank Su was now of age, possessing such striking beauty. If she were to rise to power one day and remember her past humiliations...

After turning these thoughts over in her mind, Ting Chun slightly relented, clearing her throat and saying, "How about this, Selected Rank Su keeps one, and the other two come with me, is that acceptable?"

Su Jiaojiao's eyes seemed to glisten with tears as she nodded weakly, saying, "Thank you, Auntie."

After giving her a once-over, Ting Chun nodded in satisfaction and took the little maid sweeping the courtyard and Yu Ye with her.

As she stepped out of the courtyard gate, seeing that meek and submissive demeanor, her worries instantly vanished.

What did beauty matter? With such a timid and pliable nature, she would never go far in the palace!

After they left, Yu Ying followed Su Jiaojiao out of Junwu Pavilion.

The Yunhua Palace where she resided was in the northwest corner of the imperial palace, one of the four northern palaces, secluded and far from everything.

The corridors of the four northern palaces were interconnected, with the central path leading to the Yeting Bureau.

After being chosen in the palace selection, the chosen ladies are uniformly given the lowest rank of selected rank, without any official title, and they reside in the Yeting, where they can be considered proper young mistresses. Generally, after their first night serving the Emperor, they will be conferred titles by the Emperor and the Empress and assigned to various palaces.

Although Su Jiaojiao does not live in the Yeting, she has never met the Emperor.

She was part of the previous batch of selected ladies, recruited through palace protocol, not through the usual selection process.

However, she was only thirteen years old when she entered the palace. Thus, as her batch of selected ladies gradually received favor and moved out, the vast Yeting was left with her alone.

Considering her young age and her father's significant official rank, it was not fitting for her to live alone in the Yeting. The Empress Dowager kindly moved her out and assigned servants to take care of her, treating her like a daughter to be well cared for in the palace, temporarily excused from serving the Emperor and paying respects, as there was no lack of provisions.

Spring passed and winter came, and the Empress Dowager died.

Su Jiaojiao was gradually forgotten, living in the Junwu Pavilion for three years straight. By the time the second selection day arrived, she was still just a selected rank.

The mistress and servant stood at the gate of the Yeting, gazing from a distance. Yu Ying said, "Mistress, three years have flown by so quickly. I still remember when I first accompanied you into the palace."

Su Jiaojiao lifted her eyes and looked over, lost in thought.

The Yeting, which had been deserted for three years, was now bustling with palace servants rushing by. She did not feel sentimental but instead patted Yu Ying's hand, "Are you already feeling nostalgic?"

She smiled, "This is just the beginning."

Su Jiaojiao suddenly asked, "Is Consort Mi in charge of this selection?"

Yu Ying nodded softly, "Yes, Consort Mi has recently taken power and is eager to do something practical to please the Emperor, so she volunteered for this challenging task."

"But Consort Mi is spoiled and arrogant, and she is also pregnant. The affairs of the palace selection are so complicated and heavy, she must have been quite short-tempered."

Su Jiaojiao smiled faintly, somewhat thoughtfully, "She will have more headaches in the future."

Consort Mi is beautiful and comes from a prominent family, having entered the palace in the same year as Su Jiaojiao through protocol recruitment.

In three years, she has risen rapidly, being promoted to Chongrong at just nineteen, favored above all others in the six palaces, her influence unparalleled.

As the year-end approached, she was found to be pregnant, which greatly pleased the Emperor, who conferred her the title of Consort and granted her the authority to assist in managing the six palaces.

But she is eager for success, fearing to lose favor. Despite her unstable pregnancy, she insisted on taking on this demanding work, busy all day, and it is said she has been drinking a lot of pregnancy-preserving medicine.

In the end, she may not gain rewards but instead invite trouble.

Su Jiaojiao naturally guessed her intentions.

During pregnancy, she cannot receive the Emperor's favor, and the Emperor often visits the harem. If she spends ten months of pregnancy without making any moves, the Emperor is sure to forget her completely.

By then, new beauties will seize the opportunity to receive favor and rise in rank, which would be more painful than death for her.

Although Su Jiaojiao has not received the Emperor's favor, nor has she met the Emperor.

But she has heard rumors from the palace servants.

The Emperor is young and extremely lustful.

On the days he chooses to spend the night, the activities in the concubines' palaces do not cease until late at night, and the soft voices of the concubines often cause people to blush.

Such a young and strong adult man naturally cannot abstain for Consort Mi alone.

With new ladies entering the palace, the novelty alone is overwhelming.

Now the situation in the palace is clear, factions are established, and it is time-consuming and laborious to win over, and not easy to control. It is better to select a few outstanding new ladies under her command, giving them more opportunities to rise, and ensuring her own security.

Everyone has their own agenda, and what the newcomers can achieve, Su Jiaojiao can do even better.

Consort Mi is her ideal choice.

Favored, influential, and not particularly astute—

Using her to climb the ranks and then discarding her is far simpler than any other path.

The sound of drums and gongs grew louder, resonating through hearts and ears alike.

Su Jiaojiao ascended the pavilion beside the Yiyuan Hall, looking down from above.

In front of the vast Yiyuan Hall, ninety-nine young women from respectable families stood in orderly formations.

Unfortunately, from Su Jiaojiao's vantage point, she couldn't see inside the hall.

She couldn't help but wonder.

For the favor of what kind of man would she risk her life in the future, and to whom would she show her tender, charming side.

The current round of selections was already the second one.

As the music ceased, the eunuch in charge of the announcements stepped forward, retrieved the jade register from his side, and announced in a booming voice, "Ji Miaoyi, the eldest daughter of the Senior Scholar of the Imperial Academy, rank six—Zhu Wenrui, the eldest daughter of the Assistant Historian, rank five—"

Author's Note:

This is a classic tale of palace intrigue, focusing mainly on the plot, with a ratio of 7.5:2.5 between plot and imperial consort drama. The emperor will fall in love with the female lead, but she will not love him.

The ranks of the consorts are a mix of my own preferences and are outlined in the synopsis. Feel free to revisit it if you need a reminder!

If this isn't to your taste, please find a story that suits you better and don't force yourself to continue.