Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chuxiu Pavilion.

Tomorrow was the big day for the maiden candidates to meet the Emperor and the palace concubines. To ensure the candidates showed their best energy and demeanor and to alleviate the monotony and fatigue of a month of continuous training, Nanny Fang gave the remaining fifty candidates a day off.

Although it was a day off, the candidates were only allowed to stay within Chuxiu Pavilion and were not permitted to fool around or make a racket.

The most magnificent structures in the imperial city were the three main halls, while Chuxiu Pavilion occupied only a small corner of the western palace. It was a quadrangular courtyard, with the central open space used for the candidates to practice their gait and posture. Only under the eaves of the main hall and the east and west wing rooms were there narrow flower beds planted with peonies commonly seen in the palace.

By late March, some peonies had already bloomed, while others were still tight, green buds, round and firm, as if the wind was not yet warm enough.

Yao Huang stayed in the southern room of the west wing with four other candidates.

In the bloom of youth, the young girls were all very clean, but five people were still too many, and the room felt stuffy overnight.

Yao Huang was the last to rise. After dressing, she saw that only one other candidate, who was combing her hair, remained in the room. She hesitantly asked, "Shall I open the window?"

Chen Ying, while putting a jade hairpin in her hair in front of the mirror, smiled and said, "Sure. The water in the pot should be cold by now, so you’d better get washed up quickly."

In the morning, palace maids would bring a large pot of hot water for the five to distribute among themselves.

The candidates who had made it this far understood the importance of temperament and virtue and would never fight over such trivial matters as water distribution. They got along even better than real sisters.

Yao Huang lifted the closed window panel, and bright spring sunlight immediately poured in, making her squint and warming her face.

A row of seven or eight beauties stood by the flower bed under the eaves, attracted by the sound of the window opening, and they all looked up.

Inside the window, Yao Huang’s disheveled hair hung loosely over her shoulders, clearly just awakened.

Early rising was a basic quality expected of official’s daughters. Even on a day off, one should maintain self-discipline, especially within the palace.

At this encounter, several candidates exchanged glances, showing a silent disdain for Yao Huang.

But some were captivated by Yao Huang’s fair, pink complexion and the lazy charm of someone who just woke up from a good sleep, completely forgetting to mention her late rising.

After all, in this Chuxiu Pavilion, which gathered beauties of all kinds, Yao Huang had already become well-known for her memorable name, reminiscent of a peony, and her full and graceful figure.

Having lived together for a month, Yao Huang recognized each of the candidates in the row. She smiled at them, latched the window, and turned to sit on the edge of the kang to put on her shoes. The lower window sill naturally blocked the view from outside.

Chen Ying turned from her dressing stool, watching Yao Huang casually lift the pot and pour water, as comfortable as if she were at home. She couldn’t help but whisper, "Aren’t you afraid that Nanny Fang is just pretending to give us a day off and is actually secretly watching our every move? At this point, it’s not worth being sent out of the palace for such a minor detail."

Yao Huang: "...If only it were that simple."

The selection of candidates was suddenly announced by the imperial court last year. Officials far from the capital might still have had a chance to arrange marriages for their daughters before the imperial decree arrived, but the Yao family was in the capital and had no high-ranking connections. They only learned of it when all capital officials received the notice, and the decree explicitly prohibited officials from marrying off their daughters before the initial selection ended.

Yao Huang, quite renowned in her neighborhood, inevitably entered the initial selection.

The nannies and imperial physicians in charge of the selection were sharp-eyed; pretending to be sick or ugly was pointless, and deliberately making major mistakes was unwise—it would ruin one’s reputation and cause parents to be ridiculed for poor upbringing.

Yao Huang entered the palace alone, not daring to cause trouble in this strictly regulated place. During the month-long training and character assessment, she racked her brains and made three harmless attempts, striving to be flawless in character yet unsuitable for roles like princess or concubine.

The first time, she bravely told Nanny Fang that one bowl of rice was not enough and hoped to have an extra bowl with each meal.

Out of the initial three hundred candidates, she was the only one who asked for more rice.

Yao Huang still remembered the soft laughter of the surrounding candidates, but Nanny Fang just looked her up and down and actually agreed!

The second time, Yao Huang, bored by the confinement-like days, used her restlessness as an excuse to practice boxing in the courtyard.

Her father was a military man, skilled in swordsmanship and spear techniques. When her father taught her brother, Yao Huang, being active, followed along and actually learned quite well. Unfortunately, Chuxiu Pavilion had no swords or sticks, so Yao Huang could only practice empty-handed moves.

The other candidates were startled by her, and the palace maid immediately summoned Nanny Fang.

Nanny Fang: "What are you doing?"

Yao Huang looked innocent: "I seem to have gained some weight recently, so I need to exert more effort to slim down."

Nanny Fang glanced at her figure and nodded approvingly: "Your figure is just right now, indeed it's not suitable to grow any more. However, practicing empty-handed moves might easily hurt others, so just cut back on your meals."

Yao Huang: "..."

Other candidates, if they did anything that didn't meet Nanny Fang's expectations, would be directly sent out of the palace without any chance to explain or correct themselves. Why was Nanny Fang so lenient with her?

When the number of candidates was reduced to one hundred, Yao Huang started to wake up late, always being the last to arrive.

Nanny Fang called her aside and lightly advised: "Being able to eat and sleep is a blessing. It's okay to arrive late, but never be late. If you break even this small rule, others might suspect that you despise the royal family, deliberately making trouble to be eliminated. If this reaches the ears of the court, your whole family will be charged with disrespect."

Yao Huang was a promising prospect in her eyes. For others, if their behavior was inappropriate, she would send them out of the palace without hesitation. But for Yao Huang, she would find ways to make exceptions.

Nanny Fang didn't want to cause gossip, so the easiest way was to make Yao Huang behave.

Grasping Nanny Fang's underlying message, Yao Huang completely gave up the idea of using minor faults to leave the palace.

.

The candidates in Chuxiu Pavilion lived almost every moment under the scrutiny of Nanny Fang, the palace staff, and other candidates. Perhaps an unintentional small action or a careless word could become the reason for their expulsion from the palace, missing out on a life of wealth and status.

Therefore, the candidates were always on edge during every conversation, introducing themselves modestly and complimenting others.

Yao Huang didn't like to speak or listen to the same old polite chatter. Most of the time, she preferred to stay alone in the room. When she got tired of sitting, she would stroll around the courtyard to stretch her muscles. The only candidate she was close to was Chen Ying.

Chen Ying was the daughter of a magistrate from a remote county in the southwest, reserved and shy. When she was first assigned to the same room as Yao Huang, she didn't even dare to initiate a conversation with Yao Huang. Until Yao Huang asked for extra meals and woke up late, Chen Ying somehow felt that Yao Huang was easy to get along with. Occasionally, she would approach Yao Huang, sharing a thought or two from her heart, whether it was missing her hometown or worrying about her future.

At dusk, after dinner, the candidates gradually returned to their rooms, while Yao Huang stayed in the courtyard to walk off her dinner.

After three rounds, Chen Ying walked over looking troubled.

Yao Huang cooperatively chose a spot where they were least likely to be overheard and actively asked with concern when Chen Ying stopped beside her: "What's wrong?"

Chen Ying said in a very soft voice: "Earlier today, I overheard someone talking about the three princes."

Being the daughter of a magistrate from a remote county, she usually had no chance to hear about the deeds of the princes. After coming to the capital, the nannies strictly forbade the candidates from discussing the nobles. Only on this last day, a few bold noble ladies from the capital briefly discussed it.

Yao Huang was born in the capital. Although her father was only a sixth-rank military officer, there were as many as two thousand such low-ranking officers in the four major military camps in the suburbs of the capital. But being close to the court, she still had a general understanding of the situation of the princes.

The eldest prince, Prince Kang, is the only son of Virtuous Consort Liu. His wife passed away, and this time they need to select a new princess consort.

The second prince, Prince Hui, is the adopted son of Noble Consort Du, famous for his martial arts and has repeatedly made military achievements. Unfortunately, last year he was seriously injured on the battlefield and was left paralyzed.

The third prince, Prince Qing, is the son of Gentle Consort Shen, twenty years old this year, said to be skilled in both civil and military arts, and quite favored by Emperor Yongchang.

Noble Consort Du also has a biological fourth prince, only twelve or thirteen years old, not yet of marriageable age.

In Yao Huang's opinion, it would be best to marry the civil and military Prince Qing as his princess consort. The other two, one would have to be a stepmother, and the other the man is disabled, making life inconvenient.

But even as a princess consort for a widowed prince or a disabled prince, eighty percent would still be chosen from noble ladies. Candidates from lower backgrounds like Yao Huang are just the green leaves that set off the red flowers. Either they are eliminated, or they become a side consort to some prince. The absolute worst outcome is that after the princes have selected their main and side consorts, they are chosen by the over fifty-year-old Emperor Yongchang to stay in the palace as low-ranking concubines.

"Yao Yao, I'm scared." Chen Ying grabbed Yao Huang's hand, her face pale.

She really didn't expect that out of the three adult princes, two of them were not good options. Being a main consort is already difficult, let alone a side consort.

Yao Huang knew that Chen Ying also wanted to be not selected and return to her familiar family, but she couldn't comfort Chen Ying by agreeing with her, nor could she comment on the three princes or offer any advice. The only thing she could do was pat Chen Ying's hand and whisper, "Don't dwell on things you can't change. It just gives you a headache and doesn't help."

Chen Ying glanced at the door and swallowed her unease, heeding the advice.

As night fell, Yao Huang lay on the heated bed, hearing the four women sharing the bed with her tossing and turning.

Yao Huang snuggled under the quilt, thinking of her parents and brother whom she hadn't seen for over a month, and the large heated bed in the west wing that was all hers at home. She didn't know when she fell asleep.

.

As the sun rose in the east, light streamed through the glazed window.

The day that would almost determine the fate of the chosen women was just an ordinary day for Emperor Yongchang.

He first attended the morning court, then went to the imperial study to go over reports, and later discussed some political matters with several ministers individually. After finishing these tasks, Emperor Yongchang walked to the window, stretched his arms and turned his waist, checked the time, and asked Eunuch Wang, who was standing by, "Has Prince Hui entered the palace?"

Eunuch Wang smiled and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. The prince arrived half an hour ago and has been in the central palace chatting with the ladies."

Emperor Yongchang shook his head, "He was never much of a talker to begin with, and now with his legs like that, who could he possibly feel like keeping company with? He can't even force a smile in front of me."

Eunuch Wang looked sorrowful. The emperor had delayed appointing a crown prince, and no one knew whom he truly favored. Even if Prince Hui couldn't become the crown prince, with his martial skills, he could have been a great general assisting the future emperor. Who would have thought...

Apart from Prince Hui himself, Emperor Yongchang was the most heartbroken by his injury.

Personally, it was natural for a father to feel for his sick son. Publicly, it was only right for the emperor to compensate when a general was injured while defending the country.

Thus, while the other princes had their mothers choose their primary and secondary wives, Emperor Yongchang exceptionally allowed Prince Hui to choose his own consort!

With his legs immobile, he should at least choose a wife he finds pleasing to spend his life with!