Her name had been called. She had no choice but to enter.
With her head bowed, Jiang Xian walked inside, feeling countless gazes upon her. She curtsied gracefully. "Empress, I wish you peace."
She kept her core steady through the curtsy.
If the Empress intended to make things difficult for her by forcing her to hold the position, she could rely on the core strength from her regular exercise to maintain a perfect posture. No one would be able to find fault with her form.
Unexpectedly, a serene female voice soon came from the throne. "Rise. The Emperor excused you from today's greetings. Why aren't you resting in Yizhu Pavilion?"
"Paying my respects to the Empress is my duty. As long as I can still walk, I will always come to Jianzhang Palace."
Jiang Xian was declaring her loyalty.
Her rank was low. If the Empress truly decided to target her, life in the palace would instantly become unbearable. She had to make her position clear.
Jiang Xian stole a glance at the Empress's face and saw that Ma Wanyi had been right. The Empress sat with perfect dignity, her expression composed, but the faint dark circles under her eyes revealed an exhaustion that even rouge and powder could not conceal.
"You should indeed come more often."
The Empress nodded, silently permitting her to go stand in the back row.
Ordinarily, concubines of the Changzai and Daying ranks were all but invisible in the palace, but today, Shu Changzai was the center of attention. Jiang Xian didn't want others paying too much attention to her looks, so she deactivated her [Fan Filter] aura. Even without the soft-focus filter, however, her face and figure remained breathtaking.
Every day, during the hour for the morning greetings, the main hall of Jianzhang Palace was like an open jewelry box, glittering with treasures. Shu Changzai's attire was simple, but her beauty was the most brilliant gem of all.
Chen Daying, who had tried to use her as a disposable pawn on the way to Jianzhang Palace, now didn't dare let out a single peep.
The other concubines sized her up, their gazes growing more and more hostile.
However, Jiang Xian had overlooked one thing.
She had deactivated the filter aura, but the [Fragrance Floating] she'd purchased last night hadn't expired. It was still active. The item caused others to perceive a unique aroma from her—a scent that embodied their deepest, most visceral desire of the moment. Since it was a product of the Palace Fighting System, the system had assumed its host would use it for romantic encounters. When admiring a beauty by lamplight, one might desire a bold, passionate perfume or a subtle, elegant one. But the morning greeting ceremony was a different affair entirely.
From the moment Shu Changzai stepped inside, Queen Chu smelled the perfect soporific incense, making her drowsy.
Ma Wanyi was right. The Empress hadn't slept well.
The reason, however, had nothing to do with Shu Changzai serving the Emperor.
It was due to all sorts of palace affairs: the birthday tributes for Grand Princess Consort Jing, the gifts from the vassal states—a portion of which the Emperor had given the Empress to distribute among the concubines—and the fast-approaching year-end festivities. The lamps in Jianzhang Palace had been burning late into the night, to the point where she had considered canceling the morning greetings altogether. Ma Wanyi's attempt to incite the Empress against Shu Changzai was completely misguided. When the Empress heard that Shu Changzai had attended to the Emperor until the middle of the night before water was called for their bath, she felt a pang of solidarity.
'So, it turns out none of us are getting enough sleep.'
While the Empress smelled soporific incense, what Princess Consort Zhang smelled was the hot pot she had been craving. Despite her prim nature, she was a true gourmand. She was especially fond of hot pot in the winter. The thinly sliced mutton, cooked instantly in the heavily spiced broth, was incredibly fragrant. But the dish was inflammatory; eating it for three days straight had given her mouth sores. Now, she was forced to eat bland vegetable congee and couldn't even smell meat without her mouth watering uncontrollably.
Thanks to the system's [Fragrance Floating], to Princess Consort Zhang's nose, Jiang Xian smelled like a walking Sichuan hot pot.
'Why would Shu Changzai show up for morning greetings reeking of meat?' she wondered.
'I heard the Emperor kept Shu Changzai at Weiyang Palace overnight,' Princess Consort Zhang mused. 'The Emperor is so fastidious about cleanliness; there's no way he'd sleep while cuddling a human hot pot. So where did she pick up the scent?' Though she was baffled, her body betrayed her, and she gulped, her mouth watering.
And this scene, to onlookers...
Noble Princess Consort Rong covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes wide with surprise. 'She's only a Changzai. Having a title makes her stand out, but surely Princess Consort Zhang, with her high rank, doesn't need to hate the girl enough to grit her teeth like that? I was going to teach this Shu Changzai a lesson myself, but it looks like I won't have to. I'm rather curious to see what the prim and proper Princess Consort Zhang will do when consumed by jealousy.'
Noble Princess Consort Rong peeked at the Empress on the high seat.
'The Empress is about to fall asleep.'
As for the other concubines, some smelled their own favorite fragrances wafting from Jiang Xian, while others, who were hopelessly devoted to the Emperor, caught a different scent. Consort Guo, for one, could clearly smell the Emperor's signature ambergris on her!
Consort Guo was convinced that Jiang Xian had stolen her rightful favor. Seeing that lovely face now, she remembered the jealousy from their first encounter at Chuxiu Palace, and old and new resentments came flooding back. A cloying smile spread across her face. "Shu Changzai, before you arrived, Wanyi was just discussing your grasp of the rules. Did you happen to overhear?"
Seeing Consort Guo launch an attack, Ma Wanyi quickly followed. "There should be moderation in all things. It was your first time serving the Emperor, yet you kept him occupied until the middle of the night. If you cause His Majesty to be late for morning court, that is a burden a mere Changzai such as yourself cannot possibly bear."
It was a heavy accusation to level against her.
The other concubines watched with cold detachment. Even if they weren't going to kick her while she was down, none of them intended to come to her aid.
A secret thrill coursed through Consort Guo as she watched Jiang Xian become a public target. 'The Emperor's grace is a magnificent thing,' she thought with relish, 'but does she have the good fortune to receive it? If this were happening to me, Xu Pin, an ally of my family, would certainly speak up. And no one would dare treat me too harshly, for my father's sake.'
'One night of imperial favor for Shu Changzai... but can she handle the consequences?'
Behind Jiang Xian, Chen Daying's lips moved slightly.
Chen Daying wanted to help, but it was Ma Wanyi who was questioning Jiang Xian. Her own rank was too low; it would be useless to interfere.
"In answer to Wanyi," Jiang Xian began, "when I was studying the regulations, I found that the Palace Rules do not specify by what hour water must be called for after a night of service. Have the rules been amended, and I, in my ignorance, have not been informed?"
Jiang Xian replied while standing, her gaze lowered, yet her tone was perfectly level—neither meek nor defiant.
This took the onlookers by surprise.
They'd heard this Shu Changzai came from some poor backwater. No matter how well she learned etiquette, she should have been timid and cautious. They never expected her to be so composed. Ma Wanyi, not anticipating the question being turned back on her, grew flustered.
A mere Wanyi had no authority to alter the Palace Rules.
Jiang Xian adopted a troubled expression. "Are there perhaps more detailed rules for attending to the Emperor that I don't know about? Ai, now that you've brought it up, Wanyi, I am truly terrified. I worry that one of my actions last night may have been taboo. Since you are so well-informed about the events inside Weiyang Palace, I beg you to enlighten me."
Her words were utterly vicious.
In the entire harem, only the Empress and Noble Princess Consort Rong, who shared authority over palace affairs, had the right to extend their influence into other residences. Yet even they could not openly spy on the Emperor's Weiyang Palace—let alone someone of Ma Wanyi's rank.
At these words, Ma Wanyi's face went white. She was left speechless.
Just then, Noble Princess Consort Rong's cold voice cut in.
"That's enough."