Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I am Noble Consort Chen, domineering, arrogant, and fond of bullying others.

Today I’m very bored.

So I plan to find someone to bully.

First, I’ll go lie in wait at the Imperial Garden.

But everyone is avoiding the Imperial Garden.

My maid, Xiao Tao, carefully reminds me, “Ever since the day you, Your Highness, punished every palace consort who picked a flower by making each of them plant a peony in return, everyone has been avoiding the Imperial Garden.”

Fine.

Then I’ll go to Taiye Lake and see if there’s anyone I can push in.

But the lakeside is completely empty.

Xiao Tao chooses her words with care. “After you had that shallow pool built for everyone to splash around in the other day, quite a few consorts have come down with colds these past few days.”

I let out a long sigh.

What am I supposed to do, then?

How am I supposed to hit my daily arrogance KPI?

Xiao Tao looks at me. “Your Highness, why not go riding?”

I reply listlessly, “The Imperial Household Department just filed a memorial over that little incident of galloping through the palace. We need to give them some fresh gossip.”

Besides, the palace riding ground is too small. You can’t really run there, and even the horses look stifled.

With truly nothing else to do, I can only go pay my respects to the Empress.

I even make a point of arriving a quarter of an hour late.

I stand outside the door and listen for a while.

There isn’t much fresh gossip in the palace. Talking about me is an evergreen topic.

“I heard Noble Consort Chen brazenly stole the Empress’s Dongzhu pearl screen. She’s far too arrogant!”

The Empress’s voice is calm and soothing. “If she likes it, then let her have it.”

“Your Highness! She’s getting more and more outrageous lately!”

“Your Highness must punish her.”

Their voices chirp and clamor, growing more and more worked up, even reaching the point of urging the Empress to report it to the Emperor.

After a brief silence, the Empress’s voice rings out coldly. “And whose fault is it that you don’t have fathers and brothers as capable as hers? All you ever do is egg me on-”

I lower my eyes, wanting to keep listening to what the Empress-always so tolerant and benevolent in public-was about to say.

“Her Highness the Noble Consort has arrived!”

A loud announcement gives me away.

I turn back to glance at Xiao Tao.

She quickly waves her hands and points at the little eunuch beside her who had tipped them off.

I have no choice but to walk in and offer a perfunctory curtsey. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

The Empress’s voice is gentle as ever. “Come, sit.”

I take a sip of tea. “Just now, while I was outside, I seemed to hear someone cursing me?”

I smile at Noble Concubine Fu. “It sounded like you.”

Her face turns deathly pale. “Your Highness heard wrong! This concubine didn’t say a single word just now!”

I let out a huff.

“If anyone is dissatisfied with me, you’re more than welcome to say it to my face.”

I stroke the leather whip I carry with me. “Anyone who dares come, I’m happy to oblige.”

Seeing how they’ve all gone pale with fright, I’m thoroughly satisfied.

Go on, hurry up and keep talking about me.

My gaze shifts, and I spot a young palace consort I don’t recognize, her face full of defiance.

“Oh? And who is this?”

The Empress answers, “You don’t come here often, so you haven’t met her yet, have you? This is the Emperor’s newly promoted Noble Lady Liang. She has enjoyed his favor for three months now.”

I lean back lazily. “Judging from your expression, it seems you have something to say?”

She glares at me, cheeks puffed with indignation. “This concubine would not dare. This concubine merely feels that though Your Highness unworthily occupies the rank of Noble Consort, you conduct yourself without the slightest decorum, and even dare to offend the Empress-”

I listen to her with a smile.

The whole hall is silent, with only her voice ringing out clear and forceful.

When she finishes, I nod. “That’s right. I am exactly this arrogant and overbearing.”

“But you have spoken back to a higher-ranking consort and shown disrespect to me. In that case, you will copy the Heart Sutra twenty times, then recite it fifty times before the Buddha.”

With that, I swagger off.

That very night, the Emperor summoned Noble Lady Liang to attend him.

Then she became Attendant Liang and was moved to the cold palace.

When I heard the news, I instructed Xiao Tao, “Set aside a little from my monthly allowance and send it to her every month. Don’t let her starve to death.”

Poor thing.