Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After Consort Zhen died, I was assigned to Yongshou Palace to attend Consort Xian.

She was a gentle woman who liked to wear her hair in a simple bun and paint distant-mountain brows.

The Late Emperor did not favor her, but he had no choice but to respect her maiden family.

Consort Xian’s maiden family had produced two marquises in a single generation, and its ancestors had been made dukes of the state for generations.

They had risen through military merit when the dynasty was founded. Later, during the peaceful years, they had firmly secured the highest offices in Jiangnan’s salt administration, controlling the immensely lucrative salt trade.

With such formidable power behind her, Consort Xian had been made a consort by the Late Emperor against his will.

Yet he rarely came to her palace. He would not even stay for a cup of tea.

Living in the palace, Consort Xian was like an apricot blossom that had fallen within its deep walls.

She said she loved apricot blossoms for their fresh tenderness, because they reminded her of the days when she had been doted on by her parents and respected by her brothers while still a girl in her family home.

But as the eldest daughter of the family, she had no choice but to shoulder responsibility for her younger siblings.

By entering the palace, she could provide them with a shield and a place to stand.

Consort Xian said sadly, “My younger brother is unruly by nature. Though he knows his classics and poetry, he has no interest in pursuing an official career.”

“Father is always chasing him around, urging him to study, but even when he is beaten until both his legs bleed, he refuses to read a single line of the sages’ teachings.”

I comforted her. “Perhaps he is simply young. He will improve as he grows older.”

But she shook her head and sighed again and again.

“By the time he grows up, it will be too late.”

Later, news reached the palace that members of Consort Xian’s family had been arrogant and corrupt, living extravagantly and behaving without restraint.

The Late Emperor flew into a rage. He confiscated their entire household and even smashed the ancestral tablets of their forebears.

The reason was that the search of the Li Family’s storehouses had uncovered several hundred thousand taels of silver, along with several items made in violation of sumptuary regulations.

When Consort Xian heard, she was silent at first.

Then she let out a long breath.

“I warned them,” she said.

“I truly warned them.”

She spoke in a muffled, despondent voice, two streams of tears running down her beautiful face.

Only then did I realize that she was no more than sixteen years old.

The deep palace had worn away her individuality, leaving her unable to act freely or carry herself with ease. Every day, she acted with the utmost caution, terrified that she might bring dishonor to her title or drag her family down with her.

Yet in the end, she died in the struggle for power.

The Late Emperor bestowed a cup of poisoned wine upon her.

She drank it, then gave me the green jade hairpin from her head.

“You followed me, but I gave you no benefits, only suffering.

“This green jade hairpin came with me from my family home. I hope with all my heart that you can keep it safe.”

She ran her fingers over the green jade hairpin, her regret boundless.

Then she walked calmly toward the afterlife.

After Consort Xian died, I was assigned to the palace of Consort Yu, who was then in the height of the Emperor’s favor.

But this time, I ran into a wall.

Consort Yu was young and beautiful, but unlike the previous two ladies, she was not kind to those beneath her.

The moment I entered her palace, I was made to kneel in the rain for three days.