Chapter 1
Wan Zhao brought a woman back from an incognito journey to Jiangnan. Over everyone’s objections, he insisted on making her a consort of the senior second rank.
The palace’s senior consorts were all noble daughters of powerful aristocratic clans.
This woman was merely the daughter of a seventh-rank county magistrate in Jiangnan. At most, she should have been made a Lady of Fulfilled Grace.
But Wan Zhao was deeply in love with her. He called her the love of his life and, when drunk, made a grand declaration:
“Of all the waters in the world, I would drink only a single cup of Shuangxue.”
Yao Shuangxue. That was her name.
Wan Zhao kept her so well protected that none of the women in the harem had seen her, despite all their inquiries.
They had heard only that she was extraordinarily beautiful.
I was the last of the senior consorts to arrive at Taiji Hall.
By then, Lady Lu had already led the others in kneeling there for a long time.
A spark of hope lit her eyes when she saw me.
She and I were both Noble Consorts, and both came from the five great aristocratic surnames.
The position of empress stood vacant. Anyone with eyes knew it would go to one of us.
Now Yao Shuangxue had appeared out of nowhere. To the senior consorts, she was more than a threat. She was an insult.
The legitimate daughters of great clans were raised with exquisite care. Their knowledge and bearing could hardly be compared with those of girls from ordinary households.
I ignored Lady Lu’s hopeful look and walked into the hall.
The moment Wan Zhao saw me, he assumed I had come to use my family against him, just as Lady Lu had.
His brows knotted. The look he gave me was poisonous.
Until I spoke the words that left everyone aghast.
“On behalf of the Li clan of Longxi, I petition Your Majesty to make Lady Yao your consort.”
Disgust gave way to shock on Wan Zhao’s face, then to wild delight.
As though he could not quite believe it, he asked, “Wentan, you… say that again.”
I met his eyes with a gentle smile and raised my voice a little.
“On behalf of the Li clan of Longxi, I petition Your Majesty to make Lady Yao your consort.”
Yao Shuangxue should never have been able to become a consort.
But no one had reckoned on my changing sides at the crucial moment.
The Li clan of Longxi had stood unshaken for a hundred years.
No one could move us.
Ignoring the astonished looks around him, Wan Zhao rushed over and embraced me.
“Tan’er,” he said softly, “I knew you were the only one who truly cared for me.”
I patted his back. “You are my husband, Your Majesty, and the sovereign who rules all under heaven.”
“Your word is the law by which both I and the Li clan live.”
While professing my loyalty, I was quietly poisoning his mind against the others.
Two ancient clans. One was utterly loyal and accepted his wishes without question.
The other relied on its daughter’s noble birth to lead the women of his own harem against him and humiliate him.
Lady Lu really was as stupid as a pig.
The moment she heard my petition, she charged into the hall without the slightest regard for palace rules.
“Li Wentan, what are you playing at? How dare you pledge the Li clan’s support so lightly! Do you think I cannot see your little scheme to win his favor?”
Then she turned to Wan Zhao with an expression of earnest devotion.
“Your Majesty, I am not being petty. We know nothing of that woman’s background. I fear some villain has deceived you. Besides, the imperial ancestor decreed—”
“Enough!”
Wan Zhao cut her off before she could finish.
He had always been somewhat wary of the Lu clan of Fanyang, another ancient aristocratic house.
That wariness had earned Lady Lu a measure of favor in ordinary times.
But the daughter whom the Lu clan had cultivated with such care was an utter fool.
It was bad enough that she could not read the situation. Now she was making it worse.
No one knew Wan Zhao’s temperament better than I did.
When he loved someone, he wanted her to live. When he hated someone, he wanted her dead.
For the woman he loved, granting a consort’s rank was nothing. He might even have given her half his throne.
Making her a consort was already his bare minimum. How could he tolerate Lady Lu’s repeated insults to his beloved?
Watching from the side, I chose the right moment to add fuel to the fire. My voice trembled on the edge of tears.
“Sister Lu, you’ve misunderstood me. I simply cannot bear to see His Majesty put in such a difficult position…”
Another declaration of loyalty, making the contrast between us even starker.
Sure enough, Wan Zhao grew more furious. He pointed at Lady Lu and lashed out.
“Who do you think you are, to stand here finding fault with me?”
“Hear my decree. Noble Consort Lu has spoken recklessly and defied her sovereign. She is hereby demoted to Consort Lu, as a warning to others.”
My clan and I had pleased him. Rewards flowed into the Li household like water.
Within the harem, I became the sole power.
Wan Zhao prepared a magnificent investiture for Yao Shuangxue, far exceeding what a senior second-rank consort was entitled to.
Yet neither the court nor the harem raised another objection.
Even when someone submitted a memorial in protest, my father held it back instead of passing it on.
In the harem, there were only congratulations. No complaints.
After all, no one wanted to become the next Lady Lu.