"Oh, why must this happen to me?" Lingyi's whisper was raw with frustration as she sat up.
"I'm yet to figure out my life, and here I am, trapped in a strange world, a mere servant." These desperate thoughts consumed her as she sat alone in the desolate maid quarters.
"Hmph! Hmph!" Wanying coughed, deliberately, pulling Lingyi abruptly from the depths that threatened to drown her.
"Sister Wanying, are you done with your chores? Is there any-" Lingyi began, eager to get on the older maid's good side. She needed allies, even begrudging ones, in this bewildering new reality.
"Huh? Am I done with my... what?" Wanying chuckled, a dry mocking sound, "Ru Lingyi... you haven't even lasted a week here, and you're already questioning me? Do you forget your place so easily?" Wanying's gaze was sharp, filled with disdain.
"No, Sister, I dare not," Lingyi immediately defended, her voice quick.
"You dare not?" Wanying giggled, a hint of malice now lacing the mocking tone."I wasn't wrong about you. With time, you will show your true colors, just like all the others who think they are too good for this life."
Lingyi stood still, her gaze fixed on Wanying as the older maid continued her exaggerated display. It was a petty performance, a funny one but Lingyi dared not let even a flicker of amusement cross her face, lest she is handed a new list of misdeeds to atone for.
"Ru Lingyi! I'm talking to you!" Wanying barked, her voice snapping through the silence.
"Sorry, Sister Wanying, what did you say?"
"What did I say?" Wanying repeated, her eyes narrowed in sudden shock and anger. "Take this bowl and go fetch milk from the Imperial Household Department." She stretched a sizable bowl towards Lingyi.
"Sister, I don't-" Lingyi hesitated, rolling her fingers against each other anxiously.
"Oh, you don't want to go?" Wanying immediately cut in, her voice sharp.
"No! I will go!" Lingyi quickly conceded.
"Then what are you waiting for?!"
"Sister, I don't really know my way to-" Lingyi stammered.
"You don't know your way!? But you know your way into this Palace, don't you? Look, I don't know what your deal is, but Her Highness personally asked me to give you this task. If it pleases you, disappoint her. I don't even know why I'm helping you." Wanying dropped the bowl carelessly onto the floor and stormed away.
All these accusations and Wanying's animosity didn't matter to Lingyi. All she cared about now was completing this task, and winning her Mistress's trust and favor. It was her only path to survival. She picked up the bowl, and took a deep breath, preparing herself to find the Imperial Household Department.
Meanwhile, in North Palace, at the opulent quarters of Concubine Jia, the usual serene atmosphere had been violently replaced by tension. A delicate porcelain vase lay shattered on the floor, a testament to her abrupt fury. The news of the Emperor selecting a princess to be married off to Luo State had reached Concubine Jia's ears.
"What!?" Concubine Jia exclaimed, her voice echoing through the room.
"Your Highness, I heard this from the madams in the imperial kitchen," Lixin replied, her voice trembling slightly but with concern.
"No, it can't be true, it's not possible." Jia disagreed, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for a hidden truth, a secret pathway to deny reality. She knew certainty, that if anyone was to be selected, it must be her own daughter, A'yin, the Emperor's eldest princess. Instantly, Concubine Jia began plotting, desperately trying to avert this wave of ruin.
"But Your Highness, the First Princess might not be the one chosen. Let's just hope it goes in our favor," Lixin added, a desperate attempt to offer solace.
"Let's hope!?" Jia questioned angrily, her wavering gaze snapping to Lixin. "Hope is for fools, Lixin. I cannot leave this to chance!"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but there is nothing we can do," Lixin whispered, truly believing they were powerless against an imperial decree.
"I cannot sit back and do nothing!" Concubine Jia replied, pacing the room now.
"Your Highn-"
"I know what to do," Concubine Jia cut in, her eyes filled with a new resolve as she threw her hand in the air decisively.
Lixin gazed at her, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"I cannot determine the result, but I might be able to change the outcome," Concubine Jia declared, a dark satisfactory smirk slowly playing on the corner of her lips.
"Huh?" Lixin exclaimed, confused.
"What do you know, Lixin. Go complete your chores. I need a good rest...we have to greet the Empress early tomorrow." Jia concluded, dismissing her maid with a wave of her hand as she made her way to her bedchamber.
"Empress? What does the Empress have to do with this now?" Poor Lixin left to her quarters, more confused than before.
The imperial wives, draped in finely made silk that whispered with each subtle movement, their elaborate hairstyles adorned with countless pins and beads of fine wood, jade, and silver, all sat poised in the majestic hall of the Central Palace, the Empress's residence.
Their seats were arranged in two elegant columns. Each wife was seated after her predecessor in rank, creating a descending order of prestige. Their handmaids stood silently behind them, ready to assist with serving tea or helping them rise for formal greetings. At the end of each column sat the lowest-ranking wives present, a First Attendant or a Noble Lady. At the beginning of each column, just after the Empress's elevated dais, sat the highest-ranking wife beneath her, a Noble Consort, or a Consort if no Noble Consort was present to fill the higher seat. To explain this intricate order, a Noble Consort was three ranks below the Empress, a Consort four ranks below, a Concubine five ranks below, a Noble Lady six ranks below, and then a Second Class Attendant, who was the lowest of all, except in some rare cases...a First Class Attendant.
From the concubine rank and above, the imperial wives wore silver nail guards on their small and ring fingers, the length depicting their exact ranks. There was no argument that these women, groomed for beauty and courtly graces, were among the most stunning in the Wu Kingdom, each possessing unique skills and talents, though often hidden behind layers of politeness and cunning.
Consort Ning had always been a busybody, ever in search of something to stir up a conversation, or an opportunity to assert her subtle dominance. This well-known character of hers meant other imperial wives either curried favor with her or remained wary of her sharp tongue and manipulative ways.
Consort Ning was seated directly opposite Consort Yang, a strategic position that gave her the perfect chance to monitor every movement of Yang.
Consort Yang, was never one to be nervous or anxious about social gatherings, she simply enjoyed minding her own business.
After moments of silence, Consort Ning adjusted her robe, ready to draw the attention she craved.
"Humph! Mph!" Ning released an audible, throaty sound, purposely letting her teacup clatter slightly on the small table beside her. At this calculated moment, all eyes in the grand hall turned to where the sound had originated.
"Ah! Sister Yang, you look rather dashing today, and your hair..." She paused, letting her eyes linger, a smirk playing on her lips. "No one does it like you." Everyone's attention shifted immediately to Consort Yang, who met Ning's gaze with unwavering composure.
"Consort Ning... you flatter me," Yang replied with a polite smile,still waiting for the main point of Ning's veiled attack to surface.
Consort Ning chuckled."But Consort Yang, if one were to enter this hall, they might think you to be a Phoenix amongst all birds, you know... looking at how, grand you are dressed."
The hall echoed with a collective gasp.
"Phoenix amongst all birds!? What is Consort Ning trying to do?" Noble Lady An whispered, leaning closer to Concubine Qin.
"Consort Ning is throwing dirty water at Consort Yang by comparing her to the Empress, who alone embodies the Phoenix," Concubine Qin explained in a low voice.
"Isn't that an offense coming from Consort Ning?"
"A dangerous one at that...but only if Consort Yang can turn the tides will it be an offense. If she fails, she might be accused of trying to steal the Empress's limelight, of dressing seductively, " Concubine Qin replied, her years in the imperial harem having taught her every nuanced cruelty of court politics.
Already, other imperial wives were all eyes and ears focused solely on Consort Yang. However, Yang was not one to back down from a fight, nor was she afraid to rustle some feathers.
Consort Yang's smile remained, she began, "Consort Ning, you can't possibly blame me for making you look like a mere sparrow."
Concubine Qin choked on her tea, followed by widespread looks of stunned surprise on everyone's faces.
Consort Yang continued, her eyes holding Ning's, "Perhaps during reincarnation, the creator can allow some people the privilege of choosing their background, to be born into a family with true legacy and grace. But that is only if you get to reincarnate at all, of course." This sent another wave of shock through everyone in the Hall, a jab not just at Ning's status but at her very spiritual essence and background.
"How dare you!" Consort Ning spat out, her eyes blinking uncontrollably, betraying her shameful and utterly public defeat.
"Consort Yang! You-" Ning's furious defense was abruptly cut short.
"Phoenix!?" A powerful voice echoed from the grand entrance, causing everyone to turn as one towards its direction.