Palace maids and eunuchs lived and worked in the Imperial Palace, but not all were fortunate enough to ever gaze upon the Emperor's face.
Being assigned to a neglected place like Yizhu Pavilion meant Mian Xia and Zhenqiu naturally had no connections. Palace maids like them might go their entire lives without seeing the Emperor even once. First came fear, then excitement.
Zhenqiu forced herself to calm down. "Since the Emperor might come tonight, My Lady should start preparing."
Hearing this, Jiang Xian's heart went numb with anxiety.
In her past life, she'd attended Hengshui High School, where students saw nothing but an endless stream of exam questions. After starting University, she was busy with a work-study program. She had never been in a relationship and had zero romantic experience.
Thankfully, Mr. Liang was a thorough man. Upon hearing the Emperor's order to flip Jiang Daying's nameplate later that evening, he immediately dispatched a Sleeping Nanny to teach Jiang Daying the basics of serving the Emperor in bed.
Mian Xia asked with concern, "My Lady, are you nervous?"
Jiang Xian shook her head. "It's the same knife whether I stick my neck out or pull it back. Once I accepted that, I stopped being nervous."
"My Lady, don't say such things! This isn't like facing a blade—it's a joyous occasion of the highest order."
With no prior experience to draw from, Jiang Xian could only approach this with the attitude she'd have toward a job. She treated it like a project assigned by her superior—this was the first task the big boss had given her, and he was even going to supervise in person. She had to perform well. Rallying her spirits, she first pinged the system. 'Are there any skills that can help me serve the Emperor in bed? Or a one-time consumable would be fine too.'
'There's no time to learn a whole course.'
The system compiled a list of items related to serving the Emperor in bed.
Jiang Xian wanted to create a memorable impression that would make the big boss remember her. A permanent body fragrance aura was too expensive, so she focused on the one-time consumables. Sure enough, she found a budget version of the body fragrance item.
[Name]: Fragrance Floating
[Type]: One-time Consumable
[Function]: For 12 hours, the host will emit a unique fragrance.
[Note]: This is a brand-new scent that the Emperor has never smelled before.
Besides this, there were many other consumables for "enhancing the Emperor's experience." The function descriptions were utterly shameless, filled with brazen innuendos that rolled over her face like a cartwheel. Yet, her expression remained placid as she picked out the skills she needed, meticulously selecting three consumables.
When the Sleeping Nanny arrived, she offered a comforting smile. "It's common for a new lady to be shy. There are some things this servant can't say too explicitly..."
"No, please, I must trouble Nanny to be more explicit."
The Sleeping Nanny saw Jiang Daying staring at her with burning eyes, her gaze filled with a thirst for knowledge as she fired off one question after another. The nearby palace maids blushed furiously as the questions grew more and more explicit. The Sleeping Nanny, despite her age and experience, almost lost her composure.
'Good heavens!'
All concubines who entered the palace had their bodies inspected, so the Sleeping Nanny didn't doubt Jiang Daying's purity. She just thought to herself, 'What a bold girl.'
Jiang Xian's rank was low, so she didn't have her own palanquin. But because she was going to serve the Emperor, she got to ride in the Phoenix Spring Carriage. All the way to Weiyang Palace, she continued to relentlessly question the Sleeping Nanny about details. The eunuchs carrying the carriage were all around them. The Sleeping Nanny covered her face with a handkerchief, her replies to her mistress as quiet as a mosquito's buzz. "My Lady, you really shouldn't ask any more..."
"You don't know either? Then I'll ask Mr. Liang in a bit."
"...My Lady, you should just ask me."
Caught between social suicide and offending Mr. Liang, the Sleeping Nanny tearfully chose the former.
By the time she arrived at Weiyang Palace, Jiang Xian was brimming with confidence.
'Time to combine theory with practice!'
Palace maids were already waiting at Weiyang Palace to help Jiang Daying bathe and prepare. Afterward, she was wrapped up and delivered into the bedcovers. The Emperor's bed was also cold, but she warmed it up in no time. When the Emperor entered, he saw Jiang Daying looking up at him, her clever fox-like eyes sparkling in a very endearing way.
She was just as beautiful as when he had seen her that evening.
A silver thread charcoal plate burned in the room, making it very warm. The heat had brought a faint pink blush to her cheeks.
"You don't seem to be afraid of me."
The Emperor sat on the edge of the bed. Jiang Xian sat up as well, leaning toward him naturally as flattery flowed from her lips. "Ever since the palace selection, Your Concubine has been dreaming of this day. There is no room for anything but joy."
Not knowing the big boss's personality, Jiang Xian stuck to saying pleasant things.
You can't hit a smiling face, and flattery will get you everywhere.
As someone who had been just another young professional trying to make it in the big city—with no connections, no background, and no parents to bail her out—she had to rely on herself for everything. She had long ago cast aside dignity and restraint. All she wanted was to survive and live better than anyone else, and she was willing to do anything for it. In the workplace, she worked overtime. In the harem, she fought for favor. The flickering candlelight was no match for the bright ambition in her eyes.
And what was the Emperor thinking?
Xie Che looked down, gazing into Jiang Daying's bright, fox-like eyes, and sighed internally. 'This young woman... she's so in love with me she can't even hide it!'
As the last man standing in the war of succession between four princes, the current Emperor, Xie Che, was not the most capable, nor the most ruthless, and certainly not the Prince most favored by the late Emperor. But he was lucky. His three older brothers had fought until they were bloodied and broken, overlooking the fact that he had a mother of noble birth and was himself prudent in his affairs. The late Emperor appreciated his passive and contented nature, ultimately passing the throne to him on his deathbed.
This fortunate Emperor had everything handed to him from the day he was born. He had lived a life of untroubled ease. The noble ladies of his harem mostly came from the great aristocratic families of the Capital, women who valued composure and elegance in all things. He had never encountered someone with Jiang Xian's brand of desperate, grassroots hustle.
Having never seen it, he couldn't possibly imagine that a woman serving him in bed could be thinking of nothing but survival.
"You went to the Plum Garden every day. Were you truly there to admire the plum blossoms, or were you hoping to see me?"
Xie Che asked suddenly.
Mr. Liang had investigated and reported to the Emperor that Jiang Daying did, in fact, go to the Plum Garden every day.
Xie Che believed she didn't know his schedule.
But he suspected she was there for him.
The noble ladies of the harem were all reserved. They would hum a little tune only in secret, priding themselves on being above competition. Even when they did compete, they would claim they weren't. They all acted like detached, ambitionless heroines, but behind the scenes, they fought more fiercely than gamecocks.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Daying replied in a clear, crisp voice:
"Your Concubine went because she hoped to see the Emperor."
'What's the biggest fear when working overtime?'
'It's the fear that your boss won't see you doing it.'
Back in the day, Jiang Xian would grind away at the office late into the night. Before leaving, she would post on her social media—visible only to her superiors—with a picture of the silent office and the dark street outside, without fail. Subtle influence? She wished she could take a megaphone and repeatedly broadcast her hard work and contributions directly into her boss's ear.
In the harem, she had no family background, no connections, and none of the capital required to play coy with the Emperor.
After speaking, Jiang Xian observed the Emperor's reaction.
She wanted to know if this boss would fall for it.
And did the Emperor fall for it?
Xie Che's face lit up with pleasure. "I knew it."
Jiang Xian glanced up for a second before lowering her head. She had her answer.
'Mm, it seems this boss is the type with a lot of self-confidence who loves to be flattered.'