Before the sky had even darkened, Liang Yuyin astutely arrived at Yizhu Pavilion to escort her.
He had observed that the Emperor wasn't busy with state affairs today, and it was likely he'd want to summon her for service before the appointed hour. It was better to have the Beauty arrive early and wait in the wings. That way, she would be there the moment he thought of her, which would further prove how competently he handled his duties.
Liang Yuyin had his own thoughts about this Shu Changzai.
When he had seen Shu Changzai yesterday, he'd only thought her the most striking beauty among the new arrivals, not far off from Noble Princess Consort Rong herself. Her only shortcoming was her demeanor—too green and proper, lacking a young woman's delicate charm. Although eunuchs weren't whole men, their aesthetic sense wasn't much different. He figured all men preferred gentle, demure beauties. The Emperor might be infatuated with that face for a while, but she wouldn't be favored for long.
That perception changed when she served the Emperor that night.
'I can't believe a minor official from some remote backwater has such grand ambitions, raising his daughter to be like this...'
Those who could enter the palace were certainly virgins. Even if she had spent her first night in wild abandon with the Emperor, Mr. Liang didn't doubt Shu Changzai's purity. He just thought that perhaps her father had intentionally raised this Beauty to be sent into the palace or presented to someone more powerful, all as a scheme to advance his own official career.
If Father Jiang, far away in Meize County, knew the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Palace was speculating about him like this, he would probably cough up blood. Father Jiang had the character of the noblest of scholars. He had only one wife, no pampered concubines or beautiful maids, and was remarkably self-restrained, engaging in "immoral acts" with his wife only once a week. How could he have possibly raised such a rebellious daughter, one who was competitive even about her first night serving the Emperor?
Fortunately, Meize County was poor and remote enough that news from the Capital rarely reached it. If Father Jiang had been a high-ranking official at court and was denounced for this during the morning assembly, he would have been so mortified he'd want to find a new dynasty to serve in.
"Is Shu Changzai ready? The Emperor is still in Qiankun Hall, so you may have to wait a while," Liang Yuyin added. "It's cold outside. Did you bring a hand warmer?"
When the Emperor bestowed rewards, he often left the details to the eunuchs.
But that little pumpkin-shaped, jewel-and-silk hand warmer was an exception; the Emperor had personally named it, ordering it to be retrieved from the storehouse and given to Shu Changzai.
Seeing a gift to a woman being used was something that pleased the giver, and it also showed that he was good at his job.
"I have it," Jiang Xian replied softly. Supported by a palace maid, she stepped out gracefully. She lifted her clear eyes to look at him, making the eunuch's heart skip a beat. "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Liang."
She raised her hands, and cupped in them, as pale and flawless as white porcelain, was that very pumpkin-shaped hand warmer.
Liang Yuyin froze for a second, then secretly sucked in a breath.
'My goodness, how has Shu Changzai become a completely different person in just one day?'
Yesterday, she was a proper, respectable Beauty. But today... she had a certain seductive charm, an alluring air. Her gaze seemed to shimmer with moisture, a tantalizing caress that reached right to the heart. However much Noble Princess Consort Rong might detest it, that was how much a man would love it. He feared the Emperor's vast grace, upon reaching her, had become something far more... wanton.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but respect her a bit more.
"Shu Changzai, please board the Spring Enfeoffment Phoenix Carriage."
It had snowed a little the other day and the snow had since melted, so a little eunuch knelt on the damp ground, offering his back for Jiang Xian to step on to board the Spring Enfeoffment Phoenix Carriage.
So many women in the harem longed for a ride in this carriage!
Jiang Xian was from the modern era and wasn't used to stepping on another person's back to get into a carriage. She secretly channeled her energy, pushing off lightly with the Qinggong she had recently learned from her system. She did it so discreetly that no one else noticed. The little eunuch felt no weight on his back before he saw the driver set off. He looked up in a flustered daze to see Shu Changzai sitting perfectly in the carriage.
'How on earth did she get up there?'
He didn't dare ask and just pondered it himself. Only after escorting her to a side hall of Qiankun Palace to wait did he bring it up with the other servants. "I'm serious... Shu Changzai stepped on my back to get on, but I didn't feel a thing."
"If a person has no weight when they step on you, can they really be alive?" another eunuch wondered.
"When I saw Shu Changzai walk in just now, her cheeks were flushed pink. She's definitely alive."
"The Chief Eunuch will skin you alive if he hears you talking like that."
The little eunuchs' voices were high and soft as they huddled together, whispering. A eunuch with a round, moon-like face had a flash of insight. "It must be that Shu Changzai is so light that you didn't feel her weight."
"A whole living person..."
"Well, she's a noble mistress in the palace. It's not unheard of for them to be graceful and light," the eunuch said with a sly smile. "I bet the Emperor just loves that she can practically dance in his palm."
Catching a flicker of light and shadow in their peripheral vision, the group fell silent.
In just one day, a rumor spread that Shu Changzai was as light as a cicada's wing—lighter even than a newborn kitten.
But we'll set that story aside for now.
Jiang Xian had just sat down in the side hall of Qiankun Palace when a palace maid served her hot tea and pastries.
She had a good attitude and a healthy appetite wherever she went. After all, when she was working around the clock at a big tech company, she often didn't even have time for a hot meal. Her motto was to eat when you can to avoid a stomachache that could hinder work. When she came to serve the Emperor yesterday, she had eaten every last crumb of the pastries served to her—the pastries from the imperial court were indeed more exquisite and delicious than those in her regular portion as a Changzai.
Today, however, Jiang Xian didn't feel like eating.
She slumped over the table with a distinct lack of decorum, stacking the rose pastries and knocking them over again.
A palace maid bowed and inquired, "Are the rose pastries not to Your Ladyship's taste? The Emperor has given orders that if Your Ladyship is hungry or thirsty, you may order whatever you like, as long as it doesn't have an overly strong smell. Anything else is permitted."
'When the Dog Emperor decides to be considerate, he's actually quite meticulous.'
He didn't want to finish his work and come to the side hall only to find a Beauty who had fainted from hunger.
'What kind of person am I?'
'If the boss hasn't arrived, there's no way I'm starting to eat.' Besides, for once, she didn't have an appetite. Her mind was filled with the life and experiences of Daji, who had dominated the Six Palaces only to die a tragic death. She glanced at the palace maid and said coolly, "The Emperor is busy with state affairs. Wouldn't it be shameless of me to be feasting back here?"
But just lounging around in the side hall made Jiang Xian feel antsy.
Before she transmigrated, her therapist had told her she had anxiety. Whenever she had free time, she'd have nightmares. 'What did I dream about? Being chased by vicious dogs, each with a human face—all of them men.' Sexism was rampant in the countryside. Even more difficult than being a small-town top student was being a small-town female top student. She had to move faster than everyone else, leaving them far behind, just to avoid being torn apart and devoured.
'So what am I supposed to do to keep busy? Yoga in the side hall?'
Just as Jiang Xian was vexing over this, a soft, delicate laugh seemed to echo in her mind, like the tip of a fox's tail brushing against her heart.
System: [Triggering Daji's mental voice reminder from the "Blame Template".]
The language of the Shang Dynasty wasn't Mandarin; to Jiang Xian, it sounded like gibberish. But with the system's help, she understood it perfectly.
'A legendary Evil Concubine is giving me personal guidance!'
Jiang Xian sat up straight, ready to listen obediently.
Daji: ['To think he'd make me wait so long. How useless. Listen to me: have a palace maid bring you a brush, ink, and paper. Copy the *Women's Precepts* that the Noble Consort punished you with right here. Pin your hair up, loosely, with a single jade hairpin—the kind that lets all your hair cascade down your back the moment it's pulled out.']
Her mental voice was willful and arrogant, full of malice.
But it was just so alluring. As long as you weren't her target, it was hard to hate her. Instead, it was easy to let your mind wander.