Quick Transmigration: The Charming Beauty Who Was Short-Lived and Alluring

When it came time for the selection process, it was said that Qi Jingheng was almost at the palace where the young ladies were staying when he was summoned away by Consort Shu. Chu Yun and the other new ladies waited for most of the day, but instead of Qi Jingheng, they received an imperial decree to bestow the title of Consort.

Thirteen people were selected, among whom the highest-ranking was Sun Jingya, who came from the Sun family of Huaizuo. She had just entered the palace and was already granted the title of Noble Lady of the Sixth Rank and the honorary title of Ya. However, considering her family background, people were not so resentful. Chu Yun was granted the title of Changzai of the Seventh Rank, a rank that was neither high nor low, making her less conspicuous.

According to the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree, in order to accompany Consort Shu, Qi Jingheng did not intend to personally select the candidates. Instead, he and Consort Shu circled a few names on the roster, and those circled could enter the palace.

This is absurd. Selecting concubines is a major event to ensure the continuation of the Qi royal family. No ruler of Qi in history has ever acted in this way, treating respectable women from all over the country as playthings.

This matter could be considered a major or minor issue. In the eyes of the censor, it was a breach of the emperor's moral character, and a memorial must be submitted.

In the eyes of the respectable young men, Consort Shu was naturally considered to be extremely favored. Even before meeting her, they already felt a sense of awe towards her. This was probably why Consort Shu called Qi Jingheng away halfway through the meeting; she wanted to show the newcomers to how favored she was and give them a taste of her power.

In Consort Xian's eyes, Consort Shu was even more disdainful. She thought the matter was incredibly foolish. A dignified first-rank Consort Shu was competing with a group of newcomers who hadn't even entered the palace yet. Losing her status was a minor matter, but Consort Shu had gone too far. Interfering in the selection of concubines was an overstepping of the bounds. In the eyes of the old-fashioned people in the previous court, Consort Shu's impression of her would be much worse, which would be detrimental to her future struggle for the empress's position.

"You're so shallow. What's the use of this favor now? What's important is to gain a reputation for virtue, so that you can compete for the position of the Empress of Chang Le Palace." The Virtuous Consort lay on her side on the soft couch and spoke softly.

Fuling, her trusted confidante who was fanning her from the side, smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

"Let Consort Shu continue to embarrass herself," Consort Xian said, raising an eyebrow. "By the way, what are the qualifications of those new recruits? Are any of them usable?"

Fuling said, "There are thirteen people who have entered the palace this time. The highest-ranking one is Consort Ya, who comes from the Sun family of Huaizuo. The most outstanding in appearance is Consort Qin, the daughter of the Prefect of Huzhou. However..."

"But what?" Consort Xian asked.

"I heard that this Consort Qin has been frail since childhood and has been taking medicine constantly. Her health has only improved in recent years. Perhaps because of her long-term illness, she is extremely sullen. Since entering the palace, she has not made a single friend. It seems that Consort Shu does not like her and has ordered her to be assigned to Qingyu Palace," Fuling replied.

In her opinion, everyone in the palace was adept at social maneuvering, but this Consort Qin was different; she seemed afraid of seeing people, making her not a good person to win over. However, Consort Xian had specifically instructed her to keep an eye on outstanding newcomers, so she couldn't help but mention this beautiful Consort Qin.

"What friends can one make in this palace?" Consort Xian sneered. "As for whether this Consort Qin is truly like this or is just pretending to be weak, we still need time to observe. Consort Shu, that fool, is already getting jealous of him. It's laughable."

As she finished speaking, Consort Xian's voice turned somewhat cold.

Fuling's expression turned solemn. "Yes, Your Majesty is indeed very thoughtful."

*

As for Chu Yun, she was of low rank and came from an ordinary background, so she was not highly regarded. Moreover, because of her outstanding appearance, she was targeted by Consort Shu and was only assigned to the side hall of Qingyu Palace—Luoying Hall.

Qingyu Palace is remote and some distance from Qi Jingheng's Chengzuo Palace, so it's not a good place. Fortunately, the main hall of Qingyu Palace is empty, so it's more convenient for Chu Yun to do things since she lives alone.

The Imperial Household Department assigned Chu Yun four eunuchs and four second-class palace maids. In addition to Qiu Yue and Shuang Xue, Chu Yun would have to manage more than ten people in the future. With these dozen or so people living there, the usually quiet Qingyu Palace became a bit more lively.

After entering the palace, not only was Chu Yun taught the rules, but Qiu Yue and Shuang Xue also learned the palace rules from the nanny. The two of them were smart and quickly got the hang of it. They directed the maids and eunuchs to do things with great authority. Seeing this, Chu Yun let them handle the cleaning and arrangement of the palace and went to the inner hall to rest.

She had been studying etiquette these past few days, getting up early and going to bed late, and was already sleep-deprived. Today, for the palace selection, she was woken up before dawn to wash and dress, and she was truly exhausted.

However, just as she was drifting off to sleep, she would be disturbed by the palace maids who came to deliver gifts. This happened three or four times in a row, completely driving away Chu Yun's sleepiness.

The Consort Shu, Consort Xian, and other old palace servants sent gifts, and the new concubines also sent gifts one after another. In just half a day, Chu Yun received nearly twenty gifts. Comparing the gifts sent by the concubines, Chu Yun personally went to the storeroom to select return gifts and instructed two clever-looking second-class palace maids, Qingyun and Hongxiu, to deliver the return gifts one by one.

Unable to fall asleep any longer, Chu Yun picked up a book and read until night fell and Qiu Yue came to urge her to eat, at which point she put the book down.

"His Majesty has chosen Consort Ya today," Qiu Yue said quietly after Chu Yun took her seat.

When she first received the news, she carefully prepared to tell Chu Yun about it, but seeing Chu Yun engrossed in reading, she couldn't bear to disturb her. She thought she would tell her later to avoid upsetting Chu Yun. Now, she couldn't delay any longer, so she had to speak while carefully observing Chu Yun's expression.

Unexpectedly, her young lady only paused slightly, then softly said, "That's how it should be."

Qiuyue couldn't quite figure out Chuyun's thoughts. After all, it was the first time His Majesty had favored a new concubine. If she could be the first to receive his favor, her future would be much easier. Now that the new concubine had just entered the palace, His Majesty was still in high spirits and would naturally show her more favor. But if she missed out on being among the first to receive his favor, she might be forgotten and sent to the cold palace. Why wasn't her young lady in a hurry at all?

Shuangxue tugged at Qiuyue's sleeve, signaling her not to say anything. Chuyun saw the tension in their eyes but didn't say anything, just kept her head down and ate.

The atmosphere in the Cherry Blossom Palace was relatively normal, but the other newcomers to the palace were not so composed. Some were so angry that they couldn't eat, while others were wringing their handkerchiefs tightly...

However, these newcomers, having just entered the palace, could not vent their anger or resentment too harshly. On the contrary, Consort Shu, relying on her high rank and seniority, first smashed a set of priceless jewelry in the palace, and then sent people directly to Consort Ya's Feihua Palace to snatch her away.

Chu Yun was eating when Hongxiu strode in, her small mouth opening and closing rapidly as she spoke: "Consort Shu is unwell and sent someone to Lady Ya's palace to invite His Majesty, but Lady Ya's maids blocked her from entering, so the person Consort Shu sent was calling from outside the palace."

Hongxiu cleared her throat. "Your Majesty, our Empress is not feeling well. Please go and see her." This shout actually summoned His Majesty away.