The Job Of An Imperial Concubine

6

TJOAIC 6 - TO FAVOR AND TO LOVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY (宠与爱)

Jingyang Palace once again found itself accommodating the imperial concubines. Each wore smiles as beautiful as flowers yet carrying a cold sting.

If one were to name a privilege the rank of Imperial Concubine and above had over the others, it's that their ceremony in paying respects was less complicated.

The emperor had ascended the throne at a young age. Ten years later, he was now twenty-eight years old. Zhuang Laoyan noticed that although there were a lot of women in the imperial harem, those with high ranks numbered few. It went without saying that the emperor also favored few women.　　

In history, there had been a man named Liu Ziye who was emperor for a short two years. His imperial harem had about ten thousand beauties. Compared to that fatuous emperor, Feng Jin was a monk.

That said, although his imperial harem was considered small, each member was a treasure in her own right. Appearance and manner first-rate. It's no wonder in Zhuang Laoyan's past life, her male colleagues had all dreamed of being emperors. Let's not just talk about men. A woman like herself, after seeing a group of gorgeous young ladies, would feel happy at the sight.　　

The seating in the room was assigned by rank. Although Zhuang Laoyan and Imperial Concubine Wang were technically of the same rank, with the latter even holding seniority, the former held a title. Which led to the current seating arrangement: Zhuang Laoyan sat above Imperial Concubine Wang. Her seat gave her the most face out of the other Imperial Concubines.

Because Imperial Concubine Wang was a woman of few words, she didn't seem upset sitting below Zhuang Laoyan. She sat there upright like an honest person. Invisible to others.

On the other hand, Virtuous Imperial Concubine Jiang was more lively. She sat above Zhuang Laoyan, occasionally chatting with the other women. She was considered a social butterfly, and at first glance, seemed like a woman without cunning.　　

However, sometimes a harmless-looking woman could achieve greater success than those who seemed full of tricks. Unfortunately, Zhuang Laoyan had gotten a good taste of that in her previous life. After that, she no longer judged a book by its cover.

"Ever since you had stepped foot into Jingyang Palace, this palace did not have the chance to speak to younger sister Imperial Concubine Zhao. Do you sisters here enjoy today's tea?" The empress lifted her cup. "Yesterday, the servants from the Department of the Palace sent this blend. Apparently, it's a new product available in the spring. If you all like it, later the servants can send some over to your residences."　　

This was a warning to Zhuang Laoyan. It told her that she was only favored temporarily, and that the true master of the imperial harem was the empress. No matter the item, it would first go through her hands. No matter what Zhuang Laoyan did or planned, it would be futile.

Yet Zhuang Laoyan merely quirked her lips into a slight smile. "Who knew that today this concubine would be able to taste the new tea blend from Your Majesty's side. This concubine is so fortunate." She wasn't that stupid to compete with the empress' power. Currently, she was only a normal favored imperial concubine. Even if the emperor actually burned with a slight ember of love for her, she wouldn't show off.

Once the empress had heard Zhuang Laoyan's words, a smile formed on her lips. "What a sweet mouth. Since you like the tea so much, tell your servants to bring some back. This tea was brought out to be drank. If we let it sit for too long and age, it would be a pity."

"Since Your Majesty, the empress is fine with gifting Younger Sister Imperial Concubine Zhou some tea, don't forget about this concubine. This concubine will now shamelessly ask for some," said Noble Imperial Concubine Yan. Her smile was a work of art. Due to her humble birth, she could at most be a third-rank Noble Imperial Concubine even when highly favored. However, because Zhuang Laoyan's father was a high-ranking official, the emperor had favored that girl for a couple days at the start. And now, after such a short time, she had climbed to the rank of Imperial Concubine.