In this life, Feng Wan focused on refining her culinary skills—she simply loved making delicious food.
Once her daughter grew up and took over the Nie Corporation, she and Nie Shuyuan traveled across the country, collecting gourmet experiences from every corner of the land.
When her life peacefully came to an end, Lin Qingxue once again opened her eyes and found herself back in the system space.
This time, however, the system didn't immediately rush forward to welcome its host—mainly because the news it carried wasn't exactly great.
The moment Lin Qingxue saw how sheepish it looked, she knew it couldn't be anything good.
"Just spit it out. A clean cut is better than a long, dragged-out pain."
"Alright, Host, please stay calm. Your last task target rated you 50,000 points at intermediate level because you only gave birth to one child. They felt the family life wasn't complete enough."
Not too bad—at least it wasn't the lowest rating. It seemed she couldn't afford to be too picky in the future. Childbearing missions clearly needed to take the target's psychological expectations into account.
If she had known, she would've taken her self-developed Many Children, Much Fortune Pill again—after all, it could control both the number and gender of the offspring.
Now, with only 4.14 million points left, she'd have to strive for a high score in the next world—no more slacking off.
Having completed two modern-world missions in a row, Lin Qingxue was well aware that her next world likely wouldn't be so easy. So this time, she chose to rest normally.
When it came time to draw her next mission, she was already mentally relaxed. Since she was certain the upcoming task wouldn't allow her to breeze through, she spun the mission roulette without hesitation or burden.
Palace intrigue, huh? Looks like things are about to get complicated—time to play the game of wits.
The mission target wore a pale green palace robe. Her eyes gleamed like jade, soft and delicate in demeanor. A faint furrow between her brows lent her an air of melancholy that stirred a desire to protect her.
If there was one flaw, it was her frail figure—she had the look of a sickly beauty.
The moment she saw Lin Qingxue, she bowed respectfully and voiced her request in a low yet firm tone:
"Immortal, I only wish to climb to the highest position in the harem—a place where no one can bully me."
Ah, an ambitious woman. But what exactly did she mean by "the highest position"? That needed clarification.
"You mean Empress, Empress Dowager, or... Emperor?"
The woman visibly flinched at the last word, clearly startled.
"No, no, Immortal! I only want to win in the inner court and eventually become the Empress Dowager."
Good, the objective was clear this time. The system transmitted Lin Qingxue into the new world once more.
Upon arrival, she was hit with a wave of dizziness and grogginess. A quick pulse check confirmed it—she had caught a cold that was on the verge of turning into pneumonia.
After confirming no one was nearby, she retrieved the appropriate medicine from her space and took it immediately, then lay down to absorb the original host's memories.
Her name was Zheng Qingling, a newly inducted consort in the Xuanwu Dynasty. She held the rank of Changzai (Attendant Zheng), favored for her beauty yet resented for it. She hadn't even been summoned to the emperor's bed yet and was already exiled to Apricot Blossom Pavilion under the pretense of recovering from illness—a glorified version of the Cold Palace.
With little influence and a soft-spoken nature, the original host was an easy target. Some in the palace even obstructed the Imperial Medical Bureau from treating her, and she eventually died of her illness.
As for those who served her, only Chunxiu—the maid who entered the palace with her—remained by her side. The others had all gone off to seek better masters, unwilling to waste their time on someone with no future.
The situation was dire. Xiao Qianming, the emperor, was no fool. He had emerged victorious from a brutal power struggle between eight princes—clearly, this was a man whose cunning and political shrewdness could not be underestimated.
This was only the second year of his reign, and he had already held his first selection of concubines. All the newcomers, however, were granted low ranks—proof of how stingy Xiao Qianming could be.
At present, the emperor had only two daughters. While some concubines had conceived sons before, none had made it to term, and the few who did gave birth to stillborns.
What did this imply? That the harem was teeming with dark undercurrents—some clearly did not wish for an imperial son to be born.
Zheng Qingling had yet to analyze the full scope of the palace drama when—
Creaaak—
The door swung open with a gust of icy wind, making her shiver uncontrollably.
It was deep winter, and yet no one had delivered her share of firewood. The blanket she used was something the original host had bought with her own money.
Chunxiu entered carefully, carrying a bowl of thin porridge.
"My lady, I brought you some hot porridge from the imperial kitchen. Please, have a few sips."
Zheng Qingling glanced at her maid's hands—red from the cold, with faint bruises on her face. It was clear Chunxiu had suffered no small amount of bullying in recent days.
She took a sip from the bowl with Chunxiu's help. It was already lukewarm—not good for her frail body.
No—this cold porridge wouldn't do.
Feigning a search at her waist, Zheng Qingling took out a golden bean and handed it to the worried-looking Chunxiu.
"Chunxiu, go tend to your wounds first. Then take this gold bean to the imperial kitchen and get me something warm."
"Yes, my lady. I will not fail you."
Zheng Qingling could see the doubt in her maid's eyes, but she had no intention of explaining herself. In this era, confiding in a servant was the height of foolishness.
Since she had entered this man-eating imperial harem, she would not trust anyone—not even this seemingly loyal maid. After all, money could move the heart, and riches could blind the eye.
Author's Note:
Below is a list of the main figures in the imperial harem. Newly added concubines are marked. The ranking system in this world follows the Qing Dynasty model, as it's simpler and easier to remember.
Huanghou (Empress): Vacant
Guifei (Noble Consort): Cousin – Zhao Ying
Fei (Consort):
- Shufei (Virtuous Consort) – Li Keqing – Mother of the eldest princess, Xiao Yuanlan
- Defei (Virtuous Consort) – Sun Sangning
Pin (Concubine):
- Yipin (Concubine Yi) – Zhou Yan – Mother of the second princess, Xiao Yuanyu
- Anpin (Concubine An) – Wang Xinyi
- Rongpin (Concubine Rong) – Su Ran
Guiren (Noble Lady): Xiao Rou'er, Wan Xiyue (new), Sun Miao
Changzai (Attendant): Wu Yuting, Kong Ning (new), Zheng Qingling (new)
Daying (Respondent/Servant Concubine): Fang Muqian (new), Jiang Yuqi (new)