The empress is both charming and seductive, rising through the ranks of palace intrigue.

In the third year of Yifeng, in the third month.

His Majesty has completed his three-year mourning period for the late Emperor and is now holding his first imperial concubine selection. The palace and its surroundings are bustling with activity.

Street vendors thronged the streets and alleys, their laughter and chatter filling the air, the crowds stretching as far as the eye could see.

Even the number of beggars hiding at the intersection was more than usual.

What's noticeable is that one of the beggars, though carrying a begging bowl, wears a string of Buddhist prayer beads around his neck. A strange, eerie light gleams in his eyes as he stares intently at a woman on the street.

The girl was about sixteen years old, dressed in a light purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). Her long, black hair was simply tied up in a bun, with a strand falling to her chest, making her look charming and lovely. Moreover, she was extremely beautiful, with teeth as white as melon seeds, a delicate forehead and arched eyebrows, clear eyes like autumn water, and a fair complexion as white as solidified cream.

I imagine any man would be unable to look away from her.

Unexpectedly, the beggar suddenly stepped forward and blocked the woman's path. His dark face was full of serious expression, and his tone was very solemn: "Miss, you exude an air of nobility. As I predict, you will definitely be the most honored woman in this Yifeng Dynasty in the future."

The maid beside the woman sized up the beggar, laughing quipped, "You're just a beggar, do you think you can tell fortunes?"

The woman turned her head to look at the maid. Her fair cheeks were tinged with a thin layer of gold by the setting sun, making her look serene and tranquil. She said gently, "Give him some silver."

Upon hearing this, the maid quickly took out some loose silver from her sleeve and gave it to the beggar. The beggar beamed and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Miss, thank you, Miss."

The maid hurriedly followed the woman who had already left, and said in a sweet voice, "These days, beggars will say anything and everything to get money."

Her eyes flickered, and she said with a smile, "However, Miss is entering the palace tomorrow. Aren't the Emperor's concubines the most honored women in the land?"

The woman was none other than Ning Shuyan, the eldest daughter of the current Marquis of Ningyang, who had already been chosen as a concubine. She had been granted the title of a sixth-rank concubine and would enter the palace tomorrow.

However, she was not a chosen concubine, but rather a gift from the late emperor to the current emperor. Unexpectedly, the late emperor passed away before she could enter the palace. The current emperor observed three years of mourning, and she waited at home for those three years. Aside from not participating in the palace selection, she will enter the palace tomorrow along with the other selected concubines.

The current emperor, Xiao Yu, is twenty-seven years old, a relatively young ruler. However, he is diligent and wise in governing, and has managed the country very well.

Ning Shuyan raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, gazing calmly at the road ahead: "People outside the palace think that the emperor's women are the most noble, but the women in the palace think that the most noble person is the woman that everyone has to bow to."

Ziying nodded as if she understood, and said in a low voice, "What Miss said is true."

As soon as they entered the mansion, a crisp "bang" rang out, followed by a series of similar sounds.

Ning Shuyan was already used to it and walked towards her room without changing her expression.

Ziying frowned and stared at the room from which the sound came, somewhat annoyed. "Honestly, she probably smashed all the vases in the room."

Ning Shuyan's lips curled into a faint, cold smile: "Father will keep adding to her things; they'll never run out, unless the Ning family goes bankrupt."

Ziying pouted slightly: "That's true. The Marquis has always doted on the Second Miss, how could he let her suffer any injustice?"

Ning Shuyan didn't say anything, and calmly pushed open the door.

Meanwhile, in the room of the second young lady of the Ning family, vases were smashed all over the floor.

The second young lady, Ning Ruhan, had her beautiful face contorted with hatred and anger, and crystal-clear tears dripped down her chin like threads.

"Why? Why is she, a mere concubine's daughter, able to become a concubine in one fell swoop? Am I supposed to bow to her every time I see her in the future?" She stared at Ning Shuyan's room with a sharp, piercing gaze.

Ning Ruhan was furious. Back then, the late emperor's favorite concubine, Consort Zhen, organized a garden party, requiring young women from the court to participate. In reality, it was to select a princess for her son, the Third Prince.

Marquis Ningyang naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. Before his eldest daughter was of legal age, he brought her into the palace. Although she was a concubine's daughter, if she were to catch the eye of Consort Zhen and become a princess, it would be an honor for the Ning family.

Unexpectedly, Ning Shuyan was given to Prince Jing, who originally intended to become the crown prince, by a twist of fate. He is now the emperor.

Lady Hou gently wiped away Ning Ruhan's tears with her handkerchief, stroking the slightly disheveled hair at her temples, and said tenderly, "Look at your temper, you just can't hold your temper! Why don't you learn from that little slut, learn to endure and pretend in everything? Didn't your father say that sending her to the palace was only to consolidate the family's honor, and also to pave the way for you? In two years, your father will send you to the palace, then will you still be afraid of her suppressing you? She's just a concubine's daughter, even if she's favored in the palace, her rank can't be very high."

Ning Ruhan sobbed softly, then reached up to wipe away the tears clinging to her eyelashes, a smile slowly spreading across her lips: "Really? What if Father was just saying that?"

Lady Hou patted her hand to comfort her, saying, "Given how much your father loves you, don't you trust him? Besides, don't you still have your mother? How can my Han'er be outshone by a girl born to a lowly concubine!" She raised her eyebrows slightly, her eyes flashing with a hint of fierceness.

When Lady Hou recalled the days when the Marquis was drunk, Ning Shuyan's mother seduced him. Despite being a lowly servant, she had become the Marquis's woman and was pregnant. How could she not be angry? How could she not hate her? Even though the Marquis had shown little affection for the two women over the years, remaining cold towards them, she still found them an eyesore!

Ning Ruhan immediately beamed and pressed herself against the Lady Hou's chest: "I knew it, only Mother loves me the most."

The full moon hangs high, its cool, silvery light bathing you as if you were covered with layers of thin frost.

Looking at the flickering lanterns in the courtyard, Ning Shuyan felt a warmth rise in her heart. She straightened her clothes and entered the room of Marquis Ning Rongyuan.

Ning Rongyuan was sipping tea on the couch when Ning Shuyan gracefully stepped forward and gave a slight curtsy: "Father, did you want to see me?"

Ning Rongyuan put down his teacup and tapped the table: "Come and sit down. Your father wants to tell you a few things."

Ning Shuyan smiled faintly, her dimples deepening: "I understand what Father wants to say. I will definitely become the Emperor's favorite concubine, consolidate the family's glory, and make the Emperor value the Ning family even more. I will also be careful in everything I do in the harem and will never implicate the family."

Ning Shuyan didn't need to think; she already knew what her father wanted to say. This marquisate was inherited from her grandfather, who had brought immense glory to the Ning family during his lifetime. Her father was a fourth-rank official, the Left Vice Minister, a position that, while not lowly, hadn't been given any real power or attention since the new emperor ascended the throne. Her entry into the palace was solely for the sake of her family and her father's vanity—to give the Ning family a favored concubine!