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

The long, dark night was soon followed by the rising sun. Ning Shuyan bid farewell to her family and boarded the carriage heading to the palace.

Lifting the sedan curtain and looking up, the dawn in the east painted the sky with a colorful tapestry. The entire sky was so pure and clean, without a single impurity; a pale blue spread across the entire expanse.

The palace, however, is the most unclean place. It is filled with intrigue and deceit. There is no boundless blue sky there, only high, square red walls and endless struggles.

Following the eunuch's lead, Ning Shuyan stepped into the palace that everyone envied. The golden glazed tiles shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight, almost blinding her.

Looking at those long alleyways, she knew she would be trapped here forever, with no way back but to keep moving forward.

From then on, she was no longer a daughter of the Ning family, but a concubine of the emperor.

Above the bright red lacquered gate hangs a plaque with three large, gold characters: Lan Yue Ge (揽月阁).

The eunuch leading the way stopped to the side, bowed, and said, "My lady, we've arrived."

Ning Shuyan gave a wink, and Ziying quickly handed the prepared purse to the eunuch.

Ning Shuyan said with a smile, "Thank you for making this trip, Father-in-law."

The eunuch did not refuse; his eyes and brows were full of joy. "No, no, it's my duty. You're too kind, Your Highness." After saying that, he put his hand down and subtly weighed the purse in his hand.

Seeing this, Ning Shuyan simply smiled faintly and stepped into Lanyue Pavilion.

Ning Shuyan quite liked this name; it was elegant and unique.

The servants assigned by the Imperial Household Department were already waiting. Upon seeing their master enter, they immediately knelt on the ground and bowed in unison: "This servant greets Your Highness."

Ning Shuyan slowly sat down, her beautiful eyes turning slightly as she looked them over.

Seeing that their master remained silent, they all composed themselves, not daring to utter a sound. They thought to themselves that this master was no pushover either.

After a long pause, Ning Shuyan finally spoke, "Get up, everyone."

Her voice was rather soft and gentle, and the palace servants' fear gradually lessened as they listened.

Ning Shuyan gave a wink, and Ziying stepped forward to distribute the purses to the palace maids. The maids, their eyes brightening slightly, accepted the purses and thanked her with smiles.

Ning Shuyan picked up her teacup and slowly sipped her tea: "If you perform your duties well in the future, your rewards will naturally be more than this. But if anyone harbors evil intentions or betrays us, then don't blame me for disregarding the bond between master and servant and requesting that you be sent to the Censorate."

She dragged out the last three words extremely slowly, and what were supposed to be gentle and calm words somehow made their hearts tighten and their unease intensify. They quickly bowed to the ground: "This servant will certainly do his duty diligently and has absolutely no improper thoughts."

Qiu Le looked up at Ning Shuyan and said gently, "Your Highness must be tired too. Let me help you rest."

Ning Shuyan nodded. "Alright. You may all leave now."

After the palace servants had all left, Ning Shuyan quickly stood up and looked Qiu Le up and down with a smile, "You've lost weight in the two years we haven't seen each other."

Qiu Le lowered her eyes and smiled, "It's naturally not as comfortable as it is in the Marquis's mansion, and being constantly cautious in the palace inevitably brings some worries. However, Your Highness's beauty is growing more and more captivating. I wonder how Aunt Yun is doing?"

Ning Shuyan stroked Qiu Le's hand. "Good, everything is fine. It's just that it's been hard on you. Father sent you to the palace so that he could take better care of me." Only then did she notice that Qiu Le's hands were rather rough. It seemed that the palace really wasn't such a good place to stay.

Qiu Le shook her head, her face full of smiles, and said sincerely, "I did it voluntarily back then, and I also hoped that you would be well, my lady."

Qiu Le's father was a doctor, but he died in an accident. When Qiu Le was ten years old, she was sold to the Ningyang Marquis's mansion. Because she was too young to do many chores, Aunt Yun felt sorry for her when she saw that she was about the same age as Ning Shuyan, and would occasionally take care of her. Therefore, she always felt grateful to Aunt Yun.

Ning Shuyan was truly exhausted. Since Lan Yue Pavilion was small and she lived alone, there was no need for her to pay her respects. So she simply got up and went into the inner hall to lie down, letting Ziying and Qiule have a good chat and catch up.

According to palace rules, three days later, all the newly arrived ladies-in-waiting must go to Fengqi Palace to pay their respects to the Empress, and also to meet the ladies-in-waiting of the various palaces.

Because the Empress Dowager died young, there was only one proper female ruler in the palace: the Empress.

Over the past three days, Ning Shuyan has also gained a general understanding of the situation of the concubines in the palace.

Empress Feng, the current empress, married the emperor when he was eighteen, and has been by his side for nine years. While they may not be considered deeply devoted to each other, they certainly treat each other with respect.

The most favored concubine was Consort Zhuang, of the Nangong clan. The second most favored was Consort Rong, of the Jiang clan, who gave birth to the eldest prince.

The palace is mostly staffed by older people; only the four people who entered the palace through this selection, plus myself, are newcomers.

They are Cheng Meiren, Chu Baolin, Meng Cainu, and Xue Yunu.

Among them, Consort Cheng, who was of higher status, was the daughter of a fourth-rank general. Her grandfather was the emperor's tutor, but he had already passed away.

Then there's Ning Shuyan herself. As the daughter of a marquis and the one whose marriage was bestowed by the late emperor, she should have been a beauty or even a concubine. But because of her status as a concubine's daughter, she was inferior to others. It would be more reasonable to say that she was a talented woman.

Ning Shuyan woke up early that day, and Qiu Le styled her hair into a simple Lingyun bun, inserting two pear-white pearl hairpins to make her dark hair appear even softer and more lustrous. She wore a light pinkish-beige long dress with flowing cloud patterns, simple and elegant, which made her look quite ethereal.

In fact, being a concubine is a job, isn't it? Every day you have to clock in and out, and you also have to please the emperor.

If you perform well, you will be favored by the emperor and promoted to a higher rank, and you will have a means of transportation so you no longer need to walk when you go out.

Upon arriving at the gates of Fengqi Palace, they encountered Consort Cheng approaching from the front. She had dressed up specially for the day, wearing a light purple floral dress with gold hibiscus embroidery on the cuffs.

A jade hairpin was inserted diagonally into her high-swept single bun, with a string of delicate glass beads hanging behind her ears. As she walked, the glass beads shimmered slightly, making her skin appear even more radiant and translucent.

Ning Shuyan didn't know who she was, since she hadn't participated in the talent show, but judging from her attire, she knew this person's rank was definitely much higher than hers. She bowed and said, "Consort Ning of Lanyue Pavilion greets her elder sister."

Cheng Meiren sized up Ning Shuyan, her tone neither cold nor indifferent: "So you are Consort Ning." After saying that, she didn't tell anyone to get up, and went straight into Fengqi Palace.

Ning Shuyan slowly stood up, looking at Cheng Meiren's straight back, which carried a hint of arrogance.

Qiu Le said in a low voice, "I have never seen this young mistress before. She may be a newly entered concubine."

Ning Shuyan nodded and followed them into Fengqi Palace.