That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

On the way back after paying her respects, Consort Song did not ride in a sedan chair again, but walked back with Song Shuangning.

Consort Song's gaze was deep: "You saw the greetings today. You also saw the demeanor of Consort Rong and Consort Shu. They have always been favored by the emperor. If you encounter them in the future, remember to keep your distance."

A golden glow spread across the horizon, and a red sun broke through the clouds, its warm rays spreading across the earth, bright and dazzling.

Consort Song said slowly, "In the deep palace, people's hearts are unpredictable. Don't be fooled by the honest appearance of others; they are all very shrewd. As you are new here, you should be cautious in everything you do. Being steady and reliable is the best long-term strategy."

Song Shuangning nodded gently: "I understand, thank you for your guidance, elder sister."

Consort Song curled her lips. If she weren't worried that Song Shuangning, being new to the palace, might act rashly and ruin her plans, she wouldn't have bothered saying these things.

When Song Shuangning returned to Cangdong Pavilion, she was starving and ate a bowl of millet porridge and lotus root starch dumplings in one go.

Although she is now only a concubine, her meals are better than when she lived in the manor.

Phoenix Palace.

After the Empress finished her breakfast, she accompanied the four-year-old princess as she practiced calligraphy at the desk. The princess looked tired as she held the brush. Seeing this, the Empress gently instructed the nanny to take her away to play.

Returning to tranquility, the Empress stood at her desk and practiced calligraphy. She was practicing Yan Zhenqing's style, each stroke steady and powerful, and a vigorous character "Ning" leaped onto the paper.

Qingdai praised, "Your Majesty's handwriting is getting better and better."

The Empress asked, "You've met the new bride today; what are your thoughts?"

Only the Empress and Qingdai were in the hall. Qingdai freely expressed her opinion: "Your Majesty, among the new concubines, Consort Song is the most beautiful. However... the Fourth Prince has only been dead for two months, and Consort Song has already entered the palace. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

The Empress chuckled, "If even you can see it, how could others not?"

How could the Emperor not know?

She clearly remembered that on the day of the selection, the emperor was initially very interested in this talented woman named Song, but when he learned that she was the younger sister of Consort Song, the emperor's interest quietly faded.

The Emperor immediately saw through Consort Song's purpose in entering the palace.

Consort Song was too impatient; her thoughts and intentions were obvious. If she had been patient enough to wait a year or two for the right opportunity to send her sister into the palace, things wouldn't have come to this.

It's a pity that Song Cairen's face was so stunningly beautiful.

In the blink of an eye, dusk deepened and night quietly arrived.

The entire palace is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new bride. Today is the first day of her life in the palace. Which new bride will be the first to arrive?

Half an hour later, the news from the Imperial Household Department spread throughout the palace—

Tonight, Lady Qiao will be serving me in bed.

The result was both unexpected and not unexpected.

Song Shuangning sat at the dressing table and calmly removed her earrings.

Qiuhe comforted her, "Please don't worry, Your Highness. You are so beautiful, the Emperor will never forget you."

Song Shuangning smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

She didn't want to be the first one to serve the emperor and become the target of everyone's anger. Consort Qiao had the highest rank and was a noble lady in the capital with self-respect. If she was the first one to serve the emperor today, Consort Qiao might come looking for trouble for her in the future.

She had barely closed her eyes after getting into bed when she suddenly realized she had overlooked something. She gripped the blankets tightly and stared wide-eyed.

Today, Consort Shu has already guessed the purpose of her entering the palace, so what about the Emperor? The Emperor has been in power for a long time and is very shrewd. How could the Emperor not know?

How could the Emperor truly like someone who had just entered the palace with the clear purpose of bearing an imperial heir for her elder sister? He probably thought she was full of scheming and self-interest.

Song Shuangning bit her finger.

No, she needs to think this through more carefully.

If one wanted to gain a foothold in the harem, the emperor's favor was the most important guarantee.

The next morning, Song Shuangning went to Fengyi Palace with Consort Song to pay her respects. Consort Song comforted her and told her not to worry.

The concubines gradually arrived, including Consort Rongxian and Consort Shu, who were known for their airs.

The seat of Consort Qiao, who had been favored and served the emperor last night, remained empty.

Many of the concubines below were gossiping and exchanging glances.

Song Shuangning was also somewhat shocked. She was a noble lady from the capital, yet she didn't seem to have any brains at all.

"To refuse to come after just one instance of imperial favor is surely too much of a complacency," said Consort Ye.

The Empress intervened to defuse the situation, saying, "It's normal for Consort Qiao to serve the Emperor for the first time."

As soon as she finished speaking, Consort Rong chuckled softly and raised her hand to stroke the pearl flower.

"Her Majesty the Empress is truly kind-hearted, indulging her like this."

The Empress tapped her fingertips on the table and slowly spoke: "The new sister should always be more tolerant. You are all veterans of the palace, and you should have more composure."

Consort Rong's eyes darkened slightly, and the atmosphere around her seemed to drop a few degrees.

The older members of the palace all knew that Consort Rong was most sensitive about the word "grace" or "bearing." Consort Rong had once been publicly ridiculed by the Empress Dowager for lacking grace.

"This concubine lacks the magnanimity of Her Majesty the Empress," Consort Rongxian said before leaving.

Consort Shu clicked her tongue twice: "Her temper is getting worse and worse. Can't she say something wrong?"

"Alright, all of you may leave."

Song Shuangning was satisfied after watching the spectacle. She needed some excitement to motivate her to "go to work." She couldn't wait for these two big shots to engage in a daily verbal battle, neither willing to give in.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Recently, there have been numerous refugees and starving people everywhere. The affairs of disaster relief inside and outside the court are complicated. By the time the emperor had finished dealing with this matter, it was already five days later.

Finally finding a moment of free time, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department brought the green-headed plaque into the hall. Xiao Yan casually ran his finger over the plaque, glancing over the plaque engraved with the three characters "Song Cai Ren" (Consort Song). His finger paused slightly before continuing.

Li Fuquan sighed.

After a moment, Xiao Yan finally chose Consort Song's nameplate, the candlelight reflecting off his face. His deep, unfathomable eyes held a dark and unpredictable emotion, making him impossible to fathom.

When the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came to the Hidden Winter Pavilion to deliver the good news, Song Shuangning gave a shy smile and a look to Tingyu. Tingyu immediately gave the eunuch a bag of loose silver.

The eunuch was delighted and said many flattering things.

At 3:45 PM, a maid sent by the Imperial Household Department came to help her bathe and teach her the etiquette of serving the emperor in bed.

Inside the bathing room, the palace maids gently removed her outer garment. Her silk skirt slipped down, revealing her slender, fair shoulders. They couldn't help but sigh, "This lady's skin is so delicate!"

She slowly stepped into the bathtub, and a palace maid held a plain white silk handkerchief and gently wiped her back.

The nanny told her the rules for serving the emperor, and Song Shuangning pretended to be very shy. Her face was flushed and misty.

In reality, Song Shuangning had already experienced it all in modern times, and she knew far more about the little secrets of love between men and women and sexual pleasure than the old woman did.

I've read quite a few posts.

Her fingertips glide across the water's surface, creating gentle ripples. Petals float on the waves, clinging to her smooth forearm, adding a touch of softness.

The old woman sighed: "Just looking at this face, I like it."

After her bath, the palace maid dressed her in soft brocade. Song Shuangning sent the nannies and maids to rest, leaving only Tingyu to serve her. As usual, she applied jade cream and changed into a pale yellow silk dress. She wore pale yellow pearl flowers in her hair, and her long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, making her skin look as white as snow. After Tingxue draped a moon-white cloak over her, she boarded the Phoenix Spring Grace Carriage.

The bells of the Phoenix Spring Grace carriage rang again, and upon hearing them, Consort Song gave a bitter smile: "She's gone?"

Tinglan felt a pang of sympathy, "Your Majesty..."

Consort Song lowered her eyes: "I'm tired, let's sleep."

She was still jealous! She was narrow-minded and didn't want to share her favor. If she weren't infertile, she would never have allowed Song Shuangning to enter the palace, but she needed Song Shuangning.

So even if her heart is aching, it's her own fault.