THE IMPERIAL CONSORT'S RISE TO POWER - CHAPTER 3

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Chapter 3

Jiu Nian was keeping the night watch when sudden movement from the bed startled her awake.

She jolted upright in alarm and quickly lit the candle. When she saw her mistress's condition, she gasped. "Miss, what's wrong?"

Gu Han had sat up at some point, clutching the brocade quilt, gasping for breath. Cold sweat beaded across her forehead. Her face was deathly pale, all color drained away, her delicate brows knitted together as if she'd witnessed something terrible.

Jiu Nian called out to her. When there was no response, she reached out and touched her mistress's arm. Gu Han's eyes flew open, the cold intensity in them made Jiu Nian freeze. Only after recognizing the person before her did Gu Han's rigid body begin to relax.

A moment later, she collapsed back against the cushions, covering her face as she let the emotions pour out.

Yesterday's events had been so sudden, and she'd been deep within the palace, she'd had no choice but to maintain a facade of calm. But Gu Han knew the truth. Even if it had been an accident, this was the first time she had killed someone.

She had only just come of age. In the past, she had frowned and turned away from anything bloodied. Now she had taken a life with her own hands. How could she not be afraid?

She had pushed Liu Ruoqian into the well. Even if no one noticed immediately, eventually it would come to light.

Gu Han had no choice but to delay discovery as long as possible. The more time passed, the more evidence and traces would fade away.

Eventually, no one would connect it to her.

Besides...

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Gu Han's gaze swept over her own hands. Even if she could do it all again, she would make the same choice.

Her thoughts drifted back to last night…

On the final day of the selection, the governess had allowed them to leave Chuxiu Palace and walk about. Even Gu Han, after being confined there so long, was thoroughly sick of it. But she hadn't even reached the Imperial Garden when Liu Ruoqian stopped her.

Hanling Palace was near the Imperial Garden, but because Consort Yuan resided there, few people passed through. Not far from Hanling Palace stood an abandoned well, long disused. The area was completely deserted, Gu Han had no idea how Liu Ruoqian had even discovered the place.

She and Liu Ruoqian barely knew each other. In the capital, they had only ever exchanged polite nods in passing.

Gu Han hadn't intended to go with her, but Liu Ruoqian leaned close and whispered just one thing in her ear. Caught off guard, Gu Han's expression changed instantly. By the time she'd recovered herself, it was too late to hide her reaction.

Liu Ruoqian had said: "Second Young Master Xie."

Xie Changan.

The once-renowned second son of the Xie family. A brilliant youth, spirited and free, talented in both literature and martial arts, a gentleman refined as jade. Who in the capital hadn't heard his name?

Even three years after the Xie family's fall, people still spoke of Second Young Master Xie with a sigh.

With regret and pity.

If only the Xie family hadn't been so hasty in taking sides.

Everyone remembered Xie Changan. How much more so Gu Han? When her elder sister had died of melancholy all those years ago, Xie Changan's name had been carved into the hearts of everyone in the Rongyang Manor. Gu Han had wanted to find him, to ask him one question.

When her sister lay gravely ill, the entire city had known.

He had been alive, so why hadn't he come to see her even once? Why had her sister called his name with her dying breath?

In the end, Gu Han had followed Liu Ruoqian. She'd heard the other woman say smugly:

"Don't think I don't know why you're entering the palace."

Gu Han was completely baffled. All daughters of official families had to participate in the palace selection, how was it her choice?

Why else would she enter? Naturally, to preserve her family's honor.

But Gu Han revealed none of this. She simply looked at Liu Ruoqian quietly. Liu Ruoqian didn't like that expression. She pulled something from her sleeve.

"I guessed long ago what you're really after. I made sure to dig this out."

"Tell me, if His Majesty learned that you entered the selection not to serve him, but to pour out your feelings to another man, how would he view the Rongyang Manor?"

Gu Han had no idea what nonsense Liu Ruoqian was spouting, until she saw the paper the other woman produced. Then shock flashed through her eyes.

Though the handwriting was somewhat immature, Gu Han recognized it instantly. It was hers.

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The note was old, clearly preserved for some time.

Only then did Gu Han realize what Liu Ruoqian had misunderstood.

Three years ago, before the Xie family's fall, Old Lady Xie had held a birthday banquet.

A group of young ladies from official families had been composing poetry together. Second Young Master Xie had been present. Her elder sister's hand had been injured, preventing her from holding a brush, so Gu Han had written on her behalf. The poem on this paper contained hidden romantic sentiments. Though subtle, careful reading would reveal its meaning.

It had been her elder sister's feelings for Second Young Master Xie.

Both parties had understood perfectly. They'd been engaged for years, about to marry. Exchanging romantic poetry hadn't been improper.

Somehow this note had fallen into Liu Ruoqian's hands, and she'd even misunderstood, thinking Gu Han harbored feelings for Second Young Master Xie herself.

For a moment, Gu Han was speechless. But quickly, her eyes sharpened.

Few people had known she'd written it that day. If Liu Ruoqian brought this before the Emperor, Gu Han would have no witnesses. Besides, it was there in black and white a simple comparison would prove it was her handwriting. Would the Emperor believe her?

Liu Ruoqian, convinced she held damning evidence, looked at Gu Han with undisguised contempt.

Gu Han could only maintain her composure with effort. "You're saying Second Young Master Xie is in the palace?"

Liu Ruoqian froze, then her brow furrowed in irritation. "Why are you pretending? The Rongyang Manor has never sent a legitimate daughter to the palace before. If you didn't know Second Young Master Xie was here, why would you come?"

Gu Han dug her nails into her palm. Her mind went blank for an instant.

Second Young Master Xie in the palace. Xie Changan in the palace...

Aside from the Emperor himself, there was only one type of man who could remain in the inner palace for three years.

Gu Han's body swayed, stumbling backward. She grabbed a nearby pillar to steady herself, biting down hard on her lower lip. How could she believe it? That youth whom even the late Emperor had praised, how had he fallen to such a fate?

If her elder sister knew...

Gu Han shook her head violently. Thank heaven her sister didn't know.

Her sister had loved Second Young Master Xie so deeply. How could she have borne seeing him so humiliated?

Liu Ruoqian, still holding the note, continued unhurriedly: "As long as you obey me after entering the palace, I won't tell anyone about this..."

Whatever else she said, Gu Han didn't hear.

Liu Ruoqian's father was Vice Minister of Revenue. When the Xie family fell, the eldest Xie son's position had been taken over by him. Though Liu Ruoqian's father had been promoted, three years ago she hadn't been worth Gu Han's notice. Three years later, Gu Han still looked down on her.

Did she really think holding this secret gave her power?

Didn't she know that the way to keep a secret forever was to silence everyone who knew it?

At first, Gu Han had only meant to snatch the note. But Liu Ruoqian had grown angry:

"You think stealing the note solves everything? As long as I'm alive, I can identify you and Xie Changan anytime!"

Gu Han still didn't know how things had escalated to that extent. But Liu Ruoqian had definitely fallen into the water.

Whether deliberate or accidental, she had taken a life. No one would care what her original intentions had been.

Being afraid now was useless. What mattered was removing herself from suspicion completely.

To walk this path smoothly, she couldn't let anyone threaten her.

Gu Han bit her lip hard. Her body, which had been trembling from the nightmare, gradually stilled. Jiu Nian watched anxiously from the side.

"Miss?"

After a long moment, Gu Han lowered her eyes and said weakly, "I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

Some things she wouldn't reveal, even to those she trusted most.

Jiu Nian sighed in relief and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Let this servant help you change. You should sleep again, miss."

If she slept in these sweat-soaked clothes, she'd wake up feeling terrible tomorrow.

Gu Han didn't object. She rubbed her aching temples and let Jiu Nian attend to her.

***

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On the eighth day of the seventh month, a small palanquin was carried from the Rongyang Manor into the palace.

A Talented Lady could bring two personal maids. Jiu Si and Jiu Nian had served at Gu Han's side since childhood, no one could match their loyalty and devotion.

A palace attendant led Gu Han through winding corridors. As they passed near Hanling Palace, Gu Han paused almost imperceptibly before seamlessly continuing after the attendant.

Jiu Nian and Jiu Si weren't entering the palace for the first time. They'd accompanied their mistress to palace banquets before, so they didn't gawk like country bumpkins—a stark contrast to the servants brought by provincial ladies. In that moment, the depth and refinement of an aristocratic household was on full display.

After a quarter hour, the leading attendant finally stopped. Gu Han looked up.

Yihe Palace.

She was assigned to the western annex—Changchun Pavilion.

Gu Han mentally calculated the distance. Not too far from His Majesty's Yangxin Hall, not too close either. Neither particularly good nor bad.

Gu Han discreetly caught Jiu Si's eye. Jiu Si immediately put on a friendly smile and subtly slipped the attendant a pouch of coins before saying pleasantly:

"Eunuch, we've only just arrived and don't understand much. Could you tell us about the situation here at Yihe Palace?"

Leading new arrivals was already a lucrative assignment. Having received the gift, the attendant glanced at Talented Lady Gu, graceful and poised. Even after all his time in the palace, he couldn't help but be struck by her beauty, hardly daring to look directly at her for fear of disrespecting such a lady.

Willing to do her a favor, he lowered his voice and got straight to the point. "Talented Lady needn't worry. Yihe Palace may seem remote, but it has the advantage of peace and quiet. Besides, there's no primary consort here, so Talented Lady can be more at ease."

At the end, the attendant smiled. The benefits of having no primary consort in the palace needed no explanation.

Jiu Si and Jiu Nian exchanged glances, their faces brightening with barely concealed joy. Gu Han also relaxed slightly. The distance to Yihe Palace wasn't too bad. She'd discreetly observed that there were many palaces even more remote. Finding a lively, centrally located palace was easy, but finding one without a primary consort wasn't simple at all.

No matter how remote, it was only a quarter hour's walk.

For someone determined, a quarter hour was nothing.

Gu Han's lips curved into a gentle smile as she said softly:

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch."

Gu Han had a lovely voice.

Gentle, clear, with just a hint of softness that made it sound almost coquettish, yet without any cloying sweetness.

This was the first time the attendant had heard Talented Lady Gu speak. He froze for a moment, then bowed even more deeply.

---

Author's Note:

Here are the ranks of imperial consorts:

- Empress (皇后 Huánghoù) — Head of the Imperial Harem

- Imperial Noble Consort (皇贵妃 Huáng Guìfēi) — Rank 1

- Noble Consort, Pure Consort, Virtuous Consort, Worthy Consort (贵妃、淑妃、德妃、贤妃 Guìfēi, Shūfēi, Défēi, Xiánfēi)** — Senior Rank 1 (The Four Consorts, with Noble Consort as the highest)

- Consort (妃 Fēi) — Junior Rank 2

- Bright Deportment, Bright Countenance (昭仪、昭容 Zhāoyí, Zhāoróng) — Senior Rank 3

- Cultivated Deportment, Cultivated Countenance (修仪、修容 Xiūyí, Xiūróng) — Junior Rank 3

- Noble Lady (贵嫔 Guìpín) — Senior Rank 4

- Imperial Concubine (嫔 Pín) — Junior Rank 4

- Beauty (美人 Měirén) — Senior Rank 5

- Talented Lady (才人 Cáirén) — Junior Rank 5

- Precious Grove (宝林 Bǎolín) — Senior Rank 6

- Imperial Woman (御女 Yùnǚ) — Junior Rank 6

- Palace Maid (宫女子 Gōngnǚzǐ) — Senior Rank 7

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