Chapter 3

After finishing her makeup, a small palace maid from outside the hall hurriedly approached and bowed, nervously saying, “Your Highness, the Lotus Appreciation Banquet arranged by the Empress Dowager in the Royal Garden has already started. Just now, the Grand Princess asked about you and insisted on sending someone to invite you.”

The palace maid’s words were overwhelming, and Kang Yuyi was momentarily stunned, unable to process them.

Qingzhu and Zisu, however, understood and exchanged glances.

Zisu, less composed than Qingzhu, quickly said, “Didn’t His Majesty send word this morning that you were unwell and wouldn’t attend the banquet? The Grand Princess must have ulterior motives. Everyone knows she wants her daughter to serve the emperor…”

Zisu ended with an annoyed grunt.

Qingzhu, noting Zisu’s careless remark, shot her a disapproving look and gently advised Kang Yuyi, “Your Highness, since the Grand Princess personally sent someone, it would be best to go. After all, it’s a banquet hosted by the Empress Dowager…”

Kang Yuyi was bewildered and confused by the situation. She only knew she was a maid from the Qin Wangfu who had recently become a concubine’s maid. After an argument with her mother, Zhou, she had rushed through the snowy night to the east courtyard of the Qin Shizi.

Waking up in this unfamiliar world as a “Concubine” felt surreal. She couldn’t believe she was expected to meet the Empress Dowager and the Grand Princess.

Emperor Yongfeng, the father of Qin Shizi, was nearly sixty years old. Kang Yuyi remembered there was no Empress Dowager or Empress Dowager in the palace.

It didn’t seem like a dream, as she had pinched herself several times, and the pain was quite real. To avoid revealing her true identity, she had to go along with whatever they said.

Kang Yuyi didn’t want to be discovered as an imposter, fearing severe punishment if she were exposed.

Upon entering her special palanquin, she looked back at the palace where she had been. With its red walls, green tiles, and upturned eaves, it was far more magnificent than any courtyard in the Qin Wangfu.

The plaque at the palace gate read “Luhua Palace.”

In less than fifteen minutes, the palanquin stopped at the Royal Garden’s small east gate. The narrow path meant she had to walk the remaining distance.

A little eunuch, who had been waiting, promptly led the way. As they approached the banquet area, the sound of people talking and laughing grew louder.

The scent of flowers filled the air, but it was late May, and the various blooms were less striking compared to the lotus flowers.

Kang Yuyi, uninterested in the flowers and anxious about her situation, felt nervous with every step. Although she had encountered nobility before, she had never experienced such a grand event, and the fear of exposing her true identity was overwhelming.

She worried about severe punishment if her deception were discovered.

The main seat of the banquet was occupied by an elderly woman in a luxurious deep purple gown with grape patterns. Despite her elaborate adornments, the signs of age on her face were evident.

This must be the legendary Empress Dowager.

Upon seeing Concubine Kang’s arrival, the ladies, who had been chatting, stood and bowed in unison.

“Your servant greets Your Highness.”

Beside the Empress Dowager were two women with strikingly similar features: a mature woman with a high bun and a young lady with a light pink wooden hibiscus in her hair.

The young lady, standing to the right, had just risen to salute Concubine Kang like the other ladies when her mother, the Grand Princess, intervened.

“Yu Qian, your status is different. You don’t need to salute her,” the Grand Princess said with a sneer, her tone condescending.

The Grand Princess did not want her cherished daughter to bow to Concubine Kang, who was of lower status.

Furthermore, the Grand Princess had kept her daughter unmarried for twenty years, aiming for the most honored position in the harem.

Saluting Concubine Kang now would mean acknowledging her superiority in the future.

According to the Great Zhou laws, the Grand Princess, already married into the Pei family, was considered an external wife and should bow to a high-ranking concubine like Concubine Kang.

However, the Grand Princess, being the emperor’s aunt and the Empress Dowager’s only daughter, could disregard the rules, and the other women in attendance would not dare to contradict her as long as the Empress Dowager did not object.

However, Kang Yuyi did not realize the underlying meaning and simply performed a standard bow to the Empress Dowager.

“Greetings to the Dowager Empress.”

Usually, Kang Yuyi would have acted pitifully, but today she remained composed and respectful.

The Empress Dowager did not make things difficult for her and excused her from the ceremony, assigning her a seat at the first place on the east side of the room.

The other women who had been bowing sat back down in their original places.

The Grand Princess suddenly raised an issue: “Your Highness is well, yet you claimed illness early this morning and didn’t come?”

Kang Yuyi guessed that this was the Grand Princess Zi Su had mentioned and, after a moment of contemplation, replied softly, “I did feel unwell this morning, but I am better now.”

“Hmph.” The Grand Princess was visibly angered. “Your Highness has been arrogant in the palace for many years, relying on the Emperor’s favor. Now, it seems Your Highness does not even respect the Dowager Empress, daring to disdain the banquet she personally arranged.”

Kang Yuyi’s mind went blank upon hearing this, and she was at a loss for words.

The other women, hearing the Grand Princess’s words, were filled with fear, worried that the conflict might affect them as well.

Consort Kang being the Emperor’s sole favorite for seven years was in a unique and powerful position in the harem. If the Dowager Empress and the Empress Dowager were not alive, she would be the de facto head of the harem.

Despite numerous ministers and princes petitioning the Emperor to select new concubines and appoint a wise queen, His Majesty had consistently ignored or made excuses, refusing to act.

Consort Kang had not borne a child for years and was seen as a potential threat to the country due to her prolonged favoritism from the Emperor.

It was a significant issue for the Emperor to be childless, which could destabilize the country. Despite his wise governance, the Emperor was deeply infatuated with Consort Kang.

Fortunately, Consort Kang finally bore His Majesty’s first son at the beginning of this year. Many ministers had hoped that during her pregnancy and postpartum period, they could have their daughters enter the palace. However, His Majesty’s favor for her remained unchanged with him staying at her Luhua Palace every night.

The noble daughters of many prominent families who had hoped to enter the palace had nearly reached marriageable age. Many ministers had resigned themselves to marrying off their daughters, except for the Grand Princess who stubbornly kept her daughter unmarried at twenty.

Every encounter between the Grand Princess and Concubine Kang was marked by criticism and humiliation of Kang’s humble origins.

“Enough. Today’s Lotus Appreciation Banquet is a refined event. What is this commotion about?” The Empress Dowager intervened, stopping the Grand Princess.

“The lotus blossoms are in the Taiyi Pond in front. Let us all enjoy the flowers individually and not be constrained.”

The Empress Dowager then affectionately addressed her granddaughter, “Yu Qian, didn’t you just find a particularly special water lily? Quickly take your mother to see it.”

Although the Empress Dowager hoped her granddaughter Pei Yu Qian could eventually become the Empress, she had more concerns. After all, she was merely the stepmother of Emperor Yongfeng, not the biological grandmother of the current Emperor.

Meanwhile, Consort Kang, who was in full favor and radiant, was the mother of the Emperor’s only son.

You can’t push things too far.

Unfortunately, her only daughter had been spoiled since childhood and acted bossy. She only hoped her granddaughter would understand.

Madam Duke of Wei, sitting lower than Kang Yuyi, noticed her lack of interest in the flowers and initiated a conversation.

The other women, seeing this, joined in as well.

They mostly exchanged flattering remarks about Concubine Kang—praising her beauty and good fortune in turns.

Kang Yuyi merely needed to maintain a faint smile without needing to respond.

Listening to the sycophantic praise, she felt as if it were all a dream, finding it too unreal.

Later that night, after Kang Yuyi had finished her evening routine, she lay down on a rosewood bed inlaid with precious luminous pearls, wearing only a thin garment.

Looking at the beads that shone as brightly as daylight, she was puzzled.

How can one sleep with it so bright?

But Kang Yuyi would soon learn the purpose of these night pearls.

Leaning on the jade pillow, her eyelids grew heavy. Clinging to the hope of waking up back at the Qin Wangfu, she drifted off into a daze.

As the night deepened, the distinctive scent of masculinity pervaded the already enclosed canopy bed.

In her sleep, Kang Yuyi felt a sudden chill in her private area.

Then, his wet and hot lips and tongue came together, vigorously sucking her entire flower. His rough tongue intermittently licked and teased her clitoris, making wet smacking sounds.

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