Chapter 1: ① The Noble Consort
The nights of late spring are not as cool as they used to be.
Huangcheng Huai Jing is located in the Jiangnan water town, and it becomes unbearably hot in the summer. Even in late spring, the nights are somewhat unbearable.
Jin Li carried a palace lantern, walking neither fast nor slow along the Eastern Shade Path, entering the East Fourth Palace through the Yaoguang Gate. Upon entering, she arrived at the Taia Path. After exiting Tai'a Road, there is a north-south Mo Ye Road, which is in stark contrast to Gan Jiang Road in the West Fourth Palace.
On the west side of the Moye Road, there are four palaces, the largest of which is the Jianjia Palace, the destination of Jinli's journey.
At this late hour, the side door of the Jianjia Palace was still open, and the well-trained young eunuchs stood respectfully by the door, not surprised to see Jinli arrive. He quietly performed a bow and then led the way for Jinli.
“Is her highness well these days?” Jin Li asked in a low voice, her face not yet smiling, her voice smiling first, making people listen as if they were in the spring breeze, very comfortable.
The young eunuch didn't dare to look up and replied softly, "Thank you for your concern, Gūgū. Her highness has been feeling a bit better lately."
Speaking of which, they had already arrived at the main hall.
Although no little eunuchs were seen along the way sending messages to others, the head maid Manchen from the Jianjia Palace had already been waiting at the palace gate, ready to receive the head maid Jinli, who served the emperor.
"Miss Jinli." Man Chen bowed and said, "Your Highness has taken her medicine and is already asleep."
Jin Li squinted slightly, "It seems, I came at an inopportune time."
Man Chen did not respond to this, merely maintaining his poker face and suggesting, "Miss, you've been walking at night and must be tired. Why don't you come into the East Warm Pavilion and rest for a while?"
Saying this, he made way for Jin Li and invited her into the hall.
At the moment Jinli lifted her foot, she looked back at the darkened sky. Tonight, there was no moon.
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Imperial Palace, Front Palace, Offering Altar.
A shadow silently passed by, lightly landing on one of the nine statues surrounding the altar. She hid in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone.
Shen Yuqing pulled down the brim of her hat, hiding her face even more.
The disciples of the Ming Sect from the Western Regions are the kings of assassination in the desert, skilled in earth evasion, stealth, and assassination techniques. Now forced to stay in the southern imperial city, although somewhat unaccustomed, it is still quite novel.
Shen Yuqing flicked her wrist, and a chain shot out with a whoosh, about the thickness of a thumb, securing itself firmly at the corner of the eaves with a faint sound. Before the Imperial Guards could even notice, Shen Yuqing had already retracted the chain, propelled herself forward, and in an instant, she had leaped onto the eaves. Then, with a light tap on the glazed tiles, she vanished without a trace.
This is the Ming Sect's lightness skill, the Golden Rainbow Strike.
As a former NPC from a game, Shen Yuqing's mastery of lightness skills is unparalleled, far beyond what an ordinary player could compare to. Moreover, she also had her good friend, the Cannon Sister, help modify the iron chain; otherwise, such a thin chain wouldn't be able to withstand the force of a strong pull.
Shen Yuqing quickly crossed over the Su Mi Palace of the East Palace and the West Rear Palace, jumped from the eaves of the Xian Liao Palace into the Jian Jia Palace, and climbed through the back window back into the sleeping quarters.
The chief palace maid, Manxing, has been waiting for a long time.
"Your Highness." Manxing knelt halfway to help Shen Yuqing change her clothes.
As an assassin, the disciples of the Ming Sect mostly do not favor dark clothing; instead, they prefer loose-fitting white robes. Although it is easy to be exposed, it also makes them stand out distinctly.
Manxing went to the Empress Dowager in a white robe, without caring about the tight-fitting clothes she was wearing underneath. She directly took a set of inner garments and an outer skirt to put on her, then casually styled her hair into a simple bun.
"What's up?" Shen Yuqing raised an eyebrow while removing the guard from her left forearm.
“Wearing an outer skirt at this late hour, are you expecting guests?”
Manxing covered her lips and chuckled softly, "Sister Jinli, who is always by His Majesty's side, has arrived."
“I'm afraid they're here to hurry her ladyship to "recover" quickly.”
Speaking of which, ever since the noble consort claimed to be ill and hasn't appeared, it has already been a month. His Majesty the Emperor must be displeased by now.
Shen Yuqing was not surprised.
She reached an agreement with the emperor: she would help deal with the restless women in the harem, and the emperor would let her do whatever she wanted. Even if she goes out to play every night, as long as she shows up on time when needed and seriously confronts anyone who deserves it, the emperor won't care about her at all. Not only did he not care, but he also opened the door for her.
However, Shen Yuqing hasn't worked for a month.
Speaking of which, Shen Yuqing originally had no intention of taking on this task, but the emperor promised her a million taels of gold and powerful protection, allowing her to walk freely throughout the entire Dayan in the future. As a woman from the martial world who had just crossed over and was still clueless about everything, and who had accidentally let a runaway concubine escape, Shen Yuqing decided to accept this deal.
So, she replaced the concubine who looked exactly like her and had the same name, and "married" into the palace.
It's been a year now.
It seems that the real Consort Shen has already eloped with her beloved, and who knows, she might have even given birth to a child by now.
Of course, the main reason is that the palace has top-quality cat food and beautiful girls, all of which Shen Yuqing likes.
She casually handed the arm guard to Manxing, then gently stroked the cat curled up in its nest next to her, feeling exceptionally content.
Then, she couldn't help but lean over and rub her face against the cat.
Got a faceful of the cat's little paw, pushed away impatiently.
Cats get really annoyed when you wake them up for a nap.
Concubine Shen didn't mind her cat’s indifference. She kissed her little paw, stood up calmly amidst the sounds of the stars, tidied her clothes, and walked out leisurely. It's time to meet that Miss Jinli; she's not so easy to deal with.
As soon as she entered the East Warm Pavilion, Jin Li stood up and bowed.
"Your Majesty, may you have eternal blessings and peace."
Shen Yuqing sat down at the head of the table: "Miss Jinli, why did you come over in the middle of the night?"
It seems the emperor is very displeased.
Usually, when he has Jinli deliver a message, he does so in broad daylight, parading through the streets, eager to announce to the world his "favor" towards the noble consort. Then, the women in the palace would go into a frenzy, as if they were on steroids, and start attacking Shen Yuqing in hopes of bringing down the favored consort.
Unfortunately, the noble consort and His Majesty the Emperor share a bond stronger than gold; they cannot be driven apart.
Last time, a little nobleman who didn't know his place, relying on his favor, said something disrespectful about the noble consort and was immediately sent to the cold palace.
Just kidding, His Majesty the Emperor spent so much money and promised so many benefits to keep these people around, not to let these women offend Shen Yuqing. Shen Yuqing is very useful, and it's best not to provoke her; otherwise, the elusive Mingjiao father will kill him and her in no time.
The fact is, none of the emperor's trained shadow guards could match Shen Yuqing in a fight. No, rather, once a fight breaks out, they can't even catch a glimpse of Shen Yuqing.
Jin Li and the entire Jianjia Palace were all in the know about the Emperor and the Noble Consort's collaboration. Especially the maids and eunuchs in Jianjia Palace, who were originally the emperor's trusted confidants, but now...
Shen Yuqing touched the Gu worm tattoo on her wrist, which could only become visible when smeared with a special potion, and smiled without saying a word.
Thanks to her good friend, Sister Poison, who once "selflessly provided" (actually stolen by Shen Yuqing) the Gu worms, she was able to turn most of the palace maids in the Jianjia Palace into her vassals with these little guys, without worrying about betrayal at all. Only a few were left, all of them pawns planted by other concubines, waiting for future use.
Jin Li stood in the center of the warm pavilion, slowly raising her head to look directly at Shen Yuqing: "Your Highness has been ill for quite some time, and His Majesty is very worried, so he sent this servant to check on you."
Shen Yuqing picked up the teacup and took a sip: "Many thanks to his majesty. I have been claiming to be ill and staying in, not knowing how things are in the palace?"
Seeing Shen Yuqing being so cooperative, Jin Li let out a sigh of relief.
It would be great if the noble consort cooperated. If she absolutely refuses to continue working, a little palace maid with only "weak" martial arts skills wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
"Everything in the palace is well, but recently, Consort Shu has taken in a new pet. It might be able to play with Adult, the cat you are raising, Your Highness."
——Yeah, that's right, the troublesome Shen Yuqing named her cat "Adult."
Everyone has silently complained about it, but since His Majesty the Emperor has tacitly approved it, no one dares to voice any objections.
After saying what she needed to say, Jin Li quickly took her leave.
Shen Yuqing's slender fingers gently tapped on the table. Her nails were not as excessively long as those of other women in the harem, just a little bit, and they were beautifully shaped. Dyed a light red, the cardamom looks very nice on her pale white fingertips, and the color is not overly exaggerated.
Shen Yuqing originally didn't want to dye it, because Adult liked to lick her fingers, fearing that cardamom would be bad for the cat. However, later she discovered that her Persian cat was a product of game data manifestation, completely different from ordinary cats, and not so delicate, so she felt relieved.
The women in the harem don't wear makeup, don't wear beautiful clothes, don't dye their nails, and don't wear jewelry, making them look like freaks. After being looked at with strange eyes by a group of women for nearly half a month, Shen Yuqing finally compromised just a little bit.
"Your Highness." Manxing brought over a cup of hot custard, "Drink it while it's hot, then you can go rest."
Shen Yuqing took it and downed it boldly, receiving a glare from Manxing. Her lady attempts to drink heavily and tear apart lamb with her hands every day, truly leaving people at their wits' end.
Shen Yuqing didn't care about her glare, put down the bowl, and casually asked, "Is there any event in the palace tomorrow?"
If not, then I have to get up early in the morning to pay my respects to the queen.
The emperor has already sent people to urge her several times; Shen Yuqing can't keep slacking off. Moreover, this time, Jin Li's words clearly indicate that she wants Shen Yuqing to deal with the Shu Fei. This is the main task at hand and cannot be delayed. (T/N: Fei = concubine)
I don't know how this Concubine Shu’s family offended the emperor in the previous dynasty, but the emperor is stabbing her in the back like this.
Manxing thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow afternoon, the Empress will hold a flower-viewing event in the Imperial Garden, and the early lotuses in Taiye Lake have bloomed."
Shen Yuqing immediately made a decision. "The flower viewing party, I want to go. Make sure to prepare."
"Yes." Manxing immediately agreed.
Thinking of the unfortunate state of Concubine Shu, Shen Yuqing chuckled with glee and began to plan how to deal with her tomorrow.
This woman is always acting weak and crying, putting on a perfect white lotus act. Unfortunately, Shen Yuqing has always hated fake white lotuses the most; she has suffered greatly at the hands of such people.
The white lotus she couldn't deal with before, she can finally take down this one. It was not easy for her to finally get the emperor's permission to deal with this consort openly. Now, Shen Yuqing no longer had to hold back. It was truly unsatisfying to only use words to stab at her two or three times like before.
(T/N: I'm very excited for this one hehe, the highlight of this novel is definitely Adult.)
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