From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 170: Spite
"Little Mistress, would you prefer to wear the hairpin with the osmanthus flower adornments today? This servant thinks it will brighten up your beautiful yellow attire."
Wu Yusi glanced up at her maidservant’s cajoling words. It was far too early in the morning to be making such decisions, she thought sourly. The weather had progressively become colder as the days crawled on by, and even though it was nearly approaching the end of the hour of the rabbit1, the lanterns in her side palace were still lit as the skies outside remained dark. She longed for nothing more than to bundle herself back into her blankets and guard herself from the chill that had made itself at home in her chambers with the onset of late autumn but she had no right to such luxury. Unlike the consorts, who had the privilege of attending the harem assemblies escorted by a sedan and waited on hand and foot by their entire entourage, Wu Yusi, a mere second-class attendant, had to wake up at the crack of dawn to make herself presentable before the long walk over to the decadent Aiyun Palace that she could only dream of living in.
It truly wasn’t fair. Almost a year had passed since she first entered the inner palace and she could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen the emperor. To him, this man that she had once believed would fall deeply in love with her once she had the chance to show him how desirable she was, she was still a nobody. Perhaps nothing more than a representative of the old noble clans that he had to keep in the harem like a flower vase, inconsequential decoration to appease the morning court.
If it weren’t for that vixen slave, none of this would have happened. Only an uncouth creature of coarse upbringing would be tactless enough to hog the emperor’s affections. Once their plan came to fruition and His Majesty lost interest in the Yan slave, she was confident that she could make him look twice at her. After all, she did not lose out to the others in beauty or family status.
"Little Mistress? Does this hairpin displease you?" Having not received an affirmation for the choice of accessories for the day, Wu Yusi’s maidservant’s voice trembled with nervousness. This brought a tiny measure of satisfaction to Wu Yusi; this is how slaves ought to behave in front of those with authority. This is the respect and fear that she, the sole legitimate daughter of the head of an old noble clan, deserved to invoke in those beneath her. One day soon, she would personally teach the Yan slave this lesson.
Her daydreaming didn’t improve her mood for long, however. The bronze mirror on her dresser displayed only her blurry reflection before her. In it, she could not discern her striking features or distinguish the luxurious quality of her ornaments and robes from those of her maidservant. This brought a stifling lump to her throat, her chest so tight with the malcontent brewing within that she wished for nothing more but to turn around and strangle her maidservant to death. How dare this insolent chit overstep her boundaries? who gave her the right to appear in the mirror when her mistress was utilising it?
The duration of a stick of incense later, Wu Yusi set out with only her eunuch in tow; to bring a maidservant with swollen cheeks along was unfathomable. No one wanted to see the utter disgrace that was a disobedient servant and Wu Yusi certainly had no intention of becoming the laughing stock of the harem.
By the time she reached Aiyun Palace, the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon and most of the other concubines were already present, including Imperial Concubine Hui. Wu Yusi ignored the soft chiding mutters chastising her for arriving later than those of a higher rank but she remained unperturbed, too lazy to argue with these bitter souls. The Wu Family might no longer hold as much prestige as it once had back in its heydays but as long as an imperial edict renouncing the old noble clans was not delivered, no one could rob the Wa Family of its glory. What was it to her if these other low-ranking concubines were jealous enough to cast aspersions upon her? Did they not see that even Imperial Concubine Hui, whose palace Wu Yusi was affiliated with, turned a blind eye to her behaviour and was even courteous to her and doted upon her like a little sister? Even Zhang Qian, who had once been Imperial Concubine Hui’s favourite, had to step aside to make way for Wu Yusi. Although, given what an embarrassment Zhang Qian had been to herself and the Zhang Clan with her childish, unpolished antics, Wu Yusi could not blame Imperial Concubine Hui for wishing to dissociate from the foolish girl. Not even her brother’s achievements in the morning court could redeem her worth. She was nothing compared to Wu Yusi and, hence, not a threat.
As if the prove her point, Imperial Concubine Hui looked up when Wu Yusi entered and gave her a warm smile.
"There you are, Little Sister," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "This concubine was just telling Big Sister Noble Consort Dou that the weather is so cold these days, it is too harsh to expect all our young, delicate little sisters to walk over in the chilly winds." She reached out to take Wu Yusi’s hands and squeeze them, gasping as she did so. "Aiya! Just as I thought!" She turned to give Noble Consort Don a rueful look. "See what this little sister means? Big Sister Dou, Attendant Wu’s poor hands are freezing!"
Wu Yusi obliged her by not snatching her hands away from this lowly imperial physician’s daughter, whose only advantage was that she was lucky enough to have been born a couple of years earlier and thus climb the hierarchy a bit quicker. What a waste of a lovely face, though. Wu Yusi could tell that beneath her thick makeup were features that might still be pleasing to the common man, perhaps. But here in the harem, where everyone was a jewel, a rare flower waiting to unfurl its petals for the sake of the only master of this forbidden garden, Imperial Concubine Hui could no longer hope to compete. No matter what reason she chose to collaborate with Wu Yusi to take the Yan slave down, Wu Yusi was confident that this older concubine could not even begin to compete with her.
Still, Wu Yusi did not let her disdain show. One day, she would be powerful enough that all would have to pander to her preferences and live by her laws. But for now, she could tolerate living under another’s roof1. Beaming brightly at Imperial Concubine Hui, she swung their joined hands from side to side, the way a young, playful girl might when trying to coax an older sister into caving to her willful demands.
"Big Sister Hui always has our best interests at heart," Wu Yusi praised, letting her tone take on a hint of petulance as she wheedled, "Could Big Sister Hui kindly help us petition for the cessation of morning assembly until it is once again warmer?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Imperial Concubine Hui gave her a faux scowl and wagged a finger at her but before she could say anything, a quiet, reserved, but authoritative voice interjected instead.
"Preposterous. Should the morning court shy away from diligence at the first hint of frost, this kingdom would come to a standstill."
The intense hatred that gnawed at Wu Yusi’s gut upon hearing those words was second only to the abhorrence she harboured for the Yan slave.
Unwilling to accept Zhao Qiaoting’s stuffy lecturing—for some reason, she was very stern when it came to inconsequential matters that members of the inner palace ought to know better than to poke their noses into, as though she believed she was prime minister instead of her father—Wu Yusi retorted, "Big Sister Zhao is too serious. This little sister was merely making a joke."
Yes, Big Sister Zhao. The only female member of the harem to gain the title of Imperial Concubine of her own merit. If there were anyone whom Wu Yusi considered real competition in this game of ambition, it was this daughter of the left prime minister. From the day they had entered the inner palace together, Wu Yusi had already acknowledged her as a formidable rival. But what she hadn’t expected was for Zhao Qiaoting to swallow all her pride as a representative of the old noble clans and suck up to a slave that was cheaper than the dirt that they trod upon when taking a turn around the imperial gardens. In order to secure the emperor’s attention, Zhao Qiaoting had stooped so low that she had seen fit to betray everything the old noble clans stood for and ally herself with the Yan slave, just for the chance to catch His Majesty’s eye.
And caught it, she had. Even though the emperor hadn’t summoned her to serve him again after that one eventful night that had raised everyone’s hopes, it did not change the fact that he had promoted her and given her a palace of her own to reside in.
Just thinking about how Zhao Qiaoting had achieved all this with the aid of the Yan slave left a sour taste in Wu Yusi’s mouth. Nothing good came of the Yan slave’s existence. Even her mother liked to say that his bazi clashed with the Wu Clan. How else could one explain all the misfortune that had befallen their family as a result of him?
The frustration was overwhelming, the tight knot in her throat only becoming worse as she saw how Zhao Qiaoting relaxed into her seat right next to Imperial Concubine Hui. In comparison, Wu Yusi had to take her place at the back, standing in the same line next to the disgraced Zhang Qian. She might be nearer to the front of the reception hall than Zhang Qian was but that was poor comfort. She deserved to be seated at the front of the female entourage, where Noble consort Dou resided—no. She was more than worthy of the seat upon the dais, with its blue and gold embroidered cushions, ornate side tables with the finest display of tea and delicacies, and that brazier that only ever burned the best coal with the purest of white smoke.
As if to tempt her, that seat was still empty today.
"Isn’t the imperial noble consort running a little too late?" It was Lord Liang who spoke up. Ever since he had received the invitation to attend that most miserable of hunts, Wu Yusi had noticed that he’d let it get to his head. She rolled her eyes. The men of the harem posed no threat insofar as they did not take up this Majesty’s time; what could these barren chickens hope to do to retain His Majesty’s affections once their looks withered away beneath the cruel chisel of time? She was certain that once His Majesty learnt the beauty of having heirs and grandchildren clustered around his knees, these male concubines would become inconsequential.
The fourth prince already had a head-start too, she thought darkly, uncharitable memories of that conniving Wu Roushu flooding her mind. This awkward, plain illegitimate daughter of her father had the gall to beat her to carrying an imperial child. Wu Yusi’s mother had complained that her father had become so giddy with happiness at the news that he was about to become grandfather to a little princely heir that he had raised Second Yiniang’s position in the family to side concubine.
This was unacceptable. Nothing was going her way.
Sickened by being in the presence of all these people she disliked, Wu Yusi glared at the young female servants standing around unobtrusively and added, "Shouldn’t someone inform the imperial noble consort that we are waiting for him?"
To her anger, none of them paid her any heed. Her cheeks burned as she heard Imperial Concubine Chen—another filthy lowlife to align himself with the Yan slave and benefit from it—chortle and Noble Lord Hua reply with wide-eyed astonishment," Is Little Sister Wu suggesting that we interrupt His Majesty’s morning with Yue Langjun?"
No one else seemed as shocked by this as she was. They must have received the news before her arrival but were too selfish to share it with her, hoping that she would trip up and make a fool of herself, no doubt.
She would remember this slight.
It was impossible to conceal the envy that twisted her expression. The emperor did not have morning court today? And yet he chose to spend his time in the Yan slave’s bed, knowing fully well and uncaring that the entire harem would be privy to this.
He was truly heartless. why couldn’t she be his exception?
To rub salt into her wounds, that terrible eunuch who had once assisted the Yan slave in disrespecting her entered with poorly disguised smugness written all over his face.
"His Majesty would like to inform Little Masters and Mistresses that Imperial Noble Consort Yue is ailing today and morning assembly is to be cancelled. Any matters of concern are to be addressed with Noble Consort Dou."
Wu Yusi gritted her teeth. Ailing? No doubt the brazen hussy was disrobed and wrapped up in the arms of His Majesty, possibly clinging on and impeding the emperor from attending to affairs of the state by inviting him to remain cocooned in the land of warmth and tenderness.1
"Noble Consort Dou Niangniang, the Festival of Longevity1 is fast approaching. This little sister has heard that His Majesty only celebrates his birthday with a state banquet." She bit her lip, eyes bright with a feigned eagerness. "Will all of us have the opportunity to attend?"
Noble consort Dou shook her head. "Traditionally, only members of the harem ranked Imperial Concubine and above would be permitted to attend. This year, His Majesty has relaxed the rules and allowed for Noble Lords and Noble Ladies to be present as well but for the rest of you..." She hesitated before continuing kindly," There will be opportunities in the future, this consort is sure."
Wu Yusi glanced over at Imperial Concubine Hui, who was sipping tea. She gave no indication that she was paying special attention to the conversation but We Susi was certain that she was listening.
In any other situation, Wu Yusi would have been devastated at the loss of a chance to present herself in front of the emperor. But on the night of the Festival of Longevity... She had work to do.
The net had been cast. It was up to her to reel it in. Come the morning after, their beloved liege would be one year wiser... and free from the Yan slave’s wiles.
Almost 7 am One of the names for the ancient holiday that is the emperor’s birthday.A euphemism for a man finding solace in feminine charms. Usually used with a sexual connotation. An idiom that means to be dependent on someone else for a living or to live relying on someone else’s charity. In this case, it is used both literally (she is affiliated to Imperial Concubine Hui’s main palace) and figuratively (she has demonstrated allegiance to Imperial Concubine Hui in exchange for protection).
