The funeral bell tolled.
The nation mourned... or so it should have been.
At least in Jiang Yunshu's eyes, not a single consort in the grand hall shed a tear for the emperor's death.
There was only fear and hatred.
Eighty-some consorts were locked inside the great hall, surrounded by layers of imperial guards—escape was impossible.
The emperor had been barely twenty years old, and most of his consorts were even younger, tender as flower buds. Yet now, they would wither before their time.
The hall echoed with sobs, and some of the more timid consorts had already fainted from terror.
Suddenly, one consort cried out, "Grand Eunuch! This humble one has urgent news for the Grand Eunuch!"
The guards outside paid no heed.
Desperate, the consort shielded her belly with both hands and shouted toward the window, "I'm with child! I carry the emperor's royal heir!"
Her words sent shockwaves through the hall.
Chaos erupted instantly.
Many other consorts immediately claimed to be pregnant as well, while some lunged at the first woman, clawing at her throat and kicking her stomach.
The guards stormed in to quell the uproar.
The first consort who declared her pregnancy was taken away, while the rest—no matter how loudly they screamed—were ignored.
Silence settled over the hall, thick with despair.
Jiang Yunshu, weak with hunger and exhaustion, slumped against the corner wall, her thoughts drifting hazily to her own end.
Taoye and Zhezhi wouldn’t have to follow her in death. Before being locked in the hall, Jiang Yunshu had frantically pried pearls and gemstones from her hairpiece—
She’d made Taoye and Zhezhi help her!
Then she’d hidden the jewels on them, a small fortune to secure their future.
They should return safely to the Marquis's Mansion... this was the last thing she could do for them.
Now, at last, she understood why her elder sister had suddenly insisted on switching marriages.
What had once been an unsolvable riddle now seemed painfully clear.
Her sister must have known that entering the palace wouldn’t bring glory—only death.
But how? Was her sister a transmigrator? A reborn soul? Or did she possess some golden finger that foretold the future?
Jiang Yunshu recalled her own transmigration. At first, she thought she’d been handed a script for a domestic power struggle.
Then, after entering the palace, she assumed it had shifted to a battle of imperial intrigue.
Only now did she realize—she was never the protagonist, just an early casualty, a minor character fated to die.
Still, she’d lived two lifetimes. That was one more than she’d been owed.
Every day of these sixteen years had been a gift. She’d tasted delicacies beyond her past life’s imagination, worn gowns more exquisite than any she’d known before...
She’d even mastered a dance lost to the annals of history.
And she’d met people who truly loved her.
Taoye, Zhezhi, Concubine Qiao... Jiang Yunshu’s fingers brushed the peace knot hidden beneath her robes.
She hadn’t been able to part with it, to give it to Taoye or Zhezhi. If she wore it, the eunuchs would surely confiscate it—so she’d hold it in her mouth at the end.
The eunuchs entered, bearing white silk cords, and invited the consorts to hang themselves.
Grand Eunuch Xie Lin, now clad in deeper violet robes with an even grander golden belt, curled his lips. "Ladies, your time has come."
Jiang Yunshu thought, Xie Lin looked like a celestial being, but he was truly a demon from hell.
Many consorts fainted on the spot.
A flicker of irritation crossed Xie Lin’s eyes. "If the ladies refuse to go willingly, we shall assist them."
At his signal, the eunuchs produced small porcelain vials, pinning down the consorts beside them and forcing their jaws open to pour the contents down their throats.
Poison?
"Swallow, my lady. This is the elixir of eternal youth."
Jiang Yunshu’s blood ran cold—it was mercury.
This was no longer a palace. It was a living hell.
Then Xie Lin approached her, holding a white silk cord in one hand and a vial in the other.
"Consort, choose."
Jiang Yunshu lowered her gaze. "I never imagined the Grand Eunuch would personally see me off."
"Before I die, I have one question."
Xie Lin regarded her with amusement. "Ask."
Jiang Yunshu pointed. "One consort is missing. Was she truly with child?"
Xie Lin paused, then smiled. "At death’s door, and still meddling in others’ affairs?"
Jiang Yunshu shrugged. "I’ll die either way. Indulge my curiosity."
Xie Lin studied her, then answered slowly, "Very well. Yes."
"The imperial physician confirmed it. Consort Wu is indeed pregnant."
"She will not die today."
"Both of you hold the same rank, Consort. Pity you weren’t so fortunate."
He searched her eyes for envy, hatred, madness, despair—but found none.
Her gaze was serene, like a clear sky after rain.
Xie Lin couldn’t comprehend it. This girl, raised in the sheltered luxury of the Marquis's Mansion, untouched by hardship—how could she face death with such calm?
Even seasoned officials, decades in power, trembled before him. Yet here she stood, staring down his vial and silk cord, speaking to him as if they were merely exchanging pleasantries.
"Actually, I was pregnant once too—" Jiang Yunshu said suddenly.
Xie Lin immediately seized her wrist, his slender fingers pressing against her pulse. "You show no signs of pregnancy, Consort."
Jiang Yunshu blinked. Since when did eunuchs know medicine?
She backtracked. "Not now. Two years ago."
The lie came effortlessly. "Two years ago, by the Great Ming Lake, the emperor traveled incognito... I bore him a child!"
Xie Lin’s mind raced—had the emperor left the capital in secret those years?
"Whether you’ve birthed a child can be verified by the palace matrons," he sneered.
This time, it was Jiang Yunshu who seized his wrist.
Only then did she notice how exquisite his hands were—
Pale as jade, perfectly proportioned, nails trimmed to elegant simplicity.
The skin beneath her fingers was smooth, flawless.
It was a hand fit for sculpting masterpieces.
A ripple of something unreadable flickered in Jiang Yunshu’s eyes, like a breeze disturbing still waters.
Amidst the hellish palace, hidden in her corner, she guided Xie Lin’s hand beneath her skirts.
"Why trouble the matrons?"
"If the Grand Eunuch knows medicine... then verify it yourself."
Before Xie Lin could react, his fingertips brushed warmth.
