Laziness is human nature.
After borrowing books from Zhaoren Hall, Qi Daiyu claimed she was too exhausted and lay on the couch for a long time—though in reality, she was scrolling through short videos.
Before she knew it, it was time for lunch.
"Short videos are the ruin of productivity," Qi Daiyu reflected solemnly.
After lunch, she took a nap. When she woke up, she finally remembered the family letter she had brought back earlier.
Stretching lazily, she opened the letter—only to nearly throw out her back in shock.
Her eyes widened as she reread the letter several times before letting out an exasperated laugh.
The letter was from Qi Caishang—her father in this life.
The main content? Her elder brother, Qi Chuchu, was divorcing his wife to remarry. The reason? His former wife was tyrannical, violent, and greedy—her brother couldn’t take it anymore.
At first, Qi Daiyu didn’t understand. After studying the letter a few times, she realized: her brother, a grown man, had been domestically abused by his ex-wife.
Actual abuse—the kind that left him bedridden.
On top of that, his ex-wife had secretly been loan-sharking. When Qi Chuchu found out, he cried and wailed until he got his divorce.
Initially, Qi Caishang and his wife were against it—having a son divorce out of fear of his wife was too shameful. But once they learned about the loan-sharking, they panicked. If exposed, the whole family could end up in prison.
The situation was absurd. This was ancient times—how could a woman dare to beat her husband? Qi Daiyu suspected the Qis were twisting the truth, but after digging through her predecessor’s memories, she realized it wasn’t impossible.
Qi Caishang was an eighth-rank official in the Imperial Academy. A humble scholar, he only earned his position after marrying and having children. Qi Chuchu’s marriage had been arranged early—his wife was a hunter’s daughter, tall and imposing. From the moment she entered the household, she had Qi Chuchu firmly under her thumb.
Given her temperament, beating her husband was entirely plausible.
Since loan-sharking endangered the entire family, Qi Daiyu agreed with the divorce.
What infuriated her was what came next.
The ex-wife agreed to the divorce—but after finalizing it at the authorities, she took all the Qis’ money and vanished!
Now, Qi Chuchu wanted to remarry, but the family had no funds left.
Qi Caishang’s letter was a plea for money.
He wailed in writing: "Daughter, we don’t even have a grain of rice left! Your bedridden grandmother just wants a bowl of steamed egg custard, and we can’t even afford that…"
Ridiculous.
Qi Daiyu marched to her desk to reply.
"Father, our family’s misfortunes grieve me deeply. But I, too, have no silver to spare. As for Brother’s remarriage—delay it if possible. But Grandmother’s egg custard must be served! I’ll cover that expense. Also, Father, you’re no spring chicken—how are you still just a lowly official? Shouldn’t you strive for a promotion? You’re the family’s pillar; Brother and I depend on you!"
It wasn’t that Qi Daiyu was heartless. She simply knew the Qis couldn’t be penniless.
If her brother’s ex-wife was a wolf in disguise, her mother was a mole spirit.
With Qi Madam’s penny-pinching nature, she undoubtedly had secret stashes—likely buried so deep even the ex-wife couldn’t find them. The "no money" act was just reluctance to spend on Qi Chuchu’s remarriage.
The Qis’ personalities… Qi Daiyu gritted her teeth.
Thankfully, she had her predecessor’s memories—otherwise, she might’ve fallen for the sob story.
After sealing the letter, she called Putao. "Add two taels of silver and send this out."
Putao bowed. "Yes."
Ugh… what a mess.
In need of distraction, she decided to work on her skincare concoction. Putao had already fetched the ingredients from the Department of Imperial Supplies.
Qi Daiyu had Xiao Li and Little Cheng carry a low table from the storeroom into her study, then covered it with jars and bottles—creating a convincingly "professional" setup.
She pretended to consult books while secretly browsing tutorials on her system’s screen.
She found plenty of DIY lotion guides. Of course, these videos weren’t necessarily reliable, but that didn’t matter—she wasn’t actually making anything. This was just an excuse to "produce" store-bought products.
The flashier the tutorial, the better.
Once her "research" was done, she began the performance.
First, crushing flowers for their essence—a step she delegated to Shiliu and others to save time.
Time flew when she was absorbed in a task.
After what felt like hours, her hands ached—until a sudden announcement from the Eunuch Office interrupted her.
"Congratulations, Noble Consort Qi! His Majesty has chosen Yanqing Residence tonight. Prepare to receive His Majesty!"
Qi Daiyu froze.
She’d known this day would come ever since the Empress sent the imperial physician to examine her. But she hadn’t expected it to be today.
So soon? She wasn’t ready!
Screaming internally, she forced a stiff smile and tipped the eunuch.
Even now, her mind wandered: Everything in the palace required silver—even delivering news.
Once the eunuch left, Yanqing Residence erupted.
After nearly three years—three years since the Emperor’s ascension—this was their first summons!
Was their luck finally turning?
Shiliu paced excitedly. "Why are you all standing around? Clean every inch of the residence! Wipe the furniture, the windows—everything!"
"This table’s paint is chipped—is there a new one in storage? These vases are hideous—replace them! The bed curtains look old—can we sew new ones in time?"
"What will Her Ladyship wear tonight? The new gown is lovely. Pingguo, you must style Her Ladyship’s hair perfectly!"
Her frenzy spread to the others.
Putao, however, noticed Qi Daiyu’s unease. "Your Ladyship, is something wrong?"
Wrong? Could she say she dreaded the Emperor’s visit?
Obviously not—that would cost her head.
Qi Daiyu forced a chuckle. "It’s been so long since I last saw His Majesty. I’m… nervous."
Shiliu and Putao exchanged glances. They’d forgotten—had their mistress retained the skills to serve the Emperor?
Putao’s concern ran deeper. She and Shiliu had been assigned to Yanqing Residence after Qi Daiyu entered the palace. They knew nothing of her days as a crown prince’s consort—only that she’d been overlooked.
Could it be… that Her Ladyship had never…
That would be disastrous.
Steeling herself, Putao pulled Qi Daiyu into the inner chamber.
In a hushed voice, she asked, "Your Ladyship… back in the Eastern Palace, did you ever… serve His Majesty?"
Huh?
Qi Daiyu blinked, momentarily confused by the euphemism.
Her blank expression deepened Putao’s dread.
Blushing, the maid clarified.
Qi Daiyu searched her memories—only to draw a complete blank.
During his time in the Eastern Palace, Jiang Yuan had only visited Qi Daiyu’s original self twice, but they had only shared a bed once. Thinking back on that occasion, Qi Daiyu furrowed her brows—whether it was because her past self had been too terrified or something else, she couldn’t recall a single thing about it!
So, did it actually happen or not? Qi Daiyu was utterly confused.
Putao stomped her feet in frustration—what were they supposed to do? If the Imperial Concubine knew nothing about such matters and ended up displeasing His Majesty, wouldn’t this supposed good fortune turn into a disaster?
But she herself had no experience in these matters either—how could she possibly instruct the Imperial Concubine?
Should they summon a senior maid? But if word got out, the entire palace would laugh at the Imperial Concubine’s expense.
Putao had never encountered such a thorny problem before. Who would have thought that a consort who had been with the Emperor for over three years was still untouched?
Qi Daiyu blinked. She wanted to say that although she hadn’t experienced such things in her past life either, as a modern person, who hadn’t received some form of sex education? She’d even bookmarked quite a few steamy novels…
But she couldn’t say any of this, so she could only let Putao fret in silence.
As for the utterly clueless Shiliu, she was nothing short of exhilarated.
She had Xiao Li fetch several buckets of hot water from the kitchen and scrubbed Qi Daiyu clean, leaving her wincing in discomfort.
Once she was freshly bathed and fragrant, Shiliu had Pingguo redo Qi Daiyu’s hair and makeup, ensuring a natural yet stunning look.
She even tried to persuade Qi Daiyu to change into brighter, more eye-catching clothes—only to be firmly rejected.
Qi Daiyu’s worst-case scenario was simply going through the motions with the Emperor. The last thing she wanted was for him to develop any fondness for her.
If the Emperor hadn’t liked her previous style, then she would stubbornly stick to it.
Dressed and primped, Qi Daiyu sat in an armchair, gazing at the newly refreshed Yanqing Residence. Silently, she apologized to Shiliu and the others for their wasted efforts.
"Your mistress truly has no desire to win favor!"
That night.
The crack of a whip announced the Emperor’s arrival.
Stepping down from his palanquin, Jiang Yuan wore an indifferent expression.
He hadn’t originally planned to visit Yanqing Residence—in fact, he barely had any impression of Imperial Concubine Qi at all.
But the previous night, while visiting the Empress at Kuning Palace, Her Majesty suddenly brought up Qi Daiyu, reminiscing about how, if not for the Imperial Concubine’s fearless actions back then, she and Lingyi might have suffered a great calamity.
The Empress sighed, relieved that Qi Daiyu had recovered, allowing her conscience to rest easy.
So today, when the Ministry of Rites presented the concubines’ name plaques, Qi Daiyu’s was placed in the first row. Remembering the Empress’s words, Jiang Yuan flipped Yanqing Residence’s plaque.
Yet upon arriving at the entrance, he hesitated.
He had nothing to say to Imperial Concubine Qi—a visit would only lead to awkward silence. After a long day of state affairs, the harem was supposed to be a place of relaxation. He couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort.
Just as he considered turning away, a young eunuch from Yanqing Residence rushed forward, beaming with delight.
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty! Please, this way!"
Well, leaving without a word would be too disrespectful to Imperial Concubine Qi.
Jiang Yuan stepped into the courtyard.
At a glance, he saw Imperial Concubine Qi standing beneath the corridor, clad in a moon-white gown.
Her beauty was refined, her figure delicate—like a resilient white flower braving the storm, or the lilac blossoms in the depths of an April night. Anyone who saw her would feel pity and admiration, sighing, "A peerless beauty."
But unfortunately, Jiang Yuan despised this very type of fragile, delicate woman.
It reminded him of unpleasant memories.
Frowning slightly, his tone was stiff as he said, "Rise."
Without waiting for Qi Daiyu’s response, he strode past her and entered the chamber.
