It was another grand court assembly.
Just as the session was about to conclude, Pei Lingyue rose from the dragon throne, his face lit with a cheerful smile. "Ministers, accompany Us to the East Inner Garden."
The officials exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what scheme the Emperor had in mind. But judging by his expression, it must be something good?
They followed behind Pei Lingyue.
Pei Chiyan trailed a step behind the Emperor, dressed today in the bright yellow court robes of the Crown Prince—though the hue was slightly paler than the imperial dragon robe. The five-clawed dragons embroidered on it were so lifelike they seemed ready to soar into the heavens at any moment.
He knew the reason his father was leading them to the East Inner Garden—cotton. This was also the miraculous warmth-retaining material discovered by Yu Miaohua.
Yu Miaohua.
The name flashed through his mind once more. If someone had told him a year ago that the appearance of a single woman would bring earth-shaking changes to the Great Qi, he would have dismissed it as sheer fantasy.
Yet, such a thing had undeniably come to pass.
He could understand his father's special favor toward Yu Miaohua—she had indeed earned it.
But then...
The memory of a childhood scene resurfaced in his mind, and a trace of complicated emotion flickered across his refined features.
["Thank you! For saving my kite, I shall repay you with my hand in marriage! I grant you the honor of becoming my eighth concubine!"]
Had he not investigated Yu Miaohua's background, he would never have connected her to that little girl from back then. Nor would he have imagined she would grow up to enter the imperial harem and become his father's favored consort.
Was this her way of repaying his kindness?
Truly eye-opening.
Of course, Pei Chiyan was more inclined to believe she had long forgotten the incident. Just like him—had it not been for the recent spectacle of concubines climbing trees, even he would have buried that memory deep in the past.
Some things were better left forgotten.
Pei Chiyan reeled in his wandering thoughts, his solemn expression giving no hint of what had just crossed his mind.
Soon, they arrived at the East Inner Garden.
Both the East and West Inner Gardens were imperial retreats, often used by the royal family for leisure.
After learning about the Champa rice and cotton, Pei Lingyue had wanted to dedicate a plot of land within the palace for cultivating them. In the end, he chose the East Inner Garden.
Half a month prior, the Marquis of Liewu had successfully retrieved cotton from the Half-Moon Country, transporting a substantial quantity back to the capital. Moreover, following the Emperor's secret decree, he had also gathered several cartloads of cotton to bring back.
Using the diagrams provided by Yu Miaohua, Pei Lingyue had ordered the construction of cotton gins and treadle-operated spinning wheels.
The palace servants had already produced several cotton-padded jackets and woven cotton cloth using the spinning wheels.
Though Pei Lingyue had known cotton was a rare treasure, wearing the padded jacket himself made him realize he had still underestimated its value.
At this moment, he felt profoundly grateful for his ability to witness Yu Miaohua's conversations with the divine.
Now, he would use cotton and Champa rice to firmly cement her identity as the Divine Maiden.
Pei Lingyue led the group to a field where numerous cotton plants had been transplanted. The bolls on the branches had split open, revealing fluffy white fibers inside.
In truth, the cotton could have been harvested two months prior, but Pei Lingyue had left some on the plants deliberately—so his ministers could see it with their own eyes.
"Imperial Father, what is this?" The Second Prince was the first to speak up.
His gaze involuntarily flickered toward his elder brother, whose face showed no trace of confusion—he must have known already.
As expected, Imperial Father favored the Crown Prince, keeping no secrets from him.
Pei Lingyue said solemnly, "This is cotton. It can not only be woven into cloth but also made into cotton-padded jackets to ward off the cold."
A palace attendant approached, carrying cotton-padded jackets and cotton fabric.
Pei Lingyue distributed one jacket to each official present.
As soon as they put on the jackets, the officials' eyes lit up with amazement.
In terms of warmth, these jackets might not surpass fur, but fur was expensive—far beyond the means of common folk. Cotton, however, was different! If cultivated widely, it could produce enough fabric for countless garments.
They ran their hands over the cotton cloth—sturdy yet soft, far superior to rough linen or coarse hemp.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for discovering this treasure. If cotton can be popularized, it will bring great fortune to the people of Great Qi."
"Who was it that found the cotton?"
They speculated that some official must have stumbled upon it by chance and submitted a secret memorial to the emperor. What luck that person had! Once cotton spread across Great Qi, that official’s name would surely be immortalized in history.
Why hadn’t such fortune fallen upon them?
Pei Lingyue did not immediately reveal Yu Miaohua’s name, instead wearing a meaningful smile.
Xue Bin, the Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, observed his expression, and a sudden realization struck him like lightning.
His pupils dilated slightly as he blurted out, "Could it be… Consort Yu?"
The Vice Minister of Revenue couldn’t help but laugh. "Minister Xue, you’re overthinking it. It must have been some regional official. How could it possibly be Consort Yu?"
Consort Yu was confined to the palace—where would she have found cotton?
Xue Bin must have developed unrealistic expectations of her after she uncovered the methods for producing white sugar and rock sugar.
Pei Lingyue broke into a satisfied grin. "The discovery of cotton is entirely thanks to Consort Yu."
The officials were stunned. It really was connected to Consort Yu?
Xue Bin, however, felt a sense of vindication. Glancing at his wide-eyed colleagues, he couldn’t help but feel a faint superiority—clearly, they knew nothing of Consort Yu’s divinely blessed luck!
"But Consort Yu hasn’t borrowed any books from the library recently?" Huang Zhengqin, a Reader-in-Waiting of the Hanlin Academy, still wore an expression of disbelief.
Pei Lingyue cast an amused glance at the questioning official. Consort Yu had clearly left a deep impression on them if they were tracking her every move so closely.
Pei Lingyue replied calmly, "Three months ago, she borrowed several books from the Dexin Pavilion. One of them contained records about cotton."
"Later, she returned to the pavilion and found diagrams for a cotton gin and a treadle-operated spinning wheel."
A heavy silence fell over the officials.
At that moment, an absurd thought crossed all their minds:
Was Consort Yu the heavens’ own favored daughter? It was as if the heavens were chasing after her, desperate to heap merits upon her.
Any one of these achievements would have been enough to elevate an official to prominence.
The Second Prince, Pei Chiyao, felt a pang of mixed emotions. Why was it always Consort Yu?
He could only console himself with the thought that, despite her favor, there had been no significant developments yet. If she were to bear a child, that child would naturally carry an aura of divine blessing, placing them above the other imperial heirs.
Pei Lingyue continued, "Since it was Yu Miaohua who found the book, I would rather exhaust all efforts than let this opportunity slip away. I ordered people to search for cotton based on the locations described in the text—and to my surprise, every detail in the book turned out to be true."
"Does Zuo Xing'an stand present?" Pei Lingyue's gaze swept toward the Minister of Agriculture, who stepped forward with a bow.
"The promotion of cotton cultivation shall be entrusted to Zuo Xing'an."
Zuo Xing'an's face lit up with excitement. "This humble official obeys Your Majesty's decree!"
If executed well, this task would guarantee him undeniable merit.
Thanks to Noble Consort Yu! And gratitude to Brother Yu for raising such an exceptional daughter!
Pei Lingyue observed the expressions of his courtiers before declaring, "We intend to confer upon Lady Yu the title of Noble Consort."
Lady Yu had already contributed the remarkable achievement of introducing Champa rice—her courtyard's harvest had yielded a full season's crop in mere months.
Once another season was planted come spring, she would qualify for further promotion.
Should anyone object... well, let them produce crops rivaling Champa rice or cotton first. He wouldn't hesitate to bestow titles then.
With the monumental merit of discovering cotton laid bare before them, who dared oppose? Who even had the standing to?
Thus, the courtiers echoed in unison: "Your Majesty is most wise!"
...
Yu Miaohua, who had previously only enjoyed the privileges of a Noble Consort without the formal title, now rightfully ascended as the mistress of her own palace.
The Emperor granted her the honorific "Hui" (Wisdom), henceforth styling her as Consort Hui. Though her rank remained Noble Consort, her privileges were elevated to match those of a Senior Consort.
[System, the Emperor must have recognized the intellect beneath my beauty—that's why he gave me this title.]
[The 'Hui' title belongs half to me. I worked hard to complete those tasks for you.]
[Fine, fine, half is yours.]
[Congratulations, Host! You've officially become a palace mistress, no longer an insignificant pawn in the harem. This is your first step toward becoming a player in the game.]
[Host has completed a hidden quest: Rise to palace mistress within a year, setting a new legend. Reward: Three Universal Antidote Pills, plus 500 points.]
Antidote pills cost 2,000 points each in the System Mall—this hidden quest's rewards were impressive!
With these pills, she'd have insurance against poisoning.
To rise from disgraced concubine to palace mistress in half a year—had she not lived it, Yu Miaohua wouldn't have dared dream so boldly.
[Host, we've accumulated enough energy to upgrade to Level 2! I'll begin the upgrade. When I return, you'll meet a brand-new, more powerful Palace Intrigue System. "Absent for three days, deserving fresh admiration"—just you wait!]
After this bold proclamation, the Palace Intrigue System cheerfully vanished into seclusion for its upgrade.
The glowing halo in Yu Miaohua's mind flickered out, and the chattering voice fell silent.
She knew this meant the system was upgrading. After half a year of constant companionship, its sudden absence left her oddly unsettled.
More crucially, the system hadn't left her a backdoor before secluding itself—for three days, she couldn't use it to read comics!
How harsh it was to return to austerity after luxury.
Yu Miaohua felt forcibly weaned off her internet addiction, and it soured her mood.
Yet when she turned to see Cuiwei and the others celebrating her promotion, a smile tugged at her lips. "This month, everyone receives three months' extra pay," she announced.
Previously limited to two first-rank maids, she could now appoint four. Yu Miaohua promptly promoted Hong Xing, leaving one position vacant to observe Xuelan's performance.
Joy suffused every corner of Guanju Palace, its servants now walking with heads held high.
In their eyes, being able to curry favor with the Noble Consort was an incredible stroke of luck, and many palace servants envied them. Especially since Her Majesty had been promoted repeatedly within half a year, their monthly allowances were practically overflowing.
Who wouldn’t want such a kind and generous mistress? They could only hope that Consort Hui would remain in the emperor’s favor for a long, long time.
As for Yu Miaohua, whom they pinned their hopes on, she was feeling rather melancholic these days—no comics to read, no dramas to watch.
To ease her boredom, she could only watch Wei Qiu’s sword dances for entertainment.
Over the past few months, Wei Qiu and Ruolan had gotten along splendidly, choreographing two new classical dances together.
Thanks to their company, Yu Miaohua wasn’t reduced to flipping through those monotonous romance novels to pass the time. She could somewhat understand why imperial consorts either fought for the emperor’s favor or cultivated hobbies—life in the palace was simply too dull. That monotonous, day-in-day-out routine could slowly grind away a person’s vitality.
Three days later, the system finally finished its upgrade.
[Ding-ding-ding, I’m back!]
She had to admit, hearing that slightly cheeky voice again made Yu Miaohua feel a little nostalgic.
[What new features did the upgrade bring?]
The system began its diagnostics.
[A weather forecast function has been unlocked in the bottom-right corner. Each use costs one point.]
Yu Miaohua already knew about this upgrade.
[And besides that?]
[...]
The system fell silent.
[Don’t tell me that’s the only new feature?? You’re the worst system I’ve ever encountered! Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been working on missions all this time? And this is all I get?]
She threw the system’s own words back at it.
The system swallowed its retort—"Most of your missions completed themselves anyway"—since it was feeling guilty. Had it siphoned off too much energy, leading to an incomplete upgrade? It just wanted to save up for a nice new skin.
[I—I didn’t expect this either. It shouldn’t be like this… There should’ve been more features after the upgrade. I’ll go file a repair request.]
Clueless about the malfunction, the system panicked and rushed off to report to the main system. After a thorough scan and virus check, no issues were found, and it returned dejected.
Yu Miaohua wasn’t actually that upset—she mostly used the system to binge dramas—but she feigned outrage, pretending to be cheated by their empty promises. She seized the opportunity to emotionally manipulate the system into signing an unfair contract.
For example, it had to proactively recommend dramas tailored to her tastes. Or when she didn’t want to hear its nagging, it had to voluntarily go into timeout without wasting her penalty slots…
After successfully gaslighting the system, Yu Miaohua felt refreshed.
But her good mood didn’t last long before she received devastating news—the Empress Dowager, originally scheduled to return in December, was coming back a month early.
A bolt from the blue!
Was this aimed at her?
...
The Empress Dowager’s return was a grand affair. After all, she was the emperor’s birth mother, and their bond was strong. This trip had been to pray for the prosperity of the Great Qi—with all these layers of significance, no one dared slight her.
Upon receiving word of the Empress Dowager’s arrival in the capital, everyone from the imperial consorts to the princes and princesses personally went to welcome her back.
The emperor and empress stood at the forefront, with Pei Lingyue’s expression stern, his eyes glinting with a faint sharpness.
The reason the Empress Dowager returned to the palace ahead of schedule was because Nanny Li, her attendant, had received a letter from the Gu family.
A mere servant daring to stir up trouble—truly tired of living.
Pei Lingyue had initially planned to spare the rest of the main branch of the family, considering his uncle’s sensible behavior. But since they insisted on courting death, there was no need to save face for them.
As for the Empress Dowager’s misunderstanding of Yu Miaohua, Pei Lingyue wasn’t worried. As long as he explained properly, his mother would understand.
Yu Miaohua, this time, was truly an innocent victim.
He would send her a batch of the New Year’s tribute gifts first, letting her pick what she liked.
Just as Pei Lingyue was slightly distracted, the Empress Dowager’s imperial carriage arrived.
Yu Miaohua stood beside Consort Li in her palace attire, doing her best to appear obedient.
Now that the Empress Dowager had returned, she couldn’t afford to give the impression of being a seductive concubine who brought chaos to the harem. Rumor had it that the Empress Dowager had suffered under Empress Zhenyi in her youth, and the palace Yu Miaohua currently resided in… was none other than the Guanju Palace, once occupied by Empress Zhenyi. It was practically a stack of debuffs.
She would have preferred to keep a low profile, but the palace intrigue system wouldn’t allow it.
[Ding ding ding! Since ancient times, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been fraught with difficulty. A truly favored concubine never cowers before her superior’s challenges. Host, strive to be the one chosen in the “swim or sink” scenario! Host has triggered the main palace intrigue mission 2.1: Make the Emperor stand by your side, shielding you from the Empress Dowager’s provocations, openly displaying his protection, and giving Her Majesty a small taste of a favored concubine’s prestige. Reward: Movable-type printing technology!]
[Holy—Host! This reward is meant to win over the hearts of scholars!]
Yu Miaohua’s silence was deafening.
[I think you’re trying to get me killed!! I’m not doing it. Just carry me away now.]
Since the Emperor was standing at the front, he didn’t witness this scene.
As the Empress Dowager descended from her carriage, her gaze swept over the concubines who had come to welcome her before settling on a bright-eyed young woman in emerald-green palace robes—this must be Yu Miaohua, no?
She had met all the high-ranking concubines in her son’s harem, except for Yu Miaohua. The unfamiliar face standing in that position could be no one else.
Was this really the seductive concubine the letter claimed had bewitched the Emperor?
Her beauty was indeed striking, but her eyes looked a bit… foolish. In the previous emperor’s time, Yu Miaohua wouldn’t have lasted three months in the harem.
Suddenly, the Empress Dowager noticed several lines of large text appearing above Yu Miaohua’s head.
Her pupils contracted, and she instinctively gripped the hand of the nanny beside her.
