The Job of an Imperial Concubine

Feng Jin’s imperial father taught him very little, but he learned many lessons from him.

The Son of Heaven was the child loved by heaven. Since childhood, Feng Jin knew that his imperial father and imperial mother did not share a good relationship. His imperial father was a man more concerned about love than the country; his imperial mother placed more importance on the country than on feelings.

As a crown prince whom neither his father nor mother loved, he was sometimes less important than those favored imperial princes. He endured it when his arrogant and unbridled younger brother shoved him into a lotus pond, then later on, let the whole court learn of the latter’s muddle-headedness. He could watch. Watch every step Miss Wei made as she dug her own grave, at just how she courted disaster. He could listen to his imperial father say words of discontent toward himself. When he learned that his imperial father was on his deathbed, as Feng Jin looked at the other party’s remorseful gaze, he found the situation matchless in hilarity.

Since he had performed those actions back then, there was no point in regretting them. In Feng Jin’s opinion, this so-called remorse was even more of a joke. The whole Jiuzhou Country had belonged to his imperial father; he had the power to do whatever he desired. He, who was leaving the world like smoke, was merely testing him. But Feng Jin had never placed his imperial father’s actions to heart, and thus, his heart was not broken.

If one wanted something, one must pay with something else. Since young, Feng Jin had known this. His imperial mother obtained the position of empress dowager, yet lost her ability to love her son like a mother; his imperial father obtained beautiful women, yet lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Feng Jin’s imperial father was a failure of a man, and also a failure of an emperor. Ever since he was young, Feng Jin knew that if he ever ascended the throne, he must not be like his father.

Once his imperial father had left the world, as the crown prince, Feng Jin ascended the throne, his ascension proper and to be expected as a matter of course. He seized control of the military, seized control of the government, and seized control of the life and death of the harem’s women. Feng Jin had countless women. Those he found interesting would be favored more; those he found dull would get the cold shoulder. In his opinion, women were merely playthings. He would not be like his imperial father, giving his whole heart to a certain woman.

The women of the harem had hearts that were ever changing. He did not need to know their thoughts. He simply wanted to see them curry favor with him. He and these women were merely taking what they needed from each other. As long as that happened, then all was good.

But later on, there in fact was a certain woman who foolishly gave her heart to him, sincere in her affections. He could give her many things. But not the thing she desired.

As she was giving birth, Feng Jin stood outside the door. All of a sudden, a thought sprang up in his mind: If this woman passed away, would the harem grow tedious? After all, the women of the imperial harem were all a similar sort. And this one woman was somewhat different from the rest.

Afterward, she gave birth to the child safe and sound, mother and son in good condition. And he felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was probably because the harem finally had an interesting woman.

She gave birth to his favorite child. Said child did not resemble Feng Jin’s imperial father or Feng Jin himself. However, this child made him very satisfied. And he thought, Perhaps this child would be an even more suitable emperor in the future.

“Your Majesty, Consort Xian has fallen gravely ill.”

When Feng Jin heard these words, he let out a sigh. He had once regarded her with importance, yet for some reason later on, he strangely no longer liked her. Perhaps it was because this woman wanted something he was unwilling to give, causing him to spurn her.

“We will go take a look.” He shut the memorial that was in his hands. In any case, she was a woman who had served him before his ascension to the throne.

Consort Xian used to be a gentle and quiet woman. Later on, she grew more and more vulgar, resembling a sheet of white paper that grew dirty; no matter what one did, one could not wash it clean again.

Feng Jin’s gaze fell upon the woman lying in bed. She seemed at her last breath. As though she would leave the world at any second.

“Your Majesty.” Consort Xian’s voice proved somewhat low and hoarse. A sliver of a smile appeared on her thin and pallid face. Then she sighed, before continuing, “Never had this concubine imagined that Your Majesty would be willing to see this concubine.” She shifted her gaze from Feng Jin to a flower vase in a corner of the room. Inserted into it were a few stems of withered flowers.

She stared at the withered flowers in a daze for a good while, before suddenly saying in a low voice, “Falling pear blossoms wilt and decay as the month rolls by; a faint breeze passes by the catkins at the pond.” Once she finished saying this poem, Consort Xian gasped for breath, expending a lot of energy to widen her eyes as she looked at Feng Jin. “Your Majesty, does your honored self still remember this poem?” Back when she had first entered the crown prince’s estate, it was the then-crown-prince-now-emperor Feng Jin who had recited this poem to her.

Now, more than ten years had gone by. The emperor already had other beauties whom he cared about. Yet, she was growing older at an alarming rate. The hair of a beauty grew white, and the emperor no longer favored her. Tears flowed from her eyes. Perhaps she had never obtained the emperor’s love, and everything had been but a delusion.

In silence, Feng Jin looked at her. Quite a while later, he said, “Rest well. We will come see you again in a few days.”

A bitter smile on Consort Xian’s lips, she watched as the emperor left through the door. Then slowly, she closed her eyes. As if dreaming of that night when the light of the moon resembled frost. When she stood before the window in splendid attire, that handsome man reciting that poem to her.

“Falling pear blossoms wilt and decay as the month rolls by… A faint… A faint breeze passes by… the catkins at the pond.”

A gust of wind and the pear blossoms fluttered down, a most beautiful sight.

“Consort Xian has passed away!”

Hearing the sobbing from the palace behind him, Feng Jin paused in his steps. He turned his head. Looked at the palace that had suddenly made a racket. He said to the court eunuch next to him, “Have Consort Xian buried in the rites of a noble consort.” Following that, he turned to leave. Yet, he caught sight of Miss Hu in the courtyard staring at him, still and silent.

He had once cared about this woman. But she had too many schemes, causing him to lose interest in her. The current Miss Hu had long since lost the tranquility of the past. He would not be interested in her anymore.

Watching as the emperor departed, Miss Hu took her time bending her knees in a curtsy. “Respectfully sending off Your Majesty.” Following that, she rose to her feet. She could no longer make out the emperor’s silhouette, turning her head to look in the direction of Consort Xian’s resting palace. And a long sigh left her.

News of Consort Xian’s death spread through the imperial harem in a flash. On Feng Jin’s way back, he encountered many imperial concubines on the road to Consort Xian’s residence. Each and every one of them had on perfect postures and bearings as they saluted him. Although they wore sorrowful expressions, they did not appear unpleasant to the eyes at all.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Rise. No need to be so ceremonious.” Feng Jin pushed aside the curtains of his imperial sedan, gaze falling upon the woman who stood at the side with a bow. Her dress was white and mostly new with wide sleeves, yet it did not take away from her beauty. Feng Jin had favored this woman for many years. In the end, he no longer wanted to see her.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Noble Consort Shu raised her head, watching as the curtains of the imperial sedan swayed softly. With a tranquil expression, she watched as the imperial sedan departed. Yet, from far away, she saw Noble Consort Zhao sitting on a sedan moving toward the imperial sedan.

All of a sudden, she laughed. Said to Lingsha behind her, “See? The biggest winner in the imperial harem is her. In these past years, no one could compare to her.”

Lingsha had listened calmly to Noble Consort Shu’s words, supporting her master with care. Afterward, she said, “Your Highness and her are both noble consorts. Even though she has given birth to an imperial prince, she isn’t that much more honorable than your honored self.”

“That’s only the case on the surface. Who in the harem doesn’t give her face?” Noble Consort Shu adjusted a dangling hair ornament by her temples. “This is an intelligent woman. It’s a testament to her ability that the emperor’s favor toward her never declines.”

Lingsha raised her head for a look. And she caught sight of the imperial sedan coming to a halt. The emperor seemed to have disembarked from his personal sedan, but after Noble Consort Zhao said something, he returned within it.

This was what made Noble Consort Zhao different from the other imperial concubines. Among all the noble masters in the rear palace, only Noble Consort Zhao received such treatment from the emperor. No wonder other people flattered her. However, Noble Consort Zhao was a very strange woman. She never interfered much with the harem; at most, she would be picky with her food. There wasn’t anything inappropriate about her.

Deeply moved, Lingsha thought, This is why she’s smart.

The days in the imperial harem passed like they had year after year. Since Consort Xian passed away, there naturally would be other women entering the palace. No one really cared about an unfavored imperial concubine, though she would be recorded in history books.

Translated by Sleepchaser at https://sleepchaser.wordpress.com/ If you read it anywhere else besides Sleepchaser’s wordpress, that copy was stolen.

In the eighteenth year of the Chengxuan Era, Noble Consort Zhao fell ill. The imperial physicians of the Imperial Academy of Medicine served her in turn. Yet, her condition worsened more and more, as if just a moment of carelessness and she would leave the world.

The emperor and the eight-year-old crown prince grew furious. To the point that many imperial physicians were punished with wooden paddles. However, they were helpless when it came to Noble Consort Zhao’s illness.

Looking at the pale-faced woman lying on the bed in slumber, Feng Jin seemed to recall the time the crown prince had been born; he himself had been as restless as he was now. As though if he didn’t watch her, this woman would die in her sleep.

“Imperial Father, Consort-Mother will be fine,” said Feng Qi, standing by his side. His young and tender face carried unswerving determination. “Consort-Mother said she would find a good wife for Son.”

“How old are you? You already want a wife? Once your consort-mother awakes, We and she will put you in order together.” Feng Jin forced a smile. He sat at the side of the bed, holding the woman’s somewhat cold hand. As though he were recalling that time under the peach blossoms, when said woman smiled in a tender and beautiful manner.

“Have the peach blossoms in the palace bloomed yet?” asked Feng Jin, looking at Feng Qi.

To which Feng Qi nodded.

Feng Jin rose to his feet. Said in a low voice, “Keep your consort-mother company. We will be back in a short while.”

Feng Qi looked at his imperial father’s rear figure. Then he took a seat where his imperial father had sat. Both hands clasping his imperial mother’s, he said in a somewhat fearful and anxious fashion, “Consort-Mother, when will your honored self awake? Without your honored self, what’s to be done if those other women bully Baozi?” Following that, he began to softly talk about the schemes of the imperial concubines one sentence at a time, incomparable in how clear his words were.

“Consort-Mother, hurry and wake up. Son is afraid.”

All the palace servants within Xihe Palace lowered their heads in silence. All hoping that their master would awake.

Within the peach forest outside of Taoyu Pavilion, Feng Jin personally snapped off a few sprigs of peach blossoms. He gazed at the scenery before him, the forest full of peach blossoms in bloom. After that, he said to the Gao Dezhong behind him, “We remember that Noble Consort Zhao likes to eat the peaches grown here every year. The peach blossoms are so beautiful in their bloom this year. We wonder how happy Noble Consort Zhao would be.”

Gao Dezhong bowed. “May Your Majesty forgive this slave for talking nonsense: Your Majesty should control Noble Consort Zhao a little regarding this. Eating too many peaches isn’t good for the body.”

“Her nature is just this gluttonous. These past many years, We were unable to do anything about it,” said Feng Jin, smiling. Then he made for Xihe Palace with a few sprigs of peach blossoms.

Before he arrived, he caught sight of a court eunuch from Xihe Palace rushing toward him with his brow beaded with sweat. Kneeling with a bang, he gasped for breath as he said. “Your… Your Majesty, Noble Consort Zhao…”

“What happened to her?” said Feng Jin, the hand that was holding the peach blossoms tightening.

“Her Highness Noble Consort Zhao has awoken!” The little eunuch wiped his eyes of tears and his face of sweat with his sleeve. “Your Majesty, Her Highness has awoken.” Google search f𝙧ee𝔀𝑒𝚋𝐧૦ѵ𝑒Ɩ. 𝑐𝘰𝒎

Feng Jin paused in his steps, following which he made large strides toward Xihe Palace, peach blossom petals from the sprigs in his hand littering the ground.

When he entered the inner chamber, he just happened to see the woman leaning against the head of the bed, smiling gently at the crown prince.

She seemed to have sensed his arrival, turning her head for a look. Her clear gaze, her lips that were redder than usual. Such a sight caused him to drop the peach blossoms unconsciously to the ground.

“Your Majesty, you’ve come?” She laughed.

“Mm, We’ve come,” he replied, expression tranquil as usual.

Author’s Note:

Before writing this, I was listening to the song “First Meeting” on repeat. And finally, I found inspiration. This song really fits the mood for writing this chapter. I felt the urge to start this novel because I was simply provoked by those stories where a transmigrated female lead encountered the emperor.

This novel followed the important matters of my life: marriage, giving birth, growing up, and confronting many things in life that cannot be avoided. These things made me realize that life was more complicated than I had originally thought.

Some people scolded me. Some were understanding. In my opinion, they are all people who liked this novel, which is my blessing. But I think that even if I were to stop writing from now on, I will remember this novel the most. That’s because there won’t be another novel that would follow the experiences I’ve had.

I want to once again thank the sisters who liked this novel in the past, and the sisters who are currently reading it. Without you, this novel won’t exist. I am eternally grateful toward everyone. Wishing everyone good luck on this year of the horse.

(There’s still an extra about Virtuous Imperial Concubine Jiang, which will feature a cameo of the female lead. There is another extra whose contents I am not entirely sure of. I’ll think more on it later)

4 am in the wee hours of the morning, on the 27th of the month.

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