Chapter 1: Return

In the 38th year of Kangxi, early September.

Wanxi lay on the warm kang near the window, her long hair falling loosely on her chest, her eyes staring into the void, and the familiar scent of plum blossoms between her nose made her feel incredulous.

She didn't know how long she had been lying there, she only knew that all of this was definitely not a dream.

Although the environment in front of her was not familiar, the layout of the room accurately told her that this was not her boudoir, but the room where she lived during the selection.

At this time, she was not yet fifteen years old, pampered by her parents and protected by her older brother since childhood, she appeared more innocent than most girls her age, unaware of the dangers of the world, and ignorant of worldly troubles. At this time, all she could think of was romantic love, and she never thought that some people had two faces, and that their outward appearances might not necessarily reflect their true intentions.

Lost in her thoughts, Wanxi did not hear any movement outside the door. By the time she came to her senses, someone had already arrived in front of her.

"Young mistress, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" As soon as Sujun entered the room, she saw Wanxi with tears in her eyes and couldn't help but feel a little flustered, thinking that she was seriously ill.

As a palace maid, the saying "life is as fragile as a blade of grass" was not just an empty phrase.

Sujun was a low-ranking palace maid who was brought in through a small selection due to her modest family background and was not usually given important tasks. This time, she was assigned to serve the selected ladies entirely because she had caught the eye of Wang Mama with her honesty and diligence. Otherwise, with her qualifications, she would never have had such a good opportunity.

In the palace, the rules for maids were strict, and unless the mistress was generous, the only chance to gain some benefits was during the selection, when these young mistresses would give rewards.

Despite the young mistress in front of her having a humble background, her outstanding appearance and graceful figure, as well as her generosity, made it possible for Sujun to serve her with such dedication.

Wanxi looked at Sujun in a daze for a long time before recalling her name. "I'm fine, I'm just a little thirsty."

"Then I'll bring some tea for you right away, young mistress." Sujun, seeing this, felt relieved.

Good, as long as she's okay.

In the palace, whether it was the noble ladies or the young mistresses, if the mistress had a problem, the maids could never escape. Fortunately, the young mistress in front of her was easy to serve.

Wanxi didn't know what Sujun was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn't be too surprised. In this seemingly peaceful palace, there was actually a lot of competition and danger. If she, Wanxi, were still the same as before, she might have been oppressed without realizing it, foolishly drinking the medicine that had been tampered with. But now, she was no longer the same as before.

It was good to come back at this time. She remembered that Ninth Prince had once said that it was the glimpse of her in the Imperial Garden that made him fall for her. Even though Wanxi was eventually rejected, she still entered the Ninth Prince's backyard as he wished, and from then on, she received continuous favor and attention.

But being virtuous and abiding by the rules had brought her such a bleak outcome. She might as well be an arrogant and wicked person. Regardless of the outcome, at least she would feel satisfied.

Now that the second round of the selection had passed, the selected ladies who received the scented sachet were taken to the pre-arranged courtyard by the eunuchs, while those who received the silk flowers could directly leave through the Shenwu Gate.

Wanxi was arranged to stay in a palace garden to the north of the Chuxiu Palace. The main hall here had not yet been occupied by any concubines, so the rear hall was used to accommodate the selected ladies for their stay in the palace.

Generally, the selected ladies, whether from the Manchu or Han ethnic groups, would reside here for a period of one to two months to become familiar with the palace etiquette.

During this period, there would still be some selected ladies who would be sent out of the palace due to not meeting the standards or making mistakes. Like Wanxi, who was designed to fall ill and eventually be sent out of the palace, she was not the first and would not be the last.

Summoning her strength, Wanxi endured her discomfort and got out of bed to take a few laps. After breaking a sweat, when her roommate, Suo Chuo Luo, returned to the room, she felt much better.

Wanxi knew that as long as she could hold on until the end, whether she was "named" or "named first," she would have a real status. Even if she was given to Yinti, she would at least have the status of a noble lady, rather than a concubine who could be disposed of at will.

In her previous life, she didn't care about her status and position, but in this life, she was unwilling to accept such a fate. She wanted to climb up, until the noble lady was wary but dared not touch her.

"Wanxi, it's great that you've recovered. I heard the maids saying that if your illness didn't improve, they would report to the head maid and have you sent out of the palace," said Suo Chuo Luo Shi, the noble lady who shared the same room as Wanxi, the one who had caused her illness.

"Is that so? What a pity then, for not being able to fulfill someone's wish," Wanxi said with a slight smirk, playing with the handkerchief in her hand, her words tinged with sarcasm.

Suo Chuo Luo Shi paused for a moment upon hearing this, then casually replied, "I wonder what you mean by that, little sister."

Although it was regrettable that she couldn't get rid of Wanxi, Suo Chuo Luo Shi knew that being too obvious about certain things would only bring trouble to herself. So, even if she had any plans, now was not the time to act on them.

Wanxi chuckled lightly, not pressing the issue further. After all, there was no evidence, and instead of confronting each other head-on, she preferred to wait for the right opportunity to strike back.

Suo Chuo Luo Shi looked at Wanxi's meaningful smile and felt inexplicably uneasy, unconsciously tightening her grip on the handkerchief.

During the selection of noble ladies, it was common for them to scheme and sabotage each other, with the only difference being the level of cunning.

Originally, Suo Chuo Luo Shi had intended to harm Wanxi because of her outstanding beauty and simple-mindedness, but now it seemed that she had misjudged the situation.