Su Huili sighed. It had been exactly ten days since she had entered the Crown Prince’s Harem as a Consort Princess, and she has yet to see his face. Locked up in her chambers with nothing to do and nothing to see, she was growing annoyed and tired of waiting for his Royal Highness. Huili rolled her eyes. Heaving another deep sigh, she dropped her chin into her palms. 

“My Lady, I have some good news for you!”

Huili immediately straightened up. She turned to her young maid excitedly. “What is it, Suyun? Is the Crown Prince finally coming to visit me?”

Suyun shook her head. “Uh, n-no, my lady. But it’s something even better than that! Consort Mei is inviting us to her palace for dinner.”

“Oh...” Huili sighed. “Consort Mei?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“But why would she want to have dinner with me?”

“I...I’m not sure, my lady.”

Huili frowned. “She probably just wants something from me.”

“But what could she possibly want from you, my lady?”

“I don’t know...” Huili wondered. Did Consort Mei need help? Was Consort Mei looking for a favor? But what could Consort Mei need help with? Suddenly, Huili realized what Consort Mei’s intentions were. She shook her head and answered with a loud scoff, “I think she wants me to be her chess piece.”

Suyun furrowed her brows. “I’m not sure I understand, my lady.”

“Consort Mei is currently the Emperor's favorite concubine, right?”

“That’s right. Other than the Empress herself, Consort Mei is the most powerful and loved woman of the Emperor’s Harem.”

Huili nodded. “However, Consort Mei has no sons or any powerful relatives, and when the Crown Prince inherits the throne, she’ll risk losing her status and power. That’s why, in order to secure her status for the future, she’s trying to find someone who can support her, and who else would be a better candidate other than the Crown Princess, the future Empress?”

Suyun furrowed her brows once more. “But, my lady, you’re not the Crown Princess...not yet at least.”

“Yes, that’s true, and that’s also exactly why she’s choosing me now. She wants to help me become Crown Princess, so that later I will favor her, and when I become the Empress, I’ll support her.”

“But why would she choose you? What about the four other Consort Princesses?”

Huili shook her head. “Consort Mei would never choose the other Consort Princesses. Wang Yina and Wang Jingna are both nieces of Consort Wang, who happens to be Consort Mei’s biggest rival. In fact, Consort Mei probably already knows that Consort Wang is planning to use them as her own supporters for the future.”

“I see. But what about Lady Yu?”

Huili gave a small sigh. “Consort Mei won't choose her because she knows that Yu Silan has a very small chance of becoming Crown Princess.”

Suyun nodded slowly. “Right...of course. It’s because of her background, isn’t it?”

“Yes. A girl born as a lowly courtesan will never become someone of high status. Even if she is beautiful and talented, she won’t be chosen because of her lowly birthright. It’s rather sad, I think.”

Suyun sighed. “I think so too, my lady.”

Huili nodded and turned to look at herself in the mirror. She studied her reflection carefully. “And who knows about the fifth concubine? I heard that no one’s seen her or even knows who she is. Apparently she was too sick to ever come into the Imperial Palace and might soon be removed from the Crown Prince's Harem simply because she’s been gone for so long. So out of all five Consort Princesses, it seems that Consort Mei’s best choice would be me. I just wonder...can I trust her? Am I willing to be her chess piece just so that I can become Crown Princess?”

Suyun gently placed her hands on Huili’s shoulder. “My lady…”

Huili glanced away from the mirror and stared at her lap. “Just how willing am I to become Crown Princess? Should I sacrifice my freedom for it?”

“My lady, you must think of what’s best for you. No matter what, you must become Crown Princess. If you don’t, who knows how difficult life will be for you in the future.”

“I understand that, Suyun. But do I really need Consort Mei’s help in order to become Crown Princess? Should I be that desperate? Shouldn’t I just play it fair?”

Suyun squeezed Huili’s shoulder gently. “I think you should at least consider accepting her help. You don’t have to trust her at first, but at least make sure that you are on good terms with her. And as long as you don't lose all of your freedom completely, you won't become her chess piece. You’ll also be the Empress in the future, so she won’t be able to control you then, right? Just be careful. Remember, Consort Mei is the Emperor’s favorite concubine. She has a lot of power, and I’m sure she can definitely help you.”

Huili sighed. “And I’m sure she can definitely hurt me if she wanted to.” 

“Just don’t make her want to, my lady.”

Huili smiled. “I’ll try, Suyun.”

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Yifan bowed as the Emperor and Empress swept into the room. “Greetings, Father. Greetings, Mother.”

The Emperor laughed joyfully as he sat down in his seat with the Empress at his side. “My son!” he exclaimed, “After three days, you’ve finally come to visit me. Come on, get up, get up. Let me take a good look at you. It’s been too long.”

Yifan rose from his spot and moved closer to the Emperor. Smiling, he met his father’s eyes. “I apologize, father, for not coming to visit you sooner. I was busy with some...domestic issues.”

The Emperor turned to his wife with a playful smile, and the Empress laughed. “Oh, of course. You did just receive five beautiful concubines. It’s no surprise that you would be busy.”

Yifan shook his head. “Mother, no, it is not what you may think.”

The Empress raised a skeptical brow. “Oh really? Then what else would have kept you so busy that you could not come visit us?”

Yifan sighed. “It is true that my concubines have been keeping me busy, but not in the way that you are thinking. Consorts Wang Yina and Wang Jingna have been creating some trouble. I have received reports of servants getting hurt, furniture and pottery being damaged, and many other problems. I’m just trying to deal with the mess that the two have been making.”

The Empress frowned. “It seems that your two concubines do not know how to behave. Your Majesty, would you like me to ask Consort Wang to deal with them?”

“Do as you wish,” The Emperor answered. “I agree that Consort Wang should discipline her nieces more, especially if she wants one of them to become the Crown Princess.”

“That is very true, Your Majesty,” the Empress paused and then smiled, “Come to think of it, Yifan, have you come up with a concubine that you’d like to become your wife yet? Has any particular one been of your liking? You need to choose a Crown Princess soon, my dear. Time is running out.”

“Mother...I actually need to confess something.”

“Mm, what is it, son?”

“I haven’t actually met any of my concubines yet.”

“What!?” The Empress stood from her seat. “What do you mean you haven’t met any of them yet? What have you been doing for the past ten days?”

“I have been busy with my duties—”

“Your duties are no excuse!”

“I know, Mother, however—”

The Emperor interrupted, “Yifan, your Mother is right. You may have your duties as Crown Prince, but the most important duty you have right now is to choose a Crown Princess. You cannot drag this out any longer. I give you one month to choose one.”

“Yes, father,” Yifan answered. “I understand.”

“Good,” the Emperor replied. 

The Empress, however, was still unsatisfied. “I want you to promise me more.”

Yifan furrowed his brows. “What do you want me to promise you, Mother?”

“I’m thinking of holding a gathering with your concubines in a few days. It just so happens that the Eastern Garden’s pear trees have blossomed, and I would like to appreciate the new blossoms with them. I expect you to be there as well and join us for tea afterwards. Promise me that you will be there.”

Yifan hesitated, but he knew there was no going against his mother’s wishes, so he agreed. Only after he promised to go to his mother’s gathering did the Empress finally smile in relief. 

Yifan soon bid his parents farewell and bowed as he left. Leaving the Empress's Palace and returning back to his carriage, Yifan could not help but feel dread. He had managed to avoid his concubines for so long, but now he was going to have to face them. Yifan sighed and gave a small shrug. It was bound to happen sooner or later anyways.