The procession that was making its way to the Imperial Palace was grand. Not as grand as that of the Empress or the Imperial Consort of course. But far grander than anything else afforded to the other concubines.

The commoners lining the streets murmured among themselves, pointing at the carriage and watching in awe. "Who could be in there?" they wondered.

As the carriage slowly made its way through the streets, the whispers among the commoners grew louder. "Did you hear who is in that carriage? It is said to be a woman from the slums of QingHu who's had a son with the Emperor!" one exclaimed.

The others were skeptical. "What? That can't be true. How could a commoner woman from such a place capture the Emperor's heart?"

But the first commoner was insistent. "I heard that they knew each other years before he became Emperor. But then he lost touch with her and only recently found out about their son."

Another woman shook her head. “I heard the Emperor found her when he was traveling after securing his rule. They fell in love but the Emperor could not bring her into the Harem because he could not afford to offend the Prime Minister and the Grand Preceptor then. But now his rule is prosperous and powerful, he found them again and brought them in.” She put a hand against her cheek. “Ah! How good it must be to be loved so by the Emperor.”

The girl beside her scoffed. “What love? If His Majesty loved her, he would have brought her long ago. I bet she came to the Emperor with the child, begging to be taken in, The Emperor was just too kind to refuse.”

The story of the woman from QingHu spread like wildfire among the commoners, and soon the entire city was buzzing with excitement. Some were happy for the woman, seeing her rise from poverty to become the mother of a royal child. Others were envious, wishing they could be in her shoes. Others still were devious, calculating how they could be in her shoes.

Amidst the excitement and chaos, the procession that carried the new, unknown concubine and her child reached the Palace.

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The clothes she was wearing were uncomfortable. There were at least a few layers of robes. The underwear was a goddamn robe. Her hair was done in a tight half updo with hairpins shoved into the bun. It itched. Fuck, did she have to wear this shit every day from now on?

Ugh.

She had always hated missions where she had to dress up in fancy, uncomfortable dresses.

She wished she could see outside. It’d been a while since they’d entered the Palace. But the carriage kept going. She imagined it would stop once they reached where she was supposed to live from now on.

“Mama?” Manu called from beside her, worry in his voice.

Samaya sighed softly and composed herself. Compared to the shit that TEA and Siwang put her through, this was nothing. She turned to Manu and smiled at him. “It’s alright, my dear. You’ll be just fine. Do you remember the things Han Qin said?”

Manu nodded. Han Qin had taught both of them the basics of etiquette when greeting the Emperor and those of higher ranks. Apparently, some pretty important people were going to welcome them. It wasn’t a surprise, considering that Manu was the first Imperial Prince of this reign. The Emperor had four children, apart from Manu. All of them were daughters. So Manu’s arrival was a significant event.

“Will you be fine, mama?” He asked softly.

Samaya smiled softly and pressed her forehead against his. “I’ll be just fine. Don’t you worry. Just stay by my side, alright?”

He leaned back and nodded, his eyes fluttering close. She could see his lips trembling. She was sure he was feeling scared but holding it back for her. Oh, her brave, brave boy.

She kissed his forehead just as Han Qin announced. “We have reached Yongyagong! Lower the carriage!”

Palace of Eternal Elegance, huh?

Samaya pulled back from Manu and gave him a reassuring smile. As the carriage was put down, Manu took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as if he was going to battle. Well, he wasn’t wrong… but he looked adorable.

She would chuckle if she could but now was not the time. She heard the distinct thuds of knees hitting the ground.

“Long Live the Emperor! Long Live the Empress!”

Empress?

Oh, fuck her sideways.

Samaya wasn’t ready to deal with the Empress yet.

“Rise,” she heard the familiar voice of the Emperor. “Allow Our Consort and Imperial Son to get off the carriage.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Samaya looked at Manu. “Ready?” She whispered.

“Ready,” Manu whispered back, nodding.

She then stepped out before holding a hand out for Manu. She helped him out. They saluted - right hand over left, thumbs tucked in, Samaya holding the salute right over her navel while Manu held it right below his chin - before the both of them knelt and bowed as deep as they could go.

“Greetings, Emperor, Empress!” She said, Manu following her example immediately.

“Dispense with the formalities.” The Emperor spoke.

Okay, so Han Qin said that meant she didn’t have to keep bowing. Thank fuck.

She stood and made sure Manu was up as well. Keeping her eyes down, she turned toward the Emperor and bowed once again. “I am eternally grateful for the favor you have bestowed upon me and my son, Your Majesty.”

“Raise your head,” the Emperor spoke.

She did. And she saw a beautiful woman standing beside the man. Black hair wrapped up tightly in a bun, luxurious clothing, and … reddish brown eyes. She was wearing loose clothing but Samaya could see the bump that was forming. Ah-Liu did say that she was pregnant. So why was she here, welcoming a no-name concubine?

Behind her, he could see two old men, dressed ornately. Just the way they stood exuded authority. One of them bore somewhat of a resemblance to the Empress. Those were probably the highest ranking Ministers.

“Welcome to the Imperial Harem,” the Empress said, as she gazed at the mother-child coldly. “I wish you good fortune in this Palace.” Her tone made it clear that she thought Samaya’s good fortune dried up already.

Samaya bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The Empress walked up to her and tilted her chin up. “I wanted to see what about a commoner woman enchanted His Majesty so. It seems you are quite the exotic creature.”

“Your Majesty,” the man resembling the Empress spoke. He could hear a hint of a scolding in that tone. Father of the Empress, maybe?

Samaya had no idea what to say to that, so she kept quiet. After a moment, the Empress let her go and turned her gaze toward Manu. Samaya felt Manu flinch and hold onto her robe and shifted in front of him protectively.

“I thought a commoner would tarnish the Palace,” the Empress finally spoke after a long moment. “But it seems you can be taught, from your performance just now. The Imperial Harem has rules and etiquette in place. One cannot live like a mongrel here. See to it that you learn properly. Do not tarnish the Emperor’s reputation.”

Did she just …. Damn, she knew how to cut deeper than a knife. She not only compared Samaya to a mongrel but also humiliated her in front of the entire entourage, If she was actually a commoner of this world, she might have broken down. As it was, she was holding back the familiar urge to punch something.

‘Calm down,’ she tells herself. ‘You cannot afford to be angry here’

Samaya bowed once again. “I shall keep your lessons in mind, Your Majesty.”

Try me.

She humphed and turned around. “Then, I shall take my leave, Your Majesty.”

“Of course, my beloved wife,” the Emperor finally spoke up. “You need your rest. Do not strain yourself.”

The Empress quietly bowed and left with her maids.

The Emperor swept his eyes over the two ministers. “You may leave.”

It was definitely in the tone of ‘have you seen enough?’

The two bowed to the Emperor. The man Samaya presumed was the Emperor’s father nodded at Samaya. “Welcome to the Palace, my lady.” He said. Samaya did not know what the proper etiquette was so she gave a shallow bow with a soft ‘thank you.’

The other man snorted and turned on his heal, stalking away. Empress’s father gave a bland smile before leaving as well.

Wow. Rude.

Samaya turned her head to see the Emperor looking at her, a smirk playing on his lips. He was enjoying her humiliation, the bastard.

“Welcome, my beloved consort,” he said before looking toward Manu, “and my beloved son.” Samaya could hear his voice soften just a touch. He held out his hand toward Manu. “Come.”

Manu hesitated and looked up at her. She smiled and nodded. Once he got reassurance from her, he took a deep breath and stepped forward, taking the man’s hand. The Emperor's expression didn't change, but he gingerly closed his hand around Manu's. He gently pulled him along, leading them to one of the beautiful courtyards in the Palace.

“This is to be your home from now on.”

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“So the Prince managed to enter safely.”

The man sitting on the large bed only wore a sheer robe that did little to cover his burly figure. He had a pipe in his hand, connected to a pot that was put on the bedside table. He took a large puff out of it and blew the smoke toward the trembling figure on the floor. Though his head was touching the ground, the smoke still reached his nose. It made him cough, though he desperately tried to hold it back.

“My dearest nephew must be ecstatic,” the figure chuckled. “He finally has his heir.”

“I… I’m terribly sorry, Your Highness!” The man on the floor spoke in a quivering voice. “We sent assassins after the boy. So did that Minister! But he was somehow saved every time! We couldn’t do anything once they entered the Capital. The Shadow Guards and Emperor’s spies are swarming the place. And the Fallen-”

He was abruptly cut off by his master raising his hand. “Enough. It matters not. I had hoped to kill the boy before he entered the Palace because I didn’t need the brat stabilizing his precarious position. It’s a shame but it will not affect what we have planned. Proceed with the preparations. However,” he leaned forward, “if you make a mistake this time, I’ll rip your throat out.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The man banged his head on the floor once. “There will be no more mistakes.”

The master waved a hand in dismissal. "Go. Send Aidan inside on your way out."

The servant bowed again and then scurried out of the room. Huang Chengxuan opened the scroll the servant had handed him previously. It had the impression of a beautiful woman with some exotic features.

“This is the new concubine, hm? She may be of ill breed, but I suppose she does look nice. My nephew got a nice little plaything, huh?”

Huang Chengxuan chuckled in amusement before taking another puff.

“I cannot wait to see your face when you finally see the surprise I have planned for you, nephew dearest.”