A deafening thunderclap roared across the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning illuminated half of the firmament. Instantly, a torrential downpour drenched the world thoroughly.
In the Guanghan Hall of the palace of the Great Shun Kingdom.
Yan Qingshu was lying on the couch. Cold sweat dripped from her forehead, and her pale lips trembled. The tragic scenes from her dream flashed through her mind one after another.
Another thunderclap exploded, and Yan Qingshu woke up with a start. She sat up abruptly, gasping for breath, and tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes.
It took her a while before she nervously reached for her abdomen with lingering fear.
It was flat. There was no fetal movement that had both delighted and worried her in the dream.
"Your Ladyship, it's time to take the pregnancy - preserving medicine."
Noticing that she had woken up, the voice of Zhu Yao, her personal maid, came from outside. Then the bead curtain was lifted, and a bowl of steaming brown medicinal soup appeared in front of her.
Seeing her pale face, Zhu Yao said worriedly, "Your Ladyship, you had a nightmare. I'll ask Xiaoluzi to brew some calming medicine."
Looking at the bowl of medicine, Yan Qingshu shook her head in a daze. It wasn't a dream; it was fate.
A fate of a miserable death.
In the dream, on the eve of childbirth, her elder half - sister, the legitimate daughter, had grabbed her by the neck and force - fed her a bowl of labor - inducing medicine with a venomous look in her eyes. Her cruel smile was as terrifying as the thick lightning in the sky. Yan Qingshu had struggled frantically but to no avail.
The dream was so real that Yan Qingshu's heart raced wildly.
Although she was a concubine - born daughter of the Marquis Zhenyuan's Mansion, her life had been full of hardships. She was not valued by her father and had lived like a servant to her elder half - sister at home. A concubine - born young lady, she had lived a life even worse than that of a servant girl. After her elder half - sister entered the palace and failed to conceive for a long time, she had been forced to enter the palace as well.
In the dream, she had become a tool for her elder half - sister to have a child. After getting pregnant, she had been locked in a room by her sister all day long. When she finally gave birth in excruciating pain, the child had been taken away by her sister before she even got a glimpse of it.
She had been framed for having an affair with a guard and thrown into the Cold Palace. Finally, she had been tortured to death by eunuchs and wrapped in a straw mat before being thrown into a mass grave. Even on her deathbed, her kind - looking sister had told her that her mother and younger brother had been strangled to death by the Marquis Zhenyuan's Mansion when she was pregnant. Her mother had still been thinking about her before she died!
Yan Qingshu covered her face with both hands and forced a bitter smile. Sorrowful tears slipped through her fingers. In the dream, her whole life had been lived for others, and she had been nothing but a laughingstock!
How could she bear it!
[Ding! You have activated the Palace Intrigue and Good Pregnancy System.]
Before she could come to her senses, a strange voice sounded in Yan Qingshu's mind.
Yan Qingshu paused. Who was speaking?
Looking up, she saw that Zhu Yao's movements had been frozen in mid - air. The wind and rain outside had suddenly stopped, and the rising steam from the medicine bowl had also halted in mid - air.
[Do you want to change your tragic life? Do you want to have a happy life with a large and prosperous family? As long as you work hard and become the most favored concubine, you can have it all!]
[Please choose whether to bind.]
System? Yan Qingshu clenched the brocade quilt tightly.
She had just experienced a great upheaval, and now there was this noisy thing in her mind. But Yan Qingshu didn't feel panicked at all.
Change her fate. This thing said it could change her fate!
Yan Qingshu murmured to herself. There were still tears in her eyes. Could she really change the fate that had been pre - arranged for her...
The ferocious smile of the Noble Consort, the crying of the child, the tragic deaths of her mother and younger brother, and her own miserable ending flashed through her mind one after another.
Since she had the help of this system, she would slowly climb up. As long as she became powerful, she could ensure that her mother and younger brother would live well!
"I agree."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the system's voice sounded in her mind, and a glowing board appeared in front of her.
[Host: Yan Qingshu]
[Favored Concubine Value: 10]
[One night of bedding with the emperor earns fifty Favored Concubine Values. Fifty Favored Concubine Values can be converted into ten points. Ten points can be exchanged for pills. Other Favored Concubine Values are accumulated through interactions with the emperor. The host can exchange for the required items in the mall...]
Following the system's instructions, Yan Qingshu clicked on the mall and saw items such as Body - Beautifying Pills, Healing Pills, Twin - Birth Pills, and Peach - Blossom Complexion Pills. Most of the pills could be exchanged for one with ten mall points.
After pondering for a moment, Yan Qingshu gently clicked on the glowing area, and a pill appeared in her palm.
[This is a Body - Beautifying Pill given by the system. Taking it can make your figure well - proportioned and your skin delicate. It will take effect after one night.]
Yan Qingshu lowered her eyes and swallowed the pill. Tomorrow, the Noble Consort would arrange for her to serve the emperor again. This pill would come in handy.
As she did so, the howling wind outside, which had suddenly stopped, resumed.
Yan Qingshu picked up the bowl of medicine that Zhu Yao had brought and drank it in one gulp. Zhu Yao quickly brought over some candied fruits.
Outside the window, the wild wind and torrential rain raged on, accompanied by the sound of disorderly footsteps.
The next moment, the shrill voice of an eunuch came from outside.
"The Noble Consort summons you, Your Ladyship. Please hurry up."
Yan Qingshu's hand, which had just picked up a candied fruit, loosened, and the candied fruit rolled off the bed.
Zhu Yao's face changed. "It's already late at night, and it's raining so heavily outside. Why does the Noble Consort summon you at this time?"
"Help me change my clothes."
Without hesitation, Yan Qingshu lifted the quilt and got out of bed. Her slender figure sat in front of the dressing table.
After Zhu Yao had dressed her up, she took a lantern and an oil - paper umbrella and left the main hall.
Outside, the wild wind was mixed with rain. As soon as the oil - paper umbrella was opened, it was torn apart by the wind. The wind felt like a blade on her skin, causing a slight pain.
"Your Ladyship, watch your step." Zhu Yao held the lantern, but the light inside was blown out.
Finally reaching the Fengzao Palace of the Noble Consort, they were all soaking wet.
The wind howled, and the crisp sound of broken porcelain echoed in the main hall.
Yan Qingshu walked into the hall, and another cup of hot tea was thrown at her.
The sound of shattering rang out again.
"Your humble servant pays respects to the Noble Consort. May the Consort enjoy eternal happiness." Yan Qingshu knelt down calmly. Her knees landed on the scalding hot tea, and a sharp pain shot through her knees. Her thin body bowed low.
The Noble Consort cast a sidelong glance at the kneeling woman and curled her red lips into a smile.
"You've been in the palace for two months to serve the emperor, but your belly still shows no sign of movement. How can I enjoy eternal happiness?"
"Do you know why I've summoned you here in the rain?" The Noble Consort reclined on the warm couch. Although she was smiling, her eyes were as sharp as knives, stabbing at Yan Qingshu.
"Your humble servant... doesn't know." Yan Qingshu's voice was weak, and her body, drenched by the rain, trembled slightly.
"We sisters rely on each other in this palace. I'm not a heartless person. I've asked the Bureau of Attire to make some clothes for you."
Yan Qingshu pursed her lips and her eyes fell on the wooden box. She was sure that the Noble Consort wasn't being kind.
"Your humble servant thanks the Consort."
"Open it and see if you like it?" The Noble Consort propped her head up with her hand. The smile on her lips concealed a hint of cruelty as she pointed at the wooden box.
Yan Qingshu got up and walked forward. As she got closer, a sense of unease suddenly welled up in her heart. Her hands trembled as she opened the wooden box.
Just one glance made her blood run cold.
Inside were blood - stained clothes. Those clothes were the ones she had sewn for her younger brother with her own hands before entering the palace, and there was also a silk handkerchief of her mother's.
The innocent smile of her younger brother and the caring face of her mother echoed in her mind.
"Do you like it?"
The gentle voice of the Noble Consort stabbed into her ear.
Yan Qingshu immediately knelt in front of her and kowtowed. Tears streamed down her face.
"Your Ladyship! Your humble servant doesn't know what she has done wrong to displease Your Ladyship. Please spare the lives of my mother and younger brother!"
Yan Qingshu's body bowed low. Her mother and younger brother's lives were in the hands of the Noble Consort. All she could do now was to humble herself.