Chapter 266: Extra 2: The Salary Thief

If you were to ask who had the best fortune in the harem, most people would immediately think of Consort Hao.

She was, after all, only the daughter of a County Magistrate from some poor, remote village, raised by her stepmother. Her father wasn’t particularly accomplished either; even after he was promoted to the Capital City and given ample resources and opportunities, he spent his entire life doing nothing more than editing books.

Her maternal family was no help, and she entered the palace as a low-ranking Daying, living in the most remote corner of the harem. Despite all this, she managed to win the Emperor’s favor, and that favor never waned. She had both a son and a daughter, enjoyed the Emperor’s exclusive affection, and her son even became the Crown Prince. Doted on by the Emperor, respected by the Crown Prince, and frequently visited by Princess Yongping who came to bring her joy—it was the ultimate dream for any woman of the harem…

“That’s not it at all. The way I see it, Chen Guiren is the one who’s truly fortunate.”

The palace maids in Xihua Garden were sitting and whispering among themselves.

As mentioned before, after Xie Che abdicated in favor of the Crown Prince, he took only the Supreme Empress Dowager and Princess Consort Hao to Xihua Garden for his retirement. But in truth, there was one other person, unnoticed by anyone else, whom Princess Consort Hao had packed onto the carriage and brought along to Xihua Garden.

That was Chen Guiren.

“If Chen Guiren were really that fortunate, she would have at least become a main position lady.”

“I heard it’s because she never received the Emperor’s favor, so it would be against the rules for her to be promoted any higher.”

The concubines who were allowed to accompany the Emperor Emeritus to Xihua Garden were all supposed to have once been favored by him. Logically, they should have been granted new, higher titles. While their actual treatment wouldn’t change much, the titles would sound nicer, and she could have been addressed as Consort Chen. But because the Emperor Emeritus never visited her bedchambers and seemed not to care for her much, she was left stuck awkwardly at the rank of Guiren!

According to the old customs of Yan Chi, she was unworthy of the title Consort Chen.

In any case, they weren’t in the Imperial Palace anymore, so the Palace Attendants just kept calling her Chen Guiren out of habit, leaving the matter muddled.

As for the matter of Chen Guiren never receiving the Emperor’s favor in her entire life, there’s a story behind that, one that goes back about twenty years.

…

Xie Che was always clear about rewarding and punishing his officials and concubines. Mrs. Chen had been a Guiren for a long time, and she was one of the few people close to Consort Hao. He wanted to raise her status, but the highest rank a concubine who had never received his favor could hold was Guiren. And so, the matter was at a standstill.

He agonized over it for two days before finally flipping Chen Guiren’s jade token.

Chen Guiren, who had been a “salary thief” for a good ten years, received the Emperor with fear and trepidation. She had long forgotten all the etiquette she’d learned when she first entered the palace. Other concubines received the Emperor with elegance and grace; she was the only one who crept out stealthily from the shadows, shrinking into a ball as she knelt, filled with nothing but fear.

Xie Che found this rather amusing. “What are you trembling for? It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”

“Your concubine fears she will not serve you well and incur Your Majesty’s wrath.”

Xie Che smiled and glanced at He Xiang, who was kneeling beside her. Even her own Chief Palace Maid was more composed than she was. “Help Chen Guiren inside.”

Inside the room, warmed by a gentle charcoal fire, Chen Guiren stood stiffly to the side like a wooden plank, oblivious to He Xiang’s frequent, pointed looks and completely ignoring the cloak the Emperor was wearing.

“Sit.”

Chen Guiren followed each command with a single action. She didn’t even dare to sit fully on the chair, perching precariously on the edge.

Xie Che was puzzled. “You’re not like this when you’re with Consort Hao.”

“Shall I ask her to come over then?”

Upon hearing Jiang Xian’s name, Chen Guiren eagerly lifted her little face.

At her words, Xie Che was left speechless.

Even as an all-powerful Emperor, he wasn’t fond of the wild act of having two women serve one man! Chen Guiren had no idea the Emperor’s mind had just gone into the gutter; she just instinctively felt that if Jiang Xian were there, she would feel more confident. She knew she wasn’t thorough, had forgotten most of the rules, and often needed reminders from He Xiang… It’s important to know one’s own limitations. If you’re not quick-witted, you should try to avoid blundering about in front of your superiors.

“In your eyes, Chen Guiren, am I the kind of person who would punish you for a minor mistake?” Xie Che sighed softly. “I have treated you quite well over the years.”

“Your grace is immense, and your concubine is overwhelmed.”

Chen Guiren blinked. Those words felt utterly insincere coming from her own mouth.

In her heart, she believed her good life was entirely thanks to Jiang Xian.

Xie Che felt something was off. Chen Guiren wasn’t the sharpest, but if this was her true nature, she probably would have never made it into the palace. So, he pressed for details. Chen Guiren paused, a reminiscent look on her face, and answered with surprising honesty, “The first time I went to the Imperial Garden alone to admire the flowers, I was caught by Guo Xiao Yi, who found some excuse to make me kneel. The pain was so bad I thought I’d be crippled for life… When I think about it, there’s just too much trouble out there. It’s better to just stay obediently by Consort Hao’s side.”

Only after she finished did Xie Che recall the incident.

Back then, it was Consort Guo punishing a mere Chen Daying. It wasn’t a major affair, so he hadn’t paid it any mind.

“Afterward, there were always other concubines trying to find ways to target me…”

Chen Guiren mumbled.

Xie Che understood. Chen Guiren was grateful to Xian’er for protecting her, but in reality, many of the figurative swords and daggers aimed at her were a direct result of that association. A low-ranking concubine in the harem with no favor and no children is practically invisible. At worst, they might suffer some difficulties from the Imperial Household, but with a wise and benevolent Empress, their lives would never be unbearable.

A minor woman like Mrs. Chen—punishing her by making her kneel, slapping her, or forcing her to copy books—would have no one to back her up. She would be like an ant, beneath the notice of the tigers and leopards. They wouldn’t even consider her a rival; bullying her would be beneath them.

But Chen Guiren was Jiang Xian’s number one confidante. Crushing her was no longer a simple matter, which made the tigers and leopards restless. They were itching to poke at her, just for the heck of it, or perhaps to use her to embarrass Jiang Xian.

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

Chen Guiren didn’t think about this deeper layer. She just instinctively felt that staying by Jiang Xian’s side was exceptionally safe, so she never went out alone unless necessary and didn’t want to face the Emperor by herself either.

Seeing this, Xie Che’s heart softened. He laid his cards on the table. “For a concubine who has never received my favor, the rank of Guiren is the end of the line. If you wish to advance further, this matter is unavoidable.” He paused. “I want to hear your thoughts on this.”

A person’s thoughts are limited by their upbringing and education.

Xie Che had no real desire to favor Chen Guiren. He saw her as a frightened little animal—refreshing and unpretentious, but she wasn’t his type at all. However, Xian’er had always been mindful of promotions, so he figured the people around her were the same.

And so, the Emperor, who hadn’t visited the palaces of any other concubines for a long time, broke his own routine and flipped Chen Guiren’s jade token.

Once she crossed this threshold, even being promoted to the rank of Consort would no longer be a dream.

They looked at each other, both feeling like they were heading to an execution ground.

After a moment, Chen Guiren said quietly, “There’s nothing wrong with being a Guiren. I like being a Guiren. I only ask that the Emperor allow me to remain by Sister-in-law’s side permanently. Just think of me as a little cat or a puppy.”

Xie Che: …

That was his Xian’er, his beloved concubine!

Xie Che told her to think carefully before she spoke, because he wouldn’t come a second time. Talking to her gave him a headache.

“As long as I can stay by Sister-in-law’s side, I would be willing to go back to being a Daying.”

After hearing Chen Guiren’s true feelings, Xie Che was happy to stop trying to persuade her and returned to Qiankun Palace to work on his memorials.

No third person ever knew the inner details of this encounter. And so, the rumor spread that Chen Guiren had incurred the Emperor’s wrath and had her jade token permanently shelved.

—————–

Chen Guiren didn’t care. They were just empty titles.

Following Jiang Xian, her life was more comfortable than anyone’s.

Would the kitchens dare to skimp on her meals just because she wasn’t a main position lady? It wouldn’t be easy to skimp on her anyway. Chen Guiren was both a glutton and a picky eater, and every time she ordered a meal, she did it under Princess Consort Hao’s name, rarely using her own allowance.

And Princess Consort Hao doted on her, always ensuring she had more than enough to eat her fill.

“How can you say Princess Consort Hao was just fortunate?” a cleaning maid from Xuanzhu Garden protested indignantly. “Princess Consort Hao got to where she is today entirely through her own extraordinary beauty, wisdom, and iron-fisted methods! Before I came here to serve, my father used to say that when the hen crows, the nation is doomed, but there were few in the previous court who could compete with Princess Consort Hao. She outlasted so many of them.”

Even the palace maids serving in Xihua Garden were from good families and often heard their fathers and brothers discuss court affairs. Princess Consort Hao, in particular, was the “cautionary tale” for all the young ladies.

Their fathers and brothers told them to learn Princess Consort Hao’s methods for winning over men, but not to overstep their bounds and strive for power as she had.

The Supreme Empress Dowager was the true model of a good woman.

A pity she was childless and sickly.

“That’s true. Does Chen Guiren even have any skills?”

The gossiping palace maids all turned their gazes in unison to the maid on duty at Dingfang Pool.

Her post was closest to Chen Guiren’s Tingzhu Villa.

“Uhh…”

The maid hesitated for a moment. “I heard… that Chen Guiren is exceptionally good at kicking the shuttlecock! She can kick it thirty times in a row.”

The others were stunned. “Isn’t Chen Guiren fifty-six this year? How is she still in such good shape?”

“When you don’t worry about a thing, your body will naturally be healthy, right? If she so much as gets a headache or a fever, an Imperial Physician arrives immediately. Think about it. Princess Consort Hao is a woman of great ability. Chen Guiren is not. So doesn’t that just mean she’s incredibly lucky?”

As the maid spoke, the others nodded one by one, all agreeing that it made sense.

They couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy as they talked.

They didn’t ask for great abilities; they just wanted a life of peace, smoothness, and prosperity. Chen Guiren had it all. Other imperial concubines were still back in the Imperial Palace, suffering the temper of Grand Princess Consort Rong, while she had followed along to Xihua Garden to live a life of exceptional comfort.

The Emperor Emeritus knew how to enjoy life and didn’t stay in Xihua Garden year-round. He often traveled through mountains and rivers with his family, and though Chen Guiren was never on the official travel list, she always found a way to sneak onto Princess Consort Hao’s carriage.