Chapter 1: Hated by All, No Status, No Money

Shen Qing had transmigrated.

If she’d known that reading novels would make her transmigrate, she definitely wouldn’t have been reading a palace drama right before dying suddenly.

The novel was called Linglong’s Legend.

The female lead, Chu Linglong, was an unconventional girl. Before entering the palace, she liked to dress as a man and roam the world. She had once met the Emperor during one of his incognito tours. Later, she entered the palace as a selected lady, reuniting with him, and received his exclusive favor. In the end, however, she was framed. The Emperor grew cold toward her, the palace servants bullied her, and her family was implicated because of her. These hardships changed her personality; she realized she couldn’t rely on the Emperor’s favor and had to fight her way to the top.

In the later part of the story, she turned dark and proactive, eventually defeating every other woman in the palace, including the Empress. As a result, she became estranged from the Emperor. But thanks to her powerful maternal family and her own good fortune, when the Emperor contracted a plague and died during an inspection tour, the female lead supported her own son to the throne and became the Empress Dowager.

Of course, that all came later. Shen Qing had transmigrated to a point in time two years before the female lead entered the palace, and she was just a minor cannon fodder character who died at the hands of a small boss as soon as the story began. At present, she was a newly entered palace maid selected for service.

In other words, it looked like she only had two years left to live.

Was it frustrating? Definitely. She wanted to defy fate and fight, but the reality just didn’t allow for it.

First, she had no status.

Her father held a minor official position in a faraway region, which meant she entered the palace with the lowest possible rank.

Second, she had no money.

She couldn’t even afford to bribe the servants due to her low rank and lack of funds. In the palace, anyone could bully her.

Third, she was too beautiful.

Yes, too beautiful. That’s why she was selected—her looks. Her curvaceous figure and attractive face made others jealous. But with a face like that and no family backing, she was basically a walking target for envy from the other women in the harem.

And fourth, the Emperor wasn’t a lust-blinded fool.

Throughout the novel, the Emperor always valued ambition over love. The degree of favor his concubines received was directly tied to how influential their natal families were. He rarely showed genuine affection—his consorts were basically tools for venting. It seemed like only the female lead might’ve touched his heart a little. Even she wasn’t sure how much of his affection was real. If the heroine wasn’t sure, how could Shen Qing hope for more?

So there was no way she could rely on beauty alone to climb the ranks.

Right now, her situation was: hated, low status, and no money.

If she tried to compete, she didn’t have the qualifications. A single word from someone else could get her punished. If she didn’t compete, her days would be miserable. Want a child? Her rank was too low to raise one herself—she might even end up with the child taken and the mother discarded. There was no way out.

After thinking it over, it seemed like her only option was to lay low until the female lead entered the palace. Then, she could lend a hand when the heroine needed help, ensure the story progressed smoothly, and bide her time until the Emperor died, hopefully securing the title of an Imperial Consort Dowager.

“Liangren, it’s time to get up. We live in a remote corner—today we’re going to pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress. We can’t be late.”

Her palace maid, Chunhua, urged her softly.

Shen Qing slowly got up. “I know.”

So, she’d entered the palace. When it was time to play the humble servant, there was no choice. After all, her rank was the lowest.

“Her Majesty the Empress is kind. Once Liangren pays her respects, you may be summoned to serve His Majesty,” Chunhua said, thinking that with Shen Qing’s beautiful face, there might still be hope.

Shen Qing twitched her lips.

The idea of “serving the Emperor” just made her bitter.

Others who transmigrated got golden fingers or noble identities. She had none of that. All she could do was act humble and serve a man to survive. The thought alone was depressing.

After washing and dressing, Shen Qing set off.

With her low status, she had to walk. She had only two palace maids—Chunhua and Qiulu. Chunhua accompanied her, while Qiulu stayed behind to guard their quarters. On the way, they suddenly saw a group approaching from afar.

“Oh no, Liangren, kneel at once—it’s His Majesty’s imperial sedan.”

Shen Qing had no choice but to kneel along with everyone else.

Emperor Xuanyuan Ling casually glanced out from the sedan and happened to see someone kneeling at the roadside.

Shen Qing’s beauty was indeed striking. Even while kneeling, her voluptuous figure stood out. Just looking at her silhouette was enough to make someone look twice. Xuanyuan Ling suddenly remembered—this was the girl he had selected during the talent draft. She had stood out from the others with her beauty, and though he wasn’t particularly driven by lust, even he hadn’t been able to resist.

But he didn’t think much of it. He was an emperor, but also a man. Men always liked to sample beauty now and then. A little lust here and there—nothing serious.

In the Empress’s Fengyi Hall, Shen Qing was, as expected, the first to arrive. Other consorts began arriving one after another.

Shen Qing didn’t need to look—everyone outranked her. She stood at the back of the group. Today was a formal introduction for the newly selected ladies, so she didn’t have to kneel before each one individually. But in the future, she would have to bow to nearly everyone she met.

With this pitiful status, she wished time would fast forward to when the heroine entered the palace and monopolized the Emperor’s favor. When everyone else started fighting her, Shen Qing could sit back and follow the script.

The Empress hadn’t arrived yet, but the other consorts had gathered.

On the right side were two consorts: Consort Ru and Consort Chun.

On the left were two concubines: Concubine Shun and Concubine An.

Since the Emperor had only recently ascended the throne, the harem was still composed mostly of women from his time as a prince. There weren’t that many of them yet. The most favored one was said to be Consort Yu, who hadn’t arrived yet. Among this batch of newly selected ladies, there were eight in total. Aside from Shen Qing, who ranked last as a Liangren, there were three Noble Ladies and four Beauties.