A wu knew that the harem’s ranks, from the Empress at the top to the eighth-rank Attendant, were strictly hierarchical.
After the Empress and Imperial Noble Consort came Noble Consort, Virtuous Consort, Gentle Consort, Consort Zhuang, and so on.
Princess Dening’s mother, Consort Kang, held the lowest rank among the consorts.
After the nine consorts came the nine concubines, then the Illustrious Consort, Jieyu, and others.
She hadn’t expected to leap from her anticipated “Imperial Consort” straight to Noble Consort!
Not to mention the rank system of the Great Hui harem, just in Emperor Jingxi’s current harem, only the Empress ranked higher than Noble Consort—everyone else was beneath her!
She, in one leap, was now a Noble Consort.
Consort Kang had endured for over a decade, only being promoted to her rank after giving birth to Princess Dening.
A wu was just pregnant, the child not even born yet, and she was already Noble Consort.
The key thing was……………she was only seventeen!
A wu was so excited she didn’t know what to say.
Her heart was filled with irrepressible joy, and she couldn’t stop smiling.
The others were equally shocked when they heard the news.
Noble Consort, Noble Consort—this was not an easy rank to achieve in the Great Hui harem.
Consort Zhuang had saved the Empress Dowager and won the Emperor’s praise, but she was only given the rank of Consort Zhuang!
Consort Kang had only been promoted last year, and even the Virtuous Consort who bore the Imperial Son only held that rank.
In short, giving birth didn’t guarantee a title—everything progressed step by step.
There had never been a Noble Consort in the Great Hui harem—no one even knew what one looked like or where one was!
Now, suddenly, a little Imperial Noble Lady who’d only been in the palace a few months was promoted to Noble Consort—at seventeen, so young and accomplished!
For a moment, everyone felt complicated.
Of course there was jealousy—what woman in the harem didn’t want to rise higher?
But everyone understood they’d never have that chance.
After so many years, the Emperor had ignored the harem—how could they get pregnant?
Besides, the little Imperial Noble Lady really was beautiful.
Even the other women admired her looks—if they were men, they’d be tempted too, so…there was no comparison.
Thinking this way, the others felt balanced—at least there were many sisters in the same boat.
Consort Kang, upon hearing the news, thought she’d misheard.
When it was confirmed, her face turned pale.
She stared at A wu, her nails digging into her palms.
She knew many were secretly watching, waiting to see her reaction.
She had to hide her feelings, not become a laughingstock, but she was too angry, far too angry.
She had given birth to Dening and endured for so many years, finally becoming Consort Kang.
This little enchantress, only just pregnant, the child not even born, was already Noble Consort!
Noble Consort—higher than her!
From now on, she’d have to pay respects to this girl.
She really couldn’t understand—how could this be?
Men truly are biased.
Such a young girl, barely older than her own daughter, yet so favored!
She couldn’t bear it and went to see the Empress Dowager, bringing up the matter.
But the Empress Dowager barely reacted, simply saying that since A wu was pregnant, she should be careful, and the Noble Consort’s investiture ceremony should wait until her pregnancy was stable.
Consort Kang’s heart went cold—’so the Empress Dowager already knew?’
She thought to herself and realized—being able to get pregnant at the right time was more important than anything!
After all, Emperor Jingxi had gone over a decade without an heir, and officials outside the palace were starting to speculate.
Now, suddenly, there was a pregnancy—heirs at last!
The Empress Dowager must be secretly delighted, so she was generous with the title.
Consort Kang was filled with resentment and went to see the Empress, but the Empress barely responded, as if she couldn’t even be bothered.
Consort Kang was furious—everyone in the harem thought she was finished!
And after Consort Kang left, the Empress sat expressionlessly, her gaze falling on some distant, empty spot.
Since that little enchantress became pregnant, she knew things had spun out of control.
Emperor Jingxi favored her, she was pregnant, and from now on, he’d only dote on her more.
The love of the harem, all three thousand, would be hers.
Promotions, rewards—what were they but a wave of his hand?
Never mind Noble Consort—what if tomorrow he made her Imperial Noble Consort?
As for the future……………..
The Empress frowned, remembering what Lu Yunjian had mentioned.
So while he cracked down on her, he was also diligently favoring his little Imperial Noble Lady, and now she was pregnant.
***
A wu only learned later how she’d become Noble Consort.
It turned out, when she first entered the palace, it was as a Taoist priestess, brought in to dispel calamity for the Emperor.
Now that A wu was suddenly pregnant, Emperor Jingxi was overjoyed and ordered the Astronomer Royal to divine the omens.
The Astronomer Royal, Sun Wenbo, observed the heavens and declared that the priestess cultivated blessings, had a pure heart, and was the root of heaven and earth, bringing fortune to the Emperor—thus allowing him to open the Gate of the Mysterious Female and conceive an heir.
These words were obscure, but put plainly, Emperor Jingxi was fated to have only one son and one daughter—no more children.
This was, in fact, true.
Princess Dening had already come of age, and there had been no news of heirs in the harem since.
But Imperial Noble Consort Ning was different—she was a Taoist nun, the field of fortune, so she could conceive imperial heirs.
This was Great Hui’s blessing, the dynasty’s good fortune.
She would bring prosperity to the royal family, and according to fate, there would be more heirs to come!
No one took it too seriously, but after fifteen years of quiet, the harem finally had news of an heir—everyone, civil and military, congratulated them.
The royal relatives were all invigorated.
So, rewarding A wu and ensuring the best status for the coming heir became urgent.
All the officials knew the Emperor favored A wu, so they spared no effort.
With everyone working together, the Noble Consort title was granted.
A wu savored this and still couldn’t believe it—she was so happy she could hardly contain herself.
She’d only hoped for the rank of Concubine or Consort.
After all, Emperor Jingxi had always been stingy with titles for her.
She hadn’t expected such generosity this time.
Hmph, in the end, he was just being good to his own children!
But whatever—after all, she was the one giving birth to them!
This time, she carefully studied the Handbook of Palace Ranks and learned that Noble Consort was the highest rank among the Imperial Consort’s Official Rank, while Princess Consort and married princesses were the highest among external noblewomen.
In other words, the Noble Consort’s status was about equal to that of a prince’s principal wife or a married princess of the same generation.
A wu counted on her fingers.
In the harem, aside from the Empress Dowager and Empress, everyone else was beneath her.
As for those outside, the wives of Emperor Jingxi’s royal brothers—the Princess Consorts—were on par with her, but since she was an internal noblewoman, they would have to show her deference.
And Princess Dening—though a princess and a first-rank external noblewoman—was a junior!
As a junior, she’d have to pay respects to A wu.
Put simply, the Noble Consort’s rank was special: though still an imperial concubine, she was no ordinary one.
Both the Imperial Son and Princess Dening would have to recognize her as their stepmother.
Even the Crown Princess would have to pay her respects!
A wu, delighted, looked forward to the investiture, but the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jingxi were afraid she’d be too tired and it might affect the baby, so the ceremony was postponed—she’d have to wait.
But that didn’t matter.
The title wasn’t important—the key thing was the child in her belly.
That was a gold nugget, a golden egg—she was about to lay a golden egg.
For the next two days, A wu was in high spirits, smiling every day, until the Lantern Festival, when the palace lifted the ban and allowed fireworks—but only those tested in advance, nothing too loud or startling.
A wu had been looking forward to the Lantern Festival—she wanted to see the festivities.
Fortunately, the Imperial Physician finally allowed her to go out, so she was eager to join in.
Emperor Jingxi made sure with the Imperial Physician, then agreed to take her out in the evening.
All day, A wu looked around expectantly, peering out from the steps.
By now, a mountain of lanterns had been erected in front of Xuandian, surrounded by thorn basins, with music pavilions inside, and colorful silk outside, layer upon layer of brocade.
When the giant lanterns were lit, the flames intertwined, a spectacle rarely seen in the markets.
She wanted to see it so much!
But all day, there was no sign of Emperor Jingxi.
A wu sent someone to inquire and learned he was busy meeting officials, sharing festivities with the people, and attending all sorts of ceremonies—on such an important festival, he was in demand everywhere.
A wu was annoyed, feeling he hadn’t kept his word.
On such a day, he was too busy to care for her—maybe he was with his Empress, standing atop the city gate, receiving the people’s bows.
She felt so aggrieved she wanted to make a scene.
She paced the bedroom, clenching her fists, thinking that when he returned, she’d give him a hard time!
Of all people to deceive, he deceived the woman carrying his golden egg—was there any justice in that!
Just as she was grinding her teeth, she heard the sound of music outside.
From the commotion, she knew it was Emperor Jingxi’s carriage—lanterns lit up, illuminating Langhua Hall.
Emperor Jingxi, resplendent in his dragon robes, majestic and dignified, exuded an unmatched aura.
His imposing robes instantly filled the small bedchamber with majesty.
He walked over to A wu.
“Noble Consort, have you been waiting long?”
A wu had been sulking, but hearing this, her face turned red.
Noble Consort…she really was the Noble Consort now!
She was secretly pleased, but still a little petulant, so she bit her lip and complained, “It’s so late, and you’re only just here!”
Emperor Jingxi gazed steadily at A wu.
It was the Lantern Festival, and A wu had dressed up early—a gold-embroidered jacket, a pleated skirt scattered with flowers, her hair in a high bun, a pink peony by her temple, her skin glowing and radiant.
Soft slippers.
Such beauty, with a hint of childish mischief, pouting and acting spoiled—who could resist holding her close?
Who would want her upset?
He’d have to coax her, coax her until she smiled.
Emperor Jingxi looked at her intently and said with a smile, “It’s not late—now is the perfect time to watch the lanterns.”
A wu pouted and asked, “Are you done with your work?”
Emperor Jingxi: “Mm.”
He took A wu’s hand.
“Come, let’s change clothes first.”
A wu had dressed up, but was still wearing the soft snow-silk slippers she wore indoors.
A palace maid hurried forward to help, but the Emperor kept holding A wu’s hand, so they didn’t dare act rashly.
They stood by, waiting, as the Emperor led the delicate Noble Consort to sit on a low couch, then personally helped her remove her snow-silk slippers.
Seeing this, the others quickly withdrew.
Emperor Jingxi held A wu’s foot in his hand—it was as if carved from snow, her toenails like tiny pink shells, so exquisite he couldn’t bear to let go, admiring them for a while.
A wu was surprised, and felt ticklish, so she deliberately poked him with her toes.
So what if he was the Emperor—she’d kick him!
But her foot was firmly held by him.
She felt even more ticklish, but couldn’t get away, so she whined in protest.
After all, now that she was pregnant, the Imperial Physician said expectant mothers could be moody—she was perfectly justified in acting spoiled!
Emperor Jingxi caressed her delicate feet and asked with a smile, “Did you ever bind your feet?”
A wu: “Bind my feet? Of course not.”
Great Hui did have the custom of foot-binding, but it wasn’t as extreme as in some Foreign Tribes, where women’s feet were tightly bound and deformed. In Great Hui, it was only mild, just enough to make the feet slim and delicate.
Emperor Jingxi: “That’s excellent—natural and healthy, no need to pursue extreme slenderness.”
If one cared too much about frail beauty, it lost vitality and became dull.
Emperor Jingxi had never liked those sickly noblewomen—no matter how beautiful, he found them boring.
Of course, if A wu was delicate, it was because she was naturally so—her charm was lively and lovely, unlike other women.
Besides, Emperor Jingxi admired the elegant arch of her foot—it was truly beautiful.
A wu urged him, “Didn’t you say we’d watch the fireworks? Don’t miss it—hurry up!”
Emperor Jingxi, however, leaned down slightly, holding her foot, and kissed it softly.
When his lips touched her, A wu was startled, feeling a tingling numbness where he touched her.
Emperor Jingxi raised his eyes, his gaze landing on her face, but his expression was calm.
“Silly girl, if I don’t give the order, how will the fireworks start?”
A wu: “…..”
Right, the Emperor was the greatest—without him, who would dare begin?
A wu blushed, clutching the soft cushion beside her, thinking privately that the greatest man in the world was now kneeling before her, cherishing her foot so tenderly…
The more she thought about it, the more her heart soared.