Unless ten or eight people come to see me, I am not leaving.

The first day of the sixth lunar month, an auspicious day.

As the glazed tiles of the palace roofs began to catch the pale golden morning light, the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility was already thick with the scent of sandalwood. Matron Zheng stepped lightly into the small Buddhist shrine.

Before the shrine, Empress Dowager Wen, deep in devout prayer, kept her eyes closed. Matron Zheng did not dare make a sound, standing quietly to the side with a bow.

After about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, the Empress Dowager opened her eyes. She pressed her palms together before the Guanyin statue, offered three bows, and then Matron Zheng hurried forward to assist her as she rose.

After being served water to cleanse her hands, the Empress Dowager sat on the divan and took a sip of hot tea. "Have the new arrivals been brought in?"

"Yes." Matron Zheng took the cup from the Empress Dowager’s hand and set it on the table. "The green carriages that went to collect the young mistresses have already returned to the palace. I expect they are resting in their quarters by now."

Observing the Empress Dowager’s expression, Matron Zheng added, "The Imperial Household Department has already prepared the nameplates for the young mistresses; once they have finished their training in court etiquette, the Sleeping Quarters Bureau will be able to hang them."

Empress Dowager Wen massaged her temple and couldn't help but chuckle. "How interesting."

The candidates had been selected and brought into the palace; instead of being sent to serve the Emperor immediately, they were being forced to learn these tedious rules. Since this requirement for etiquette training had been decreed by the Emperor himself, Matron Zheng softened her tone as she recalled the selection process. "Your Majesty, you know how much the Emperor values protocol."

"It is just that those two young mistresses acted in such an... unexpected manner."

"Unexpected" was an understatement; the events on the Long Street had already spread throughout the palace. Pan Yulian, with her "breathtaking" audacity, had left a deep impression on everyone. Nine new candidates had entered the palace, and while no one yet knew who the others were, there was no one who did not know of Pan Yulian.

Lifting her eyelids to glance at Matron Zheng, the Empress Dowager’s expression was unreadable. "Have you inquired into it?"

Matron Zheng bowed. "Reporting to your Majesty, I have investigated thoroughly. During the selection process, the other young ladies of the Pan household repeatedly tried to shirk their duties, which infuriated Madam Lin. Mistress Pan, however, was desperate to enter the palace for the selection. Furthermore, Mistress Pan is known to be particularly fond of gold, jade, and precious treasures..."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s expression softened slightly. A fondness for gold, silver, jade, fine clothing, beautiful maids, and grand estates—these were only human nature. Everyone was made of flesh and blood; those who were truly devoid of desire and untainted by the world would have long since ascended to the heavens.

For a time, the Empress Dowager had been obsessed with "divine dreams," driven to a point of madness to bring people into the palace. But as time passed—and perhaps because the people were now here—the Empress Dowager no longer felt that frantic desperation, as if clutching at a life-saving straw.

Now that she was clear-headed, the behavior of Pan Yulian and He Yushan during the selection process seemed rather suspicious. Indeed, the Empress Dowager was very clear-headed—no matter how great the Emperor was, the reality was that not everyone was willing to enter the palace.

The Empress Dowager didn't care about the others, but since they had chosen to enter the selection, if they dared to treat everyone else as blind and foolish, playing tricks and using underhanded, petty means... the Empress Dowager would show them what it meant to fear the majesty of Heaven and the weight of imperial grace.

According to the intelligence gathered, Pan Yulian was born of a concubine. She could read and write, but clearly not very well. Confined to the inner chambers, she spent her days bickering and fighting with her sisters, and she was young... so it was no surprise that she was so foolish, shallow, and impetuous.

"When Mistress He was three, her biological mother passed away from illness. Master He took a lady from the Zhang family as his second wife. Over the years, this Madam Zhang has earned a reputation for kindness; she is very indulgent toward Mistress He... granting her every whim."

Granting her every whim? What a wonderful way to raise another fool.

Forget it. The idea that these two had the wit to conspire together to deceive others in a desperate attempt to fail the selection was laughable. Considering their temperaments—one brash and shallow, the other petulant and willful—where in the palace would one find concubines like that, given the Emperor’s preferences?

The Empress Dowager shook her head, speechless, and couldn't help but laugh again. "Very well, since the Emperor wants them to learn etiquette, let them learn. They have already entered the palace; there is no rush."

Seeing the Empress Dowager’s brow unfurl, a smile appeared on Matron Zheng’s face. "Should the status of those two young mistresses be...?"

With such idiots, if they were to enter the palace under the reputation of having caught her eye, they wouldn't survive the first round of testing. By suppressing them now, they would be less conspicuous.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand. "Leave it as it is."

"Oh, and see that someone keeps a close watch on them. After all, they were selected under my gaze. If they suffer a few lessons, so be it, but ensure they remain alive."

"Yes."

...

Stepping down from the green carriage and following the eunuch toward the Western Palace, Pan Yulian walked through the Lianqing Gate, the Wanhe Gate, and the Qi'an Gate... Feeling like she had walked an incredibly long distance, Pan Yulian’s heart skipped a beat.

The name "Linhua Palace" sounded nice, but the location was far too remote. She knew her behavior had been thoroughly unlikable—the kind that would put one at the very back of the line to serve the Emperor—but had she been banished a bit too far?

In stories, the heroine lives in remote places to endure hardship before eventually soaring to success. But she didn't need that, did she? Reasonably speaking, shouldn't someone like her be in the midst of the hustle and bustle, serving as a beautiful, eye-catching, and picturesque background prop?

Pan Yulian glanced at the eunuch leading the way. Since she had entered the palace, although the eunuch appeared respectful and spoke politely, he only repeated that he was acting under orders, without providing a single piece of useful information. She was a stranger in this palace; if anything were to happen, she would be truly helpless.

Moreover, her appearance... Honestly, Pan Yulian was terrified of her own beauty. Yes, it sounded shameless to say so, but when one considered that the "adult-only" themes of the original story were all centered around her, it was a terrifying thought. The plot of the original story was about to begin... and her beauty was becoming increasingly impossible to conceal.

Who in this world could not love beauty? But the current Pan Yulian was desperately trying to sabotage her own looks with a vile temper and an increasingly trashy aura. She had checked the system's shop many times. Originally, she only wanted to avoid the Emperor's favor and didn't want to spend money on clothing, but now she was frantically searching for outfits that might increase a "naive and innocent" aura or boost favorability, hoping to diminish her own seductive and decadent allure.

Lately, more than once, Pan Yulian had woken from a nightmare and felt relief at her decision to enter the palace. If she hadn't entered the palace, even if she avoided the male lead, as long as she was alive, her fate would certainly be no better.

In her most extreme moments, Pan Yulian had even held a hairpin and contemplated extreme measures... but no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't bear to harm this face. In this lifetime, she would never be able to overcome her own vanity.

Gathering her thoughts, she realized they were almost off the long street... Pan Yulian steadied herself, made a firm decision, and steeled her heart—

"Ouch!" she cried out, stumbling.

The eunuch beside her, carrying her small bundle, hurried to catch her. "Young mistress, be careful."

The lead eunuch heard the commotion and turned his head back. Seeing Pan Yulian being supported, he asked anxiously, "Young mistress, have you injured yourself?"

"Sss—"

Pan Yulian tried to move her leg, her eyes turning red. Small pearls of tears welled up; she bit her lip, trembling, and shook her head. "It hurts too much... I can't walk anymore."