What Makes a Favored Consort?

The year A Yu entered the palace, the new emperor had just ascended the throne and was selecting consorts. She was assigned to a dilapidated, deserted residence and had to rely on a favored Noble Lady to get by. She had just turned sixteen that year. Three years passed, another selection brought new women into the palace, and the Noble Lady gradually fell out of favor. People climb toward higher places, just as water flows downhill. The people in the Noble Lady’s palace all sought a way out, but from beginning to end, A Yu had her sights set on just one person. When Shen Yan first ascended the throne, he rarely visited the harem. Then one day, he encountered a bookworm at Yuhua Pavilion. Her hands were soft and boneless, as beautiful as jade, and she caught his eye. Later, her three thousand strands of ink-black hair fell down her back as those hands boldly hooked around his belt. Her beautiful eyes seemed bashful and coy as she said: “Your concubine is here to attend to Your Majesty...”