Splendor in the Palace

[Main story complete, extras updating] In her previous life, Gu Luan cared most about staying alive. During the imperial selection, she was exceptionally beautiful, but feared the palace's intrigues and willingly went to the Bureau of Palace Affairs to become a female official. She lived a peaceful, carefree life there. Over twenty-five years, she rose from a lowly palace maid to a senior female official, and gained considerable power. From then on, she often visited the emperor's chambers. As time passed, she grew familiar with him. Their personalities were a perfect match, and they often found themselves happily engrossed in conversation. The emperor came to regard her as a confidante. Sadly, by then she was already forty. Her youthful beauty had faded, and she no longer had the courage to confess her feelings. He was a few years older than her and had also lost interest in the harem. The best years of their lives had quietly slipped away. She felt a pang of sorrow. Though she lamented how fate had played tricks on them, all she could do was stay by his side in silence. She spent twenty years this way, often wondering if things would have turned out differently had she entered the harem back then. On her deathbed, she wrote him a long letter, laying bare the feelings she had kept hidden for so long. But after struggling with herself for a long time, she burned it, wanting to take those feelings to her grave. When she opened her eyes again, her youth had returned. Gu Luan was overjoyed, thinking that this time she would live life to the fullest. But once she understood the situation, she realized she was already a palace maid. All she could do was spend a fortune bribing the emperor's attendants to secure a chance to serve him tea in his chambers. But before that day arrived, she was suddenly transferred out of the Bureau of Palace Affairs. [Author's note] *The writing style and approach are set. I will stay true to my original creative vision, so please don't casually ask me to make related changes. *The letter-burning trope in the blurb is a tribute to the couple from the 2001 TV series Kangxi Dynasty who left me heartbroken as a child: Xuanye and Suma Gugu. I promise this trope will appear only in the blurb and in a short flashback scene in the main story. It's a personal, wish-fulfillment adaptation inspired by my own feelings, and it does not determine the story's development. The plot's logic and progression are otherwise unrelated to Kangxi Dynasty. [Harem ranks in this story, from highest to lowest] Noble Consort, Consort, Concubine, Lady, Zhaoyi, Zhaorong, Jieyu, Beauty, Talented Lady, Attendant, Gentlewoman [Warning] If you insist that every character in the story must be a virgin, don't read my work. It's easier if you just want the author to be one (...) [New story now in progress] Palace of Greed, welcome to add it to your collection~ Also known as: After My Husband Died, I Got a Happy Ending with My Stepson [Blurb] Emperor Xuanhe was wise for most of his life, but became senile in his old age, filling the harem and indulging in its beauties. But with the Crown Prince overseeing the state and governing well, the court officials turned a blind eye to the old emperor's debauchery. Gu Yanshi, the young and beautiful daughter of a medicine merchant, was sent to the harem by local officials. She was also an accomplished pipa player. She never expected the emperor to summon her once and then forget all about her. Six months later, he died, and she became a widow. Later, when the new emperor came to pay his respects to the imperial consorts, she found him strangely familiar. The new emperor found her familiar, too. - The court officials of the Zhaowen era are pleased with their emperor in every way, except for his relationship with the Dowager Consort Jing. It's positively scandalous! But His Majesty is virtuous, talented, and honorable. How could he possibly do such a thing? The Dowager Consort Jing must have seduced him with her wiles! Little do they know... That night, the Dowager Consort Jing shut the door tight. With tears in her eyes, she called through the crack, "I was doing just fine as a dowager consort. Why do you keep coming after me? You should be calling me Mother Consort! We mustn't see each other again!" Su Yao's voice came from outside. "Really?" "Really." "All right." He paused. "I brought you some milk cake. Come out and eat it. Let's call it a parting gift." Behind the door, the Dowager Consort Jing wiped away her tears and gave him a soft, "Pah." He said the same thing last month. Theme: Live for love, cherish every chance you have, and fight for the happiness that belongs to you.