The Imperial Attendant's Rise to Power

[Palace Intrigue] Author: Jinjiang Xiaorongtu. New novel, Noble Consort, Rising to the Top, now available to follow. In the third year of Zhaocheng, the emperor holds a selection of consorts, announcing to the whole realm that eligible young women are to be chosen to fill the harem. After three months of selection, eight newcomers are chosen. Every one of them hopes to win the emperor's favor and secure a place in the harem. The newcomers stir up endless trouble as they compete for his favor. Someone lets slip a rumor: instead of making wild guesses, why not try their luck before the emperor? With guidance from a trusted attendant at court, they could accomplish twice as much with half the effort and rise to glory. And the female official most trusted by the emperor is Sang Qingjun. Sang Qingjun's family fell into ruin when she was fourteen. She entered the palace at sixteen, and at nineteen began serving the emperor. Everyone in the palace respectfully calls her Aunt Qingjun. When the newcomers invite her to their palace, even young women of fifteen or sixteen are made to feel inferior by her beauty. Yet despite her exquisite looks, she keeps to her place and has spent years in the palace as nothing more than a female official. To have become the person closest to the emperor, she must surely possess a remarkably clever mind. But Sang Qingjun knows that the emperor's feelings for her have never been pure. She pretends not to hear and acts as though she knows nothing, waiting only to endure three more years before leaving the palace with a handsome fortune and enjoying a comfortable, carefree life. But someone refuses to let her have an easy time. To take her revenge, she willingly climbs into the emperor's bed. - Xie Yanheng knows Sang Qingjun does not want to become his consort. But he doesn't care. He is supreme beneath heaven, bestrides the Nine Provinces, and rules over ten thousand miles of territory. He will not bend for a mere woman. He wants her, and he wants her to offer herself to him willingly. Everyone in the palace thinks the emperor took Sang Qingjun as a consort only because he was drunk and confused. They condemn and curse her for rising from the ranks of female officials, insulting her at every turn. They all wait for her to fall from the clouds and be smashed to pieces. But somehow, she climbs from a lowly position all the way to the seat of Noble Consort, wielding immense power. The others can only look up at her. Forthcoming novel, Noble Consort, Rising to the Top: In the seventh year of Tianqi, the emperor orders a grand selection. Bo Yushi is in the prime of youth, the most talented legitimate daughter of her generation in the Bo family. The Bo family once stood at the height of its power, but by her generation it has begun to decline. To restore her family and fulfill her own ambitions, Bo Yushi resolutely decides to enter the palace and compete for selection. But on the day she enters the palace, she witnesses the corpse of a new favorite being carried away along the long street. The body is wrapped in a straw mat, a pitiful sight. Yet no one on the street dares raise their head. Everyone holds their breath and quietly tells her to hurry along. She has often heard that the emperor can be both affectionate and heartless, granting favor one day and death the next. On her very first day, Bo Yushi learns how dangerous the palace is, and becomes even more cautious, treading on thin ice at every turn. In the blink of an eye, twelve newcomers enter the palace. Bo Yushi uses every means at her disposal to catch the emperor's eye, and in less than three months becomes the most favored woman in the palace. The emperor says of her, "Her beauty captivates the senses and soul; she is like a poem or a painting," a rare beauty whose very bones are unforgettable. Little does anyone know how hard-won this favor is, or how much harder it is to leave an impression on the emperor's heart. Three Palaces, Six Courts, and seventy-two consorts: palace conflicts never cease, and beauties have always been fated to die young. Bo Yushi knows the emperor is fickle, but she has always wanted wealth and glory, power and favor in her grasp, not a lifetime of peace with him. Though her life will rise and fall and be full of twists and turns, the one who laughs last and claims the harem's throne will be Bo Yushi. The others can only bow before her. - "She longs to speak of palace affairs, but dares not before the parrot." The verse is from Zhu Qingyu's Palace Poem. Consort rank chart: First Rank, Upper: Imperial Noble Consort First Rank, Lower: Noble Consort, Worthy Consort, Virtuous Consort, and Pure Consort [Noble Consort ranks highest] Second Rank, Upper: Consort Second Rank, Lower: Zhaoyi, Zhaorong, Zhaoyuan, Xiuyi, Xiurong, Xiuyuan, Chongyi, Chongrong, Chongyuan [Zhaoyi ranks highest] Third Rank, Upper: Noble Concubine Third Rank, Lower: Jieyu Fourth Rank, Upper: Ronghua Fourth Rank, Lower: Concubine Fifth Rank, Upper: Noble Lady Fifth Rank, Lower: Shunyi, Wanyi, Shuyi Sixth Rank, Upper: Noblewoman Sixth Rank, Lower: Beauty Seventh Rank, Upper: Talented Lady Seventh Rank, Lower: Lady-in-Waiting Eighth Rank, Upper: Lady of Treasure Eighth Rank, Lower: Attendant of the Robes Ninth Rank, Upper: Lady of the Changing Room Ninth Rank, Lower: Chosen Attendant [Palace maids are initially granted this rank] Unranked: Selected Lady Tips: This is a palace-intrigue novel, not a sweet, indulgent romance or a wish-fulfillment story. It is not a one-on-one romance, though the emperor favors her exclusively later on. Theme: The road ahead will surely be bright