The Little Palace Maid Has Grand Ambitions

[Opening a new series next: The Empress's Favor Never Fades] The Imperial Noble Consort Zhuoxi was known throughout the harem as a beautiful woman with a ruthless heart. She could smile and chat with you one moment, then grab you by the throat and make you beg for mercy the next. Her delicate hands were stained with blood. Even so, the emperor made no effort to hide his defense of her. He even raised her above every consort of noble birth in the harem and made her Imperial Noble Consort, overseeing the entire inner palace. That day, the emperor said lightly: "Anyone who dares discuss the Imperial Noble Consort will be guilty of the greatest disrespect and deserves to die." Everyone who had come to accuse and denounce the Imperial Noble Consort felt as though they had fallen into an icy abyss. They all hated Zhuoxi. They hated that she enjoyed the emperor's favor, and hated even more that she had taken the position they had all desired but could never attain. Yet they seemed to have forgotten that they had forced her into this. Before she became Zhuoxi, she was just an ordinary palace maid named Xiannong. That year, she had just turned seventeen. In a harem filled with beautiful women, she stood out from the crowd. It was no surprise that she was subjected to a great deal of oppression and humiliation. With her life hanging by a thread, Xiannong never expected the emperor to reach out to her and lead her out of the abyss. Still less did she imagine that one day he would let her trample every consort in the palace beneath her feet. He even placed in her hand a "blade" called power. [We are the same kind of people. We belong side by side.] PS: 1. Traditional harem intrigue. The male lead is sexually experienced, so don't read if you dislike that. Some ensemble female characters and a little redemption. Fictional setting, with no real-life models. Please don't overanalyze it. 2. The female lead will take part in politics. There is an age gap. When the leads appear in the main story, she is 17 and he is 25. The male lead raises and guides the female lead. The so-called fatherly qualities are only in how he treats her. 3. The female lead grows over time and is not ambitious from the beginning. The early plot is somewhat angsty (please take note!). Neither lead is perfect, so please don't be too harsh on them. 4. There are countless good stories out there. If this one isn't for you, just read another. [The female lead's later name, Zhuoxi, means washing away the past.] [Blurb written on 2024.11.23, with revisions. A screenshot has been saved.] The ranks of the imperial consorts in this story: Supreme Rank: Empress Proper First Rank: Imperial Noble Consort (1 position) Associate First Rank: Noble Consort (2 positions) Proper Second Rank: Consort (4 positions) Associate Second Rank: Lady of Bright Deportment, Lady of Bright Countenance, Lady of Bright Grace, Lady of Cultivated Ritual, Lady of Cultivated Beauty, Lady of Cultivated Grace, Lady of Abundant Ritual, Lady of Abundant Countenance, Lady of Abundant Grace (Lady of Bright Deportment ranks highest; 1 position for each title) Proper Third Rank: Lady of Beautiful Deportment (6 positions) Associate Third Rank: Noble Concubine (6 positions) --Mistresses of a Palace-- Proper Fourth Rank: Concubine Associate Fourth Rank: Lady of Noble Deportment Proper Fifth Rank: Lady of Gentle Deportment Associate Fifth Rank: Lady of Lesser Deportment Proper Sixth Rank: Noble Lady Associate Sixth Rank: Beauty, Talented Lady, Good Lady Proper Seventh Rank: Lady of Precious Beauty Associate Seventh Rank: Selected Attendant Proper Eighth Rank: Imperial Lady Associate Eighth Rank: Selected Lady Proper Ninth Rank: Lady in Waiting (the initial title bestowed on palace maids) Unranked: Lady of Virtue (general term for women entering the palace through selection) The upcoming harem-intrigue novel The Empress's Favor Never Fades has the following blurb: On the eighth day of the ninth month in the third year of Changning, Su Zhanxue entered the palace to attend a banquet and happened to encounter the emperor. That same month, she was formally welcomed into the palace with the rank of Noble Concubine. For the next several years, the emperor's favor never waned. She rose all the way to the seat of Noble Consort. Everyone said a woman who relied on her looks could never remain favored for long, and hoped to see her fall from her lofty position. Yet faces in the palace changed again and again, while no one ever managed to surpass her. No one knew how the Noble Consort had first caught the emperor's eye, or how she had kept his exclusive favor for years. To compete for his favor, the consorts tried one after another to imitate her. Watching this, Su Zhanxue gave nothing away, though she sneered inwardly: In truth, at first she had merely been a target the emperor put up for them. In her youth, Su Zhanxue was renowned in the capital for her talent and beauty, and was the beloved of many noble young men. When Xiao Huaizhuo was still a prince, he had briefly met her a few times. Back then, he too had been unable to resist her charms. The longing of youth was like the blazing summer sun, scorching the heart. It was hard to forget. So even after becoming emperor, when he met Su Zhanxue again, he still lost himself for a moment. Theme: Never submit to fate.