The Concubine Daughter of the Zi Family

The Concubine-Born Daughter of the Zi Family

Synopsis

She was the daughter of a concubine-born daughter of the Zi family. Though born to a concubine, her father and eldest stepmother both doted on her, and she should have had a very happy childhood. Unfortunately, her birth mother, the Zi family’s second madam, beat and scolded her at every turn, never giving her even a hint of a mother’s warmth.

Excerpt One

“You wretched girl! Do you want your little sister to die? She’s so young, and you didn’t keep an eye on her. You let her climb a tree, and she fell! You filthy girl, I’ll beat you to death!” As she spoke, a richly dressed woman raised a stick and viciously struck the girl kneeling on the ground.

The girl looked about eleven or twelve. She pressed her lips tightly together as she was beaten, refusing to give in even a little.

“That’s enough, Qingyan! Stop beating her. Do you want to kill Shu’er? She’s your own daughter!” Another noblewoman snatched the stick from her hands.

Excerpt Two

“Smack!” A heavy slap landed on Zi Shu’s face.

Zi Shu fell to the ground. Five bloody streaks appeared on her tender cheek. She slowly rose to her feet, the corner of her mouth curling into a cold smile. Looking back at the woman who had struck her, she said without a trace of feeling, “Are you really my mother? Would a real mother push her own daughter into a pit of fire?”

The woman raised her hand to strike again, but Zi Shu stopped her. “Second Madam, if you hit me again, don’t blame me for turning against you!” With that, she strode away.

Originally, entering the palace had nothing to do with her. In the Eastern Sun Kingdom, only legitimate daughters of officials ranked fourth grade or higher could become imperial consorts. Her father was a second-rank vice minister of justice, but as a concubine-born daughter, she was not required to enter the palace.

Once you enter the palace, it’s as deep as the sea. She naturally had no desire to go, but her own mother forced her to take her legitimate elder sister’s name and enter that tiger’s den of a harem. Why?

This is an angsty story with a scheming heroine who is no saint. The story gets going slowly, and I hope you’ll enjoy it. Lu is no good at writing synopses, so please bear with this one.