The Concubine's Daily Climb to the Top

With the Plum Blossom Banquet approaching, Changsun Que looked at the maid who looked down on her, the stepmother who schemed only for her own children, the hypocritical father, and the grandmother who refused to meddle in the household’s affairs. She would have to make plans for herself and for what she wanted to do. In the dead of night, she often remembered her late mother, who had lived a joyless life. As she lay dying, her mother had taken Changsun Que’s hand and urged her, “The capital is a place of trouble, and power is the source of it. I only hope you’ll find a secluded little courtyard and live out your days in peace.” But Changsun Que refused to believe that was all she could have. There were things she could never aspire to as the illegitimate daughter of the Minister’s household, could not achieve by becoming a prince’s consort, and could only accomplish by becoming empress. To achieve her aims, she married Prince Zhao, thinking it would be a transaction they both understood without needing to say it aloud. He would use her background and intelligence to ascend to the highest position, while she would become empress. But once everything was done, he said, “I know what you want. I don’t want any of it. I only hope you’ll give me a little courtyard, far from the world’s noise.”