I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

In less than a quarter of an hour, a report came from outside the hall.

"Consort Li has arrived!"

"Consort Shu has arrived!"

Ye An'an looked up and saw two concubines with completely different temperaments walking in one after the other.

Leading the way was Consort Li, dressed in a fiery red palace gown that accentuated her beautiful features and commanding presence. She was the mother of the Seventh Prince, Xiao Ziyuan, who had seemed lost in thought after hearing the story of the knight slaying the dragon when Ye An'an had told the princes stories a few days prior. Born into a general's family, she always possessed a straightforwardness and decisiveness unlike that of ordinary women in the harem.

Following behind her was Consort Shu, dressed in an elegant moon-white long dress, with a gentle and serene demeanor. She never competed for anything and had a low profile in the palace, but no one dared to underestimate her.

When the two women entered, their faces showed just the right amount of confusion. Clearly, being urgently summoned by the Empress under the pretext of "playing cards" was a first for them as well.

"Your Majesty, I greet you." The two bowed in unison.

"No need for formalities, please sit down." The Empress was clearly in a very good mood today. She waved her hand and pointed to the cushions on the table. "Today, let's not stand on ceremony. I've acquired some new gadgets and invited you all to have some fun with me."

Consort Li and Consort Shu sat down as instructed, their eyes curiously falling on the neatly arranged ivory plaques on the table.

"Your Majesty, is this the wonderful thing you were talking about?" Consort Li, being straightforward, asked first. She picked up a card and examined it from all angles. "What's engraved on this? It looks quite interesting."

"This is called 'Mahjong,' and the Crown Princess taught me how to play it. She said it's even more fun than leaf games," the Empress said mysteriously.

Upon hearing that it was a new idea brought by the Crown Princess, Consort Li and Consort Shu both cast kind glances at Ye An'an. Ye An'an returned the smile and took the initiative to assume the role of coach.

"Come, let me teach the two ladies how to arrange the tiles."

Thus, in the main hall of Fengyi Palace, an extremely strange yet harmonious scene unfolded. The four most honorable women of the Great Xia Dynasty—the Empress, the Crown Princess, Consort Li, and Consort Shu—were clumsily learning to build the Great Wall around a square table.

"Oh no, Your Highness, it's two cards stacked together, not placed side by side."

"Your Majesty, you have an extra pile here, please share some with me."

"Consort Shu learned the fastest; look how neatly she arranged them."

The first lap was purely for instruction.

Ye An'an taught them step by step how to roll the dice, how to draw cards, and how to play cards.

"Your Majesty, it's your turn to play your card."

"Which one should I play? This 'Three of Bamboo' doesn't look good, so I'll play this one!" The Queen casually tossed out a card.

"Bang!" Consort Li's eyes lit up, and she shouted without thinking. Then, she looked at Ye An'an uncertainly, "Crown Princess, may I take it?"

"Yes!" Ye An'an nodded with a smile. "Your Highness, look, you have two 'Three of Bamboo' tiles in your hand, which is perfect for a pong."

Consort Li immediately looked smug, as if she had won a great victory. She grabbed the "three of bamboo" and displayed her three cards on the corner of the table.

Consort Shu watched quietly from the side, without saying a word, simply arranging her own cards silently, occasionally asking Ye An'an a question or two about the rules.

After a round, everyone finally had a general understanding of the rules. Although no one won in the end, and all the tiles were drawn, resulting in a "draw," everyone's interest was piqued.

"Again! Again!" The Empress waved her hand, still wanting more. "I think I understand now, we're sure to win this time!"

Thus, the second lap officially began.

This time, the atmosphere was completely different.

"Two of a kind," Consort Shu whispered as she played a card.

"Eat!" The Empress reacted swiftly, grabbing the card and combining it with her own "one" and "three" to form a straight. Her face beamed with undisguised joy. "Haha, I've got it!"

"Mother, you can't eat it," Ye An'an said softly, suppressing a laugh. "You can only eat the card played by your opponent before you, that is, Consort Shu."

"Huh? There's such a rule?" The Queen was taken aback, and reluctantly put the cards back, muttering to herself, "There are so many rules."

When it was Li Fei's turn to play, she looked at the cards in her hand, then cautiously scanned the other three players before finally throwing out a "West Wind" card.

"bump!"

"bump!"

The Empress and Consort Shu shouted it out at the same time.

The two looked at each other and were both stunned.

"What...what should we do?" The Queen looked at Ye An'an, the referee.

"Whoever calls first gets to win... However, if someone wants to win with this card, that hand is the highest-ranking one," Ye An'an explained.

In the end, the Empress conceded the game to Consort Shu. The game continued, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Li Fei's personality was fully displayed at the card table. She played cards with great aggression, and she would pong or kong whenever she was in a position to do so without hesitation. Her face always carried an arrogant expression that said, "I'm going to win."

The queen, on the other hand, was like a child who had just received a toy. One moment she was beaming with joy because she drew a good card, and the next she was stamping her feet in frustration because she played the wrong card. Her emotions were written all over her face.

The most enigmatic character was Consort Shu. She remained quiet and composed throughout, playing cards at a leisurely pace, showing no emotional fluctuations whatsoever. You could never guess what cards she wanted.

Ye An'an sat to the side watching, finding it all quite amusing. Who would have thought that the ladies in the palace, who were usually dignified, spirited, or gentle, would become just as serious and competitive as the common women outside the palace who would argue fiercely over a few coins once they sat down at the mahjong table?

"One of Bamboo." Consort Li played a card, her eyes glancing at the Empress. She remembered that the Empress seemed to have been waiting for Bamboo earlier.

The Empress stared at her cards, her palms almost sweating. She was just one "one" or "four" of bamboo away from completing her hand, but Consort Li had just discarded it, and she couldn't take it. She was so anxious that she kept slapping her thigh.

Just then, Consort Shu, who had been silent all along, gently pushed over the cards in front of her.

"I won."

Her voice was still so gentle, but the two words she uttered were like a thunderclap.

The Empress and Consort Li immediately went over to take a look.

All that could be seen when Consort Shu knocked over the tiles were all "circles" tiles; there wasn't a single other tile.

"Oh! What... what's this called again?" the Queen asked in surprise.

"All of them." Ye An'an announced the answer with a smile.

"Consort Shu's luck is truly divine!" Consort Li, completely conceding defeat, burst into laughter. "No, no, one more round! I'm determined to win big today!"

"Yes! Again!" The Empress was also eager to play, clearly completely engrossed.

Inside the Phoenix Palace, the atmosphere was as lively as during the Lunar New Year. The crisp sound of mahjong tiles clattering, mixed with the shouts of the empresses—sometimes of frustration, sometimes of delight—carried far beyond the palace walls.

Just as they were about to start their third lap, a soft, melodious voice, as if it could be squeezed to release water, suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty, I heard that you summoned Consort Li and Consort Shu. Is there something interesting going on? I have come to pay my respects to Your Majesty."