Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

In the tenth year of Zhaoqi, the Flower Festival brought warmth, and the swallows' chirping heralded the arrival of spring.

In front of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

Inside the mansion, everyone knelt on the ground in complete silence.

A court official, dressed in a scarlet round-necked, wide-sleeved official robe and wearing a silver belt with an ivory tag, solemnly read out the emperor's edict.

"...Now there is a beautiful young lady, Shen Jiayu, who is gentle and respectful, virtuous and prudent, skilled in domestic duties, and has long been renowned for her good name."

"By imperial decree, she is hereby granted the title of Noble Consort, Rank Three, and shall enter the palace in three days. This is the imperial decree."

The eunuch read the imperial edict in a steady, measured tone, but his heart was far from calm; he was secretly astonished.

This Miss Shen is the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's family. She comes from a good family and has such a beautiful face, so it was expected that she would be granted a high position.

But I never imagined it would be so high.

It should be noted that the Great Jing Dynasty had been established for a hundred years, and the selection of emperors and the conferment of ranks were extremely rigorous.

The highest rank a person could attain at the beginning of their career was only the sixth rank, and that was an honor only those from extremely prominent families could receive.

But this one, right from the start, was a Noble Consort of the Third Rank, a rank higher than some of the concubines who had served in the Prince's residence for many years, and was only one step away from becoming the head of a palace.

Unprecedented in history.

It's no wonder that this is alarming.

But the eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree thought about it again and no longer found it strange.

This is because Miss Shen has a very special identity.

There was another reason why she was granted such a high position at the beginning of her life, besides being the legitimate daughter of a duke.

The current Empress Dowager's surname is Shen, that's right, the Shen from the Shen family of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

The Empress Dowager and the current Duke of Zhenguo are siblings born of the same mother.

This Miss Shen is to address the Empress Dowager as "aunt" and the Emperor as "cousin."

It's no wonder that the emperor broke with ancestral rules to grant such a high position; upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.

only……

This Lady Shen... After Consort Shen enters the palace, the harem is likely to undergo a complete upheaval.

These thoughts vanished in an instant. Before long, the eunuch delivering the imperial decree put aside all his thoughts, smiled, and stepped forward to help the Duke of Zhenguo up, saying, "I am here to congratulate the Duke and the Noble Consort."

The Duke of Zhenguo responded with a faint smile.

After seeing off the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree, everyone returned to the main hall of the mansion.

After settling down, Duke Shen Weixing looked at his daughter, who was sitting silently with her eyes downcast, and couldn't help but sigh, "This position isn't too bad for our Yu'er."

He had originally thought that if his rank was too low, he would have to go to the palace in the next day or two to ask his younger sister for a guarantee.

In retrospect, it seems unnecessary.

The Duchess, however, thought differently. She sneered, "A mere third-rank concubine is enough to satisfy the Duke? I think it's not enough. Doesn't our Yu'er deserve better? I told the Duke long ago to find Yu'er a husband as soon as possible, preferably before leaving Beiyuan. But the Duke wouldn't listen, picking and choosing, and not a single one suited him. Now, well, we've returned to the capital, and it just so happens to coincide with the imperial concubine selection..."

Duke Shen Weixing was a military general with a real post. He had been guarding the border for many years, stationed in the northern border of the Jing Dynasty.

This year, he stepped down from his post in Beiyuan and returned to the capital to report on his work. He had planned to find a suitable husband for his daughter in the capital, but he didn't expect to encounter a talent show as soon as he returned.

As the only daughter of the Shen family, with such a distinguished family background and an aunt who was the Empress Dowager, she was undoubtedly selected.

Upon hearing his wife's words, the Duke of Zhenguo couldn't help but retort, "If you want to bring up the past, then let's talk about the past. You say I'm picky, but haven't you also been nitpicking and finding fault with everything? You said the young master of General Zhaowu's family was crude, dull, and incapable of showing any tenderness. You also said the young master of the Prefect's family was thin and weak, clearly a frail and incapable man! Now you're putting all the blame on me, blaming me..."

The Duchess glared angrily: "Does the Duke mean to blame me?"

"..."

The Duke and his wife were arguing fiercely when a long sigh came from the side.

The Duke and Duchess argued back and forth, all because they were afraid that their precious daughter would suffer or be wronged.

Hearing this long sigh, the couple exchanged a glance and remained silent.

The hall fell silent instantly.

After a moment of silence, with awkwardness and guilt in his eyes, the Duke of Zhenguo slowly spoke to Shen Jiayu, "Yu'er, I know I've wronged you, but at least your aunt is still in the palace, so you can still have someone to look after you."

Looking at her daughter's beautiful face, the Duchess's eyes instantly reddened, and she sobbed softly, "My poor Jiayu, she has to go to the palace at such a young age..."

Shen Jiayu ignored her. She rested her chin on her hand, a hint of worry in her eyes, and said, "Father, Mother, what are we having for dinner tonight? Eight-treasure gourd duck? Braised civet cat with goose fat? Or tell the kitchen to make both, I'm hungry."

Duke Zhenguo: "..."

Duchess: "..."

The Duchess wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye with her handkerchief, feeling utterly helpless. She scolded angrily, "You're going to the palace in just a few days, and you're still thinking about food?!"

Shen Jiayu asked, puzzled, "Why can't I think about it?"

Life is short, so we should enjoy it while we can.

Entering the palace is entering the palace, and having a meal is having a meal; these are two separate things and do not conflict at all.

Entering the palace is a foregone conclusion, so I will accept it calmly.

The Duchess glared at her secretly, "Do you know that the inner palace appears harmonious on the surface, but in reality..."

Shen Jiayu interrupted her, her beautiful eyes curving slightly: "Mother, I know."

The Duchess asked softly, "Aren't you afraid to go to the inner palace alone?"

Shen Jiayu smiled, her features exquisite. "I'm not afraid."

The Duchess was stunned.

Shen Jiayu continued, "I, Shen Jiayu, am the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, a first-rank official, and also his only daughter. I am the most honored woman in Jing Dynasty—the niece of the current Empress Dowager. So what if I enter the palace? What am I afraid of? It is the people in the harem who should be afraid."

Shen Jiayu chuckled twice: "Mother, I really think you're overthinking it."

The Duchess frowned: "I know that with our family background, most people wouldn't dare to provoke us, but what if someone foolish enough to start a fight with you?"

Shen Jiayu: ?

Did you have an argument with her?

Who's so mean to mess with her?

If someone is truly courting death, she naturally has her own solutions.

Shen Jiayu said, "If it's a minor argument, I'll fight one if one comes, and two if two come!"

She has the strength and the means to slap someone.

Hearing these improper words, the Duke of Zhenguo not only didn't reprimand her, but instead chuckled and said, "If Yu'er doesn't allow herself to be wronged, then I'm relieved!"

The Duchess glared at him. Yu'er's spoiled nature was all his doing!

Sensing the dangerous gaze, the Duke of Zhenguo reluctantly shut his mouth. His wife then said to Shen Jiayu in an annoyed tone, "After entering the palace, you must not be too willful or unrestrained!"

After a while, she added, "But don't feel too wronged."

The Duke of Zhenguo gave the Duchess a strange look.

Isn't this the same idea he's trying to achieve?

It has to be said in a roundabout, euphemistic way.

You should know that Yu'er's spoiled nature is not solely his doing!

The Duke of Zhenguo cleared his throat and asked curiously, "Then what should Yu'er do if a major conflict arises?"

Shen Jiayu raised an eyebrow: "A major conflict?"

She's not that great.

Let the other side talk to her aunt, the Empress Dowager!

In short, when it came to entering the palace, she had only one sentence: She was His Majesty's cousin, so who was she afraid of?

*

Read the guide:

The author has left a note on the 1st-digit table, and there are many personal interpretations.

2. Not both are virgins; the male lead is not virgins, and the female lead is virgins. The age difference between the male and female leads is about eight years. The male lead is still favored in the early stages and then exclusively favored in the later stages. The ending is a happy one.

3. The male protagonist is a feudal emperor, the kind who is extremely feudal and ruthless. His heart is nine-tenths devoted to the empire; as for the harem, he considers it mere entertainment, and he doesn't even respect his first wife, the empress. There is only one exception in the palace: the female protagonist, because he feels that he and she are, at best, on the same social level.

4. The contrast between the beginning and the end is very strong. In the early part, the female lead is spoiled, arrogant and willful (but in the eyes of the male lead, she is a seductress who is always trying to seduce him). In the later part, the female lead trains the dog to the extreme.

Wishing everyone a happy reading experience every year!