Chapter 271: Volume 1, Chapter 271 — The Wolves, Tigers, and Leopards Are All Here

Fu Shuangshu stepped down from the carriage, standing before the palace gates in a daze, and silently followed the palace attendant through those gates.

Just one door apart, yet her life had already undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

Yu Rui Gong had long been prepared. She followed the palace attendant inside, taking a deep breath to keep her expression from changing.

"Miss Fu, you will be staying in the east side hall. Please follow me."

Fu Shuangshu paid no attention to where she would be staying, silently following the person inside, never expecting to see a familiar face within.

Kang Hualu!

The two locked eyes, first with some surprise, then unsure what to say, both frozen in place for a moment.

After the palace attendant bowed and withdrew, Kang Hualu spoke first, "Shuangshu, you came too?"

Fu Shuangshu nodded, "I didn't expect you to be here either."

Kang Hualu gave a bitter laugh, "Sit down. This side hall only houses two people, so it seems it's just the two of us."

Fu Shuangshu sat down across from Kang Hualu, looking at her hesitantly, then steadied herself and said, "Didn't they say you were already discussing marriage? How come..."

"There's no helping it. My father is the Minister of War. He had me enter the palace to put His Majesty at ease." Kang Hualu shook her head helplessly, "My mother cried for days over it, but there was nothing to be done. This is just how it has to be."

Fu Shuangshu's eyes went wide, "You too?"

Too?

Kang Hualu looked at Fu Shuangshu, "You too?"

Fu Shuangshu got fired up just talking about it, "Isn't it though? My father is a Grand General of Cavalry. Back then he suppressed Ming Zan's promotion, and said that to show gratitude for imperial grace I had to enter the palace. I didn't want to come, but I couldn't not come."

Kang Hualu frowned slightly, looking at Fu Shuangshu, "Do you think there's something off about all this?"

"Something off how?"

"Before you entered the palace, did your family instruct you about anything?"

"They did. Yours too?"

"What did they say?"

The two looked at each other, then after a long moment both turned to look toward the direction of Yuzhao Gong.

The two:...

Both fell silent.

Before entering the palace, their families had exhorted them over and over: never make an enemy of the Noble Consort, put Yuzhao Gong first in all things, seek not imperial favor, only seek peace.

Could they still not understand what those words meant?

They had not entered the palace to compete for favor—they were effectively hostages in disguise. What hope was there for the days ahead?

Fu Shuangshu was naturally unwilling, but she could not willfully drag her entire clan into catastrophe on her account.

It seemed Kang Hualu was in the same situation.

Fu Shuangshu's eyes shifted as she looked at Kang Hualu, "Tell me, out of all these selected ladies, how many are like us?"

Kang Hualu steadied herself and lowered her voice, "Keep it down. How many do you think there are? I reckon it's probably just the two of us, at most one or two more."

Fu Shuangshu sighed heavily, "What kind of situation do you call this?"

Kang Hualu carefully stood up, went to the door to take a look, then closed it before returning to say, "My family said to wait at most three or four years, and they'd find a way to get me out of the palace. Right now His Majesty is fighting fiercely with the great houses. Our two families have taken a side. I reckon the two of us entering the palace is more or less like being hostage girls."

"Three or four years? Really?"

"Your family didn't tell you?"

Fu Shuangshu shook her head, and Kang Hualu said, "Our situations are about the same, so there shouldn't be much difference. As long as we don't cause trouble or make a scene in the palace, and honestly stay put for these few years, we'll be able to leave the palace in one piece."

"You make it sound simple. Even after leaving the palace we won't be able to keep this identity, so what prospects would we have then?" Fu Shuangshu's face darkened, "If we can only live in the shadows from now on, we might as well stay in the palace."

"Our families certainly won't let us be wronged. Just wait." Kang Hualu had no other solution either—comforting Fu Shuangshu was also comforting herself.

Fu Shuangshu then said, "Think back to when we saw Noble Consort Rong confront Yun Shizhuang in the palace—we two privately said that Noble Consort Rong was no simple person."

"Yes, back then Noble Consort Rong was still Princess Consort Qi, and now she's already become Noble Consort, and has given birth to His Majesty's eldest son. People—who knows what the future holds." Kang Hualu's expression was very complicated.

Back then Rong Luoge had been kept at the estate by the Zhen Guo Gong Fu to be raised, and so many young ladies of the capital had forgotten she existed. It was only after she became Princess Consort Qi that everyone remembered her.

Then Rong Luoge insisted on separating from Prince Qi, and so many people laughed behind her back for being foolish, but before long she entered the Dong Gong, later followed the Crown Prince into the Hou Gong, was titled Noble Consort, and gave birth to the imperial eldest son...

Now they had been sent into the palace by their families, repeatedly exhorted not to provoke the Noble Consort, to respect her, to flatter her, and absolutely never to offend her.

This...

It was infuriating, exasperating, but there was nothing to be done.

The two wore gloomy expressions. Unable to compete for favor yet still having to prop up the Noble Consort—the thought of the days ahead made it all feel too stifling.

"Our families must have their reasons for arranging things this way. Besides, we'll be leaving sooner or later anyway. Competing for favor is useless to us. Isn't it just flattering the Noble Consort? We can grit our teeth and do that." Kang Hualu said.

Fu Shuangshu nodded listlessly, "Will the Noble Consort make things difficult for us?"

Kang Hualu didn't know either. After all, with their outstanding family backgrounds and fine looks, they looked like the Noble Consort's formidable rivals by any measure.

That was... a bit troublesome.

As Yu Rui Gong grew increasingly bustling, they spotted many familiar faces from their hiding place in the east hall. The two grew more and more silent, and when they saw Su Ying enter and go straight to the east side hall, their expressions turned even uglier.

Su Ying moving into the east side hall wasn't entirely unexpected, but Ruan Shihua moving into the west side hall was very surprising.

Ruan Shihua's father was a Vice Minister of Rites. On what basis did she get to move into the west side hall?

Afterward they also saw Gou Jing move into the west side hall, along with other familiar faces. They knew many had been selected for this draft, and those who came to participate were all from prominent families, but seeing it in person was still quite a shock.

"This is truly all the tigers, leopards, wolves, and wild beasts gathered together." Fu Shuangshu said with a long sigh.

Kang Hualu...

Are you sure about that? Did it not occur to you that you're among them yourself?

By the time the whole group of selected ladies had all been settled in, it was already noon. Rong Luoge was having her meal with Han Xinglan at Yuzhao Gong. The two chatting while eating had become a habit—the rule of not speaking during meals was cast aside when they were alone together.

After all, the time they spent together was already scarce. Was it really necessary to play mute during the rare occasion of sharing a meal?

"The Empress Dowager is holding a banquet tonight; do you still need to go show your face?" Rong Luoge looked at Han Xinglan and asked.

Han Xinglan lifted his head to look at Rong Luoge, "Did Funing Palace send you a message?"

If it weren't for Funing Palace sending word over, she wouldn't be asking like that.

Han Xinglan's expression sank; he always hoped his mother the Empress Dowager could distinguish between inner and outer, weighty and trivial, and did not want mother and son to truly become estranged, but it seems his concessions have only made the Empress Dowager even more pleased.