The sly flower and the bored butterfly

Imperial palace....( Can it be less dangerous)

' Your majesty, your majesty please wake up.' Someone tried to wake me up. ' Your majesty, your majesty, the sun is already visible.'
My eyes fluttered and I saw A'xi and several other maids. So, what is new other than the fact that I am the empress now, my husband is a flowery man who is exceptionally good at martial arts and I still can't sleep as long as I like? Nothing? How sad.

　　After completing the morning rituals of leaving my bed, getting fresh and wearing fresh clothes. A very harassed looking A' xi informed me that there were concubines waiting outside for me. Concubines, huh? Don't tell me they were the reason I had to wake up earlier than usual. I gave a side glance at A' xi. Her look confirmed that they were the cold blooded murders who killed my sleep.

　　I unfortunately couldn't stamp my foot because of the maids. Why are there so many of them anyways? I wonder how many of them are spies. On a good note though, A' xi looked like an shrew person in palace clothing. It will help me a lot in future. I decided to leave after drinking my tea. I was the empress after all. Being late was allowed for me, besides those concubines deserved to wait. Who told them to come over so early? Head court lady An stood outside waiting for me.

　　I headed to the place where the concubines were waiting for me. I didn't catch the name of the place but decided that it was a hall of some sort. The training given by the court lady sent by the empress dowager was helpful, seeing how I didn't trip. The eunuch nearby announced loudly. ' Her majesty, the empress has arrived.' Some other maids opened the door for me and I went inside. I headed towards the throne like seat at the top and sat there. Everyone greeted me and sat down.

　　This hall had a clear way to show the rankings. From seats, to table wares, to clothes, it was easy to distinguish who was ranked higher than who. There was one table below my seat for the imperial noble consort( Huang gui fei). There wasn't a imperial noble consort yet. There were other seats for noble consorts( gui fei), consorts ( fei) and concubines( pin). From my observation the seats for 2 of the noble consorts were taken, 3 of the seats for consorts were taken and 4 of the seats for concubines were taken. All of them were elegant and pretty.

　　A noble consort stood up from her place and bowed. ' Mei fen greets your majesty. May your majesty be blessed with good fortune and longevity.' Good fortune and longevity. She didn't wish me fertility. How bold. She was wearing plenty of jewelry and makeup. She is a seductress. Maybe that is why all the jewelry and makeup she is wearing doesn't look out of the place on her.

I motioned her to sit down. Another noble consort  stood up and bowed. ' Jia yi greets your majesty. May your majesty be blessed with good health and happiness.'

　　Happiness? She looks smarter. Noble Consort Jia yi  was wearing white robes with butterfly embroidery and her hair was loosely tied with minimal jade ornaments. To be exact she looked like a virtuous white lotus. I really hope she isn't scheming because it would be a waste of her beautiful face. But then again beauty is always a curse. And almost everyone here was alluring. Everyone greeted me, some wished me fertility and happiness,some wished me longevity and fortune, some spoke very vaguely.

　　But I got the general idea of the situation. Everyone is pretty which is good because they can attract the attention of the emperor. Most of them hate me which is bad because that means I will die soon. Those that don't hate me or haven't showed their hatred yet are either extremely naive or extremely smart. Both of which is bad because the smart ones will bring me down and the naive ones will be made their perfect weapons. In conclusion the imperial harem was more dangerous than what I had imagined.

　　A concubine stood up and came forward. I think her name is Ya li. She bowed and said, ' Niangniang is new to the palace. Chenqie has prepared a dance for niangniang.'
Is she trying to curry favor with me ?
　　' How thoughtful of you. Bengong shall watch your dance.' She gave a bow and I once again realized I was wrong about the imperial harem.I thought she would do mere twirls and twists. But she didn't. She danced like how  any fine dancer would. I have to say , though there was no music it was absolutely mesmerizing. She looked quite happy to dance.