pdf-ebookys Chapter 1 Willing to be a concubine
Chapter 1 Willing to be a concubine
In the height of summer, lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the window, accompanied by a fierce wind.
In the dim, enchanting candlelight inside the room, two figures intertwined and undulated.
The man's rapid breathing was swallowed up by the sound of the wind and rain.
Xu Jiaojiao's eyes were alluring as she tilted her head back and gently bit the man's Adam's apple, her eyes shimmering with desire.
The man held her by the back of the neck, his long, slender fingers digging into her soft, dark hair, his eyes filled with a passion more intense than a storm.
"Mmm... be gentle..." Xu Jiaojiao uttered an ambiguous sound.
The man chuckled: "When you were seducing someone, didn't you think about the consequences?"
The scorching breath brushed against her ear, and Xu Jiaojiao trembled instinctively.
She looked up, her confused gaze falling on the man's sharp features.
Realizing he was the man she had painstakingly seduced, Xu Jiaojiao clung to him even tighter: "Your Highness, please have mercy..."
The man became increasingly decadent.
"boom!"
With a clap of thunder, the storm outside intensified...
……
The torrential rain finally stopped.
Xu Jiaojiao slowly opened her tired eyes.
The man had left sometime earlier, and the aches and pains emanating from her naked body beneath the quilt reminded her of the madness of the previous night.
She smiled slightly, very satisfied with her performance last night.
She had been promoted to concubine for half a month, and now she had finally climbed into Prince Chen's bed.
Her thoughts drifted back to half a month ago, right after her rebirth...
……
“Prince Chen is cruel and ruthless, killing people without hesitation. If you become his concubine, how could you possibly survive?”
"Jiaojiao, listen to my advice, just be a dutiful servant and stop dreaming of climbing the social ladder and becoming a phoenix!"
The noise around her made Xu Jiaojiao frown uncomfortably.
Xu Jiaojiao was stunned when she saw the woman beside her opening and closing her red lips.
Is she reborn?
She was reborn on the day the princess asked her and Chen Xi if they would be willing to become concubines by Prince Chen's side.
Under the willow tree at the same late spring afternoon, Chen Xi offered her advice, just as he had in his previous life.
As a transmigrated woman, she yearned for freedom and wanted to make a name for herself in this unfamiliar world. She was unwilling to be imprisoned in a mansion and become a man's plaything, so she listened to Chen Xi's words without hesitation and rejected the princess.
But she never imagined that freedom would come at a price.
In this feudal era where people were still ignorant, the struggle of a weak woman was like a mayfly trying to shake a giant tree—laughable and presumptuous.
"Jiaojiao, when you see the Princess later, you must ask her to take back the favor!"
Seeing that she didn't speak, Chen Xi hurriedly shoved her.
Xu Jiaojiao's eyelashes fluttered, and she came back to her senses.
In her previous life, she listened to Chen Xi's instigation and resolutely refused the princess, which angered the princess. In a fit of anger, the princess demoted her to the lowest-ranking maid in the mansion. Every day, she washed dirty clothes and cleaned chamber pots in the dark and sunless courtyard, so tired that she could not straighten her back. She wasted half her life like this.
Chen Xi, however, remained beautifully hidden.
Later, Chen Xi became Prince Chen's favorite concubine, enjoying endless wealth and glory, but he was ruthless and relentlessly tried to kill her.
Upon learning that she was still alive, Chen Xi arranged for her to marry a rude and arrogant stableman in his household.
The coachman constantly beat and verbally abused her, and she could not bear the torment. Within a few years, she became ill and died in despair.
Her so-called ideals and ambitions were wrapped in a rough straw mat and thrown into a mass grave along with her, to be fed to dogs.
That life, which I can't bear to look back on, was truly unbearably bitter.
Having been given a second chance at life, she was naturally no longer as naive as she had been in her previous life.
Chen Xi is treacherous and ruthless, wanting to climb to power over her corpse. Well then, she'll give Chen Xi a chance to rise to power.
Whether or not Chen Xi can seize the opportunity depends on his fate.
Thinking of this, Xu Jiaojiao's eyes flashed: "I've heard that the princess is always elegant and loves to draw plum blossoms on her forehead. If I dress up in a more vulgar way, perhaps the princess won't like me."
Thinking of the winter plum blossoms in the Princess's courtyard, Chen Xi's eyes lit up. He absentmindedly agreed with Xu Jiaojiao for a couple of sentences, and then hurriedly left.
Watching Chen Xi's hurried figure, Xu Jiaojiao smiled faintly and turned back to her residence.
……
Just past 1 PM, the princess got up from her afternoon nap and ordered someone to summon Chen Xi and Xu Jiaojiao.
Outside Mingkun Courtyard.
Chen Xi used all her charms to dress herself up like a lotus emerging from clear water, making her look so beautiful and pitiful.
She thought to herself that her elegant attire would surely please the princess.
Looking at Xu Jiaojiao again, she was still wearing that inconspicuous coarse linen dress.
She looked so poor and shabby; how could she be worthy of being Prince Chen's woman?
She curled her lips into a confident smile, slightly raising her chin, as if she already considered herself the mistress of the mansion.
The wooden door creaked open.
The maid Furong came out and said, "Miss Xu, Miss Chen, please come in."
Before entering the house, Xu Jiaojiao looked at Chen Xi and said, "Xi Xi, you're so beautiful..."
Chen Xi knew she was beautiful, otherwise she wouldn't have been chosen by the princess.
She glanced at Xu Jiaojiao with disdain and went inside first.
Xu Jiaojiao followed behind without changing her expression and stepped into the main house, kneeling down to pay her respects respectfully.
The princess lowered her eyes: "You two, raise your heads."
Xu Jiaojiao obediently raised her head slightly, but lowered her eyes, avoiding direct eye contact with the princess, thus challenging the authority of the superior.
Chen Xi simply assumed that the princess wanted to take a closer look at her beautiful and refined appearance.
With her chin held high, she struck what she considered an elegant and beautiful pose, staring directly at the princess.
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold.
Upon seeing Chen Xi's makeup, Granny Wang, who had served the princess since childhood, gasped and pointed at Chen Xi's nose, shouting angrily, "Hiss... What a shameless slut! Guards, drag her away! Lock her in the woodshed to await her fate!"
Chen Xi was startled, completely unaware of what had happened.
She quickly came to her senses and immediately began kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Your Highness! Your Highness, please spare me! I don't know what I've done wrong that Your Highness wants to lock me up?"
The princess sneered, her sharp gaze falling on Chen Xi, her eyes filled with disgust.
Granny Wang was furious: "Shameless slut! You haven't even been promoted to a concubine yet, and you're already dressed like a courtesan! This manor cannot tolerate such a frivolous and wanton servant!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the servants outside rushed in.
Granny Wang said sternly, "Hurry up and throw this disgusting thing out! Don't let it dirty the Princess's courtyard!"
Amid screams and pleas for mercy, Chen Xi was dragged out.
Xu Jiaojiao smiled almost imperceptibly.
I'm afraid Chen Xi will never know why he was rejected by the princess until his death.
As the sounds faded into the distance, the princess rubbed her temples impatiently.
Granny Wang promptly handed over a cup of hot tea.
After taking a sip of hot tea, the princess's complexion softened slightly.
Her scrutinizing gaze fell upon Xu Jiaojiao, who was still kneeling in the room.
The woman was born with a charming and alluring appearance, with captivating fox-like eyes that were naturally alluring. Even without makeup, her stunning beauty was undeniable.
It's a good seedling.
Since Prince Chen established his own residence, he has not been very interested in the inner palace, so no children have been born in the residence over the years.
As the matriarch of the household, she was often suspected by outsiders of being jealous.
For this, she was often reprimanded by the Empress.
To maintain her reputation as a virtuous wife, she had to find a way to produce an heir for Prince Chen.
The princess cut to the chase: "Xu Jiaojiao, have you thought this through? Are you willing to become Prince Chen's concubine?"
The tragic events of her previous life were still vivid in her mind.
In the feudal era where imperial power was supreme, she had to climb the social ladder to live a good life.
No ideals or ambitions are as important as being alive. If you lose your life, then you lose everything.
Almost without hesitation, Xu Jiaojiao made up her mind that she wanted to become Prince Chen's concubine.
She wants to climb up step by step!
She is determined to forge a bright future for herself!
She bowed and kowtowed: "This servant is willing to serve Your Highness and share the burdens of the Princess!"
Be sincere, neither humble nor arrogant.
The princess put down her teacup and nodded in satisfaction: "In that case, from today onwards you will be the prince's concubine, granted residence in the Stone Warm Pavilion, and awarded one hundred taels of silver..."