Chapter 1, Danxi Palace

The construction of most palaces has reached a point where there is little left to say; however, the greatest controversy surrounding the Danxi Palace has just begun: the emperor's favored concubine, Consort Su, whether out of excessive cleverness or foolishness, suddenly proposed to the emperor to dye this newly completed palace with the juice of the Danxi grass

Su Ying had not yet responded, and her personal maid, Xuan Ye, had already put on a stern face and declared: "How interesting! When other young ladies celebrate their birthdays, everyone in the household is busy sending gifts. Yet, when our young lady has her birthday, not only is there no gift, but they even reach out for something? What is the reasoning behind this! Does the eldest young master have no good items at hand? Still coveting a piece of wood from our young lady?" She paused, glaring at Su Ming. Just as Su Ming was about to say something, Xuan Ye deliberately interrupted him, saying again: "This piece of agarwood belongs to Madam Jiu, can it be lent out casually? Our young lady cannot sleep well at night without this piece of agarwood to calm her nerves, and you all know that!"

"Su Guan, do not stoop to the level of a maid." Su Ying glanced at Su Ming, her eyes half lowered, seemingly feeling a bit guilty about Xuan Ye's behavior

"I read for my own enjoyment, not for anyone else. What is there to regret?" Su Ying lowered her head and gently traced the blueprint, saying softly, "In any case, I have no fate with the Danxi Palace in this lifetime."

When the Danxi Palace was completed, the Emperor announced that it would be granted to Consort Shun, immediately provoking a wave of opposition: the Empress Dowager still resided in a modest palace, yet such a luxurious palace was bestowed upon a concubine; where is the filial piety in that

"Even if you don't trust my inference, can you not trust San Ge?" Su Ying chuckled softly, "He and Da Ge have always looked down on each other; how could he have such good intentions to prepare a gift for Da Ge?"

"Xuan Ye, please take my piece of agarwood to Su Guan Shi." Xiao Xiao Su Ying blinked her eyes and said with a smile, "Since your rosewood is also being used, my piece of agarwood can just join in the fun."

Fortunately, my mother gave birth to an older brother..." Su Ying playfully stuck out her tongue, "Otherwise, I really wouldn't have any hope in this family." After saying that, she took the blushing Xuan Ye by the hand and walked away with a large stack of books.

The Danxi Palace—residence of the Empress—has harbored ominous seeds since before its construction began

Xuan Ye was about to interject, but was stopped by Su Ying. "Su steward, please wait a moment," she asked softly with a smile, "What does elder brother want this piece of agarwood for?"

However, the fate of Consort Shun was not much better. She was unable to identify all her enemies within the palace—this was exceedingly difficult, as many times former allies suddenly turned against her, leaving her defenseless.

Xuan Ye watched helplessly as Su Ming took away Chen Xiang, feeling reluctant in her heart, and sighed while pressing her hand against her chest: "Miss, you are too easy to bully in this household! They truly have left you with not even a piece of wood."

The young empress was unable to maintain her composure, and in a fit of anger and anxiety, she succumbed to illness and passed away

The Consort Shun triumphed over the court officials— they were completely unaware: the entire matter stemmed from a seemingly casual remark made by Consort Shun, and the outcome left her exceedingly satisfied

Su Ming, being respectful towards Su Ying, replied: "Next month is the birthday of Lady Dan, the noble consort. The eldest son intends to invite someone to carve a delicate item to present to her."

Su Ying's birthday coincided with this bothersome weather. Nevertheless, she stood by the window in a cheerful mood, watching with great interest as the birds hopped around in the snow. After a short while, the birds suddenly took off all at once with a flutter. The steward Su Ming from the residence of the eldest son, Su Chen, walked into the courtyard with a smile and said to her: "Sixth Miss, I heard that you have a piece of excellent agarwood? The eldest son would like to borrow it..."

"Elder brother knows my thoughts the best." Su Ying quickly approached Su Sa in a few steps, watching him unfold a scroll of drawings—indeed, it depicted the appearance of the Danxi Palace.

Su Sa said nothing, smiling enigmatically. "I have a piece of excellent agarwood here; you can take it and use it. Isn't today your birthday? Brother will give that as a gift."

Still, my brother thinks more than I do. Su Ying pouted her lips and pushed the blueprint aside. I finished reading the book you gave me last time—Xuan Ye, give the book to my brother

Su Ying knows the truth of this story: using madder root as a pigment was the idea of another concubine, Consort Shun. Consort Shun, of the Su clan, hinted at this idea somewhat intentionally yet feigned great regret for having revealed it. After contemplating it several times, Consort Jing did not perceive the underlying malice and seized this idea to claim credit.

After a period of debate, Dansi Palace became the palace of the young Empress. She gazed at the magnificent palace, sneering that while Dansi Palace still stood, the self-important concubines would never have the chance to see it; even she did not realize that the matter was far from over.

The Shun Consort understood the Jing Consort. When the Shun Consort was still a child, she had heard from her father, who was a general, that the first step to winning a war is to understand the enemy. She defeated the Jing Consort by using public opinion from both the inner palace and the outer court to strike at her formidable rival. The Emperor had never particularly favored the Jing Consort, and in this endless quarrel, even his slight protection of her was viewed by the court officials as a potential cause of national chaos. The Emperor yielded to the court officials—because they were resolute, without any concerns for their own safety. The more sharply and bravely they advised him, the more they could leave behind a name that would be celebrated through the ages. For this reputation, they did not care about being dismissed from office or executed. After all, they also knew: it was much easier for the Emperor to distance himself from a consort than to bear the infamous title of a foolish ruler.

Xuan Ye, feeling indignant, said: "If the prince were to speak, I would certainly have nothing to say. However, the eldest son..."

Under such an onslaught, the Emperor grew increasingly troubled, while the Concubine Jing believed that if they persevered a little longer, they would win the entire war. She became more and more entrenched, forgetting how vast the imperial harem was, with countless backup beauties available to replace her position without causing the Emperor any additional worry.

However, these ministers also understand that they can only offer their opinions, and whether to adopt them or not solely depends on the emperor

Su Ying observed her with a malicious glint in her eyes, saying: "Xuan Ye is usually so eloquent, yet she becomes mute in front of her brother"

Empress Dowager Su was not the biological mother of the Emperor, and was even one or two years younger than him. The Emperor had never held any particular fondness for her, but she was the Empress Dowager, the most noble woman in the country. She had always been full of confidence, believing that this newly completed palace belonged to her alone

However, entering the Danxi Palace remains the mission of every girl from the Su family

The fate of the Su family has nothing to do with me. Su Ying bit her lower lip, raised her head, and put on a bright smile, saying, I am better off this way! I can do whatever I want, learn whatever I want, and I don't have to force myself to do things I don't like.

Su Ming's face flushed red and then pale, and he said indignantly: "Isn't the Ninth Lady's belongings given by the master? It sounds as if they are her family's heirlooms! If you don't want to lend them, then don't lend them; why so much talk?" Feeling embarrassed, he was about to leave.

Father truly does not know how to avoid taboos. Su Yingwei smiled faintly, This item placed in the aunt's palace will surely attract a great deal of trouble

Su Ying's lips curled up, and her youthful face immediately radiated a special brilliance. "Xuan Ye, oh Xuan Ye, you are truly a year older than me!" She playfully patted the maid's back and laughed, "Did you not hear? That is a birthday gift for my aunt! How could I dare to hinder my father's intentions?"

Her failure did not stem from taking the wrong first step, but rather from her excessive confidence, as she fought against public opinion at the center of the vortex with courage. She believed too much in her own charm, thinking she could use it to vie for the emperor's favor against public opinion. In the end, the dispute was no longer about the dye of that palace, but rather a condemnation from the court officials regarding the character of a concubine— as someone who serves the Son of Heaven, it is her duty to be virtuous and courteous; how could she so lightly dismiss the advice of numerous officials in the court? In the end, the dispute was no longer about the dye of that palace, but rather a condemnation from the court officials regarding the character of a concubine— as someone who serves the Son of Heaven, it is her duty to be virtuous and courteous; how could she so lightly dismiss the advice of numerous officials in the court?

On that day, Su Sa happened to be at home and upon seeing her younger sister, the first thing she said was: "Are you here to look at the blueprints?"

Alright, alright. Xuan Ye let out a sigh, "Anyway, it's your decision—I don't want to think too much about it, as long as the young lady is not bullied."

It is not surprising that when the emperor constructs a new palace, there will inevitably be dissenting voices. He already possesses so many palaces, while countless subjects in the realm are without a roof over their heads or land beneath their feet. Naturally, there will be ministers in the court who voice opposition; if there were none, it would instead be a tragedy for the dynasty.

Su Ying raised her hand and shook it, her face full of childlike innocence: "Xuan Ye, since the blueprints are with brother, let's go take a look at something new. You find the book that brother left here last time and take it to him as well"

"What exquisite thing?" Su Ying's face was full of curiosity, her pair of watery, bright eyes filled with anticipation

The courtier has triumphed over the emperor—he has finally distanced himself from the so-called "disaster of beauty," Concubine Jing

"There is nothing in this world that can be preserved forever, only that which can never be obtained." She said this on her sickbed

Su Ming looked at the exquisite and delicate young lady, thinking to herself that she was just a child. The real trouble lay with the maid beside her, who was too willful and often caused disturbances, bringing her trouble. In fact, the Sixth Miss had not done anything particularly annoying. As this thought crossed her mind, Su Ming's expression softened: "It is a small palace, the blueprints have already been drawn, and they are with the Third Young Master. The Third Young Master also brought a piece of top-quality rosewood for the Eldest Young Master—this was also left by the Ninth Madam."

However, at that time, the uproar caused by this proposal drew the Concubine into the whirlpool of "sexual extravagance and unworthiness"—she only remembered to please the Emperor, eagerly offering her ideas for his new palace, and in her dizzy state, she forgot that in this world, it was not only the Emperor who could determine her future

Every time she thinks of this story, Su Ying cannot help but sigh: this is the court. Wealth and nobility do not belong to those who consider themselves very clever

The Third Young Master Su Sa is the biological elder brother of Su Ying. Due to his promising youth, he enjoys a much better treatment in the Su family compared to Su Ying. Su Ming specifically mentioned this, merely to give Su Ying a subtle hint

To maintain the enduring brilliance of the palace's vermilion paint, it is necessary to reapply the dye made from madder root every two years. Although the yield of madder is considerable, using it to coat an entire palace is rather extravagant. The madder required for this grand project is supplied by relatives of the Empress Dowager's family. Within two years, they became the target of public outcry, with accusations of oppressing the common people, cutting corners, and providing inferior quality goods for exorbitant profits flooding the court.

In the winter of the second year of Ciming, several heavy snowfalls occurred. The accumulated snow had not yet melted when new snow arrived, and throughout the entire winter, there were very few sunny days, leaving everyone feeling irritable

Xuan Ye wanted to say something, but in the end, she just stamped her foot in frustration and went back to her room to bring out a large and heavy piece of agarwood. She stuffed it into Su Ming's arms along with the books, saying, "Alright, alright, you siblings have this little stash, but sooner or later, it will be all used up!"

Xuan Ye walked over to the siblings with a flushed face, lowering her head to place a stack of books beside Su Sa.

Su Ying pouted slightly, "There is nothing I do not understand—these are just matters from ancient times, and they come and go in only a few ways. This time, I should read the 'Book of Jin.' If you have any other good books, please give them to me as well."

Su Sa, however, smiled indifferently and said: "Doesn't that just allow elder sister and second sister to reap the benefits?"

After her passing, her branch of the Su family also fell into decline

Su Sa, however, did not take it to heart; she smiled and asked her younger sister with concern, "Did you understand? If there is anything you do not understand, feel free to ask. These days, several young masters from the Fan family are visiting the residence—they have been historians for several generations."

Su Sa patted Su Ying's shoulder with satisfaction and sighed, "You are much smarter than Seventh Sister and Eighth Sister, what a pity"

Today it is called "Dancing Palace", naturally because the proposal of the honored concubine was successful. The idea of using madder juice to create a red dye is indeed a creative one. The red juice of madder is bright in color, carries a subtle and unique fragrance, and is not prone to fading, making it a favored dye for the fabrics used in the palace. No one had thought of using it to decorate the palace, and the results of the experiment were very satisfactory

Xuan Ye bit her lip and said, "Miss, you are overthinking it."

Su Ying shook her head, "Do you really think that it was my elder brother who intended to give that? Did you not hear? That is a wooden carving from the palace. My elder brother has no such intention—clearly, it is our father who secretly wishes for our aunt to take charge of Danxi Palace, and thus had this item carved. He could not openly present it in his own name, so he used my elder brother's name instead."

Since then, the Danxi Palace no longer used fragrant grass for decoration, and the turmoil finally subsided on the surface. Everyone said that the Danxi Palace, filled with festive red, was an ominous place for this dynasty

The smooth and compliant consort immediately took the initiative to concede, yet the Empress Dowager had already lost her fondness for her

Gaining a person's favor is difficult, while losing it can happen with just one action or in a fleeting moment

Thus, the decision to construct the Danxi Palace was announced by the emperor, facing opposition from some court officials; however, the groundbreaking ultimately took place, and no one was surprised by the outcome