After a small chat with Imperial Concubine Mother Ling, Ling Xuan was invited to take a walk in the gardens together. Ling Xuan knows that Imperial Concubine Mother Ling does not do things that have no meaning. This walk in the gardens surely has something to do with their goals and Ling Xuan knows what Imperial Concubine Mother Ling is thinking.
The Emperor will make his way from the court hall after morning court to the Imperial Library to do some reading. To reach the Imperial Library, he will have to cross the garden which is where Imperial Concubine Mother Ling and Ling Xuan are taking their walk.
Ling Xuan and Imperial Concubine Mother Ling walked around the gardens with servants tailing after them. They chatted idly about the flowers as they slowly approached the center path of the gardens where Ling Xuan senses a large entourage entering. If she were a normal human with human senses, Ling Xuan would not be able to notice because the garden is quite dense with trees and flowers which blocks the view where the Emperor is coming from.
However, it seems like Imperial Concubine Mother Ling is confident that the Emperor would come from that side of the garden and she slowly dragged Ling Xuan towards the direction of the Emperor, feinting innocence.
The Emperor heard female voices ahead held up his hand and the servants around him stopped. He slowly approached, hidden by the trees, and saw Imperial Concubine Mother Ling with another lady. As he gazed at her face, he was immediately attracted to her beauty and her innocent laughter, her bright clear voice, and her alluring face. Looking at her face, the Emperor feels like she resembles someone but could not think of who this lady resembles.
"If I cannot remember, that should mean it is an insignificant person." The Emperor waved off his thoughts and decided to make an appearance. Stepping out from behind the tree, the Emperor approached the two ladies.
As though only noticing the Emperor, Imperial Concubine Mother Ling turned around in surprise and greeted the Emperor. Ling Xuan, after staying in the Imperial Harem for so long, knows exactly what type of ladies the Emperor likes so she played her cards properly. This is the start of her revenge, there cannot be a misstep.
Ling Xuan stared at the Emperor in awe, blinking rapidly. Seeing Ling Xuan acting like this, Imperial Concubine Mother Ling smirked a little internally before tugging Ling Xuan's sleeve to wake her up.
"Ling Xuan, have you forgotten the rules? Quickly greet the Emperor," Ling Xuan was shaken from her stupor and quickly went on her knees and greeted the Emperor.
The Emperor saw her clumsy act and waved it off. Helping Ling Xuan from the ground personally, he gave her a gentle smile.
"So, you are the cousin that has done many kind deeds outside the capital. Rumors say you are a beauty and indeed, you truly are a beauty." The Emperor complimented her.
"Ling Xuan thank Your Majesty for the praise," Ling Xuan blushed a little as she ducked her head. Immediately after the Emperor let go of her hand, she quickly ran behind Imperial Concubine Mother Ling and shyly peeked out behind her.
"My apologies, she has been sheltered by my maternal family for so long and has never been close to any male which is why she is so shy. Please do not take offense," Imperial Concubine Mother Ling chuckled helplessly.
"This Emperor does not take any offense. In fact, this Emperor finds it refreshing and cute." The Emperor laughed off her worries as he reached out his hand and plucked out a fresh white rose. This was the rose that he likes the most but the women in his harem do not like white roses at all. They say it is too plain and it looks like a flower that one would gift a funeral.
"A gift to signify our first meeting." Holding up a single white rose, the Emperor offered it to Ling Xuan. Ling Xuan tilted her head innocently as she approached the Emperor.
"For me?" She asked softly.
"Is it alright to pluck a flower from the flower bush?" Ling Xuan wondered out loud, making the Emperor laugh at her naivety.
"This entire kingdom is this Emperor's and that includes everything in this garden. If the owner wishes to pluck a rose to propose to a woman, who else can say otherwise?" The Emperor declared in a confident tone, making Ling Xuan widen her eyes in wonder.
"Propose?" Ling Xuan blinked her eyes rapidly as she processed what the Emperor just said. Glancing back at Imperial Concubine Mother Ling, she gave a look that asks what she should do, and Imperial Concubine Mother Ling told her to do what she wants. If she takes the flower, she will become one of the Emperor's women and enter the Imperial Harem.
After thinking hard for a few minutes, she kneeled down and replied.
"Ling Xuan implores Your Majesty for some time before Ling Xuan makes a decision."
The Emperor widened her eyes at Ling Xuan's answer. He thought that she would agree immediately but who would have known this woman would reject his proposal.
"You are rejecting this Emperor?"
"Ling Xuan is not rejecting Your Majesty. Ling Xuan is asking for more time because Ling Xuan is not sure if Ling Xuan likes Your Majesty. From young, Ling Xuan has always dreamed of marrying for love and Ling Xuan just wants a few days to sort out her feelings." Ling Xuan blushed heavily as she stammered out her reason.
Seeing her red face, the Emperor's annoyance resided, and he laughed at how innocent this young beauty is. She is obviously smitten but wants some time to sort out her thoughts. To the Emperor, these words already affirmed that she is already his and it will not take long. Giving her some time is not something he could not do. He is a gentleman after all.
He held her arm and helped her up from the kneeling position before placing the rose in her hands.
"This Emperor shall wait till Ling Xuan is ready to come into my arms," Ling Xuan's face became redder at his words in which the Emperor feels that it is extremely adorable and could not help but pinch her cheeks lovingly.
"Please do not treat Ling Xuan as a child," Ling Xuan puffed up her cheeks after being pinched and the Emperor could not help but laugh at her childish antics.
"This Emperor does not treat Ling Xuan as a child, I am treating you as my woman." Ling Xuan could not take any more of this sweet talk as she ran and hid behind Imperial Concubine Mother Ling's back with a steaming face.
"Your Majesty, please do not tease her too much." Imperial Concubine Mother Ling grinned at their exchange as she patted Ling Xuan's head.
"She is too cute for this Emperor not to. Ling Xuan, this Emperor shall wait for a favorable reply." The Emperor told her with a cheeky grin as he left for the Imperial Library.
Imperial Concubine Mother Ling took Ling Xuan back to her palace and they both dropped the act immediately once they entered the inner halls where only trusted servants are allowed inside.
"Not bad," Imperial Concubine Mother Ling commented.
"Ling Xuan thank Imperial Concubine Mother Ling for the praise," Ling Xuan replied with a bow.
"Stay here for a bit more and remember to interact with the Emperor," Imperial Concubine Mother Ling told her before retiring for the evening. Ling Xuan nodded before she returned to her room.
The first step to entering the harem is successful but she cannot be complacent. She must slowly achieve her goal, step by step, and make life antagonizing for those who wanted her dead.
Ling Xuan used her dark arts and spread out traces of darkness all over the Imperial Harem. This way, she will be able to receive all happenings and plan for her path. She then slowly played the tug of war between the Emperor and her to deepen the Emperor's obsession with her. The flower was a good way to start.
Ling Xuan calculated the timing and location where she would most likely meet the Emperor and deliberately cried in front of him saying that she is at a loss because the flower that the Emperor gifted her has withered and she does not know how to revive it.
The Emperor found her crying adorable and her reason for crying even more adorable.
"There is no need to cry, Ling Xuan. This Emperor will gift you all the roses in the Imperial Garden. Every single rose that blooms in that garden shall be a gift from this Emperor to you. If you do not pluck them and the gardener maintains them, they will never wilt. What do you think of this Emperor's idea?"
Ling Xuan widened her eyes at the Emperor. The white rose is the Emperor's favorite flower and they occupy at least half of the Imperial Garden. This means the Emperor is giving her half the Imperial Garden. When has anyone gotten such big of a gift?
"What if the flowers wilt?" Ling Xuan asked in a fragile voice as though she was really torn because of the rose wilting.
"They won't so do not worry." After the Emperor reassured Ling Xuan, she finally stopped her tears and ran joyfully back to the Imperial Garden and gazed at the white roses. Her white roses. This will be a good way to get rid of some pests under Imperial Consort Su. She has so many after all and she likes to maintain her image. There is no way she would dirty her hands in this matter but it's okay. It will be too easy to let Imperial Consort Su fall like this. She needs to suffer thoroughly for causing such a traumatic experience for Lan Xuan Yi.
The dark traces allowed Ling Xuan to see Imperial Consort Su raging in her palace and the gathering of her fraction as they decided to ruin the garden. Ling Xuan smirked as she watched the scene in her mind as she lay comfortably on her bed. After watching the scene, she decided to feint a fever in 2 days' time and call for an Imperial Physician to treat her.
Hearing that Ling Xuan was ill, the Emperor told his servant to send the most capable physician to treat Ling Xuan and asked his personal eunuch to follow the Imperial Physician. He is to report to the Emperor Ling Xuan's condition when he returns. When they made their way to Imperial Concubine Mother Ling's Palace, they crossed the Imperial Garden and spotted a few maidservants near the white roses.
Normally, nobody would care for those roses because nobody likes those roses other than the Emperor, but they are on their way to treat Ling Xuan, so they hurried along their way. After Ling Xuan recovered from the fever, she made her way to the Imperial Garden and fell onto her knees at the sight of the rotten white roses in shock and despair.
Tears fell naturally down her beautiful face as she took the gardening tools from the gardening shed and tried to salvage whatever she could. As she was amid cutting when a furious roar came behind her.
"What happened here?" The Emperor thundered as he furiously approached the withered garden. All his beloved white roses have rotten and Ling Xuan is crying. He saw the gardening tools in her hand and her crying face. Linking two together, he figured out what happened.
"Ling Xuan, come here." The Emperor beckon her towards him.
Ling Xuan placed those tools down and made her way towards him, sniffling. Seeing her like this, the Emperor felt his heart clenched. This gift was meant to make her happy, but it seems to make her sadder instead. Pulling Ling Xuan into his tight embrace, he comforted her as she burst into tears.
After Ling Xuan managed to compose herself, the Emperor ordered his servants to investigate this matter. He wants to know who had the guts to ruin the gift he gave Ling Xuan. The secret guards worked quickly and within a day, they managed to gather enough evidence to present in front of the Emperor.
A sachet with powder.
Two reliable witnesses, the Imperial Physician and the Emperor's personal eunuch.
The Imperial Physician examined the powder and declared that the powder is responsible for making all those flower wilt. Both the Imperial Physician and personal eunuch testified that they saw maidservants lingering around the white roses on the day they went to Imperial Concubine Mother Ling's Palace to treat Miss Ling Xuan.
As the Emperor's personal eunuch, he knows most of the maidservants who serves the Imperial Harem mistresses. He remembers those maidservants are those who serves Concubine Jin and Concubine Qi and informs the Emperor immediately.
The Emperor had sent Ling Xuan back to Imperial Concubine Mother Ling's Palace after she fainted from crying too much and had returned to his study, awaiting the results of the investigation. After hearing the report, he ordered for both women to enter his study.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" The Emperor asked them in a solemn voice.
"Your Majesty, this concubine is being framed. It must have been that bitch who told you such lies; this concubine begs for the Emperor to investigate and clear this concubine's name." Concubine Jin, who is favored by the Emperor cried pitifully thinking that she can get away with it because she is favored.
"Forgive this concubine's imprudence but this concubine has to be honest with Your Majesty. Ling Xuan is a woman who came from nowhere and obtained your favor. If she entered the Imperial Harem and became a concubine, this concubine will have nothing to say. But she is not Your Majesty's woman and obtained almost half the Imperial Garden, something that none of the women in the harem has. How does Your Majesty want us concubines to feel about this?" Concubine Qi stated in an even tone.
What she is saying is logical. All women's status is below the Emperor's women and the Empress is the mother of the kingdom. If a woman who has lower status obtained something that even the women in the Imperial Harem do not have, where should they place their dignity? This would be a blatant disregard for status and court rules of the world of women.
But right now, the Emperor is angry so what reason you want to throw at him? He is not having any of it.
Throwing his cup onto the ground, he glared at both women with sharp eyes.
"Ling Xuan is to become this Emperor's woman in due time. This is within my plans and this garden is a gift to move her heart. If both of you were not vicious and filled with jealously, Ling Xuan would have long become my woman." Concubine Jin's shoulders trembled a little as she listened.
"Your Majesty is the Emperor. If you want a woman, you can have it. You should not throw the entire Imperial Harem into disarray just for a woman." Concubine Qi's gaze was leveled as she spoke to the Emperor.