The Maidservant's Rise

When Jiang Yun was assigned by Consort Zhou to serve as a maid to Prince Qi, she was only fifteen years old. At that time, she had already served in the palace for three years, gradually rising from the lowest-ranking palace maid to become Consort Zhou’s personal attendant. Prince Qi first encountered Jiang Yun in the corridor of the Yanxi Palace, adorned with five-colored plum blossoms. She held a plum blossom in her hand, smiling as sweetly as the flower itself. Later, when the consort offered to assign someone to him, Prince Qi casually pointed to Jiang Yun. On the night Prince Qi first took Jiang Yun as his own, he gently twirled a strand of her dark hair and promised her, "I will ma...