Hustle Queen in the Harem: My Consort Won't Stop Grinding

Chapter 72: Chapter 59: Working for the Empress

In Jianzhang Palace, only the Empress and Jiang Xian remained.

By rank, a Noble Lady was not permitted to sit in the Empress’s presence without a specific grant of grace. Jiang Xian was about to rise, but she heard the Empress say from the seat of honor, "It’s fine. Stay seated."

The Empress’s voice was gentle, her tone calm and steady. It held an ease that came with age, and... the exhaustion of someone with one foot in the grave. ’But the Emperor is only twenty-five, and the Empress is even younger. She’s just a young woman—in the modern world, she’d be a recent graduate. Yet she sounds like she’s in her twilight years. It’s as if a demon that feeds on human life force resides in Jianzhang Palace, sucking her dry.’

Jiang Xian didn’t sit fully, but perched on the edge of the seat, with half her body angled off.

The other half of her body was suspended in the air. It wasn’t a problem for her. ’I’ll just treat it as holding a horse stance.’

"I summoned you today because I have some matters to consult with Noble Lady Gu about."

"I am not worthy of being consulted by Your Majesty the Empress," Jiang Xian said. "If there is anything I can assist you with, please just ask. As long as I know the answer, I will hold nothing back and tell you everything."

’What could the Empress possibly want to ask me? The Emperor’s preferences? If the Empress is asking,’ Jiang Xian mused, ’it would be a profitable trade to exchange information about the Emperor for her goodwill. The Empress receiving more favor won’t threaten my position. Befriending her definitely has more pros than cons.’

’However, if the Empress really did ask about such a thing, it wouldn’t be a very smart move on her part.’

’After all, given how highly the Emperor thinks of her, she shouldn’t need to lower herself to compete for his affection. Unless...’

’She’s deeply in love with the Emperor—completely love-addled.’

’Jiang Xian kept a respectful distance from the hopelessly romantic, as if they were a different species altogether. All she could do was offer her respect and well wishes.’

"Back when Noble Lady Gu first entered the palace to learn the rules," the Empress said slowly, "I heard the training nanny mention your name. She said you had endless questions and boundless energy."

"The nanny is too kind. I am merely an ordinary person."

"Waking in the middle of the night to jog with your palace maids, staying up all night copying books after serving the Emperor, and still appearing full of life the next day—these are not things an ordinary person can do." The Empress didn’t beat around the bush. Just as Jiang Xian began to think the Empress suspected her of being some kind of spirit, she got straight to the point. "Is it true, Noble Lady Gu, that you only rest for two hours each day? What is your secret to maintaining your health that allows you to do this day after day, resting only two hours? This is the matter I wish to consult you on, and nothing more."

Her voice, as elegant and refined as a guqin, was laced with unconcealable envy.

Jiang Xian suddenly remembered where she had heard such a voice—simultaneously "young" and "old"—before.

’Back at the tech giant where she used to work, new hires would be ground down into this state within a single quarter. It was a brutal process of attrition, and only the chosen few survived. There was this one guy on her project team, a local from S-City. After working overtime until one in the morning, he would go clubbing, then grab Haidilao hotpot. After that, he’d get a room with some dreamboat he’d just met, sleep for two hours, and then walk from the hotel back to the office to start his day.’

’What the Empress envied so deeply wasn’t Holy Favor, but her bottomless energy.’

The palace maids and nannies standing by looked anxious. ’These weren’t things one should say to a Noble Lady!’

"In answer to Your Majesty, it is true. I do indeed only rest for two hours each day."

Jiang Xian didn’t ask how the Empress knew.

’The Empress held authority over the harem; it was her duty to manage the Six Palaces. If anyone else had been prying, it would be overstepping. But for the Empress, no matter how far her reach, it was all within her jurisdiction.’ Jiang Xian never expected her Yizhu Pavilion to be an impenetrable fortress; having two loyal palace maids like Mian Xia and Zhenqiu was enough for her. "It’s just that I don’t have any special health secrets," she continued. "If I had to name one, it would be to never stay idle, and to get plenty of exercise!"

"And how do you exercise, Noble Lady Gu?"

The Empress’s tone held a hint of curiosity.

’Even women who were skilled in riding and archery let those abilities atrophy after entering the palace, and she had never heard of Noble Lady Gu having any habit of drawing a bow.’

"It’s a bit difficult to explain," Jiang Xian proposed boldly. "If Your Majesty would not object, perhaps you could allow me to stay overnight in a side hall of Jianzhang Palace? That way, you could see for yourself how I strengthen my body."

’The CEO of the harem had extended an olive branch. An opportunity this good couldn’t be wasted. Naturally, she had to seize the chance to get closer to her and demonstrate her loyalty.’

"This..."

The Empress frowned.

There was no precedent for another concubine to stay overnight in Jianzhang Palace. It was against the Palace Rules.

But the Palace Rules didn’t explicitly forbid it, either.

"I will stay in a side hall. Your Majesty is the master here; whenever you are awake, I will come and serve you." ’As long as it’s a job, it doesn’t matter if the boss is a man or a woman,’ Jiang Xian thought. She decided to win over both of her bosses at the same time.

The Empress was greatly tempted by this.

She was a heavy sleeper, needing a full five hours each day to feel even remotely rested. Any less and she would get a headache. She also slept poorly when her mind was heavy with worry. The chronic headaches she’d developed over the years were a direct result of her exhaustion. Noble Princess Consort Rong supposedly shared the burden of palace management, but she wasn’t always helping. She would often pull petty tricks and set traps, meaning the Empress had to personally scrutinize every document that came from Zhaoyang Palace.

’If only I could train my body to need only two hours of sleep a day!’

Finally, the Empress nodded.

"Very well. Noble Lady Gu will stay the night. You can help me with some of my burdens as well."

※

「Meanwhile, in Qiankun Palace.」

"The Empress had Noble Lady Gu stay?" The Emperor smiled when he heard the news. "It’s rare for the Empress to take an interest in anyone. Ah well, Noble Lady Gu is certainly a likable person."

The person who brought this news to Qiankun Palace was one of Noble Princess Consort Rong’s own.

She was hoping to see the Empress and Noble Lady Gu go at each other’s throats.

’If the Emperor were to disgrace the Empress for the sake of the currently favored Noble Lady Gu, she would be overjoyed. She couldn’t be the only one who had lost face because of Noble Lady Gu. If there was shame to be had, they would all share it!’

However, contrary to Noble Princess Consort Rong’s expectations, the Emperor was not the least bit concerned.

Not long after, the Empress also sent a messenger to inform the Emperor: Noble Lady Gu would be staying in Jianzhang Palace tonight, so if the Emperor wished to summon a concubine, he would have to choose someone else!

※

「Jianzhang Palace.」

The Empress’s residence in the Central Palace was far larger than Yizhu Pavilion and was managed as tightly as an iron fortress. The Empress told her to act as she normally would, assuring her that no word of it would leave the palace for others to gossip about. "I want to see how you cultivate this endless energy of yours each day," the Empress said. "However, I still have palace affairs to handle, so please, make yourself comfortable."

Jiang Xian happily agreed.

So, while the Empress reviewed the account ledgers, Jiang Xian did a Pamela Reif workout beside her.

While the Empress drafted the regulations for the New Year’s rewards, Jiang Xian was next to her doing an ab ripper routine.

Jiang Xian wasn’t tired, but the Empress’s eyes grew tired just from watching her.

After Jiang Xian finished ten sets of burpees, the Empress finally looked astonished. "Do you really exercise like this every day, Noble Lady Gu?"

This was the same question on the minds of all the palace maids and nannies in Jianzhang Palace.

Initially, they had been dismissive of the rumors about Noble Lady Gu’s incredible physique and stamina, assuming they were exaggerated. But after witnessing Jiang Xian in person, they realized that some people, it seemed, truly never got tired.