Inside Zhaoyang Palace, the concubines were learning the rules of the palace.
Although the concubines all came from the families of nobles, there were still ranks of high and low among them.
Among them, Bai Jingran and Wu Qingyi were the most prominent.
Furthermore, Bai Jingran was on good terms with His Majesty's biological sister, Princess Huayang, so many of the other concubines were eager to curry favor with her.
None of them could be certain they would be chosen to remain in the palace, and the harem was a place of treacherous, ever-shifting tides.
Sisters who had endured hardships together as concubines could support each other later in the harem.
Bai Jingran not only saw Mu Wan Yun as an enemy, but she was also most worried about Wu Qingyi and Jiang Han.
Wu Qingyi's father was Marquis Zhongyong, and the Duke Zhongyong Mansion had another distinction: it was the maternal home of the late Grand Empress Dowager.
