The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

Special Thanks to these patrons for their support!

S T E L L A R C L O U D

[Galetron]

O R A N G E S T A R

[Alma S.] [Christine G.-L.] [K.Rom]

[Suong D.] [Ziana K.-P.]

Y E L L O W S T A R

[Anasi G.] [Passerby]

G O L D S T A R

[Nevy] [Roxanne C.]

R A I N B O W S T A R

[Debra W] [Kiiayame]

T H E S U N

[kuroneko_chan] [Michelle K.] [Tionna M.]

C E L E S T I A L C O N Q U E R O R

[Ava C.] [Hong] [Leeyue] [Lily J.] [Manon] [Smurfinbatik] [Sophia W.] [Val Nes]

Also, many thanks to everyone who bought me coffee (*≧∀≦*)

Imperial Consort Wang looked over and was stunned to see Imperial Consort Dong, Imperial Consort Yang, Imperial Consort Chen, and Imperial Lady Fang hiding outside the window!

The four of them had not expected Shangguan Yan to open the window without any warning, catching them completely off guard. They froze in place, collectively as stiff as wooden statues.

Imperial Consort Wang was equally dumbfounded.

Several pairs of eyes locked in an awkward stare.

It was an epic-level moment of social death.

"You… What are you all doing here?"

It took Imperial Consort Wang a long time to find her voice again.

Shangguan Yan, thoroughly enjoying the drama, crossed her arms and leisurely looked at the four women at the window.

Imperial Consort Dong cleared her throat and demanded, "We should be asking you that! Didn’t you say we’d confront His Majesty together tomorrow to expose this shameless woman? Turns out you were just stalling for time so you could come here and strike a deal with her yourself!"

Shangguan Yan cast her a sidelong glance. "Hey, watch your words."

Who exactly was being shameless here?

Were any of them less shameless?

One after another, they couldn’t wait to sell each other out. So much for their so-called alliance; truly laughable.

"Aren’t you all the same?" Imperial Consort Wang retorted coldly.

"We…" Imperial Consort Dong’s face turned red with frustration. She glanced at Imperial Lady Fang and said. "She came first!"

Imperial Lady Fang’s body trembled. "I was the third to arrive! When I got here, Imperial Consort Sisters Yang and Chen were already hiding outside the window!"

"Imperial Consort Yang came first!" Imperial Consort Chen decisively threw Imperial Consort Yang under the bus.

Imperial Consort Chen had been in the middle of negotiating with Shangguan Yan when she heard someone from the imperial palace arriving. She tried to hide by climbing out the window, only to find Imperial Consort Yang standing right in front of her.

Only heaven knew what she had felt at that moment!

Then, Imperial Lady Fang arrived.

When Imperial Lady Fang climbed through the window, she was also struck with a wave of shock.

Next came Imperial Consort Dong and lastly, Imperial Consort Wang.

Imperial Consort Wang was utterly shakened. She was so furious that she felt as if stars were dancing before her eyes.

It was clearly her plan, so how did she end up being the last one to arrive?

There were no foolish women in the harem—if there had been, they would have long since died. Who else could have lasted this long?

The reason they were outmaneuvered by Shangguan Yan was because they never expected her to take such an unexpected route. Shangguan Yan had managed to win with a surprising strategy.

Moreover, Shangguan Yan knew them all too well. On the other hand, after spending over ten years in the imperial mausoleum, Shangguan Yan had undergone a significant transformation. She was no longer the same person they were familiar with.

The saying "Know yourself and your enemy, and you will be victorious in every battle" wasn’t without reason.

"We must not turn on each other!" Imperial Consort Wang calmed herself, stabilizing the situation. "We all want to be Empress, but it seems none of us will succeed. So, let’s settle for second best and think about how to take revenge! Of course, if you're content to let Shangguan Yan play you all for fools, then pretend I said nothing!"

Imperial Consort Dong sneered, "You’re not planning to send us off again, are you? So you can secretly plot some underhanded schemes behind our backs?”

As if they hadn’t been plotting themselves?

Each one of them was more impatient than me, and now they had the nerve to mock me?

Imperial Consort Wang suppressed her anger, not wanting to engage in infighting with Imperial Consort Dong at this critical moment. She said sternly, "Let’s go to the imperial palace now and bring His Majesty here! We won’t say we’ve seen her, anyway her testimony alone won’t be convincing enough! We need to come up with a way to make sure His Majesty sees her injuries firsthand!"

The other four women fell silent.

At this point, they all knew that any deal with Shangguan Yan was no longer viable.

To think that these five imperial consorts were outsmarted by a junior—it was something they couldn’t swallow.

"Fine, I agree!" Imperial Consort Chen was the first to speak.

"I agree too!" Imperial Lady Fang and Imperial Consort Yang quickly followed suit.

Imperial Consort Dong frowned impatiently. "You’ve all agreed, so what else can I do? Fine, let’s go back to the imperial palace!"

Shangguan Yan leisurely spoke, "Are you all sure you want to leave just like this?"

Imperial Consort Wang warned coldly, "Shangguan Yan, don’t even think about trying anything here. Our people aren’t pushovers! If this reaches His Majesty, we’ll just say we were worried about you and came to secretly check on you. You won’t gain anything from this!"

Shangguan Yan took a stack of paper from her wide sleeve, tapping it in her palm. "Well, it seems you’re not concerned about this after all."

The women instinctively turned their heads to look at the papers in her hand.

Fearing they wouldn’t see clearly, Shangguan Yan deliberately held one up for them to examine.

Their pupils contracted!

Imperial Consort Dong was stunned. "This is…"

"Yes, it’s the written promise I wrote for each of you. Black letters on white paper. You help me bring down Imperial Noble Consort Han, and I’ll help you rise to the top. Signed and stamped, by me and all of you."

Imperial Lady Fang quickly took out the document she had on her.

"Don’t bother looking at it. What you have is fake. The real ones are in my hands. If you don’t believe me, compare the fingerprints."

Imperial Lady Fang glanced at the fingerprint she had left on the document. She had pressed her right thumb, which had a distinctive swirl pattern, known as a spiral. But the fingerprint on this paper, supposedly hers, was a bowl shape.

It was indeed not the same.

The sequence of events had unfolded like this—

Xiao Heng had secretly obtained the handwriting of several imperial consorts from the Imperial Advisor's Hall’s library pavilion. He then had Shangguan Yan write up five letters of agreement in advance. After that, Old Chief had imitated these imperial consorts' handwriting to sign the documents and stamp them with fingerprints.

Normally, no one would bother to compare fingerprints afterward.

After all, the signatures and stamps were done in person. Who would expect Shangguan Yan to switch them out right under their noses?

In fact, if it were just a matter of placing a few small figurines, Little Nine could have done it. There would have been no need for Shangguan Yan to go to such lengths, contacting these imperial consorts in the middle of the night.

But Empress Dowager Zhuang was not a woman who confined her attention to just the harem; she was a powerful regent who commanded the imperial court with authority!

From the beginning, her scheme wasn’t just aimed at Imperial Noble Consort Han. In fact, Imperial Noble Consort Han was merely a secondary target. What she truly wanted were the big fish from those major noble families!

Imperial Consort Wang sneered coldly, "Shangguan Yan, so what if you have this evidence? Does it prove that we conspired with you? Didn’t you participate as well?"

Shangguan Yan smiled faintly, "But I’m not afraid of dying. How about you all?"

Imperial Consort Dong grew furious, "You!"

Shangguan Yan’s smile faded, her eyes gradually turning cold and piercing.

She advanced toward them step by step, like a vengeful ghost.

"The Xuanyuan Family is gone, my imperial mother is dead, and my son is gravely ill and won’t survive past the year. What else do I have left to lose? But you, you have powerful families behind you, children who are healthy and will live long lives. Let me ask you one thing—are you brave enough to go down with me? The barefooted have no fear of those wearing shoes! Right now, I am the barefooted one!"

Raz P.'s Thoughts

To read advance GSPW chapters! Updates 7x a week (daily).

You can read up to 45 advance chapters in our patreon so you should go check it out. ^^

No patreon but want to support us? Then,

OR if you can't support us in money, you can always support us emotionally -just hope into . Hehehe~

--------------------------------------------

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW PROJECT:

Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…