Chapter Text
It was a frosty spring morning when Wei Wuxian was taken from his home beside the flowering lotus ponds. He was dressed in fine Jiang purple robes and his carriage was loaded with baskets of lotus seeds and glittering finery to be presented to the newly crowned Emperor of the realm. Wei Wuxian bid farewell to his home with a heavy heart, but went willingly along with the imperial soldiers that came to escort him to the palace in Gusu. It was a great honor to be selected for the Emperor’s harem. One omega son or daughter from each noble household was sent to the palace in servitude of the new Emperor’s chorus of glittering concubines. Only one would be selected to be the next royal consort, a title that would bring their family’s great power and respect.
Wei Wuxian had no such ambition to become the spouse of the Emperor. From the stories he’d been told growing up, the Lan family which ruled their lands, were cold and strict. They lived their lives and governed by an endless cavalcade of rules and laws that dictated everything from how to dress to what time they slept each night. To be married to an alpha as frigid and stringent as a Lan Emperor was not something Wei Wuxian wished on his worst enemy, despite the power it could gain him. He journeyed now to the capital only to repay the kindness of the Jiang family who had taken him in as a child, even though he was just the son of a deceased servant.
Madame Yu had been glad to give him up to the Imperial Harem. Her daughter was already betrothed to the son of Governor Jin, and her son was an alpha and was to be the next Governor of Yunmeng. Wei Wuxian was the only child left to send. It was well known that the wife of the Jiang governor did not care for the child her husband had adopted, suspecting that the boy was not born of a servant, but an illegitimate affair by her husband with a childhood friend. She had shoved him out the door of her home with a smile and nary a kind word to soothe his worries about serving the Emperor. If he succeeded to win the heart of the cold Lan ruler, then the Jiang’s would benefit greatly. If he failed to curry favor, then he was out of her home and out of her hair. Either way, it was a winning situation.
Pulling back the curtain of his carriage, Wei Wuxian took a deep breath as he observed the pure white walls of the Jade palace of Gusu looming overhead. They glistened orange in the setting sun, creating a magnificent display of what was ultimately a prison. Once you entered the Jade palace and the Imperial harem you never left. The harem were to be loyal servants of the Emperor in life and in death. The previous harem had been executed the night of the former Emperor’s passing, leaving the concubine houses empty and ready to fill with the next ruler’s omega lovers. It was a barbaric custom and one that would claim Wei Wuxian’s own life one day. A part of him wished for that day to come sooner than later, for being trapped inside the palace and living like an object to be played with was not a fate Wei Wuxian saw himself enduring well for very long.
His carriage was driven to the rear of the palace grounds and parked amongst dozens of similar vehicles filled with gifts for the Emperor. A guard opened his door and gestured for Wei Wuxian to follow the path inside to the concubine houses where his new colleagues were already waiting. Wei Wuxian complied with the guard’s instructions, even though his first instinct was to go running in the opposite direction. Madame Yu may have been glad to see him go, but she would be furious if he brought dishonor to her family by running away from the palace. The only option was to move forwards.
A low rumble of fearful voices filled Wei Wuxian’s ears as he carefully stepped through the wide gate of the concubine quarters. Inside, he found a vast and sprawling garden dotted with looming trees and flowering shrubs. The sound of running water could be heard from the various water features and there was a crowd of immaculately dressed omega men and women milling around inside an immense white pavilion at the garden’s center.
“Wei Wuxian!” a voice shrieked from the edge of the pavilion as the familiar silver hue of the Nie family’s heavy robes darted towards him. “I knew you’d be here! I just knew it!”
“Huaisang,” Wei Wuxian greeted his best friend, not at all surprised to find the youngest child of the Nie family standing in front of him, for there was no other member of the family of the proper age or secondary gender to be sent in his place.
“I was afraid I’d be locked in this palace alone,” Huaisang half sobbed, his hair ornament sitting crooked atop his head. “Wen Ning is here. He’s terrified. MianMian is also here.”
“If the Emperor lays one finger on Wen Ning, I’ll cut his dick off.” Wei Wuxian ground out, Wen Ning’s innocent nature, one that could be exploited or abused by someone as cold and unfeeling as a Lan Emperor.
“Shh…,” Nie Huaisang panicked, wildly glancing around for any eavesdroppers. “You can’t say things like that here. They’ll have you executed.”
“Who would have thought we’d all end up as the Emperor’s whores,” Wei Wuxian commented, his deep voice full of venom towards the royal house. “You’re the son of a governor, Huaisang. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Your father is a governor too,”
“No, my father was a servant.” Wei Wuxian reminded, not ashamed of this fact, but very aware that it could be seen as a disadvantage in his current situation.
“You are supposed to be the right hand and advisor to Jiang Cheng when he becomes governor of Yunmeng, not a concubine to an emperor no one even likes.” Huaisang huffed, “I heard that the new Emperor is worse than the old one. Everyone favors his elder brother over him because he’s so rigid all the time.”
“Why isn’t the elder the Lan emperor?” Wei Wuxian questioned, recalling that the line of succession usually passed to the eldest son.
“He’s a beta, so he can’t father children. Only alphas can be Emperor,” Nie Huaisang whispered, “I heard his looks are very similar to his younger brother. If that’s the case, then we’ll at least have something good to look at when the bastard fucks us.”
“That’s not very comforting,” Wei Wuxian groaned, rolling his eyes. “And, how do you even know what the eldest Lan looks like?”
“He’s friends with my brother,” Nie Huaisang informed with a shrug, “I’ve known him for years. He’s really nice.”
“Too bad he’s not the Emperor,” Wei Wuxian added, receiving a grimace from his best friend.
“If I had to sleep with Prince Xichen, I might die.” Nie Huaisang dramatically declared, “He’s a little more than just friends with my brother, if you know what I mean?”
“Understood,” Wei Wuxian chuckled, “I wouldn’t want your brother’s sloppy seconds either.”
“Wei Wuxian…,” Nie Huaisang whined as the crowd inside the pavilion went silent in response to the ominous sound of a royal bell announcing the entrance of a member of the first Lan family.
Grabbing Nie Huaisang by the sleeve, Wei Wuxian dragged his friend across the garden and onto the bottom steps of the pavilion just in time to see a tall royal dressed in blue robes enter the concubine grounds.
“That’s Prince Xichen,” Nie Huaisang whispered, gesturing to the Lan royal approaching them. “I told you he was handsome.”
Wei Wuxian crooked his head to the side and studied the man in front of them. Prince Xichen had elegant features accentuated by a comforting smile. He wasn’t quite Wei Wuxian’s type, but he supposed that didn’t really matter. He belonged to the Emperor now, body and affection, no matter if he were attracted to said ruler or not.
“Good evening, everyone.” Lan Xichen greeted the group gathered inside the pavilion. “It is an honor to meet you all. You are from the finest families in our kingdom and are now part of the elite harem of the emperor himself. You all should be very proud to serve his majesty.”
Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes in response to the Prince’s words, for he found no honor in being the Emperor’s whore.
“Each evening, one of you will be chosen to have tea and dine with his majesty the emperor,” Lan Xichen continued, “Since you are all new to the palace and Wangji’s acquaintance, this will be your opportunity to get to know and endear yourself to the emperor. If his majesty takes a liking to you during dinner, you will be undressed and prepared to stay the evening in his bed.”
“At least he’s going to feed us before he fucks us,” Wei Wuxian whispered into Nie Huasang’s ear, earning a smack from the other man’s fan.
“The first concubine to enjoy the emperor’s company this evening will be Wen Ning.” Lan Xichen announced, causing rage to bubble up in Wei Wuxian’s chest.
“I swear, if that bastard touches him…,” Wei Wuxian swore under his breath as the innocent Wen noble stumbled down the steps beside him.
“The rest of you may find your rooms and rest for the evening,” Lan Xichen instructed, “You will begin lessons in palace decorum and the proper ways to please the Emperor in the morning.”
Fortunately for Wei Wuxian, he found himself being housed with Nie Huaisang and Wen Ning inside a small home near the back of the compound. It contained two rooms for sleeping, one with a single bed, and the other with two to split. Wei Wuxian took the double room along with Nie Huaisang, allowing Wen Ning the dignity of some privacy after he was defiled by the emperor.
“I can’t believe he chose Wen Ning first,” Nie Huaisang whined as he dramatically plopped into his bed, “That poor kid’s going to pass out and give us all a bad name.”
“I can’t believe his sister allowed them to send Wen Ning to the harem in the first place,” Wei Wuxian added while he unpacked his clothes into the wardrobe, “Wen Qing will be furious if someone harms her little brother, Emperor or not…,”
Wei Wuxian’s words trailed off as Wen Ning’s familiar bumbling steps echoed into the house.
“I’m fine!” Wen Ning announced, stumbling into the room with a relieved puff of air. “The Emperor refused to see me.”
“Did you see him?” Nie Huaisang chirped, sitting up with an excited jerk. “Is he as gorgeous as they say?”
“No, he refused to open the door.” Wen Ning denied, shaking his head. “I had dinner with Prince Xichen instead. He was very polite and apologized a lot for his brother’s behavior. It seems that the Emperor isn’t interested in his new harem.”
“Fine with me,” Wei Wuxian said with a relieved huffed, “If he doesn’t want anything to do with us, that’s fine. We’ll just enjoy palace life and hope the bastard isn’t assassinated any time soon.”
The next few days were easy living for Wei Wuxian. He woke when he pleased before being dressed in finery and fed delicious foods. Beside a few hours of mundane classes on manners and royal courtship rituals, most of Wei Wuxian’s days were spent peacefully strolling the grounds and chatting with his friends. Each evening, Lan Xichen chose a concubine to dine with the Emperor, but they were continuously sent away. After a week of begging from Prince Xichen, the Emperor finally allowed the concubine presented at his door to enter, only to send the poor girl back a few hours later in tears, a pattern that continued for weeks. Each night a new member of the harem entered the Emperor's chambers, and each night they returned in tears.
“What did that bastard do to them?” Wei Wuxian asked as he sat inside the garden pavilion enjoying dinner with Nie Huaisang, Wen Ning, and MianMian. “Everyone looks traumatized.”
“Do you think it’s wise to refer to the Emperor that way?” MianMian questioned, “He just sent another woman back in tears.”
“What else is he if he treats people like that?” Wei Wuxian huffed, picking up his teacup. “If I were to be chosen next, I’d give that asshole a piece of my mind.”
“Wei Wuxian,” MianMian scolded, smacking her friend on the shoulder. “Quiet before someone hears you.”
“Who’s going to hear…,” Wei Wuxian protested, his words trailing off as Prince Lan Xichen stepped inside the pavilion.
“Your majesty!” Nie Huaisang squeaked as they all shot to their feet and performed a low bow to the smiling royal.
“Please, sit.” Lan Xichen instructed, waving his hand in dismissal. “I’m only here to inform Wei Wuxian that he will be dining with the Emperor tomorrow evening.”
“Me?” Wei Wuxian questioned, pointing at himself. “If the emperor didn’t like any of those fair maidens you’ve been bringing him, I doubt he’s going to like me.”
“I have also brought Wangji many charming men,” Lan Xichen added, sounding amused. “Though, he’s been displeased with them all. I’ve made him promise to be more courteous to his concubines. You have nothing to worry about, Young Master Wei.”
“If his majesty has no interest in his harem, then why force us upon him?” Wei Wuxian boldly questioned, “Leave us in our pretty golden cage to rot.”
“It is important for the Emperor to not only father heirs to the throne, but with the heavy responsibility of the crown weighing on his head, companionship is needed to ease his troubled mind.” Lan Xichen patiently detailed, “Wangji needs an omega at his side to calm him and give him children.”
“Maybe he doesn’t like omegas?” Wei Wuxian theorized, tapping his chin with his index finger. “Maybe he likes other alphas, or no one at all. Some people have no desire for such things, Your Majesty.”
“Those are interesting theories, Young Master Wei.” Lan Xichen chuckled, “But, I can assure you that my brother just needs to be presented with the right omega. Surely, one of the noble members of his new harem will catch his eye soon.”
The next evening Wei Wuxain was bathed in rose water and wrapped in crimson silks fit for royalty. His long dark hair was secured behind his head by a golden clip adorned with dangling ruby flowers and a matching golden choker was secured around his neck in order to draw the Emperor’s eye to his prominent scent glands. It was a bolder look compared to the simple robes the other omegas had been dressed in to meet the Emperor, the ostentatiousness of the ensemble making Wei Wuxian grimace at himself in the mirror.
“I look ridiculous,” Wei Wuxian lamented, pulling at the low neckline of his robes in an attempt to cover more of his chest. “I know the royal harem are essentially the Emperor’s whores, but I do not want to dress like one. I feel cheap.”
“Prince Xichen chose this outfit,” Nie Huaisung explained from his position lounging on his bed with his fan. “I think he’s trying to get his little brother laid tonight.”
“I never agreed…,” Wei Wuxian protested, his words trailing off as he realized it didn’t matter what he wanted.
“We have two jobs here, Wei Wuxian.” Nie Huaisung explained, “Look pretty for visitors in order to make the Emperor look good, and give said royal pleasure and companionship. If we’re lucky, we end up pregnant with his pups and we get our own wing of the palace. If we’re super lucky, he chooses to marry us and we become Lan Furen, the empress of Gusu.”
“No offense, Huaisung, but I trained to be a swordsman and advisor to the Governor of Yunmeng, not a baby maker for an alpha who makes people cry.” Wei Wuxian spat, “If the Emperor so much as looks at me funny tonight, I’ll stab him with my chopsticks.”
“If you think stabbing the Emperor will get you sent home, then you’re crazy.” Nie Huaisung panicked, “All that will get you is a trip to an execution, or the dungeon to rot to death.”
“Better to rot to death alone in the dark than in some bastard alpha’s bed,” Wei Wuxian grumbled, shaking his head as a polite knock sounded at the door.
“Young Master Wei, it’s time for dinner.” Lan Xichen announced from outside, “Please, follow me to the Emperor’s chambers?”