Winning Without Trying

Synopsis

On my very first day in the palace, I consulted an oracle. The reading said, "Do nothing. Lie down. You will win." I believed it. Thus I began my life of eating, sleeping, and doing absolutely nothing. A selection ceremony? I didn't go. Paying respects to the Queen? I feigned illness. When the King came to inspect? I performed a full routine of sneezing and running a nose. While the other concubines fought tooth and nail, I slept in the shabby little courtyard next to the exile wing, blissfully unaware of the world. My only real complaint was that the kitchen had started sending me increasingly mediocre meals.