I Just Wanted to Escape the Harem, But the Emperor Won't Let Me

Waking up as a low-ranking palace maid, Shen Qingtang is instantly plunged into a nightmare: her jealous cousin is forcing her into a degrading 'service' with a eunuch, a fate worse than death in the treacherous imperial harem. But Shen Qingtang isn't just any maid; she's a modern woman, transmigrated with sharp wits and forbidden medical knowledge. When the Third Prince drowns in the palace pond, her decisive action and knowledge of CPR pull him back from the brink, a miracle that draws the immediate, intense gaze of the enigmatic Emperor Yuji. The Emperor, fascinated by her defiance and raw beauty, offers a reward. She begs for one thing: freedom, a chance to escape the gilded cage. But His Majesty has other plans. Instead of release, an imperial decree shocks the entire court: Shen Qingtang is now Lady Shu, a seventh-rank concubine, forced into the very prison she fought to avoid. Now trapped within the deadly palace walls, can she outmaneuver venomous rivals, survive the Emperor's possessive obsession, and carve her own path to power, or will this unwanted imperial favor be her ultimate undoing?