A Concubine’s Competitive Life in the Prince’s Household

There was no way Shen Wei could be allowed to become the secondary consort! She wasn’t worthy!

Shen Wei lightly pressed her red lips together, seemingly wounded by the Princess Consort’s words. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke softly, "Your Highness... This humble one comes from a lowly background. To serve by Your Highness’s side is already a great fortune... Your Highness, could you please ask Her Majesty the Empress to revoke the decree? This humble one cannot bear to see Your Highness placed in such a precarious position."

Her words were carefully crafted, every sentence dripping with humility and concern for Prince Yan’s predicament.

Prince Yan felt deeply comforted.

His Weiwei, for the sake of his reputation, was even willing to give up the position of secondary consort. How could he possibly fail such a virtuous woman?

Prince Yan took Shen Wei’s hand and said gently, "You are more than worthy of the position of secondary consort."

Even if Shen Wei’s younger brother had not passed the imperial examinations, Prince Yan was willing to withstand the pressure from his ministers to secure the position for her. His Weiwei had suffered too much injustice—he refused to let her endure any more humiliation.

Shen Wei feigned confusion.

The Princess Consort nearly crushed the jade prayer beads in her hand. She had never regarded Shen Wei as a threat, yet now this lowborn peasant girl was about to stand on equal footing with her. The Princess Consort was seething inside.

Just as she was about to invoke ancestral rules to dissuade Prince Yan, Steward Fu Gui strode into the Glazed Pavilion with a beaming face.

His voice rang out, carrying across the courtyard, "Congratulations, Mistress Shen! Your younger brother, Shen Xiuming, has achieved the second-highest rank in the imperial examinations—he is now a tanhua (second-place scholar)! What joyous news!"

When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

With Shen Xiuming’s success, the Shen family was no longer a destitute peasant household—they were now the kin of a newly minted scholar!

Shen Wei pretended this was the first she had heard of it, gasping in delight, "Is this true?"

Steward Fu Gui chuckled, "Of course it is! His Highness has already invited Scholar Shen to the palace. He is currently taking tea in the main hall."

At last, Shen Wei allowed a genuine smile to grace her lips. She tightened her grip on Prince Yan’s hand, her eyes filled with adoration and dependence.

Zhang Miaoyu, though stunned, still found the presence of mind to clear her throat and seize the moment to taunt the Princess Consort, "Princess Consort, Mistress Shen is no peasant girl—she is the elder sister of a newly appointed scholar. Granting her the title of secondary consort is only fitting."

The Princess Consort felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Her body swayed unsteadily, and she nearly collapsed. A faint memory surfaced—she had once glanced at the list of examination results.

The top scholar was Zhang Fenghua, a native of Yanjing. The second-place scholar, Shen Xiuming, hailed from Dingzhou in the south...

Granny Liu hurriedly steadied the Princess Consort, her own heart uneasy. Not long ago, Granny Liu had encountered Shen Xiuming at the palace gates and ordered the guards to drive him away...

Who could have guessed that Shen Xiuming truly was the second-place scholar?

Given Shen Wei’s current favor with Prince Yan, Shen Xiuming was sure to receive the prince’s support, ensuring a meteoric rise in the imperial court!

Who would dare mock Shen Wei’s origins now?

"Congratulations, Sister Shen Wei," the others murmured, their thoughts complicated. Only Zhang Miaoyu was genuinely delighted.

The full moon banquet had concluded, and the secondary consorts dispersed one after another, each lost in their own thoughts.

Liu Qiao'er was the first to take her leave, her mind reeling. She had always assumed Shen Wei was a short-lived fool, yet Shen Wei’s resilience and luck were astounding—she had climbed from a mere concubine to a secondary consort.

Her maid whispered, "Mistress, now that Shen has been elevated to secondary consort, she stands as your equal. You can no longer afford to remain passive—you must find a way to win His Highness’s favor."

Liu Qiao'er shot her a glare. "Quiet! What do you know?"

A favored consort was nothing more than a target.

Shen Wei might bask in glory now, but once she entered the Great Qing Kingdom’s imperial harem, she would face countless schemes.

The tallest tree catches the wind. Shen Wei’s ostentation would only hasten her downfall.

Liu Qiao'er preferred to bide her time in obscurity, living out her days in peace.

After Liu Qiao'er departed, Liu Ruyan also left with an air of indifference.

Whether Shen Wei was a concubine or a secondary consort, Liu Ruyan felt neither jealousy nor envy. To her, Shen Wei was no different from herself—both were flowers in the prince’s garden, beautiful in bloom but destined to wither with time.

Xue Mei gazed longingly at the Glazed Pavilion’s exquisite courtyard. Shen’s luck was extraordinary—her brother’s success had secured her position as secondary consort.

Even the servants of the Glazed Pavilion would see their monthly allowances increased.

Xue Mei’s eyes welled with tears of envy.

Inside the Glazed Pavilion, the Princess Consort was the last to leave. She struggled to maintain her composure, forcing a stiff smile. "Your Highness, Mistress Shen is truly fortunate to have such an accomplished brother. Since that is the case, this humble one shall take her leave."

She bowed to Prince Yan and stumbled out of the Glazed Pavilion in a daze.

As she passed through the moon gate, the Princess Consort suddenly halted, an uneasy feeling gnawing at her. She turned back instinctively.

Through the gate, she saw Prince Yan cradling a small infant, his handsome face softened with rare tenderness. Shen Wei stood beside him, her plain skirt fluttering in the spring breeze. Sensing the Princess Consort’s gaze, Shen Wei turned her head and met her eyes with a smile—one devoid of any trace of meekness.

It was the smile of a predator, no longer hiding its fangs.

The Princess Consort’s heart clenched.

Her mind buzzed, blank for an instant.

She clutched Granny Liu’s arm, murmuring in a daze, "Granny Liu... Shen has been scheming against me all along! She’s been scheming against me!"

In that moment, everything became clear. Shen Wei had feigned stupidity, pretended to be shortsighted—all to lull the Princess Consort into lowering her guard.

Shen Wei was ambitious. She had never been content as a mere concubine—her goal was the position of secondary consort. And perhaps, even the Princess Consort’s own title!

"Princess Consort, be careful with your words—there are too many eyes and ears in the palace," Granny Liu whispered urgently. "Let us return to Kunyu Courtyard first."

The Princess Consort walked back in a daze. The rear palace had been quiet for years, and she had believed herself in complete control. But she had made a grave mistake—she had unwittingly nurtured a wolf with insatiable ambition.

As she reached the gates of Kunyu Courtyard, a gaunt figure suddenly lunged from the shadows and collapsed at her feet.

"Princess ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍Consort, I beg for your mercy! Let me see Chengming—he is gravely ill!" Concubine Zhou, disheveled and pale, wept uncontrollably.

Her son had always been kept in the palace school under the Princess Consort’s care.

The spring willow catkins had triggered his respiratory illness, leaving him bedridden.

Concubine Zhou longed to see her child, but as a low-ranking concubine, she had no right. She could only plead with the Princess Consort.

But the Princess Consort’s mind was in turmoil after Shen Wei’s revelation. She had no patience for a mere concubine.

"The palace physician has already been summoned. A few doses of medicine, and the child will recover. Why must you fuss? Get out of my sight!" she snapped.

With that, she swept into Kunyu Courtyard.

Concubine Zhou crumpled to the ground, her tears falling like rain as she let out a heart-wrenching sob.

After a long moment, she staggered to her feet. Her bony fingers dug into her palms as she glared at Kunyu Courtyard, her eyes burning with hatred.

If her son died, she would make sure the Princess Consort paid.

In Kunyu Courtyard, the Princess Consort knelt on the prayer cushion in the Buddhist hall, her eyes fixed for a long time on the compassionate statue of the Buddha.

She couldn't understand—after years of devout prayers and generous donations to every temple in Yanjing, why had the Bodhisattva never blessed her? Why did Shen Wei flourish while she suffered?

Anxiously, the Princess Consort whispered, "Granny Liu, will that Shen Wei take my position as Princess Consort from me?"