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

The light was dim as Prince Yan examined Zhang Yue's face.

Zhang Yue was indeed pretty, but her figure was too thin, her skin unnervingly pale. Those bright, large eyes of hers were filled with an insatiable lust for power, which deeply repulsed Prince Yan.

This Zhang Yue was no different from the other concubines who had initially caught his attention, full of ambition and vanity, only to gradually lose their vivacity and become dull and uninteresting.

Prince Yan felt instantly bored.

He waved his sleeve dismissively, "Stay here obediently."

With that, he turned and left the chamber, heading to the adjacent Fangfei Courtyard to see Shen Wei.

Outside the room, the chief eunuch Fu Gui, and the maids Fang Er and Cui Er, were patiently waiting for the call. Normally, after Prince Yan spent time with a concubine, they would summon hot water for him to bathe and cleanse.

Hot water had already been prepared outside,waiting for Prince Yan's call.

"Fu Gui, do you think our Mistress Zhang can be as favored as the Mistress Shen next door?" Fang Er whispered to Fu Gui.

Fu Gui chuckled and spoke frankly, "Compared to Mistress Shen, your Mistress Zhang falls far short."

Having served by Prince Yan's side for many years, Fu Gui had never seen a concubine like Shen Wei, whose tactics for gaining favor were both novel and perfectly calibrated.

Prince Yan had found himself inexorably drawn to Shen Wei.

Just moments ago, as they passed by the Fangfei Courtyard, Fu Gui had noticed Prince Yan glance towards it several times.

Fang Er pouted her pink lips in displeasure, "They're both concubines, what difference could there be?"

Before she could finish, the chamber door of the Rose Courtyard opened, and the moonlight illuminated Prince Yan's face, making it appear even more cold and imposing.

Prince Yan commanded, "To the Fangfei Courtyard."

Fu Gui inwardly sighed, knowing this was expected. He quickly led the way, escorting Prince Yan to the neighboring Fangfei Courtyard.

Fang Er and Cui Er were dumbfounded.

Prince Yan had spent less than half a cup of tea's time in the Rose Courtyard, and now he was leaving just like that?

Before Prince Yan had even left, a crash echoed from within the room.

Zhang Yue had smashed the celadon teacup on the table.

She had thought that tonight would be her chance to win Prince Yan's exclusive favor through the night. But to her utter disbelief, Prince Yan hadn't even let her approach him, leaving her behind without a second thought.

Zhang Yue clenched her fists, her teeth grinding so hard it felt like they could bleed, "Shen Wei! It must be Shen Wei intentionally targeting me! She deliberately stole the Prince away, trying to make me fall out of favor!"

Rage and resentment boiled within her.

...

Prince Yan was not one to give a concubine any consideration. He came and went as he pleased, always following his own whims.

No one could question his capricious behavior.

Prince Yan entered the Fangfei Courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with snowy white gardenias and vibrant purple crape myrtles, bursting with life. Prince Yan noticed the thriving vegetable sprouts and felt a sense of closeness.

It was as if he had come home.

Prince Yan did not disturb Shen Wei. He was also curious about how she spent her nights when he wasn't around.

The lanterns in the chamber were still lit, casting a warm and bright glow. The room smelled faintly of mugwort and gardenia. Shen Wei sat at her desk, holding a fine wolf-hair brush, a lock of her black hair falling over her forehead as she focused intently on her calligraphy.

Shen Wei's eyes were red, and she occasionally wiped them with her hand, as if she had been crying.

Prince Yan's heartstrings were tugged.

It seemed that on nights when he wasn't present, his Wei Wei spent her time quietly crying alone.

Prince Yan imagined: [She is just a weak and pitiful woman, unable to obtain her husband's full affection, watching helplessly as he dotes on other concubines. Shen Wei dares not show jealousy, so she hides in her room and cries in solitude.]

"Still practicing your calligraphy?" Prince Yan asked with a smile.

Shen Wei's brush slipped from her hand, smudging the fresh ink on her paper. Her eyes still red, she opened her delicate lips in surprise, not expecting Prince Yan's sudden arrival.

Then, with delight, Shen Wei dropped the brush and dashed over, "Your Highness, you're back!"

Prince Yan wrapped his arms around her slim waist, playfully hooking a finger under her nose, "I didn't come, so Wei Wei was crying alone?"

Shen Wei shook her head and denied, "I wasn't crying, Your Highness must be mistaken."

She truly hadn't been crying.

Prince Yan could bed any woman he pleased, and she didn't care. Her eyes were red because, while practicing calligraphy, she had accidentally poked herself with the end of the brush.

She had rubbed it a few times, and her eyes had turned red.

"You're stubborn," Prince Yan couldn't help but shake his head. Her eyes were red like that, yet she still put on a brave front.

Prince Yan approached the desk and examined Shen Wei's calligraphy. She was copying "Spring Banquet," having already filled three sheets of paper, yet her handwriting remained crooked and ugly, making it hard to look at.

Prince Yan glanced at Shen Wei's beautiful face, then at her hideous handwriting, and sighed softly, "Come, let me teach you again."

Under the warm glow of the candles,Prince Yan had Shen Wei sit on his lap, holding her soft, tender hand, guiding her stroke by stroke.

Before long, they were on the bed...

Shen Wei's clothes were shed,and she shyly hid under the covers, her eyes conveying a mix of shyness and fear, "My handwriting is not good, please do not punish me, Your Highness."

Prince Yan's Adam's apple rose and fell.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that he was not a prince but Shen Wei's calligraphy teacher, and Shen Wei was his student.

Seeing Shen Wei's shy and flirtatious gaze, Prince Yan pinched her fair chin and said sternly, "I taught you several times, yet you haven't mastered it. You deserve to be punished."

And he punished her until well past midnight.

Prince Yan found the experience infinitely satisfying and exhilarating. With Shen Wei, simply changing roles during their liaison brought such an unprecedented thrill that he was left longing for more.

As an ancient, Prince Yan would not have known that this behavior was called—role-playing.

The two were playful until late into the night and called for warm water several times before finally falling asleep together. The next day, Prince Yan went to court, while Shen Wei, rubbing her sore back, began her morning jog around the Fangfei Courtyard.

As she jogged, an uninvited guest intruded.

Zhang Yue stormed in, furious, "Shen Wei, how shameless of you! Prince Yan clearly spent last night with me, yet you seduced him to your shabby courtyard!"

Zhang Yue had been fuming with rage.

Only after Prince Yan had left in the morning did Zhang Yue dare to come to Shen Wei to settle accounts.

Shen Wei stopped jogging, took the towel handed over by Cai Ping, and wiped her sweat as she leisurely said, "Prince Yan's feet are on his own legs, he can go wherever he pleases. If you're not satisfied, go tell him yourself."

Zhang Yue was momentarily stumped.

As a mere concubine, how could she possibly confront Prince Yan about this? Zhang Yue glared at the red marks on Shen Wei's neck and sneered, "I'm going to complain to the Princess Consort and see how she punishes you!"

With that, Zhang Yue stormed off.

Shen Wei paid it no mind and continued her jogging to stay fit.

"Mistress, if the Princess Consort believes the slander and reprimands you, what should we do?" Cai Lian expressed her concern.

Shen Wei calmly responded, "Petty tactics by minor concubines, the Princess Consort won't bother with them."

This Princess Consort was known for her "calm and indifferent" character. The more "arrogant and boisterous" Shen Wei appeared, the less the Princess Consort would take her seriously.

As expected, Zhang Yue, in tears, went to the Princess Consort to complain, but the Princess Consort had no interest in getting involved.

Seated on her throne,the Princess Consort wearily rubbed her temples, "Prince Yan favors whom he pleases; no one can interfere."

Zhang Yue's tears fell, "But Prince Yan's heart is attached to that vixen, Shen Wei."

The Princess Consort, finding her tears annoying, waved dismissively, "Crying won't solve anything. Instead of weeping, think about how to lure Prince Yan to your Rose Courtyard. Granny Liu, escort Zhang Yue out."

Zhang Yue, in tears, left the Princess Consort's courtyard.

After Granny Liu returned, the Princess Consort set down her tea cup and instructed Granny Liu, "Zhang Yue is utterly useless. Find a new girl to bring in after a while—it's been two years since there has been a child born in Prince Yan's residence, and Her Majesty the Empress has already expressed her displeasure with me."

The Princess Consort was anxious.

Shen Wei might be favored, but Prince Yan had her take contraceptive medicine. Zhang Yue was beautiful but had no wit;the other consorts and concubines in the estate were all lazy and uninterested, their wombs remaining empty.

There ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍were no children born in Prince Yan's residence,a responsibility of the Princess Consort. So long as this continued，Her Majesty the Empress would certainly express her dissatisfaction with the Princess Consort.

Granny Liu reassured the Princess Consort, "Please don't worry，Your Highness,I've already chosen a girl. She hails from Jiangnan and is already on her way to Yanjing."

The Princess Consort sighed.

She rose and,accompanied by Granny Liu,went to the study to supervise her children's studies.

...

Zhang Yue returned to the Rose Courtyard and racked her brain for ways to win Prince Yan's favor. She took her maids outside every day, purposely "accidentally" encountering Prince Yan in the garden.

Luck was on her side,and ten days later,Zhang Yue finally caught Prince Yan's attention again.@@novelbin@@

That night, Prince Yan stayed at the Rose Courtyard.

Zhang Yue trembled nervously as she awkwardly served Prince Yan for the first time. But what she couldn't have anticipated was just how physically fierce Prince Yan was...

When Zhang Yue had been a servant girl, her poor nutrition had left her thin and bony. After being beaten with a cane and spending a month recovering from the injury, she had grown even thinner. When Prince Yan merely gave her delicate waist a gentle pinch, the pain caused Zhang Yue's face to contort in agony.

After only one round of intimacy, Zhang Yue fainted from the sheer exhaustion and pain.

Prince Yan, looking down at the unconscious Zhang Yue, felt his interest wane. Servants brought hot water into the room, and Prince Yan bathed and changed his clothes. By convention, he was supposed to spend the night in the Qian Wei Yuan.

However, as Prince Yan surveyed the old, yellowed wooden bed, the less-than-new red bedding, and the barely-alive woman lying on it, he suddenly found it all displeasing to his eyes.

He much preferred staying with Shen Wei.

In Shen Wei's bedroom, a fresh bouquet of flowers always adorned the desk, the bedding was clean and plush, and even the pillows were perfectly soft. Every time he slept in Shen Wei's bed, Prince Yan always slept soundly, waking up the next day refreshed and ready to handle his official duties with vigor.

As summer approached, the insects grew more and more numerous. Even the Princess Consort's chambers were not immune. Yet, there were no insects in Shen Wei's room, only the refreshing scent of mugwort.

"How tedious," Prince Yan muttered, leaving Qian Wei Yuan and planning to visit Fangfei Courtyard to see Shen Wei instead.

The eunuchs and guards lit lanterns to guide the way.

Shen Wei stood at the entrance of Fangfei Courtyard to welcome Prince Yan. By the gentle moonlight, her pale face looked ethereal. Prince Yan took her hand and asked, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

Shen Wei's cheeks flushed pink as she shyly looked down. "It's all the Prince's fault..."

Turns out, the previous night, after Prince Yan had stayed in Fangfei Courtyard, his intense ardor had accidentally injured Shen Wei at the inner thigh.

Sympathetic to Shen Wei's plight, Prince Yan personally held a lantern and applied salve to reduce the swelling. As she did so, Shen Wei's beautiful face turned as red as a rose... The Prince looked at her vividly crimson face, finding her absolutely ravishing.

"My Prince, please let your servant rest tonight and spare me. Let me heal," Shen Wei teased with a pout.

Prince Yan, captivated by Shen Wei's pretty expression, felt pity for her. "Tonight, I shall just stay with you. No other actions," he assured.

Shen Wei lightly pursed her alluring lips. "Servant shall believe that when I see it... Hmph."