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

Shen Wei was utterly shocked!

Zhao ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍Yang Princess was the advertising spokesperson for her new shop, and she absolutely could not let the princess be bitten to death by a venomous snake today!

Shen Wei grabbed a vase from the table and rushed over, intending to smash the two snakes. However, the distance was too great, and it seemed the snakes were about to bite the princess's face.

Pfft—

The sound of a hairpin piercing the body of a snake.

The gentle Lady Sun, Sun Qingmei, swiftly pulled out two white jade hairpins from her hair and skillfully stabbed them forward.

Whoosh—

One hairpin directly killed a snake; the other snake was injured and slithered deep into the bushes.

Shen Wei was dumbfounded. She couldn't help but take another look at this elegant and composed wife of the Little Southern Marquis. With such a delicate and beautiful face, she was also skilled in martial arts!

The imperial guards hurried over. After Zhao Yang Princess was out of danger, she angrily demanded, "Give the banquet manager thirty lashes! I had already instructed him to sprinkle snake-repellent powder around the banquet area. How could such a mistake happen?"

The imperial guards and the manager knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Zhao Yang Princess was still furious, thinking about the escaped snake. "Search immediately! You must catch that escaped venomous snake!"

The guards obeyed and began searching for the escaped snake. The banquet ended on a sour note, and the frightened noblewomen returned to their respective tents to rest.

Zhao Yang Princess stepped forward, holding Shen Wei and Sun Qingmei's hands, and said with gratitude, "In that critical moment, only you two dared to rush forward to save me. I will repay this kindness."

Shen Wei silently noted in her heart that the princess now owed her another favor.

Zhao Yang Princess had a carefree and cheerful personality, making her a suitable confidante and ally.

Sun Qingmei, however, reminded her, "Your Highness, when I was young, I lived with my parents at the border and have seen this kind of snake. It is not wild but domesticated. The breeder feeds it various poisons daily, gradually turning it into a highly venomous snake king."

How could a domesticated venomous snake appear in the wilderness?

Or was someone deliberately trying to poison her?

A cold sweat broke out on Shen Wei's back as she suddenly thought of Prince Yan. Over the past few years, whenever Prince Yan went hunting in the Eastern Mountains, he would always encounter inexplicable dangers.

Could these two venomous snakes have been intended to kill Prince Yan? By a twist of fate, they attacked the innocent Zhao Yang Princess instead.

Zhao Yang Princess's face turned cold as she recalled the near-death experience of being bitten by the snakes. She asked Sun Qingmei, "If someone were bitten by this snake, is there a cure?"

Sun Qingmei took out a small bottle of medicinal pills from her pocket and said gently, "Before I got married, I happened to meet Mo the Divine Physician from the martial world. He gave me three pills that can cure all poisons. I will give one to Your Highness."

Zhao Yang Princess's eyes lit up. "Mo the Divine Physician? The one who is unparalleled in both medicine and poison?"

Sun Qingmei nodded gently.

Zhao Yang Princess did not decline and gladly accepted the pill, planning to send Sun Qingmei a generous gift as thanks once she returned to the palace.

In the afternoon, Zhao Yang Princess sent a maid to invite Shen Wei and Sun Qingmei to her tent for a midday rest and some private conversation.

Zhao Yang Princess's tent had two ice containers, and the ice emitted a refreshing coolness, making the entire tent pleasantly cool.

Shen Wei deliberately brought her calligraphy tools and practiced writing in the princess's tent, copying "The Spring Banquet."

Sun Qingmei, on the other hand, brought her sewing kit and sat on the luxurious soft couch, meticulously stitching a pair of shoes.

Both were occupied with their own tasks. Zhao Yang Princess, fanning herself with a round fan, felt bored and asked Shen Wei, "Why are you practicing calligraphy?"

Shen Wei answered truthfully, "The prince checks my calligraphy progress every day."

If the boss likes to inspect the work, the employee must put in the effort.

Zhao Yang Princess then asked Sun Qingmei, "Who are you making the shoes for?"

Sun Qingmei smiled gently, her eyes filled with happiness. "My husband is fighting at the border, and his boots are wearing out. I want to make a few durable pairs and have them sent to him."

Sun Qingmei and the Little Southern Marquis were a loving young couple. Although her husband had left for the battlefield on their wedding night, Sun Qingmei bore no resentment.

She longed for her husband to return from the border soon.

Zhao Yang Princess rested her chin on her hand, her gaze lingering between Shen Wei and Sun Qingmei. She said enviously, "If Yan Yunting were willing to marry me, I would also practice calligraphy with him and make boots for him."

Unfortunately, Yan Yunting only had eyes for the fragile and pitiful Tantai Rou.

Zhao Yang Princess loved passionately and had pursued Yan Yunting for many years, yet she still could not melt his icy heart.

She didn't know how much longer she could hold on. Perhaps one day, when she could no longer endure, she would reluctantly choose to give up on Yan Yunting.

There were many handsome men in the world, and surely there was someone better than Yan Yunting.

At that moment, footsteps were heard outside the tent, and an imperial guard reported loudly, "Your Highness, we have caught the escaped snake. The snake bit a woodcutter, but the woodcutter killed it."

Zhao Yang Princess breathed a sigh of relief. "Bring the woodcutter in."

The tent flap was lifted, and the imperial guards carried in the barely conscious woodcutter. Shen Wei put down her brush and examined the poor man.

The woodcutter appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in tattered clothes, with a bloody mark on his ankle from the snake bite. Surprisingly, he was quite tall, and his face had turned a terrifying shade of bluish-purple from the poison.

If the bluish-purple color faded, his features might have been quite handsome.

But sadly, he was not long for this world.

Behind a crystal-clear beaded curtain, Zhao Yang Princess remained silent for a moment before instructing her personal maid, "Yun'er, give the woodcutter the antidote pill, and then have the guards take him home."

Shen Wei was surprised. Zhao Yang Princess had actually given the precious antidote pill to an ordinary woodcutter?

She truly was a kind-hearted girl, worth befriending deeply.

The maid Yun'er hurriedly tried to dissuade her, "Your Highness, the antidote pill is extremely rare. That woodcutter's life is of little value. Giving him the pill would be a waste."

Zhao Yang Princess smiled faintly, taking it in stride. "After all, it's still a life."

Yun'er had no choice but to feed the precious antidote pill to the woodcutter. The young woodcutter, still conscious, gazed toward the beaded curtain, catching only a faint glimpse of a graceful figure.

The woodcutter suddenly fainted and was carried down the mountain by the guards.

A minor disturbance quietly dissipated, seemingly without causing much of a ripple.

...

In a secluded corner of the hunting camp, two voices spoke in hushed tones.

A man whispered angrily, "Those two five-step snakes were meant to kill Prince Yan, Li Yuanjing! Yet you used them to poison a mere Zhao Yang Princess, and you failed!"

The other person, knowing he was at fault, admitted his mistake. "I was wrong."

The man sneered, "Tomorrow, we will arrange another assassination. Seize the opportunity and strike decisively."

"Understood."