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

“Well... let’s try it.” Fu Gui reluctantly agreed after being urged by Cai Lian. Following her instructions, he scattered some cabbage seeds and planted an eggplant seedling.

After finishing the gardening, looking at the young sprouts in the vegetable plot, Fu Gui suddenly felt a strange sense of accomplishment. Gardening, it seems, is quite fun...

Over there, Shen Wei had already finished planting with Prince Yan.

Shen Wei took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped the dirt from Prince Yan's hands: “Your Highness, cabbage sprouts and radishes grow quickly, germinating within five days and maturing within a month. Eggplants and tomatoes take a bit longer, and only start to bear fruit around two or three months.”

Close by was the alluring beauty, and beside her were the vegetables he had planted with his own hands. Prince Yan’s heart skipped a beat, warming with affection.

That night, Prince Yan naturally stayed at Shen Wei’s Fangfei Courtyard, and the two of them were rowdy until the small hours of the morning, calling for water five or six times.

As dawn broke, Prince Yan got up, dressed, and left without disturbing Shen Wei, who was still sleeping. He knew his stamina was strong, and it was already quite a feat for Shen Wei to keep up with him until the late hours.

Shen Wei not only matched his desires perfectly but also knew many tantalizing techniques that left him utterly captivated.

Prince Yan tiptoed and was about to leave the Fangfei Courtyard when, passing through the lush garden, he suddenly stopped.

He walked over to the vegetable plot to inspect the sprouts he had planted the day before—the cabbage hadn't germinated yet, but the eggplant seedlings, tomato seedlings, garlic sprouts, and chili sprouts were growing quite well.

The leaves were a vibrant green, incredibly delightful to look at. Prince Yan lightly touched the tender green eggplant seedling and felt his spirits lift.

Meanwhile, Fu Gui seized the opportunity to sneak to the corner and have a look at the vegetables he had planted.

After Prince Yan and his servant left, Shen Wei soon woke up, yawning. She drank half a cup of light saltwater, ate a piece of sugar, and then prepared for a light jog.

“My lady, you were so tired last night. You shouldn’t jog this morning,” Cai Ping said with concern.

Considering how vigorous Prince Yan was, last night had left Shen Wei’s voice hoarse, and even the table had collapsed. They would need to replace it with a sturdier one today.

Shen Wei clenched her fists and stretched her muscles: “We can’t slack off. We must keep up the effort!”

If she didn’t run today, she wouldn’t run tomorrow, and she would only grow lazier. As the queen of internal competition, Shen Wei would never allow herself to slack off!

She began jogging around the courtyard, exercising on an empty stomach. Exercising without eating boosts fat loss and metabolism.

Not eating before running might also lead to low blood sugar, so she had eaten some sugar as a precaution.

After jogging, she rested for a while before having breakfast. Her breakfast consisted of eggs, fish, oats, ham, porridge, and some pickles. These foods were rich in protein and were very good for her health.

This was the privilege of being a favored concubine.

Shen Wei could request whatever she wanted from the prince’s kitchen, and, thanks to Prince Yan’s influence, the chefs would fulfill her demands.

The other concubines in the prince’s mansion, if they wanted a substantial meal in the morning, the kitchen would almost never comply, only sending the standard meals, often with some short measurements.

“My lady, why did you ask Prince Yan to plant vegetables?” Cai Ping asked as she served Shen Wei, puzzled.

Shen Wei took two spoonfuls of porridge: “So that the prince will think of me.”

Cai Ping was still confused.

How would planting vegetables make the prince think of her?

Shen Wei secretly smirked to herself.

Psychologically speaking, people always develop expectations and affection for things they’ve invested effort in.

Shen Wei glanced at the vibrant green sprouts in the courtyard and her smile widened.

...

After spending several consecutive nights at Shen Wei’s place, Prince Yan hadn’t forgotten the other ladies of the prince’s mansion.

Especially Princess Consort.

As his wife, Princess Consort was supposed to receive Prince Yan at least twice a month. Today, after finishing his official duties, the prince spent the night with her.

They slept clothed, without any intimate moments.

Princess Consort leaned against the pillow, reporting matters in a business-like tone: “Next month, the mansion will host a spring banquet. The Crown Prince, the Fourth Princess, and Prince Heng will all attend the banquet at the mansion. Your Highness, I’d like to go to Yanjing’s tailor shop to purchase some new fabrics for our sisters. We can’t wear old clothes at the spring banquet.”

Prince Yan’s mind was still on official business; tomorrow, he would accompany the Crown Prince to participate in the ploughing ceremony.

He casually replied, “You are the mistress. You can decide.”

Princess Consort lowered her eyes: “There’s also one more thing. This afternoon, Concubine Liu fell into the water and fainted. When she woke up, she seemed to be greatly affected by something and has been acting out. If Your Highness has time tomorrow, please go and see Concubine Liu.”

Concubine Liu, née Liu Qiao'er.

She had been Prince Yan’s childhood sweetheart. After marrying Prince Yan, she had been quite domineering in the prince’s mansion, bullying the other concubines. It wasn’t until she gave birth to twins two years ago that her health deteriorated, and she had to listen to the imperial physician’s advice and slowly recover.

Over the past two years, she had been diligently recovering her health, building her strength.

Princess Consort speculated that Concubine Liu was preparing to vie for Prince Yan’s favor again. Her supposed accident and subsequent distress were likely just ways to attract Prince Yan’s attention.

“I will visit her tomorrow,” Prince Yan said, also remembering Concubine Liu. It had been quite some time since he last saw her.

The maidservant blew out the lamp, and the hall fell silent.

Princess Consort lay in her bedding, quietly sighing to herself. Concubine Liu, with her good background and various methods of attracting favor, would likely cause trouble for the hapless Shen Wei.

In the dead of night, the sound of rain outside grew louder, dripping on the glazed tiles, waking Prince Yan.

He listened to the rain with his ears perked up.

Somehow, he suddenly thought of the vegetables he had planted at the Fangfei Courtyard. Spring rain is precious, and now that the seeds have been drenched, they should germinate, right?

Prince Yan decided he would make time tomorrow to go to the Fangfei Courtyard and check on his vegetables!

The rain drizzled down over the entire Yanjing, landing in the various courtyards of the prince’s mansion.

At Liu Ruyan’s Qixue Pavilion, the candle in the study was still burning. Xue Mei, the maidservant, was struggling to stay awake, yawning nonstop.

“My lady, it’s raining. Why don’t you rest?” Xue Mei was so sleepy that she was pinching her thigh to stay awake.

But since her mistress wasn’t sleeping, her maidservant couldn’t sleep either.

The window was open, and Liu Ruyan, dressed in a snow-white long gown, gazed sadly at the rain outside, a bitter smile on her lips: “One rainy night, how many petals have fallen? These flowers are so pitiful, blooming for only a few days before being mercilessly beaten down by the rain.”@@novelbin@@

Xue Mei wanted to bang her head against the wall.

Aren’t falling petals a normal thing?

I want to sleep!

The rain also fell on Concubine Liu’s Mingyue Courtyard.

Concubine Liu’s personal maidservant stood at the door, concerned. Since falling into the water that afternoon, Concubine Liu had locked herself in her room.

Inside, Concubine Liu was curled up on the bed, trembling with fear. She looked around nervously at her familiar surroundings before accepting the reality of her rebirth.

“Heaven is merciful, heaven is merciful, heaven is merciful!” Concubine Liu shed tears, biting her lip hard.

She was alive!

She hadn’t been cut into pieces!

Concubine Liu curled up, her lips trembling: “I will never fight for favor again. My children, my family, my life—all were destroyed by that woman.”

In her previous life, Concubine Liu, relying on her status as Prince Yan’s childhood sweetheart, had caused chaos in the prince’s mansion. After giving birth to twins, her health was severely compromised, and she had to follow the imperial physician’s advice to recuperate.

Two years later, she pretended to fall into the water, regaining Prince Yan’s favor and becoming the most prominent woman in the prince’s mansion after the princess consort herself.

The other women in the mansion, all trying to keep out of trouble, were looked down upon by Concubine Liu, who believed that women who didn’t fight for favor were worthless.

Later, when the Crown Prince’s family was implicated in a scandal, Prince Yan ascended to the throne, and she was also ennobled as a consort. In the palace, Concubine Liu continued to vie for the emperor’s favor, fighting with other noble consorts until that horrific woman entered the palace...

She was stunningly beautiful and extraordinarily intelligent, immediately capturing the emperor’s heart and gaining favor in the imperial court. Concubine Liu fought with her for half a year before losing her child, becoming disfavored by the emperor, and seeing her family exiled, while she herself was mutilated and left for dead.

When she finally died, Concubine Liu realized—fighting for favor only makes oneself a target.

Princess Consort, Liu Ruyan, Zhang Miaoyu, and the others, who stayed out of conflicts and let things be, had all ended up with relatively happy lives.

“Thank the heavens for giving me another chance at life.” Concubine Liu’s tears streamed down her face as she sobbed.

This time, she would stay out of conflict, she would be a slacker.

In the prince’s mansion, no one can forever monopolize the prince’s affections. The prince is cold-hearted, and he will never truly love any woman.