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

No ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‍man dislikes being admired, and Prince Yan was no exception.

As he gazed into Shen Wei's sparkling eyes and the unmistakable adoration in her gaze, Prince Yan's self-esteem soared.

"In the future, leave such tasks to the servants," Prince Yan said, gently hooking his finger under Shen Wei’s nose. "Don't put yourself in danger."

Shen Wei sighed in mild frustration. "Your Highness, there are only two maids in Fangfei Courtyard. Cai Lian and Cai Ping are timid. I’m the bold one, so climbing the ladder is something I have to do."

The rules in the rear residence of the princely mansion were strict and hierarchical.

According to status, the order was: Princess Consort, Consort, Secondary Consort, Concubine, and Chambermaid.

Shen Wei's status was that of a Concubine, entitling her to a small courtyard and two serving maids.

Thinking of the large crowd of maids and servants in the Princess Consort’s residence, and then comparing it to the two skinny maids by Shen Wei’s side, Prince Yan felt a pang of affection.

Without hesitation, he instructed Fu Gui, "Tomorrow, select an experienced nanny and two capable eunuchs to serve in Fangfei Courtyard."

Fu Gui was momentarily taken aback.

This was the standard treatment for a Secondary Consort!

However, Fu Gui didn’t dare to object. As a servant, he absolutely couldn’t go against his master’s wishes.

He respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness. I will arrange it tomorrow."

Shen Wei’s pink lips curled imperceptibly.

This was the treatment of a favored concubine. As long as she remained in Prince Yan’s favor, she could continue to gain benefits from him.

She truly loved Prince Yan… or rather, his rewards!

Prince Yan held Shen Wei’s warm, soft hand and didn’t immediately head indoors. Instead, he was eager to check on the vegetables he had personally planted.

Following the spring rain, the seeds of radishes and cabbages had yet to sprout but already showed signs of breaking through. The pepper, eggplant, and tomato seedlings, washed by the rain, had grown even stronger.

Prince Yan was already looking forward to the day when the seedlings bore fruit.

When the vegetables he had planted himself ripened, he would taste them personally and then send some to his elder brother, the Crown Prince, and his parents.

The Emperor valued agriculture deeply and would certainly be pleased.

Shen Wei accompanied Prince Yan to inspect the vegetables. The seedlings Prince Yan planted were stronger, while Shen Wei’s seedlings were stunted.

Shen Wei frowned in distress, "Why do Your Highness’s vegetables grow better than mine, even though I planted them at the same time?"

Though she feigned confusion on the surface, she was well aware of the truth.

Prince Yan’s vegetables grew better because Shen Wei had instructed Cai Lian to secretly fertilize them at night.

If not for that, with Prince Yan’s mediocre gardening skills, these vegetables would have perished under his care.

Unfortunately, Prince Yan remained oblivious to this and believed his own planting techniques to be superior. He wrapped an arm around Shen Wei’s slender waist, his lips curling into a smile. "Wei, your strength is small, and the seedlings you planted were too shallow. That’s why they’re not growing well."

Shen Wei pouted in annoyance, her dark, shiny eyes gleaming with mischief. She deliberately gave a wicked glance to the vegetables Prince Yan had planted, clearly showing her intentions.

She planned to steal the vegetables once they ripened!

Prince Yan could see her intentions and found them both endearing and a little concerning.

This little vixen wants to steal my vegetables!

I’ll need to frequently visit Fangfei Courtyard to keep an eye on her and prevent any shenanigans.

After inspecting the vegetables, they entered the house hand in hand.

As the door closed, they began to indulge in intimacy.

The previous table in the bedroom had collapsed under their weight, and the Interior Affairs Office had sent a more sturdy pear wood table. Shen Wei shyly perched on the edge of the table, affectionately wrapping her arms around Prince Yan’s neck.

Under the light, the beauty was like a painting. Prince Yan gently kissed her.

Cai Ping and Cai Lian stood outside, their faces red as they listened.

Several times, they heated the water and brought it into the room for their masters to bathe.

After Cai Lian had prepared the bathwater, she stealthily glanced at the apricot-colored canopies of the bed. The layers of canopies draped over the bed were soft and billowing, with only a pale, slender hand drooping between them.

The hand was flushed.

Muted and suggestive.

Cai Lian just glanced once and her face turned scarlet. The prince and mistress were quite adventurous...

Cai Lian prudently lowered her head, bowing deeply as she left to take her night shift.

Cai Lian had a feeling that her Mistress Shen would remain in favor for a long time. The entire mansion was waiting to see Shen Wei’s downfall, but they would be disappointed.

For the next half month, Shen Wei continued to bask in prosperity. Though still a concubine in title, the resources in Fangfei Courtyard were now on par with those of a Secondary Consort.

Prince Yan’s rewards kept coming, and the Princess Consort even sent some gifts to commend her for her service.

In those fifteen days, Prince Yan spent seven nights in Shen Wei’s Fangfei Courtyard, two nights in the Princess Consort’s quarters, one night with Liu Ruyan, and the remaining nights at the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace.

Shen Wei wasn’t idle either. Besides serving Prince Yan, she spent the rest of her time improving herself—exercising, maintaining health, beautifying, and learning etiquette from Nanny Rong.@@novelbin@@

One day, Cai Lian rushed in, relaying the Princess Consort’s summons to Shen Wei: "Mistress, the Princess Consort requests your presence."

Inside the room, Shen Wei was applying a face mask in front of the mirror.

Given the limitations of ancient technology, it wasn’t possible to make modern skin-whitening masks. However, as a striving individual, Shen Wei was naturally well-informed.

In her previous life, she had come from a humble background, rising from a small village to a modern metropolis, where she had excelled and become the top student in her profession. She had majored in commerce but had also taken elective courses in beauty to improve her demeanor.

During the beauty course, the professor had discussed ancient skincare techniques and had jokingly told the class, "Learn more. Making face masks, soap, extracting penicillin, and making granulated sugar—these skills might come in handy if you ever time-travel."

Shen Wei had studied diligently, never expecting that her knowledge would actually come in handy after her time-travel.

Creating an ancient face mask wasn’t too difficult. She used substances like black seeds, soapberry, angelica, and other herbs, grinding them into powder and mixing them with water. After applying it to her face for the duration of an incense stick and then washing it off, her skin would become smooth, fair, and delicate.

Shen Wei was lazily applying the mask when she asked, "What does the Princess Consort want from me?"

Cai Lian replied, "The Spring Banquet of the mansion is approaching. The Princess Consort has purchased a batch of fine fabrics to distribute to all the concubines and maids."

Shen Wei was a bit disappointed, "Let me wash my face first, and I’ll go right away."

It turned out it was just a fabric distribution.

She had thought that her recent rise to prominence might have earned the Princess Consort’s disdain and that she wanted to take this opportunity to make things difficult for her.

Shen Wei found it dull, with no challenge whatsoever. These palace concubines seemed to be content with their lot, lacking ambition. As a striving individual, she truly found no opportunities to shine.

Ah, being invincible is such a lonely thing.

After tidying up, Shen Wei left Fangfei Courtyard and headed to Princess Consort’s Kunyu Courtyard to pay her respects.

As she passed by the mansion’s greenhouse, Shen Wei didn’t notice a maid inside giving her a look of envy.

"Shen Wei, you really are having a grand time," Zhang Yue muttered, holding a flowerpot and glaring at Shen Wei as she passed by.

Shen Wei enjoyed Prince Yan’s exclusive favor, and her status had risen, enjoying almost the same privileges as the Princess Consort. In contrast, Zhang Yue looked down at her rough hands.

Day after day of labor had left her hands calloused, and her once-beautiful, fair face was beginning to yellow.

At night, crammed into the stinking maid’s quarters, Zhang Yue often felt at a loss. If she had agreed to become Prince Yan’s concubine, would she have been as privileged as Shen Wei?

Her own failure was regrettable, but her colleague’s success was even more heart-wrenching.

Zhang Yue bit her lip and could only comfort herself repeatedly: "Prince Yan’s affection is fleeting. Shen Wei will eventually fall out of favor."

...

Shen Wei arrived at the Princess Consort’s courtyard, the last to show up.

It wasn’t that she deliberately arrived late but that the Princess Consort had deliberately informed her last. Shen Wei slyly smiled to herself. The Princess Consort appeared serene and indifferent, but she had her own share of schemes.

As Shen Wei looked around, she noticed Liu Ruyan in white, Zhang Miaoyu, the plump Consort, Liu Qiao’er, the pensive Consort, and more than a dozen other Secondary Consorts and Concubines. The ladies were chatting, and the courtyard buzzed with lively conversation.

The moment Shen Wei appeared, the courtyard fell silent.

All eyes turned to Shen Wei. She was dressed radiantly, stunningly gorgeous, her face as charming as a peach blossom, her eyes bright and captivating.

In contrast, the other concubines and maids wore appealing dresses but appeared dull, their complexions pale and their expressions lackluster.

Shen Wei curtsied gracefully, "Greetings to the Princess Consort, greetings to all the sisters."

The Princess Consort sat majestically in the main seat, her expression kind. "Now that everyone is here, let’s begin distributing the fabrics. Shen, Prince Yan favors you greatly, so you may choose first."

Shen Wei looked flustered, "I absolutely dare not. My status is lowly; how could I presume to select first?"

Being made the first to choose was clearly an attempt to humiliate her.

The Princess Consort gently sipped her tea and said slowly, "Prince Yan favors you the most, so you are well deserving of this honor."

If Shen Wei refused again, it would be disrespectful to the Princess Consort. Reluctantly, she had to curtsey and say, “Then I humbly accept.”

She was the first to step forward and choose the fabric.

Her eyes lingered over the fabrics.

The quality of the fabrics was immediately apparent to the naked eye. The best fabrics shimmered with a luminous radiance, sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight. The lesser fabrics were duller and less attractive in pattern.

After glancing around, Shen Wei pointed directly at the finest piece of fabric, her excitement evident as she said, “Cai Lian, we’ll take this one.”

It was the most expensive brocade, known as Floating Light Silk, of which there was only one bolt. The main color was a pale silver, and the material was soft, shimmering with a beautiful silver glow under the sunlight.

Cai Lian, who was knowledgeable, discreetly gave Shen Wei a warning look: "No!" This kind of fabric is only for the use of the Princess Consort and Prince Yan!

Although Shen Wei was the object of Prince Yan’s exclusive affection, she was merely a lowly concubine, not someone who should wear such expensive Floating Light Silk.

“Sister Shen Wei, you’d better choose another fabric instead,” Concubine Zhang Miaoyu kindly advised.

Zhang Miaoyu was plump, but her heart was good.

She couldn’t bear to watch this beautiful younger sister dig her own grave.

Shen Wei turned back and looked at the other onlookers. Liu Ruyan showed sympathy, Liu Qiao'er’s expression was disdainful, and the other concubines were watching the spectacle with amusement.

Only Zhang Miaoyu had spoken out to warn her.

Truly, a well-meaning act.

Shen Wei, however, turned back, her expression full of the arrogance of a petty victor: “I’ll take this one. Cai Lian, hold onto it.”

Cai Lian gritted her teeth and held the bolt of fabric, her heart sinking.

My lady, you’re beyond saving...

“You do have good taste,” the Princess Consort sipped her Biluochun tea, seemingly praising Shen Wei, but her lips curved into a concealed smirk.

Shen Wei came from a humble background, with narrow-minded vision.

Seeing something good and daring to take it—how insatiably greedy.

A beautiful but foolish woman like her won’t enjoy her moment in the sun in the prince’s estate for long.