A Concubine's Competitive Life in the Prince's Household-Chapter 166

The Princess Consort left Prince Yan's Mansion with an air of haughtiness, riding in a carriage to the Tantai Family residence in Yanjing City. Today was her mother's birthday, and the household was bustling with activity as guests arrived in droves bearing gifts and congratulations.

Gazing at the grand, gilded gates, the Princess Consort felt a surge of pride well up within her. A century-old aristocratic family—this was a height the lowborn Shen Clan could never hope to reach in their lifetime.

Holding ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍onto Granny Liu's arm, the Princess Consort stepped down from the carriage with her head held high. The servants at the entrance hurriedly bowed and welcomed her inside with cheerful reverence.

The birthday banquet had yet to begin.

The Princess Consort first went to pay respects to her birth mother—Madam Tantai. Guided by maidservants, she made her way to the rear chambers where her mother resided. The doorways were adorned with festive lanterns and decorations, exuding an air of jubilation. The elderly Madam Tantai, her temples streaked with gray, stood in the courtyard holding the hand of her youngest granddaughter, Yuan'er, while chatting with her eldest daughter and her family.

Madam Tantai had four children—two daughters and two sons. The Princess Consort, Tantai Shuya, was the youngest. When Madam Tantai first married into the Tantai Family, she bore a daughter followed by two sons. Then, after a full decade had passed, she unexpectedly became pregnant again at the age of thirty-four and gave birth to her youngest daughter, Tantai Shuya.

Having a child in her middle years, the entire family doted on Tantai Shuya excessively.

"Mother," the Princess Consort called out joyfully as she approached.

Madam Tantai paused in surprise before happily grasping her daughter's hands. "Shuya, you’ve come so early! Come, let’s sit inside."

The Princess Consort’s lips curled into a smirk as she cast a haughty glance at her elder sister, Tantai Shuqin, who stood nearby. Though Tantai Shuqin was her full-blooded elder sister, she was over a decade older than the Princess Consort.

Tantai Shuqin had married the top scholar of the imperial examinations in her youth but bore only one daughter in her marriage. The Princess Consort often privately scorned her sister—despite her reputation for virtue and wisdom, she lacked the fortune to bear a son.

Once inside the main hall, maidservants served a rare and precious tea from the Jiangnan region.

Madam Tantai continued holding the Princess Consort’s hand, showering her with affectionate inquiries, her eyes brimming with maternal warmth.

"And who is this?" Tantai Shuya asked, noticing a young stranger in the room—a handsome, scholarly man in his early twenties with an air of refined intellect.

The courteous young man bowed. "Your Highness, this humble official is Zhang Fenghua, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy."

The Princess Consort had little involvement in court affairs and did not recognize this rising star of the bureaucracy, though the name sounded vaguely familiar.

Madam Tantai smiled. "Zhang Fenghua was last year’s top scholar in the imperial examinations. He hails from the Zhang Family of Yanjing and is the second top scholar from their lineage since the founding of the Great Qing Kingdom. I intend to betroth Yuan'er to him."

Yuan'er was Tantai Shuqin’s only daughter, already of marriageable age but still waiting for a match. After discussions between Madam Tantai and Tantai Shuqin’s family, they had settled on the talented Zhang Fenghua as the ideal groom.

Yuan'er, who took after her mother in beauty, blushed and stole a shy glance at the dashing Zhang Fenghua before quickly lowering her head.

It was then that the Princess Consort remembered Zhang Fenghua’s name. During last year’s examinations, he had taken first place, while the younger brother of the Shen Clan had ranked second.

The Princess Consort knew a little about the Zhang Family of Yanjing.

Their ancestors had once held the modest position of court astrologers, responsible for celestial observations and divinations. Then, by some stroke of luck, the family produced a top scholar. This Zhang scholar rose swiftly through the ranks, becoming the Great Qing Kingdom’s youngest prime minister and elevating the family to great prominence.

Unfortunately, the Zhang Family’s fortunes took a downturn when the prime minister, while escorting Princess Taihua to a political marriage, was forcibly taken as a royal consort and forbidden from ever returning to the Great Qing Kingdom. The family never recovered from the loss.

A nearly fallen house—Yuan'er would only suffer if married into it. The Princess Consort eyed Zhang Fenghua with amusement. "So, you’re a descendant of the Yanjing Zhang Family. It’s rare for such talent to emerge from them after a century."

Zhang Fenghua bowed politely. "My ancestors’ glory is beyond my reach. I can only strive to move forward."

The Princess Consort had no interest in further conversation with him. She hadn’t forgotten the purpose of her visit—to enlist her mother’s help in reclaiming the household authority that rightfully belonged to her as Princess Consort.

Before making her request, she needed to curry favor. With a smile, she said, "Mother, for your birthday, I’ve brought you a jade Bodhisattva. Granny Liu, bring it here."

Granny Liu presented an exquisitely carved white jade Bodhisattva nestled in a finely crafted box. The statue, with its benevolent expression and ruby-inlaid forehead, was a masterpiece.

At the sight of it, Madam Tantai’s expression froze momentarily before she quickly masked her reaction. Beside her, Tantai Shuqin’s face betrayed surprise.

Madam Tantai forced a smile, maintaining her gentle demeanor. "This is quite the gift."

After sipping her tea, she changed the subject. "Why hasn’t Prince Yan come today?"

The Princess Consort’s heart sank.

She and Prince Yan had long been estranged. In previous years, he had occasionally attended Madam Tantai’s birthday celebrations, but in recent times, he had scarcely set foot in the Tantai residence, sending only lavish gifts in his stead.

This year, he hadn’t even sent a present.

But the Princess Consort had no intention of airing her domestic troubles, especially not in front of her sister. To the world, she was the esteemed Princess Consort of Yan, mother to one daughter and two sons—her position unshakable.

Keeping her composure, she replied smoothly, "Mother, His Highness is currently overwhelmed with state affairs and couldn’t spare the time."

Madam Tantai saw through the lie but held her tongue, lowering her gaze to her tea to hide her disappointment.

As noon approached, the guests had nearly all arrived. The steward came to escort Madam Tantai to the main hall to receive their felicitations.

The Princess Consort sat through the banquet, biding her time until it ended.

The moment the festivities concluded, she hurried back to Madam Tantai’s chambers. The elderly woman’s health had always been frail, and a maidservant brought in a bowl of ginseng soup.

"Give it to me. You may leave," the Princess Consort ordered, dismissing the attendants before personally feeding the soup to her mother.

Seizing the opportunity, she whispered her plea, "Mother… for the past year, Prince Yan has been utterly bewitched by that vixen Shen Clan. That cunning woman has used him to strip me of my authority over the household. I’m only allowed to see my sons twice a month now…"

She rambled on, detailing her pitiable plight.

Madam Tantai listened patiently, her expression unchanging.

Once the bowl was empty, the Princess Consort set it down on the rosewood table, tears of grievance welling in her eyes. "Mother, I beg you—help me."

Madam Tantai, her aged face lined with wrinkles, studied her youngest daughter with cloudy eyes. "Shuya, do you remember when I taught you to manage accounts and household affairs before your marriage?"

The Princess Consort nodded. "Of course I remember."

Madam Tantai sighed. "When you married Prince Yan, I feared you’d struggle against his concubines, so I handpicked eight capable maidservants to assist you in managing the household. Where are those eight maids now?"

The Princess Consort’s face flushed with shame.

The Princess Consort feared that Prince Yan’s heart might be stolen away by the maids. She had dismissed all eight of them under various pretexts.

"I admit my fault, daughter knows she was wrong," the Princess Consort confessed proactively. "Mother, I beg you to help me once more."