A Concubine's Competitive Life in the Prince's Household-Chapter 85

Prince Yan paused while eating, as if hearing something utterly absurd.

Acting spoiled due to favor?

When had Shen Wei ever been spoiled?

His Weiwei was the most considerate. Even after becoming pregnant, she had never asked him for anything. Despite her condition, she still took the time to select fabrics and had her maidservants prepare his autumn clothing in advance.

The Princess Consort continued her rambling: "Back in the day, the concubines and lesser consorts in the palace who were pregnant acted just like Shen Wei—constantly demanding things from Your Highness once they conceived. The finest food, the best quarters, and tonics to nourish the fetus. Your Highness, though you dote on Shen Wei, there must be limits."

Prince Yan’s movements slowed as he ate.

Seeing this, the Princess Consort thought her words had struck a chord. Concealing her delight, she deliberately added, "With Shen Wei pregnant, she’s hardly fit to serve Your Highness. This humble wife has found a new girl for you—lovely and dignified. If Your Highness has time, would you care to meet her?"

Men were fickle by nature. With a new favorite, the old would soon be forgotten.

The Princess Consort was certain that once Prince Yan took a new concubine, Shen Wei would swiftly fall out of favor. Women were all the same in the end—what difference did it make whom the prince bedded?

*Crack!*

Prince Yan’s white jade chopsticks slammed onto the rosewood dining table. The Princess Consort jumped, startled by the dark fury etched across his handsome face.

His gaze was terrifying—filled with disappointment, disgust, and irritation, devoid of even a trace of affection, cold to the extreme.

The Princess Consort dropped her chopsticks in fright. She scrambled to her feet, steadying herself on Granny Liu’s arm as she stood stiffly to the side, her heart pounding. She couldn’t fathom why the prince was so enraged.

Had Shen Wei, emboldened by her pregnancy, been whispering poison about her into the prince’s ear?

Every word from Prince Yan dripped with menace, exuding an overwhelming pressure: "A new girl? How thoughtful of you, Princess Consort."

Prince Yan was deeply disappointed with her.

In all fairness, he did not consider himself a lustful man. Unlike Prince Heng, who reveled in indulgence and kept a harem, Prince Yan had seen his fill of beauties and knew all too well the allure of feminine charms. What he truly sought was a soulmate—someone who could complete him.

And then came Shen Wei, filling the void in his heart. He no longer needed novelty to satisfy him.

For the rest of his life, having Shen Wei by his side would be more than enough.

Yet here was the Princess Consort, still pushing new women upon him.

What did she take him for?

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A stud horse in a stable? A breeding boar in a farmhouse?

Even the exalted Emperor of the Great Qing Kingdom, after weathering political storms, kept only a single empress, one imperial consort, and four concubines in his inner court. Yet here he was, a mere prince, with a household of wives and concubines exceeding even the emperor’s—an excess that had already drawn fierce censure from the censors in the Imperial Court.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍Princess Consort was baffled but had no choice but to apologize: "Your Highness, this humble wife... misspoke."

Their marriage had long been a façade of harmony, masking deep estrangement. Thus, she had no inkling of Prince Yan’s true thoughts—nor did she understand what she had done wrong.

Prince Yan replied coldly, "There’s no need to add any more women to the household in the future. Tend to your own affairs—stretch your hand too far, and it might get cut off."

The Princess Consort was stunned. *No more newcomers?*

Just as she was about to press for clarification, a commotion erupted outside. A young maidservant stumbled in, crying out in panic: "Princess Consort, it’s terrible! Young Mistress Yao has been poisoned!"

The Princess Consort’s mind went blank, as if struck by a boulder.

Li Yao was her only daughter—her future leverage for a political marriage to secure her standing in the palace.

Forgetting all decorum, her eyes reddened as she turned to Prince Yan in distress: "Your Highness! Yao’er is in danger—please, accompany me to see her!"

Prince Yan, too, held some affection for this daughter of his.

Suppressing his simmering anger, he followed the Princess Consort to Li Yao’s courtyard.

Li Yao resided in Peony Court, an elegantly decorated compound. Night had fallen, and bright lanterns illuminated every corner.

The household physician had already been summoned.

The Princess Consort rushed into Li Yao’s chamber. The eight-year-old girl lay deathly pale, her lips colorless, foam clinging to the corners of her mouth. A pool of vomit stained the floor where she had been purged.

"Yao’er! Yao’er, open your eyes—look at your mother!" The Princess Consort wept, desperation thick in her voice.

But Li Yao remained unconscious, motionless as a corpse.

Prince Yan’s expression darkened, concern flickering in his eyes.

A maidservant knelt trembling, recounting the events: Li Yao had spent the afternoon in the adjacent tea room practicing tea preparation, continuing even into dusk without rest. Then, suddenly, she had begun foaming at the mouth, vomiting violently before collapsing—symptoms unmistakably resembling poisoning.

The maidservants attending her had swiftly carried her back to her chambers while another ran to alert the Princess Consort.

Prince Yan frowned. "What did Yao’er eat today?"

The maidservant stammered, "Young Mistress Yao ate little at lunch. Afterward, she strolled in the gardens before returning to the tea room. In the afternoon, she drank only tea—nothing else."

Guards inspected the tea in the room—no trace of poison was found.

The elderly maidservant who had served Li Yao lunch had also sampled the meal—she showed no signs of illness, confirming the midday meal was safe.

The Princess Consort wiped her tears, furious. "If it wasn’t the tea or lunch, she must have eaten something tainted! Think harder—what else did Yao’er consume?"

Then another maidservant threw herself to the floor, stammering: "Your Highnesses, this lowly one remembers! In the afternoon, when Young Mistress Yao returned to the tea room, there was a trace of brown sugar on her lips. She mentioned... she had met Lady Shen in the garden and had been given a bowl of chilled cake."

Apart from lunch and tea, the only thing Li Yao had consumed was the chilled cake from Shen Wei.

The Princess Consort nearly exploded with rage.

She had underestimated Shen Wei. Barely pregnant, and already the woman was clearing obstacles for her unborn child—daring to harm the Princess Consort’s own!

Granny Liu discreetly tugged her sleeve, forcing the Princess Consort to rein in her fury.

She had weathered enough palace intrigues to recognize the possibility of a frame-up. Though all evidence pointed to Shen Wei, another concubine could be behind this—Liu Qiao’er, Liu Ruyan, Zhang Miaoyu, or any of the lesser consorts.

Behind their façades of indifference, women hid malice in their hearts.

Perhaps the other concubines had long resented Shen Wei and sought to kill two birds with one stone—destroying her while crippling the Princess Consort’s position.

Her eyes red, the Princess Consort clenched her silk handkerchief and tearfully addressed Prince Yan: "Your Highness, for Yao’er to suffer such misfortune is too cruel. Please summon Shen Wei for questioning. If she is innocent, we may yet uncover the true culprit."