A Concubine's Competitive Life in the Prince's Household-Chapter 155

The next day, news quickly spread that Concubine Shen Wei of Liuli Pavilion would take over the management of Prince Yan's Mansion. Surprisingly, all the hundreds of servants in the mansion were delighted.

Over the past year, Shen Wei had occasionally shown small acts of kindness—preparing mung bean soup and sour plum drinks during the summer heat, ensuring the timely distribution of warm cotton clothes from the storeroom in winter, and even personally overseeing the correction of payroll errors made by the Princess Consort’s people, with the help of the elderly maids from her own courtyard.

It was safe to say that Shen Wei had won the hearts of the people.

Her rise to power was met with quiet glee.

The news soon reached the ears of the other concubines. Zhang Miaoyu of Huaxiang Courtyard was overjoyed but worried that Shen Wei might lack experience in household management. She rummaged through her dowry to find several guides on estate management and personally delivered them to Shen Wei.

Meanwhile, in the desolate Mingyue Courtyard, Concubine Liu Qiao'er was sewing when her maid mentioned Shen Wei’s new role. Liu Qiao'er froze in place.

"A peasant girl like her, skilled in managing subordinates?" Liu Qiao'er frowned, baffled.

Since her rebirth, many events in the inner quarters of Prince Yan's Mansion had deviated from the trajectory of her past life.

In her previous life, Concubine Zhou’s son had also fallen ill and passed away. The Empress had been furious, reprimanding the Princess Consort, but ultimately did not strip her of her authority. The Princess Consort learned from her mistakes and resumed control, maintaining relative stability in the mansion.

Later, when Prince Yan ascended the throne, the Princess Consort was named Empress but found herself isolated, her authority over the imperial harem gradually eroded by favored concubines. Left alone, she sank into depression.

Her ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‍maid urged, "Mistress, why not suggest to His Highness that you take charge instead?"

With the Princess Consort confined to Kunyu Courtyard under the pretense of "recuperation," the vast inner quarters of the mansion needed a mistress to manage affairs. Before her marriage, Liu Qiao'er had also been trained in household management.

Zhang Miaoyu was gluttonous and lazy, Liu Ruyan remained aloof from worldly affairs, and Shen Wei was uneducated—no one was more suited for the role than Liu Qiao'er.

Yet Liu Qiao'er shook her head, lowering her eyes to continue sewing. "Stepping into the spotlight would only make me a target. With Shen Wei in charge, the Princess Consort will make sure she suffers first."

A lowly peasant girl, even with a scholar brother, had nothing but her beauty.

Entrusting the mansion to Shen Wei would inevitably lead to chaos.

Liu Qiao'er smirked, anticipating the spectacle.

...

Elsewhere, in Qixue Pavilion, Liu Ruyan, clad in a plain white gown, was painting. Snow-white paper unfurled before her as ink plum blossoms bloomed under her brush.

Hearing her maid Xue Mei giggling beside her, Liu Ruyan lifted her gaze. "You’ve been laughing to yourself all morning. Did something good happen?"

Xue Mei beamed. "Mistress, starting today, Concubine Shen of Liuli Pavilion is managing the household. First-rank maids who perform well and avoid mistakes will receive an extra string of coins in their monthly wages."

This was an incentive to encourage diligence.

Hardworking and experienced servants could earn additional rewards.

Liu Ruyan remarked coolly, "The joy derived from mere coins is vulgar."

Xue Mei: ...

She forced a polite smile, choosing not to argue.

Xue Mei was no noble lady—just an ordinary servant. As long as her wages arrived on time and her purse grew heavier, she was content.

"Who manages the mansion makes no difference to me," Liu Ruyan said, returning to her painting, detached from worldly concerns.

...

In Kunyu Courtyard, the Princess Consort had not slept a wink. At dawn, she rose like a lifeless corpse. Most of her maids and eunuchs had been dismissed, leaving only Granny Liu and a few others by her side.

That morning, the mansion’s physician delivered several doses of medicine, instructing Granny Liu to brew them daily for the Princess Consort.

To outsiders, the Princess Consort was genuinely ill.

Her mind was in turmoil as she gazed at the courtyard’s rigid geometry, the sky fragmented by eaves. Overnight, she had gone from a revered Princess Consort to a caged bird.

"Princess Consort, the young masters have already left for the Imperial College. The four elderly maids sent by the Empress cleared out many ancient texts from the study," Granny Liu reported, offering a cup of hot tea.

The Princess Consort sneered, refusing the tea.

She strode into the prayer room, sinking to her knees on a plush cushion. Staring at the compassionate statue of the Bodhisattva, she muttered, "The Empress is heartless, tormenting me at every turn. She separates me from my children and lets a lowly peasant girl trample over me..."

She hated the Empress.

She hated Shen Wei.

And even Prince Yan now drew her resentment.

"Taking my children, taking my authority," the Princess Consort seethed, gripping her prayer beads. "I will reclaim it all, piece by piece."

First, she would reclaim control of the household.

Granny Liu stood silently nearby, no longer offering advice or encouragement as she once had. She had always acted in the Princess Consort’s best interest, but lately, she had come to recognize her mistress’s coldness.

Even if the Princess Consort wrested back control from Shen Wei, Granny Liu would bear the brunt of the labor. Her old bones could no longer endure the endless toil of serving the Princess Consort.

She finally understood the steward’s plight.

After a lifetime of diligence, all she wanted in her twilight years was peace.

The elderly had no desire for hardship.

In the prayer room, the Princess Consort continued muttering, "Shen Wei is uneducated, climbing to this position only through Prince Yan’s favor. Managing a household is no easy task. Granny Liu, gather the mansion’s backlog of neglected account books and deliver them to Shen Wei."

As a noblewoman raised in the art of household management, even she had found the mansion’s affairs exhausting. How could a peasant girl like Shen Wei handle such a vast estate?

She would make Shen Wei retreat in defeat.

Granny Liu replied impassively, "This old servant will see to it."

...

In Liuli Pavilion, Granny Liu delivered the stack of aged account books to Shen Wei.

Studying Shen Wei’s youthful, radiant face, Granny Liu saw a woman transformed—no longer the lowly maid she once was, but a poised and confident concubine.

Against her better judgment, Granny Liu offered a warning: "Mistress Shen, you are still young. Some matters are best left untouched."

Managing a household was no simple feat. ƒreewebɳovel.com

If she failed, Shen Wei risked being cast aside by Prince Yan and the Empress. It would be wiser to remain a favored concubine, bearing Prince Yan’s children and enjoying a few peaceful years.

"Granny Liu is showing me kindness today?" Shen Wei smiled faintly, her eyes probing.

Granny Liu fell silent. After handing over the account books, she left Liuli Pavilion without another word.

Shen Wei surveyed the mountainous pile of ledgers—records of Prince Yan's Mansion’s neglected affairs over the past decade, from finances to rituals and social obligations.

Tackling this alone would be impossible.

But Shen Wei was clever—she had cultivated an efficient elite team early on. There was Nanny Rong, skilled in coordination; the capable Cai Lian and Cai Ping; the tactful Ji Xiang and De Shun; and two swift, highly skilled guards for errands. The rest of the maids and eunuchs had all been disciplined and trained. Though none possessed exceptional talent, they were at least obedient and willing to work.

A great leader need not micromanage—she always knew how to make her team work for her.