A Concubine's Competitive Life in the Prince's Household-Chapter 83

Hearing the Princess Consort's scolding, Li Yao's bowl slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor, the remnants of the crystal sugar jelly splattering across the wooden planks, the deep red syrup spreading like spilled ink.

Li Yao's small face paled as she stammered, "M-Mother..."

The Princess Consort, seeing Li Yao, only grew more furious. "At this hour, you should be in your chambers practicing tea-making. How dare you interrupt your brothers' studies and hinder their futures?"

Li Yao lowered her head in distress. "Mother... my brothers have been working so hard. Recently, a dessert shop in Yanjing has been selling exceptionally delicious sweets... Yao'er asked the nanny to buy three portions, one for each of them..."

Her brothers were always busy and exhausted, and Li Yao had missed them terribly. She had only wanted to bring them a small treat.

It had been so long since she had shared a meal with them.

She had assumed the Princess Consort would be in the prayer hall tonight, but her sudden appearance had frightened all three children.

The Princess Consort pinched the bridge of her nose. "Attendants, take Yao'er back to her chambers. As for the nanny who indulged her by buying desserts, give her ten strikes with the rod."

Tears welled up instantly in Li Yao’s eyes. She choked back a sob. "Mother, please don’t punish the nanny... It’s all Yao'er's fault for being greedy."

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‍Princess Consort’s voice was sharp with disappointment. "You are the eldest daughter of this household. You must master the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, and tea. Otherwise, when you marry, those cunning concubines with their endless tricks will steal your husband’s affection. Everything I demand of you is for your own good."

The Princess Consort had suffered too much herself. She refused to let her daughter repeat her mistakes. Liu Ruyan was skilled in poetry, Liu Qiao'er excelled at the zither, Zhang Miaoyu brewed the finest tea—each of those concubines had their own talents. These women, with their varied charms, had divided the prince’s favor.

A woman’s fate was always marriage.

Men were fickle by nature. If Li Yao mastered the "seven arts," she might at least secure more of her future husband’s devotion.

The Princess Consort’s tone turned icy as she warned, "If you cause trouble again, your nanny will bear the punishment in your place. And sweets will make you fat—Yao'er, you must eat less sugar and keep your figure slender. All of this is for your own good."

Tears of humiliation rolled down Li Yao’s cheeks as she stared at the ruined red sugar jelly on the floor, her heart aching dully.

The servants led her away, and the study fell silent once more.

Once her daughter was gone, the Princess Consort turned to her two sons. "Yao'er is a girl—for women, virtue outweighs talent. My expectations for her are modest. But you are men, the future of this household. How can you neglect your studies?"

Cheng Ke and Cheng Zhen lowered their heads, silently setting aside the red sugar jelly and reopening their books to resume recitation.

...

...

The next morning, Prince Yan rose refreshed and departed, while Shen Wei, as usual, took a few leisurely laps around the courtyard.

"Mistress, is your mouth irritated?" Nanny Rong handed her a towel, noticing the slight swelling and chapped skin at the corners of Shen Wei’s lips.

Concern flickered in the nanny’s eyes.

Had she eaten something too spicy?

Shen Wei waved a hand dismissively, massaging her sore jaw with a martyred expression. "No, it's not that. Fetch me some ice—I need to soothe it."

She needed it for both her lips and her hands.

The memories of last night flashed through Shen Wei’s mind, almost too mortifying to recall. That shameless man—his energy was downright excessive!

She needed to take care of her hands. The last thing she wanted was to develop tendonitis during pregnancy.

After breakfast, Shen Wei found the weather particularly pleasant and decided to take Cai Ping and Cai Lian to the palace gardens for some fishing.

The garden was lush and vibrant, the lotus pond expansive, its broad green leaves unfurling lazily. Shen Wei reclined on a daybed in the pavilion, her fishing rod cast aside as she idly flipped through the ledger Nanny Rong had brought her. A few delicate pastries were arranged on the small table beside her.

The ledger had been sent by Ye Qiushuang—the dessert shop was expanding, and expenses were mounting. Shen Wei nibbled on treats as she reviewed the accounts.

"Mistress, there’s news from the Wen Temple," Nanny Rong murmured, leaning in. "A woman arrived yesterday."

Shen Wei arched a brow. "Who?"

Nanny Rong: "They say it’s your elder sister, Shen Qiang. Old Madam Shen has already settled her in the temple."

Shen Wei fell into thought. Her sister, Shen Qiang?

From what she remembered, her sister had married a merchant from the distant southwest years ago. Life in Shu had been difficult—rumors said Shen Qiang had suffered under her in-laws’ cruelty.

Who would have thought she’d travel all the way to Yanjing and seek out their mother? Shen Wei decided to visit her sister soon, if only to gauge her character.

As Shen Wei studied the ledger, occasionally spearing a peeled lotus seed with a toothpick, she happened to glance up and spot a small figure by the pond.

It was a slender girl in a pink robe, her large, liquid eyes watching Shen Wei with hesitant curiosity. She had been observing for some time, her delicate face pinched with indecision.

Shen Wei recognized her.

This was Li Yao, the eldest daughter of Prince Yan’s household, now eight years old. The girl rarely appeared in public—in the months since Shen Wei had entered the palace, she had seen her only a handful of times.

"Cai Ping, invite her over," Shen Wei instructed.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Cai Ping moved swiftly, bringing Li Yao to the pavilion. Shen Wei set aside her ledger and smiled warmly. "Little Yao, where is your nanny? Why are you wandering the garden alone?"

Li Yao recognized the radiant woman before her. The other concubines in the palace were dull and lifeless—only Shen Wei of the Glazed Pavilion had any spark.

"Nanny is ill... I sneaked out by myself," Li Yao admitted. Her stomach chose that moment to betray her, growling audibly.

Her cheeks flushed as she pressed a hand to her belly.

After being punished for delivering the red sugar jelly to her brothers, her midday meal had been halved. At her age, she needed nourishment—the meager portion had left her starving.

"C-Can I have a bowl of jelly?" she whispered, her gaze fixed longingly on the osmanthus-flavored dessert.

Shen Wei hesitated.

If the Princess Consort’s daughter ate her food and later fell ill, suspicion would fall on her first.

Yet the girl’s pleading eyes were hard to resist.

After a moment’s consideration, Shen Wei said gently, "The jelly on my table isn’t fresh. Wait just a little."

Turning to Cai Ping, she instructed, "We still have plenty of ingredients left in the Glazed Pavilion. Have the guards bring the remaining jelly base here—we’ll make a fresh bowl for Little Yao. And bring extra bowls."

Cai Ping hurried off.

Soon, the guards arrived with a large bucket of jelly mixture. The cool well water inside held a solid block of the dessert, ready to be portioned.

Shen Wei fluttered her silk fan, glancing at the cloudless sky. The summer heat was relentless—even the lotus blossoms in the pond had wilted, and the gardeners toiling among the flowers were drenched in sweat.

With a calm wave of her fan, Shen Wei announced, "Cai Ping, Cai Lian, there’s too much jelly here to waste. Prepare a bowl for Little Yao, then distribute the rest to the maids and guards in the palace."