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

The next morning, before breakfast was even served, Shen Wei had already started grinding ink and practicing her calligraphy.

She hung Prince Yan's original manuscript of "Spring Banquet" on the wall and sat upright at her desk, practicing her handwriting by following Prince Yan's draft.

"You're quite diligent, Wei Wei," Prince Yan said, feeling a surge of pride upon seeing Shen Wei's hard work.

Shen Wei held the brush, her smile like a blooming flower as she replied, "Your Highness is a great teacher, and I don't want to be a bad student."

Prince Yan was deeply touched.

In a way, he was also Shen Wei's mentor. Being born into nobility, he had never been a teacher to anyone before, and this feeling was quite novel.

Shen Wei continued to focus on practicing her calligraphy.

With ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‍each stroke, her handwriting still looked crooked and uneven, causing Prince Yan to frown. He sat beside her, patiently guiding her until breakfast was served.

After finishing breakfast, Prince Yan left for court, accompanied by his attendant Fu Gui and his guards. Shen Wei stood at the entrance of Fangfei Courtyard, watching Prince Yan's departing figure. Then, she glanced towards the adjacent Courtyard of Roses.

"Mistress, Zhang Yue moved in yesterday," Cai Ping shared the gossip she had heard with Shen Wei.

Shen Wei took it in stride.

The mansion was like a large company, and the concubines were like the employees in the palace. Occasionally, there would be new employees joining to compete for performance, which was a common occurrence and didn't warrant panic or fear.

As a seasoned employee, Shen Wei knew she had to keep improving her abilities and work harder than Zhang Yue to earn better performance.

She began jogging around the courtyard to build her physical strength, ensuring she didn't neglect her daily exercise.

While she was exercising, Cai Lian, who had been out to gather information, returned.

"Mistress, I've found out," Cai Lian whispered to Shen Wei. "Your mother and brother have arrived in Yanjing and are temporarily staying at an inn. They had a fight this morning; your brother went to a gambling house in Yanjing to gamble, while your mother stayed at the inn to sew handkerchiefs and sell them for money."

Shen Wei stopped jogging and took the towel handed to her by Cai Ping to wipe the sweat. "Help me get ready; I need to visit my mother."

In the mansion, the status of concubines and chambermaids was low, and the relatives of concubines were not allowed to visit them.

Therefore, Shen Wei had to leave the mansion to visit her family but needed to request permission from the Princess.

The Princess didn't make things difficult and allowed Shen Wei to return before noon.

For this outing, Shen Wei didn't take Cai Lian or Cai Ping with her. Instead, she brought along Nanny Rong, who looked menacing, and the two junior eunuchs Ji Xiang and De Shun.

Before departing, Shen Wei deliberately changed into her most worn-out clothes, applied some make-up to make her face look worse, and wore a white veil to conceal her appearance. Accompanied by Nanny Rong, she left the mansion through the back door.

Ji Xiang and De Shun drove the carriage, while Shen Wei rode towards the inn.

Inside the small carriage, Nanny Rong was adorned with gold and silver jewelry, clearly showing her affluent status in the mansion. In contrast, Shen Wei's attire was quite shabby. Nanny Rong clutched her handkerchief, unable to help but ask again, "Mistress, are we really going to act?"

Shen Wei nodded. "Naturally."

She wanted to gauge her mother's character.

Thus, Shen Wei planned to "act miserable." She would no longer be the esteemed Shen Wei of the mansion but a defenseless and pitiful concubine cruelly abused.

The carriage arrived at the inn.

Shen Wei and Nanny Rong alighted and quietly entered a modest room in the inn. Shen Wei knocked on the door, and a gentle woman's voice came from inside: "Coming."

With a creak, the wooden door opened.

Shen Wei raised her eyes to see a middle-aged woman dressed in coarse cloth, thin and with graying hair. This was Shen Wei's birth mother.

Shen's Mother was holding an unfinished piece of cloth, looking both puzzled and cautious as she asked, "Who are you?"

Shen Wei removed her white veil, revealing a delicate and flawless face. Unfortunately, the corners of her mouth were bruised, her temple was swollen, and her eyes were red, as if she had been mistreated.

The unfinished cloth in Shen's Mother's hand fell to the ground with a thud. She trembled and said, "Third daughter... My third daughter..."

Shen Wei's eyes turned red as she skillfully called out, "Mother."

Shen's Mother pulled Shen Wei into the room. "Come, my child, sit down quickly. It's been months since I last saw you, and my third daughter, you've become so thin."

Seeing Shen Wei's bruised and swollen face, Shen's Mother's heart ached.

She tremblingly opened her package and fished out a small purse, tearfully saying, "Third daughter, your mother borrowed ten taels of silver from the villagers to redeem you. Come home with me; we don't want to suffer as a servant anymore."

Back then, when Shen's Mother was seriously ill, Shen Wei had no choice but to sell herself into servitude for money to save her.

Shen's Mother had been worried day and night. After her health improved, she worked hard in the fields and did embroidery, borrowing money from the villagers, finally managing to gather ten taels of silver.

Shen's Mother had set out overnight to Yanjing, hoping to redeem Shen Wei from the mansion.

"Mother... Thank you," seeing the ten taels of silver, Shen Wei's doubts quickly dissipated.

Shen's Mother wasn't biased towards boys; she cared for all her children equally.

However, Shen Wei lowered her head and wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Mother... but I can't leave the mansion. I've become the prince's concubine."

Shen's Mother was dumbfounded.

She hadn't known that Shen Wei had become a concubine in the mansion.

But Shen's Mother knew that being a concubine didn't end well. She clearly remembered that in their village, the old landlord had kept more than ten concubines. These concubines were cruelly mistreated by the mistress, and there were often concubines found dead, their bodies covered in blood and their deaths horrific.

Now that Shen Wei had become Prince Yan's concubine, she was probably subjected to much torment.

Shen's Mother's heart was torn apart. In a panic, tears streamed down her face as she said, "What... what should we do now? I'll go to Prince Yan and the Princess to kneel and beg them to release you from the mansion..."

Before she could finish, a delighted voice came from outside, "What? My third sister has become Prince Yan's concubine?"

Shen Xiuming, who had been gambling, had returned.

As soon as he entered the room, he heard the news about Shen Wei becoming a concubine.

Shen Xiuming's face couldn't hide his excitement: "This is great! My third sister being a concubine means I'm the prince's brother-in-law! I can walk around Yanjing with my head held high from now on!"

Shen Xiuming, at seventeen, had a handsome appearance but was full of rascality. Who would have thought that he had once been a child prodigy, well-known far and wide, and had even passed the imperial exams at a young age.

Now, Shen Xiuming was known for his love of women, alcohol, and gambling, becoming a laughingstock to all.

"Third sister, how much is your monthly allowance as a concubine? Is it ten taels of silver?" Shen Xiuming stared eagerly at Shen Wei.

However, seeing Shen Wei's worn-out clothes and the bruises that hadn't faded from her face, Shen Xiuming was taken aback.

Shen Wei "awkwardly" took out a purse and handed it to Shen Xiuming, her eyes filled with tears. "Sister only has one tael of silver left. The rest of the money was taken by the nannies. But don't worry, brother. Sister will work hard to survive and earn money for you. You're a successful candidate in the imperial exams, and one day, you'll pass the spring examination."

As she spoke, Shen Wei pushed the money into Shen Xiuming's hand, full of care.

The ragged purse had bloodstains on it, giving off a strange smell.

As Shen Xiuming grabbed the money Shen Wei handed him, he suddenly felt it was scorching hot.

"You silly girl! Keep the money for yourself; don't give it to this wretch!" Seeing this, Shen's Mother quickly snatched the purse back, along with the ten taels of silver she had borrowed, and stuffed it all into Shen Wei's hands.

Holding the money, tears streamed down Shen Wei's face. "Mother, brother... it's really hard for me in the mansion. The prince is ruthless and often tortures me until I'm half-dead; the other concubines bully me daily, the maids steal my things, and the nannies frequently beat and scold me... I knelt in front of the princess for two days to get the chance to leave the mansion and see you and my brother."

Shen Wei wiped her tears, and her sleeve slipped down.

Her fair arms had red marks and bruises all over them, looking quite frightening.

Actually, these were marks left by Prince Yan during their intimate moments.

Shen Wei's skin was sensitive, and even a slight pinch would leave red marks. Her arms appeared heavily injured, but in reality, there was no injury.

"Your... your arm?" Shen's Mother was shocked, thinking her daughter had endured severe torture.

Shen Wei quickly hid her arm, using her sleeve to cover the "injuries," and forced a smile. "Mother, brother, it's nothing... It's just that last night, I accidentally offended the prince, and he beat me until late at night. My arm... he even used a knife..."

Shen's Mother was horrified. Prince Yan was known for his virtuous reputation, but it seemed his private life was extremely cruel!

Shen Xiuming fell silent.

Although he loved gambling and alcohol, he still had a sibling bond with Shen Wei. When they were younger, Shen's Mother was out working, and it was his third sister who accompanied him while he studied. When he was chased by wild dogs in the village, it was his third sister who protected him.

Shen Xiuming had thought that once his sister entered the mansion as a servant, she would lead a better life.

But now, such a miserable state.

With a loud bang, the closed door opened again. Nanny Rong appeared with a cold expression, her gloomy eyes scanning the room's occupants as if they were lowly livestock.

Nanny Rong coldly declared, "Shen Wei, your visitation time is over. Come with me back to Prince Yan's residence. You still have two hundred garments to wash today; don't even think about slacking off."

Tears streamed down Shen Wei's face as she knelt in desperation, sobbing, "Nanny, I haven't seen my mother and brother in ages. Please, have mercy and let me chat with them a bit longer."

Nanny Rong's eyelid twitched.

You dare kneel, my lady? A servant like me truly cannot bear such honor!

Nanny Rong struggled to maintain her cool demeanor, playing the part of a ruthless and cunning nanny from the prince's mansion: "You are a concubine of Prince Yan, albeit un favored. You must not meet with outside men in private."

Shen Wei wiped her eyes and choked out, "This is not an outside man; he's my brother. He is brimming with talent and will surely become the Number One Scholar in the future—"

Unable to hold back, Nanny Rong burst into laughter.

She eyed Shen Xiuming's pale face with a mix of disdain and contempt: "Him? A gambling, lustful waste, not even worth serving as the lowest servant in the prince's mansion."