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

"What are you doing!"

The Empress Dowager's furious reprimand rang out.

Xie Fanglan turned around in delight, raising her voice in greeting, "Aunt!"

The Empress Dowager's face darkened, ignoring Xie Fanglan's call as she hurried over to help the fallen Le You up. Meanwhile, Li Chengyou, who had been darting about, rushed over with a pale face, calling out, "Sister!"

Holding Le You's chubby little hand, the Empress Dowager examined her carefully. Fortunately, Le You wasn’t hurt—only her clothes were slightly dusted with dirt.

"Imperial Grandmother, Le You is fine," Le You said, rubbing her arm, still dazed from the fall.

Unconvinced, the Empress Dowager ordered Nanny Qian to summon the imperial physician for another examination.

Xie Fanglan, seeing the Empress Dowager’s attention still fixed on a mere child, felt a surge of displeasure and called out again, "Aunt! It’s Fanglan—you used to hold me when I was little!"

The Empress Dowager shot Xie Fanglan a sharp glare, but the latter, lost in her own emotions, failed to notice.

"Take Le You and Taiyou back to their chambers first," the Empress Dowager instructed the elderly nanny.

As the nanny led the two children away, Xie Fanglan remained oblivious to the gravity of the situation. She cast a disdainful glance at Le You’s retreating figure and complained to the Empress Dowager, "Aunt, Consort Chen’s daughter is uncouth and ill-mannered. Why keep her by your side? If I bear a daughter in the future, I’ll send her to you—she’ll surely be more obedient and well-behaved than Consort Chen’s child."

The Empress Dowager’s expression turned icy.

Yet Xie Fanglan, still oblivious, continued to ingratiate herself, "Aunt, Fanglan has suffered terribly these three years in the palace. My unborn child was lost for no reason, and I was demoted from consort to concubine. I’ve waited so long for your return."

"Aunt, for the sake of the Xie family, please help me. The imperial physician said that with proper care, I might still conceive again."

Tears of grievance welled in Xie Fanglan’s eyes as she pleaded pitifully.

The Empress Dowager sneered, "How do you expect me to help you? The four consort positions are already filled—there’s no place for you."

The emperor, implementing new policies, had been quietly suppressing influential families like the Xies. He would never allow another Xie woman to hold a consort’s rank, nor would he permit a Xie descendant to be born into the imperial line.

Disgust rose in the Empress Dowager’s heart. The Xie family had sent such a fool into the palace. That Xie Fanglan had survived this long was sheer luck.

"Kneel outside Cining Palace for two hours," the Empress Dowager said coldly. "Reflect on your mistakes."

With that, she swept away, leaving Xie Fanglan stunned. Never had she imagined she’d be punished like this. As she tried to beg for mercy, the palace maids of Cining Palace blocked her impassively.

Kneeling on the cold marble outside Cining Palace, Xie Fanglan burned with humiliation and confusion. Though the palace was secluded, many eunuchs and maids passed by. She knew word of her punishment would soon spread throughout the harem.

What had she done wrong?

A maidservant attempted to console her, "Mistress, don’t despair. Perhaps the Empress Dowager’s punishment carries deeper meaning. Think carefully—what did she say to you? You and she are family. She wouldn’t punish you without reason."

Xie Fanglan frowned, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the Empress Dowager’s words echoed in her mind: "The four consort positions are already filled—there’s no place for you."

Could there be hidden meaning?

Perhaps the Empress Dowager was hinting that if one of the four consorts were removed, she could take the vacant position.

The more Xie Fanglan pondered, the more plausible it seemed. Currently, the four consorts were Consort Chen, Consort Shu, Consort Mei, and Consort Yu.

Consort Shu was cunning and difficult to deal with; Consort Chen’s brother was a general, making her untouchable; Consort Yu had strong connections within the harem. Only Consort Mei, who spent her days painting and writing poetry, had fallen out of the emperor’s favor...

"Consort Mei," Xie Fanglan murmured, malice flickering in her eyes. "Then it’s her I’ll remove, and I’ll take her place."

---

Inside Cining Palace, two seasoned imperial physicians examined Le You. After a thorough check, they confirmed she was healthy and unharmed.

Only then did the Empress Dowager relax slightly.

She instructed Nanny Qian, "From now on, Concubine Lan is forbidden from entering Cining Palace."

The Xie family, rotting from within, had become a parasite to the Great Qing Kingdom. The Empress Dowager had repeatedly urged the Xie elders to reform, but they clung to their greed, continuing their exploitative ways.

While the late emperor had tolerated it, the current sovereign would not. The Xie family’s downfall was inevitable.

The Empress Dowager had severed ties with them—she would no longer be their protector.

"All the servants assigned to Le You shall receive ten lashes," she added.

Le You was only four years old. That she had been pushed to the ground by Xie Fanglan, nearly injured, without a single attendant in sight, was a grave dereliction of duty.

Le You tugged at the Empress Dowager’s sleeve, her voice soft, "Imperial Grandmother, it’s not their fault. I ran too fast and didn’t watch where I was going—that’s why I bumped into that lady."

Seeing the servants punished for her sake pained her.

The Empress Dowager smiled, patting Le You’s plump cheek affectionately. "My dear, you are a princess of Great Qing. Kindness is good, but you must not be too kind."

Le ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍You blinked, confusion clouding her large eyes.

Meanwhile, in the study of Cining Palace, Li Chengyou chattered excitedly to his elder brother about Concubine Lan’s punishment.

After sipping his calming tea, Li Chengyou grinned. "Imperial Grandmother made that bad woman kneel outside and punished the servants who neglected Sister. Hehe, Imperial Grandmother is mighty!"

Beside him, Li Chengtai silently set down his book. Watching his oblivious younger brother, he sighed inwardly.

Sister Le You had only been back in the palace for two days before being bullied by a concubine.

The harem was fraught with danger.

Li Chengyou said cheerfully, "With Imperial Grandmother and Father Emperor around, no one dares to bully us!"

Li Chengtai’s face fell. "Can Imperial Grandmother protect us forever?"

Li Chengyou faltered, unable to answer.

Anxious, Li Chengtai picked up his book again. He couldn’t rely solely on the Empress Dowager’s protection—he had to grow stronger himself, to become a towering tree that could shelter his mother, sister, and brother.

---

That afternoon, De Shun and Eunuch Zhou arrived at Yongning Palace with a retinue of servants, bearing lavish gifts from the emperor.

Two large chests overflowed with gold, silver, jade, jewelry, fine silks, and precious fabrics.

Shen Wei couldn’t suppress her smile—she adored the emperor’s generosity.

After delivering the gifts, De Shun whispered to her, "Mistress, General Shen and the Yue Kingdom’s envoy will arrive in Yanjing in half a month. Aside from signing a peace treaty, they intend to seek a Qing princess for the Yue emperor’s bride."

Shen Wei’s brows lifted. "Has a princess been chosen?"

De Shun replied, "There’s only one princess of marriageable age in Great Qing."

Princess Zhaoyang, Li Ruoling.

However, the matter of the Yue emperor’s marriage had yet to be announced—Li Ruoling likely remained unaware.

De Shun continued, "The Yue Kingdom also plans to send a princess to the Qing State as a consort. However, the legitimate princess of Yue is still too young and will only be sent to the Qing State after three years."

Shen Wei silently noted this matter.

The two kingdoms were exchanging princesses for marriage alliances. In the future, when the Yue princess married into the Qing imperial family, she would at least hold the rank of a consort—perhaps even become a formidable figure to watch out for.