A Concubine's Competitive Life in the Prince's Household-Chapter 169

Shen Wei was about to rise to greet her when Nanny Qian’s cheerful voice rang out from outside the room: "Concubine Shen, please don’t trouble yourself to stand! This old servant has come by the Empress’s decree to deliver some medicinal tonics for your pregnancy."

Her voice arrived before she did.

Nanny Qian entered the room, followed by two senior palace maids, their faces beaming with joy. In the courtyard, eunuchs carried in a heavy chest filled with the Empress’s lavish gifts—mostly precious medicines for stabilizing the pregnancy and nourishing the body.

Approaching the bedside, Nanny Qian smiled warmly and said, "Concubine Shen, you need only focus on resting and ensuring this pregnancy progresses smoothly. There’s no need to worry about anything else. Her Majesty has appointed two highly experienced imperial physicians to examine you every five days."

"Regarding the affairs of the estate, the Empress fears you may be overburdened. She has specially dispatched two seasoned matrons to assist in managing the household until your child is safely delivered."

The Empress’s arrangements were thorough, and Shen Wei felt deeply grateful. She nodded gently. "Thank you, Nanny Qian. Please convey my gratitude to Her Majesty."

Having fulfilled her duty, Nanny Qian did not linger. Shen Wei instructed Cai Lian to escort her out. Cai Lian, ever meticulous, discreetly handed out thickly stuffed pouches to each of the eunuchs and maids who had delivered the Empress’s gifts.

The Empress and Prince Yan placed great importance on Shen Wei’s pregnancy. A steady stream of nourishing delicacies flowed into Liuli Pavilion, and the imperial physicians attended to her with the utmost care.

Shen Wei rested peacefully for some time, ensuring the child in her womb remained stable. The authority over the household remained firmly in her hands, undiminished.

She even found time to check on the profits from her newly opened dessert shop in the capital. Meanwhile, the fertile fields in the southern hills, managed by her elder sister Shen Qiang, showed promising signs of a bountiful harvest.

Thus, the days passed smoothly and uneventfully.

...

As the sweltering summer faded, the leaves in the prince’s garden began to yellow. Day by day, the wind stripped the trees bare, and the air grew colder.

In Kunyu Courtyard, the ground was littered with withered leaves. Maids swept them away with brooms, undisturbed by the sudden sound of shattering porcelain from the prayer hall.

"Crash—"

The maids, long accustomed to such noises, continued sweeping without pause.

Inside the prayer hall, the princess consort shoved Granny Liu aside, her face twisted with fury. "Tomorrow is Cheng Zhen’s birthday! I am his mother—why can’t I see him?"

Granny Liu staggered, nearly falling. Clenching her teeth, she replied patiently, "My lady, Young Master Cheng Zhen will come to Kunyu Courtyard tomorrow to share a meal with you. There’s no need for you to leave. You need only wait for his arrival."

The princess consort’s eyes reddened with rage. "Coming to visit me here? How is that any different from prisoners receiving visitors in a jail cell?"

Granny Liu remained silent.

The Empress had pinned her hopes on Shen Wei’s pregnancy. Prince Yan’s existing sons—the weak and ineffectual legitimate heir and the timid, frail illegitimate ones—had all been rendered useless.

If Shen Wei bore a son, raised by her clever guidance and the Empress’s nurturing, the boy’s future would be boundless.

The Empress also knew the princess consort’s vicious nature. To eliminate any threat, she replaced all the maids in Kunyu Courtyard with her own spies.

Now, the princess consort had only Granny Liu as her sole confidante. The other maids were all the Empress’s eyes and ears, watching her every move to prevent any schemes.

"Her Majesty has such a cruel heart. If she despises me as her daughter-in-law, why not depose me outright? Must I suffer day after day in this torment?" The princess consort collapsed onto the prayer mat, tears streaming uncontrollably.

She recalled the agonizing months past—how she had become a prisoner within her own home. Day and night, she chanted Buddhist sutras, yet the merciful Bodhisattva merely watched as she suffered.

When she ordered Granny Liu to slip an abortifacient into Shen Wei’s medicine, the old woman fell to her knees, begging for mercy but refusing to act.

The courtyard maids, all the Empress’s spies, monitored her relentlessly. When she sought help from her family, even her doting mother and siblings turned a cold shoulder.

Now, she was barred from seeing her own son. Kneeling before the Bodhisattva statue, tears fell as she lamented, "If you truly have power, help me... Let that vile Shen Wei and her unborn child perish. Let all who stand in my way meet wretched ends..."

Granny Liu lowered her gaze, pretending not to hear.

The prayer hall was silent, save for the curling incense smoke. Suddenly, the princess consort recalled Prince Heng’s words:

"If Second Brother were to meet an untimely end, my two nephews would inherit his title."

Her fingers tightened around her prayer beads. A dark thought took root: If Shen Wei’s pregnancy fails, and Prince Yan dies unexpectedly...

Even ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍if the Empress interfered, a lordless estate would inevitably fall into the hands of her sons.

Her eyes gleamed with malice. Outside, a young maid sweeping the courtyard paused, casting a meaningful glance toward the prayer hall.

...

...

Early winter approached, and the days grew colder.

Shen Wei’s pregnancy had reached five months, and under the imperial physicians’ meticulous care, the child was thriving.

Pregnant women couldn’t remain bedridden all day—light exercise was necessary. So, bundled in thick winter robes and a fur-lined cloak, her hands warmed by a heated pouch, Shen Wei set out for South Garrison Marquis's Mansion with two maids and two guards.

The grand gates of the marquis’s estate were adorned with festive red silk.

As Shen Wei stepped down from the carriage, supported by Cai Lian, Sun Qingmei hurried out to greet her. "Lady Shen, the weather is so cold today—you needn’t have come in person to deliver the flowers! A simple message, and I would have gone to the estate to fetch them myself."

Shen Wei smiled. "The physicians advised me to walk daily. Visiting your home counts as exercise. Tell me, Lady Sun, do these marigolds suit your needs?"

The maids carried out two pots of marigolds from the carriage, their blossoms vibrant as the dawn.

The marquis’s elderly mother was celebrating her birthday the next day. She adored marigolds, but winter’s arrival had withered most blooms.

Upon learning that Shen Wei had nurtured two flourishing pots in a thatched greenhouse, Sun Qingmei had written to request them.

Shen Wei had come to deliver them personally.

"Place them in the heated pavilion," Shen Wei instructed. "They should bloom tomorrow, but keep the maids vigilant—no cold drafts must reach them."

Sun Qingmei clasped her hands in gratitude. "Lady Shen, please come inside and warm yourself with a bowl of snow frog and red date soup."

She led Shen Wei into the estate. Servants bustled about, preparing for the grand celebration the next day. Every task proceeded with flawless order—not a single misstep in sight.

The South Garrison Marquis's Mansion was a bustling household. The late Old Marquis had three younger brothers, and with all four branches of the family crammed under one roof—wives, concubines, children, and servants packed together—trivial matters tangled like a knotted thread, impossible to sort out.

That Sun Qingmei could manage such a vast estate with such impeccable order spoke volumes of her remarkable capability.

Outside, the weather was bitterly cold, but the warmth of the heated chamber was a comfort. Sun Qingmei personally poured Shen Wei a steaming bowl of red date and snow frog soup.

The rich aroma of the soup filled the air, and just as Shen Wei was about to take a sip to ward off the chill, hurried footsteps suddenly pattered outside. The steward of the Marquis's Mansion rushed in, his face alight with excitement as he announced to Sun Qingmei:

"Madam, joyous news! The Marquis has returned to the capital!"