Chapter 58
**Chapter 58: Is the Empress Harsh on the Princess of Yan?**
The princess trembled slightly, disbelief etched on her face as she looked at the Empress. “Mother…”
The Empress’s voice was authoritative. “Dantai Shuya, kneel!”
With her knees giving way, the princess fell to the ground. A wave of grievances washed over her; every visit to the Empress felt like a heavy burden pressing down on her.
She couldn’t understand why the Empress was always so harsh with her.
Just a few years ago, the Empress had treated her with kindness and compassion. But in the past two years, every time the Empress saw her, her expression was cold.
From her imposing throne in Kun Ning Palace, the Empress spoke icily, “As the mistress of the Yan Wang Fu, you are responsible for managing the inner court. A maidservant under your watch has been caught in an affair with a stableman and is now pregnant! Are you trying to invite ridicule upon the Yan Wang?”
“That Shen is favored by the Yan Wang and has been falsely accused of an affair. I can’t believe you can’t see the truth! Yet you deliberately turn a blind eye, attempting to ruin her!”
The princess felt as if her heart was being squeezed. She lowered her head, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears.
She knocked her head on the ground. “Mother, forgive me. It’s my fault. From now on, I won’t interfere in the conflicts among the concubines.”
Bang—
The Empress slammed her cup down, the fine Biluochun tea spilling everywhere, its fragrant aroma wafting through the air.
The palace maids and eunuchs around them were so frightened that they all knelt down.
The Empress, frustrated and disappointed, scolded, “You are the mistress! Managing the inner court is your duty. But do you even look like a mistress? You don’t care about the estate or the shops! Just a few days ago, you hosted a spring banquet and let an assassin slip in!
“Every day, you either chant scriptures in the Buddhist hall or force the children to study! Which mistress in Yan Jing behaves like you do?”
The princess kept her gaze down, silent.
She didn’t believe she had done anything wrong.
In other prominent families in Yan Jing, wives and concubines fought fiercely. Although there were minor disturbances in the Yan Wang Fu, overall, it remained peaceful.
Wasn’t it good that the wives and concubines appeared harmonious on the surface?
The Empress’s chest heaved with anger as she pointed at the princess, shouting, “You can’t even manage a small Yan Wang Fu! How can you… how can you…”
The rest of her words remained unspoken, trapped in her throat.
The princess, filled with grievances, defended herself, “Mother, I admit I haven’t managed the Wang Fu well, but I have raised Chengke and Chengzhen excellently.”
Mentioning the two children only fueled the Empress’s anger further. “The children wake up before dawn to study and stay up late memorizing texts. They fall ill frequently at such a young age! Is that what you call raising them well? Dantai Shuya, you will eventually harm those two children!”
The princess clenched her sleeves tightly.
The two children had started their education early and excelled at the Guozijian. She didn’t think she had done anything wrong.
The Empress didn’t want to see the princess’s foolish face any longer and ordered, “Go kneel in the outer hall. Think about where you went wrong. You can return to the Wang Fu only at noon.”
With tears in her eyes, the princess left the main hall, feeling bitter.
Inside, an old matron serving the Empress presented her with a bowl of medicinal soup. After drinking the bitter concoction, the Empress sighed, “I shouldn’t have chosen Dantai Shuya to be Yuanjing’s wife.”
The old matron comforted her, “Your Majesty, this is not your fault. You arranged everything for the Crown Prince and the Yan Wang; it’s just that you didn’t expect the Crown Prince’s health…”
The Empress raised two sons with different methods.
For the Crown Prince, Li Yuanchang, she nurtured him as the future heir, pouring all her efforts into his education, forcing him to study hard from a young age and learn to handle state affairs.
For her second son, Li Yuanjing, she viewed him as the Crown Prince’s support, giving him much less attention than she did to the Crown Prince. The Yan Wang had been well-rounded in both literature and martial arts since childhood, even training at the borders during his youth, growing up in a relatively relaxed environment, and maintaining good health.
The Empress also made different choices when selecting wives for her sons. The Crown Princess was carefully chosen, well-educated, and capable of managing the household, destined to become a virtuous Empress.
As for the Yan Wang’s wife, Dantai Shuya, she came from a prestigious family. The Empress hadn’t thoroughly investigated her character or her ability to manage a household before hastily marrying her to the Yan Wang. After all, a Wang Fei didn’t need to be selected with the same standards as a Crown Princess.
Everything had seemed to go smoothly until the Crown Prince, overburdened with studies in his youth, damaged his health, which had only worsened over time.
The imperial physician said the Crown Prince had at most three years left.
With the Crown Prince’s frail health, he couldn’t consummate his marriage, resulting in the Eastern Palace having no male heirs. Thus, the only one who could inherit the throne of the Da Qing Kingdom was the Yan Wang.
The more the Empress thought about it, the more her head ached. “Look at Dantai Shuya’s character—she’s oblivious to major issues and indifferent to minor ones, pushing the children to study relentlessly. She pretends to be aloof, yet she’s jealous of even the concubines. If she becomes Empress, how can she manage the inner court? How can she handle the conflicts between the former and current courts?”
Naturally, she couldn’t.
To enjoy the honor of being an Empress, one must also bear the corresponding responsibilities. No woman who becomes an Empress can afford to be lazy and indifferent.
In her position, she must govern.
The old matron gently massaged the Empress’s shoulders, patiently advising her, “Your Majesty, if you guide the princess a bit more, she will eventually understand your intentions.”
The Empress sighed, “If it weren’t for the fact that she has borne three children, I would have considered replacing her for Yuanjing. If she becomes Empress in the future, the inner court will be nothing like the Wang Fu; every woman there is a fierce beast.”
The lazy wives and concubines of the Yan Wang Fu would eventually be left with nothing in the treacherous inner court.
The Empress closed her eyes, her nose tinged with bitterness. “I owe Yuanjing even more… All these years, my thoughts have been on Yuanchang, and I haven’t given Yuanjing much love, yet I’ve placed the future of the Kingdom of Qing on his shoulders.”
Although the Yan Wang hadn’t mentioned it, the Empress could see that he deeply craved love.
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The Yan Wang envied his elder brother, the Crown Prince, for receiving all of their mother’s love; he also envied the bond between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, who supported each other.
The Yan Wang longed for someone who would love him without any ulterior motives, someone whose heart and mind were solely focused on him.
But, how could such a person exist in this world?
The Empress thought of that little maidservant in the Wang Fu. “The falsely accused Shen saved Zhaoyang once again during the hunting trip in Dongshan. I want to see her at Zhaoyang’s birthday banquet.”
The old matron replied, “Your Majesty, rest assured. Princess Zhaoyang is loyal and has already invited Shen to the birthday banquet.”
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Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
On that morning, Shen Wei was bent over the table in the water pavilion, brainstorming ideas for the opening of her ice drink shop. She had instructed Rong Momo to rent a street-facing shop in Yan Jing under her own name, and the renovations had been completed in the past two days.
All the materials for making ice drinks and desserts had been purchased.
Everything was ready; all that was left was to find a good manager for “Wei Xue Bing Cheng.”
Cai Ping rushed into the water pavilion, excitedly telling Shen Wei, “Master, I have news about Miss Ye! She arrived in Yan Jing last night and is currently staying at the Wang Shu Inn.”
The gossiping genius Cai Ping had already established a network of information within the Wang Fu, even bribing the maids around the princess.
In this world, there was nothing that money couldn’t accomplish.
As long as the price was right, one could even find out what color the Emperor’s long johns were tonight.
“Great!” Shen Wei put down her brush. “Cai Ping, tell Manager Fu Gui that I’m going out to visit relatives.”
“Got it!”
Shen Wei donned a white veil to conceal her face and discreetly boarded the carriage. After circling around Yan Jing, she arrived at the bustling Wang Shu Inn.
The Wang Shu Inn was always filled with guests, and the entrance was crowded with carriages. There were so many carriages that Shen Wei’s carriage couldn’t find a place to stop, so she had to get off and walk to the entrance.
“Not even a parking spot,” Shen Wei shook her head secretly. “If I were to open an inn, I would definitely plan for enough parking spaces.”
As this thought crossed her mind, the entrepreneurial Shen Wei suddenly felt a spark of inspiration. Yes, besides opening a dessert shop, she could also open a restaurant and inn.
The restaurant could sell desserts from “Wei Xue Bing Cheng,” creating a mutually beneficial relationship and expanding her brand’s visibility.
She quietly noted this idea down for future opportunities.
Shen Wei, accompanied by Rong Momo, entered the inn. Rong Momo was carrying a food box and whispered, “Master, I’ve already found out that Ye Qiushuang is staying in Room Tian No. 1. As you instructed, some matters from the Yan Wang Fu have been deliberately leaked into her ears.”
Shen Wei smiled. “Excellent, let’s go straight upstairs to find her.”
Rong Momo was surprised. “Are we going to knock on her door directly?”
Shen Wei chuckled lightly. “Yes, when recruiting new employees, sincerity is key.”
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