Chapter 76
**Chapter 76: Lowering the Princess's Guard**
The princess scoffed, fiddling with the Buddhist beads on her wrist. “Even if Shen Wei gives birth, with her background, she can only be a secondary consort. Is she really going to become a side consort?”
The children of secondary consorts must be raised by the princess. At that time, the princess could deliberately employ some tricks to raise Shen Wei's son into a timid and weakling waste.
“Your Highness is wise,” Liu Mama said as she applied medicine to the princess, “but there’s another troublesome matter. Miss Ye from Jiangnan has sent word that she has sought refuge with her relatives in Yanjing and is unwilling to enter the royal residence as a concubine.”
The princess paused her fingers on the beads.
Ye Qiushuang actually refused to be a concubine?
A wave of frustration washed over the princess. She had originally planned to bring Ye Qiushuang into the royal residence during Shen Wei's pregnancy to disrupt Shen Wei's emotions.
Pregnant women are inherently emotionally fragile; watching the prince dote on other women would surely sadden Shen Wei, affecting the health of the child in her womb.
When it came time for delivery, it would undoubtedly be difficult.
The princess had used the same tactic against Liu Qiaor, the secondary consort, when she was pregnant. The result was that Liu Qiaor had a difficult labor, and her son still couldn’t speak to this day. Liu Qiaor’s health suffered, and it took her two full years to barely recover.
The princess shook her head lightly. “Since she doesn’t want to, I won’t force her. Liu Mama, go find a suitable girl—daughter of a minor official, a farmer, a merchant, or even a performer, but do not seek a girl from a prominent family.”
Though the reputation of the Yan Wang was cold and distant, he still held a high position, and many officials wanted to send their daughters to him.
The princess would not allow a girl from a prominent family into the royal residence, as it would threaten her own status.
Liu Mama nodded eagerly. “I’ll take care of it as soon as I return.”
The princess thought of Shen Wei’s glory today and smirked. “With the Empress’s favor and attention, if Shen Wei has any sense, she’ll find a way to cling to the Empress and strive to rise.”
...
When the carriage returned to the royal residence, the princess assisted Liu Mama back to the Kunyuyuan courtyard.
To her surprise, they found Shen Wei waiting at the entrance.
The sky had darkened, and the lanterns at the courtyard entrance were lit. Shen Wei wore a long gown of gilded purple, holding a palace lantern in one hand, with two heavy boxes behind her.
“Your servant pays her respects to the princess,” Shen Wei said, kneeling and lowering her gaze to the princess’s knees.
Noticing the princess’s uneven gait, Shen Wei pondered silently—had she been punished to kneel in the palace?
The relationship between the Empress and the princess seemed rather strained.
This was a good thing. With the Empress and the Yan Wangfei at odds, Shen Wei had an opportunity to exploit.
The princess hadn’t expected Shen Wei’s visit and raised an eyebrow. “You’re basking in glory today, pregnant and rewarded by the Empress. Shouldn’t you be resting in your quarters? What brings you here?”
Shen Wei’s frail body trembled slightly as she stammered, “I... I came to see the princess. I received many rewards today... I...”
She stuttered, struggling to finish a single sentence.
The princess’s tone grew impatient. “You should be happy about receiving rewards.”
Shen Wei shook her head in fear. “I was very happy when I received the rewards, but the more I thought about it after returning to the royal residence, the more uneasy I became. When I was little, my mother and I sold vegetables, and once I earned twenty coins, I hid them under my pillow at night, only to have them stolen. Now that I’ve received so much wealth, I can’t sleep for fear of it being stolen again... After thinking it over, I decided to hand all the rewards over to the princess for safekeeping.”
The princess was taken aback by her words, momentarily frozen in place.
Liu Mama beside her nearly burst into laughter.
Indeed, a country girl who had never seen the world—receiving a substantial reward from the Empress and fearing it would be stolen.
How laughable, how shortsighted.
The princess was also bewildered by Shen Wei’s absurd behavior. She had thought that with the Empress’s attention, Shen Wei would surely feel empowered and ride the wave of the Empress’s favor to rise higher.
But Shen Wei seemed to have never considered climbing aboard the Empress’s grand ship...
So foolish.
Today, Shen Wei was basking in glory, and the princess had felt a twinge of jealousy. But seeing Shen Wei’s pathetic demeanor, the princess couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
With Shen Wei’s narrow vision, even if she were given mountains of gold and silver, she wouldn’t be able to hold onto it.
The princess sighed, “The Yan Wangfu is heavily guarded; no one would dare steal the Empress’s rewards. Take the boxes back and keep them safe.”
Shen Wei clutched the palace lantern, hesitating. “But... but...”
The princess insisted, “It’s chilly at night. Go back and rest. If your child were to be lost at the entrance of my courtyard, where would I go to seek justice?”
Shen Wei had no choice but to lower her head reluctantly. “Then... fine. I’ll take the boxes back and buy some rat poison and insect repellent. I can’t let mice or bugs ruin the silk and jewelry.”
Shen Wei instructed Rong Mama and the others to carry the boxes back to the Liuli Pavilion.
The princess watched Shen Wei leave from the courtyard entrance, filled with confusion—how could the unparalleled prince be interested in such a shortsighted, empty-headed woman?
Could it be that the prince preferred this type?
After a moment of thought, the princess instructed Liu Mama, “The new concubine you seek shouldn’t be too clever. It’s best if she’s dull, simple, and has a narrow view of the world.”
Liu Mama smiled. “Your Highness, I understand your meaning.”
Finding a replacement similar to Shen Wei would be easy.
...
Shen Wei returned to the Liuli Pavilion with the two heavy boxes.
She personally supervised as Rong Mama placed the boxes back in her little treasury. Looking at the increasingly full treasury, a happy smile spread across Shen Wei’s face.
Having money felt wonderful.
“Master, why did you want to take the boxes to the princess?” Rong Mama couldn’t understand.
Shen Wei took a sip of sour citrus water and replied leisurely, “To lower the princess’s guard.”
The princess looked down on her, not taking her seriously, and Shen Wei intended to exploit that psychology.
The princess’s disdain was something Shen Wei understood. It was like telling the billionaire Jack Ma that a farmer in a village had opened a supermarket that could threaten his vast business empire—would Jack Ma even pay attention?
People never concern themselves with the threats posed by ants.
At least for now, in the princess’s eyes, Shen Wei was an ant. Shen Wei’s existence posed no threat to the princess’s status.
Shen Wei smiled lightly.
“I need to establish my footing in the royal residence before the princess wakes up to the truth.”
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