Chapter 144
**Chapter 144: Morning and Evening Greetings**
The princess had to admit that Shen Wei was putting a lot of pressure on her.
Liu Mama sighed and comforted the princess, “You are the legitimate second daughter of the Dantai family, the true matriarch. If the prince were to dismiss you, he would be at odds with the entire Dantai clan. Shen Wei is merely lucky to have a capable brother who has secured her position as a secondary consort, but she can never replace you.”
Shen Wei’s brother was just a newly appointed jinshi; the court had plenty of those.
The princess’s family was the Dantai clan, a prestigious family with deep-rooted influence spanning centuries. Prince Yan would never risk angering the Dantai family for Shen Wei.
Liu Mama even began to analyze confidently, “The prince is fickle. Right now, he dotes on Shen Wei, naturally protecting that little vixen. But when a new beauty enters the prince’s residence, his affections will shift, and Shen Wei will lose her favor. You will have plenty of ways to suppress her.”
The princess, her fingers gripping the prayer beads, fell into deep thought.
Eventually, she began to feel more at ease.
Men are all fickle; the prince cannot possibly love Shen Wei forever. One day, Shen Wei will surely fall from grace.
In the past, Liu Ru Yan and Liu Qiao Er were both once favored and basked in glory. But now, Liu Ru Yan wallows in self-pity, Liu Qiao Er stays shut away, and Zhang Miao Yu has grown plump from indulgence. They have all been worn down to dullness.
Liu Mama continued to belittle Shen Wei, “Moreover, that Shen has given birth to a useless daughter, while you, Your Highness, have two sensible sons by your side. In the future, when you become the matriarch of the prince’s residence, Shen Wei will have to look to you for her livelihood.”
The princess’s heart, which had been hanging in the balance, finally settled.
She clasped her hands together and bowed sincerely before the Buddha statue, “May the Bodhisattva bless me.”
After her devout bowing and incense burning, the princess stood up with Liu Mama’s help and gazed out at the clear sky.
The princess spoke slowly, “Since Shen Wei is now a secondary consort, according to the rules, she must perform morning and evening greetings.”
Morning and evening greetings refer to the practice where a concubine visits the main wife each morning to pay her respects and serves her at night.
In recent years, the princess had been busy attending to her two sons’ studies and found the daily greetings from the secondary consorts tedious, so she had exempted them from this practice.
Now that Shen Wei had been elevated to secondary consort, the princess planned to reinstate the neglected custom.
“Shall I inform Shen Wei right away?” Liu Mama asked eagerly.
The princess shook her head with a smile, “Let Shen Wei enjoy her moment of pride for a few days before we let her know she must come for her daily greetings.”
The princess wanted Shen Wei to understand that in the entire Prince Yan’s residence, she, Dantai Shu Ya, was the true mistress. No matter how favored Shen Wei became or how high her status, she would always be beneath the princess.
After the religious observance, the princess and Liu Mama went to the study to check on her sons’ studies. The maids from Kun Yu Courtyard entered the Buddhist hall quietly, methodically cleaning the dust and emptying the ash from the incense burner.
A plain-looking little maid carried the incense ashes out of Kun Yu Courtyard. As she walked, she turned back and bumped into Cai Ping in a corner of the garden.
The little maid reported honestly, “Sister Cai Ping, the princess said that in a few days, Shen Wei will have to perform morning and evening greetings.”
Cai Ping nodded, “I’ll pass that on to the mistress.”
Cai Ping pulled out a rather hefty pouch and skillfully stuffed it into the little maid’s hand. The little maid gratefully accepted it, clutching the incense burner tightly as she hurried away.
...
In the Liuli Pavilion, Shen Wei handed the imperial decree of her appointment to Rong Mama, instructing her to keep it safe.
Prince Yan was playing with the child in the cradle.
Little Le You was very fond of Prince Yan; upon seeing him, her eyes sparkled, and her chubby hands and feet waved excitedly, making cooing sounds.
Prince Yan’s heart melted.
He had many children, but only this little baby in the cradle was closest to him, relying on him completely. Being adored by his little daughter filled Prince Yan with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
“Are you happy about being made a secondary consort?” Prince Yan asked, a smile in his handsome eyes.
Shen Wei gazed at him with affection, her eyes crescent-shaped, “I am indeed happy. My brother has always been well-read and has just passed the imperial examination. If he can work under you, helping you with your troubles, it will make things easier for you, my lord.”
Prince Yan felt as if his heart had been gently brushed by a soft feather.
If it were any other woman suddenly elevated to secondary consort, she would surely be overjoyed. But for Shen Wei, her first thought was, “My brother can help Prince Yan with his troubles.”
This showed that, in Shen Wei’s heart, Prince Yan was the most important. She didn’t care about status; she only cared about whether Prince Yan was burdened.
Prince Yan took Shen Wei’s hand, speaking gently, “I’ll go meet Shen Xiu Ming first, and then I’ll let you two catch up.”
Shen Wei obediently nodded.
Prince Yan played with his daughter in the cradle a little longer before leaving the Liuli Pavilion. Once he was gone, Shen Wei’s expression gradually darkened as she instructed Cai Lian, “Change my clothes and do my hair.”
When meeting her brother, she couldn’t appear too ostentatious.
...
In the study of Prince Yan’s residence.
Shen Xiu Ming, dressed simply in a blue robe, stood patiently waiting in the small hall of the study. After a while, there was a sound from outside the moon gate—Prince Yan had arrived.
Shen Xiu Ming clenched his fists nervously.
Today, Prince Yan was wearing court attire, a solemn deep purple dragon robe, embroidered with intertwining gold and silver threads depicting dragon and cloud patterns. Prince Yan was tall and upright, his years of martial training giving him a steady stride.
Two tiger guards followed closely behind him, their sharp, discerning eyes revealing that they were not ordinary men.
“Commoner—this humble servant greets the prince.” Shen Xiu Ming’s heart raced; this was his first close encounter with Prince Yan, and his bow felt awkward.
Prince Yan nodded, his gaze sweeping over Shen Xiu Ming’s face. They truly resembled each other; Shen Xiu Ming bore a striking resemblance to Shen Wei.
Prince Yan got straight to the point, “Come into the study.”
Shen Xiu Ming’s hands, hidden in his sleeves, clenched and relaxed. Prince Yan was of noble birth, exuding an overwhelming presence, while his sister had always been timid and weak. Serving Prince Yan was like tending to a fierce tiger.
Ah, he felt for his sister.
Once inside the study, Prince Yan waved his long sleeves and took a commanding seat. “Sit.”
Shen Xiu Ming’s limbs felt stiff as he sat down in the chair on the left.
A maid served fragrant spring tea, its aroma delicate and rich.
Without beating around the bush, Prince Yan said, “Your essay ‘Anmin Ce’ for the palace examination was incisive and an excellent piece. As Shen Wei’s brother, you are well-educated, and I will certainly make use of you.”
Shen Xiu Ming straightened his neck, awkwardly cupping his hands, “This humble servant thanks the prince for your kindness.”
Prince Yan continued, “The position of magistrate of Yun County in Jiangnan is vacant. I plan to appoint you as the magistrate of Yun County for a few years of experience before bringing you back to the capital for official duties.”
Shen Xiu Ming’s eyes widened.
A first-class jinshi, the top scholar could be appointed to a sixth-rank official position, while the second and third place could be appointed to seventh-rank positions. First-class jinshi typically started as “Hanlin Academy editors,” which were nominal positions to gain experience. It would take years before they were assigned to positions with real power.
But Prince Yan was directly offering Shen Xiu Ming a position with authority!
Jiangnan, known as the land of fish and rice, was the granary of the court. The magistrate of Yun County was a seventh-rank official, wielding real power and with significant opportunities for promotion.
It could be said that Prince Yan held Shen Xiu Ming in very high regard.
“Your Highness, I... I...” Shen Xiu Ming stammered, unable to articulate a refusal.
Was Prince Yan valuing him so highly because of his sister?
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