Chapter 187 Concubine
"Shut up!"
Qi Wenyue raised her eyebrows and, instead of dropping the flower petals on the ground, threw them at the maid's face.
"I, this princess, will do whatever I want. It's fine if my father tries to control me, but who do you think you are?!"
The maid was startled and quickly knelt down, her voice trembling as she cried out:
"Please forgive me, Your Highness! I didn't mean it! Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
"snort!"
Qi Wenyue was already in no mood, and now she was even more annoyed:
"Kneel here until it gets dark!"
She kicked the maid, then turned and walked away in another direction.
"Thank you, Princess!"
But to her surprise, as soon as Qi Wenyue turned around, she ran into the person who bothered her the most.
The new concubine whom the king had just married, Lady Gu.
She was said to be the daughter of a merchant, and was related to Minister Xiao's rumored mistress, which is why the two looked very similar.
Her father is already so old, and apart from the concubines from more than twenty years ago, no new women have entered the household. Who would have thought that he would actually marry a concubine now!
Princess Consort Duan died in childbirth while giving birth to Qi Wenyue. Prince Duan never remarried, and there were no concubines in the mansion. Therefore, there had never been a mistress of the house, and all affairs were handled by the chief steward.
Now, a concubine named Gu has arrived. She is the rightful mistress of the house and can take charge of the household affairs.
"Princess, what a refined taste you have! You cruelly destroy flowers and punish servants. What a magnificent display of power and prestige!"
Consort Gu, though past her prime, still possessed a captivating charm. Her tender and affectionate eyes could melt the bones of any man standing before her.
But the only person opposite her was Qi Wenyue, and a nameless fire was burning fiercely in Qi Wenyue's heart.
"Don't think that just because you're now my father's concubine, I won't dare to touch you. If you dare to speak sarcastically in front of me, you'd better know your place."
She gritted her teeth, almost uttering the word "vixen" from her mind.
Her father deeply loved her mother and had remained chaste for many years, never visiting the courtyards of the concubines. She was also the only child in the household.
She didn't believe her father had willingly chosen to marry this Consort Gu. She was convinced that this shameless vixen surnamed Gu had seduced her father and forced him to marry her!
How could a merchant's daughter, by any means, gain entry into the inner court and become a legitimate concubine of a prince?! Who knows what methods she used!
"Why does the princess get so angry when she sees me? The princess is a grown woman of marriageable age, doesn't she have any tolerance for others?"
"Don't try to provoke me. You know what kind of person you are. Besides, my father will decide my marriage. It's not up to you, a stepmother, to interfere!"
She had only recently come of age when she overheard Consort Gu, who had just entered the palace, gossiping in her father's study, saying that she wanted to marry her off as soon as possible!
Qi Wenyue, who was already unhappy about Consort Gu entering the mansion, now showed her even less kindness.
Consort Gu affectedly covered her face with a handkerchief, feigning embarrassment and shyness.
"Oh dear, how can you keep bringing up marriage, Princess? How can you be so shameless? I didn't say anything at all!"
"you!"
"If the Prince knew, how disappointed he would be! He thought that after imprisoning the Princess for so many days, she would have reflected on her actions. Who knew... tsk tsk..."
Qi Wenyue's chest heaved violently with anger, wishing she could rush up and scratch off Consort Gu's hypocritical face.
She clenched her fists and glared fiercely at the other person:
"If Father King saw your face, he would finally have a complete epiphany and realize what kind of wretch he married!"
Consort Gu flicked her handkerchief and said, "Of course the Prince likes me this way, which is why he was willing to marry me. The Princess is still young, so it's normal that she doesn't understand."
What are you all arguing about?
At the end of the garden path, a middle-aged man with a full head of white hair and wearing a brocade robe suddenly emerged. He was tall, with pale lips and eyes as sharp as a hawk.
"Father!"
Qi Wenyue hurriedly ran over and approached Prince Duan.
"Father, you don't know, this Consort Gu, she—"
Before she could utter the accusation, she heard the fox spirit behind her bow softly and greet her:
"This humble servant greets Your Highness. Is Your Highness well?"
The tall and imposing Prince Duan had already passed her and walked up to the fox spirit, asking with concern:
"Why are you dressed so lightly? Have you been settling in well these past two days? Are the servants taking good care of you?"
Qi Wenyue turned around, raised her eyes to look at the two standing Prince Duan and Consort Gu, her eyes filled with disbelief and uncertainty.
"Father! What are you doing?! She's a vixen who sows discord! You've been deceived by her!"
She rushed up to the two men, her eyes filled with urgency, eager to expose Consort Gu's true colors to Prince Duan so that he could expel her from the palace as soon as possible.
"Yue'er! Do you know what you're saying? This is your stepmother. It's one thing to disrespect her, but how can you speak so rudely? You're becoming increasingly ill-mannered!"
Prince Duan looked at her sternly, his eyes filled with reproach and disappointment.
"What stepmother?! My mother only has your wife, Father! If my mother knew what you were doing, what would she think?"
Qi Wenyue opened her eyes wide in shock and saw the smug look in Consort Gu's eyes, which made her feel a chill in her heart.
"She's just a pretentious slut. She said she'd marry me off as soon as possible, and just now she arrogantly scolded me! Father, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
The seriousness on Prince Duan's face turned into anger.
He raised his hand, about to slap someone, but someone grabbed his sleeve.
"Your Highness!"
Consort Gu leaned against Prince Duan's arm like a little bird, her bright eyes filled with tears.
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Yue'er is still young. We'll teach her properly, and she'll be fine. Please don't hold a grudge against a child."
"I... I don't mind being criticized a few times. As long as she's happy, she can hit me or scold me..."
Qi Wenyue was furious. She had never seen such an absurd person before, and she cursed loudly, "Bitch!"
"Smack—"
The Prince Duan's slap was so powerful that it knocked Qi Wenyue to the ground, who was still clutching her face, not yet realizing what had happened.
"You disrespectful brat, how dare you insult Consort Gu?"
Qi Wenyue covered her cheek, stared blankly at the sky, and her ears rang for a while before she finally realized what Prince Duan had just said.
She was nearly overwhelmed by immense humiliation and anger.
What do you mean by being disrespectful? What do you mean by saying that Consort Gu is someone she can scold?
Isn't she her father's only and most beloved daughter? This vixen has only just entered the manor, a mere concubine, and she can't even complain about her?
"Father...have you gone mad? Were you serious about what you just said?"
When Prince Duan saw her like this, he showed no remorse or affection, only contempt and disgust.
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