I heard that when the late emperor was still alive and the Prince of Qin was still the crown prince, he was quite famous in the court and among the people.
However, times have changed, and now everyone only knows the tyrannical and unpredictable King of Qin, but no longer knows the once highly praised young crown prince.
*
Back at Tingmei Pavilion, Shen Youying was about to rest when Fu Cui came to report that Consort Xiao had led a group of concubines to pay their respects.
Shen Youying then remembered that Xue Shen also had a concubine in the backyard.
As the matriarch of the household, this trip was unavoidable; she was bound to meet him sooner or later.
Shen Youying only wanted to live a peaceful life and didn't want to make things difficult for these concubines, so she sat down in the hall and said, "Please invite them in."
However, she ultimately underestimated the King of Qin's harem.
As the large group of women poured in, Shen Youying first smelled a fragrant breeze mixed with the scents of various spices, followed by a cacophony of greetings.
"Greetings to the Princess."
Shen Youying held her breath and looked around, but she couldn't count how many people there were.
There were so many that they almost filled the entire hall.
Shen Youying: ...
Why would someone who is clearly incapable bring so many concubines into the house?
Is this a case of supplementing what you lack?
Shen Youying glanced around and looked at the woman standing at the front. The woman was wearing a malachite green wide-sleeved shirt and a silver pleated skirt. Her hair was styled in a high bun, and she had a dignified demeanor. She must be Consort Xiao, who was leading the group.
"Bring a stool for Consort Xiao," Shen Youying instructed, then looked at the others: "I usually prefer quiet and don't like setting rules, so you don't need to come to pay your respects every day. If you have anything to say, just talk to Danzhu by my side."
Consort Xiao thanked her and said with a smile, "Your Highness is too kind, but we dare not slack off."
"I have come to pay my respects today for two reasons. First, I thought that the Princess Consort might have some instructions. Second, the Prince had not been married for a long time before, and I was in charge of the household affairs. But now that the Prince Consort has a wife, it would be inappropriate for me to continue managing the household affairs."
She has the gentle features of a woman from Jiangnan, with delicate features like distant mountains, and speaks softly, making it easy for people to feel close to her and develop a good impression of her.
"There's no rush to manage the household affairs. Since the Prince has entrusted you with this task, he must trust you." Shen Youying smiled at her. "Such a large manor must have many affairs to attend to. With you in charge, I can take a break."
Consort Xiao secretly observed her, unsure whether she was sincere or not.
In fact, Wang Deshun had already instructed her that she should manage the household affairs for the time being, and that it would not be too late to hand them over to the princess if she was found to be trustworthy in the future.
However, she couldn't help but want to test what kind of person the new queen was, so she couldn't help but persuade the other concubines to come and pay their respects together.
In retrospect, this princess was not only extremely beautiful, but also had an exceptionally good temperament.
A sense of sadness suddenly welled up in her heart.
"It is my blessing to have the trust of the Princess Consort." Consort Xiao lowered her eyes respectfully, carefully hiding the disappointment in them, and then introduced the concubines in the hall to Shen Youying.
Including Consort Xiao, the King of Qin has a total of sixteen concubines, which exceeds the standard of ten concubines for a prince.
These concubines included veterans like Consort Xiao, who had been bestowed upon the late Empress and served Prince Qin all along; there were also singing girls and female officials bestowed upon him by Emperor Cheng'an and Empress Zhou; and many more were beauties that Prince Qin had seized from Prince Chen.
Consort Xiao introduced them one by one: "This is Lady Wang, a dancer bestowed by the Emperor, skilled in Hu dance; this is Lady Chang, originally a trusted lady-in-waiting of the Empress, whom the Empress, pitying the Prince for having no one to care for him, specially bestowed upon her; and then there is Lady Liu..."
"Where is Lady Liu?" Consort Xiao paused, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.
The concubines immediately began whispering among themselves, gossiping amongst themselves.
Finally, Wang, who lived in the same courtyard as Liu, stepped forward and stammered, "Liu Niang said her stomach hurts..."
"Stomach ache? Is it serious? Should we call a doctor?" Consort Xiao asked with concern.
To everyone's surprise, when Madam Wang heard that a doctor needed to be called, she was so frightened that she knelt down and stammered, "I...I don't know. It would be better if the Princess and the Consort went to see for themselves."
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