The princess consort trembled slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at the empress. "Mother Empress..."
The empress's voice was stern and commanding. "Tantai Shuya, kneel down!"
The princess consort's legs gave way, and she fell to her knees with a thud. Her heart was heavy with grievances. Every time she came to the empress, she felt an overwhelming pressure.
She couldn't understand why the empress was always so harsh toward her.
A few years ago, the empress had been kind and gentle. But in the past two years, every time the empress saw her, there was nothing but coldness in her expression.
Seated on the grand throne of Kunning Palace, the empress spoke coldly, "As the mistress of Prince Yan's Mansion, you are responsible for managing the household. Yet, under your watch, a concubine has been having an affair with a stable hand and even became pregnant! Do you want all of Yanjing to mock Prince Yan?"
"That concubine, Shen Wei, has won Prince Yan's favor. She was falsely accused of adultery, and I don't believe you couldn't see through the scheme! Yet you turned a blind eye, trying to condemn her to death!"
The princess consort's heart felt as if it were being squeezed. She lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes.
She kowtowed. "Mother Empress, please forgive me. It is my fault. From now on, I will not interfere in the conflicts between the concubines."
Bang—
The empress slammed her teacup onto the table, scattering the fine Biluochun tea leaves across the floor. The fragrant aroma of tea filled the air.
The maids and eunuchs in the room trembled and fell to their knees.
The empress was furious, her voice filled with disappointment. "You are the mistress of the household. Managing the inner affairs is your duty. But do you even resemble a mistress now? You ignore the estate's lands and shops! The other day, during the spring banquet, you even allowed assassins to sneak in!
"Every day, you either chant sutras in the prayer hall or force the children to study relentlessly! What kind of household mistress in Yanjing behaves as incompetently as you?"
The princess consort lowered her gaze, remaining silent.
She didn't believe she had done anything wrong.
In other noble families of Yanjing, wives and concubines fought tooth and nail. Although there were minor disputes in Prince Yan's Mansion, overall, it was peaceful.
Wasn't it good for the wives and concubines to appear harmonious on the surface?
The empress's chest heaved with anger as she pointed at the princess consort and scolded, "You can't even manage a small household like Prince Yan's Mansion. How will you... how will you..."
She couldn't finish her sentence.
The princess consort, filled with resentment, defended herself, "Mother Empress, I may not have managed the household well, but I have raised Chengke and Chengzhen excellently."
Mentioning the children only made the empress angrier. "The children wake up before dawn to study and stay up late memorizing texts. At such a young age, they fall ill every now and then. Is that what you call raising them well? Tantai Shuya, you will ruin those children sooner or later!"
The princess consort clenched her sleeves tightly.
The two children had started their education early and were at the top of their class at the Imperial Academy. She didn't believe she had done anything wrong.
The empress couldn't bear to look at the princess consort's foolish face any longer. She ordered, "Go to the outer hall and kneel. Reflect on your mistakes. You are not allowed to return to Prince Yan's Mansion until noon."
Tears welled up in the princess consort's eyes as she left the main hall, her heart filled with bitterness.
Inside the hall, an old maidservant served the empress a bowl of medicinal soup. After drinking the bitter concoction, the empress sighed deeply. "I should never have chosen Tantai Shuya as Yuanjing's wife."
The old maidservant comforted her, "Your Majesty, it is not your fault. You arranged everything for the crown prince and Prince Yan. It's just that no one could have foreseen the crown prince's health..."
The empress had raised her two sons differently.
For the crown prince, Li Yuanchang, she had prepared him to be the future ruler, pouring all her efforts into his education and training him to handle state affairs from a young age.
For her second son, Li Yuanjing, she had raised him to be the crown prince's right-hand man, showing him far less affection. Prince Yan had been trained in both literature and martial arts and had even been sent to the border for experience. His upbringing had been relatively relaxed, and he was in good health.
The empress had also chosen their wives differently. The crown prince's wife had been carefully selected—a well-educated and capable woman who would be a virtuous empress in the future.
Prince Yan's wife, Tantai Shuya, came from a noble family. The empress hadn't thoroughly examined her character or management skills before hastily arranging the marriage. After all, a princess consort didn't need to meet the same standards as a crown princess.
Everything had been going smoothly until the crown prince's health began to decline due to overstudying in his childhood.
The imperial physicians said he had at most three years left.
The crown prince's weak health prevented him from consummating his marriage, leaving the Eastern Palace without a male heir. As a result, the future of the Great Qing Kingdom would fall on Prince Yan's shoulders.
The empress felt a headache coming on. "Look at Tantai Shuya's character—indifferent to major matters, neglectful of minor ones, and pushing the children to study to death. She pretends to be as pure as a chrysanthemum, but secretly, she's jealous of even a concubine. If she becomes the empress in the future, how will she manage the harem? How will she handle the conflicts between the court and the inner palace?"
She wouldn't be able to.
To enjoy the honor of being the empress, one must fulfill the corresponding responsibilities. No woman who becomes empress can afford to be lazy or indifferent.
The old maidservant massaged the empress's shoulders and patiently advised her, "Your Majesty, if you guide the princess consort 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 having Yuanjing divorce her. If she becomes empress in the future, the harem will be far more treacherous than the inner household of Prince Yan's Mansion. Every woman there is a predator."
The lazy and indifferent wives and concubines of Prince Yan's Mansion would be torn to pieces in the scheming harem.
The empress closed her eyes, her nose tingling with sadness. "I have wronged Yuanjing... All these years, my focus has been on Yuanchang. I didn't give Yuanjing enough love, yet I've placed the future of the Great Qing Kingdom on his shoulders."
Although Prince Yan hadn't said it, the empress could see that he craved love deep down.
Prince Yan envied his elder brother, the crown prince, for receiving all their mother's affection. He also envied the crown prince and his wife for their loving and supportive relationship.
Prince Yan longed for someone who loved him unconditionally, without any ulterior motives.
But could such a person exist in this world?
The empress thought of the concubine in Prince Yan's Mansion. "Shen Wei, who was falsely accused, saved Zhao Yang again during the Eastern Mountain hunt. I want to see her at Zhao Yang's birthday banquet."
The old maidservant replied, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Princess Zhao Yang is deeply loyal and has already invited Shen Wei to the banquet."
...
...
Time flew by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.
That morning, Shen Wei was leaning over a desk in the pavilion, brainstorming ideas for the opening of her ice dessert shop. She had asked Nanny Rong to rent a storefront in Yanjing under her personal name, and the shop had been renovated over the past two days.
All the ingredients for making ice desserts had been purchased.
Everything was ready except for a capable manager to run "Wei Xue Bing Cheng."
Cai Ping hurried into the pavilion and informed Shen Wei, "Mistress, there's news about Miss Ye. She arrived in Yanjing last night and is staying at the Wangshu Inn."
Cai Ping, the gossip prodigy, had already established a network of informants within Prince Yan's Mansion, even bribing some of the princess consort's maids.
In this world, there was nothing money couldn't achieve.
With enough money, one could even find out what color the emperor's long johns were tonight.
"Good," Shen Wei put down her brush. "Cai Ping, inform Steward Fu Gui that I need to leave the mansion to visit relatives."
Cai Ping replied, "Got it!"
Shen Wei put on a white veil to conceal her face and discreetly boarded a carriage. After circling Yanjing, she arrived at the bustling Wangshu Inn.
The Wangshu Inn was always crowded, with carriages packed at the entrance. There was no space for Shen Wei's carriage to stop, so she had to get out and walk to the entrance.
"Not even a parking spot," Shen Wei thought to herself, shaking her head. "If I were to open an inn, I would definitely plan for enough parking space."
As soon as the idea crossed her mind, Shen Wei, the entrepreneurial genius, felt a surge of inspiration. Yes, besides opening a dessert shop, she could also open a restaurant or inn.
The restaurant could sell "Wei Xue Bing Cheng" desserts, creating a mutually beneficial partnership and boosting brand awareness.
She quietly noted the idea for future implementation.
Shen Wei entered the inn with Nanny Rong, who carried a food box. Nanny Rong whispered, "Mistress, I've already found out that Ye Qiushuang is staying in Room Tianzi No. 1. As per your instructions, some rumors about the inner affairs of Prince Yan's Mansion have already reached her ears."
Shen Wei smiled. "Excellent. Let's go straight upstairs to meet her."
Nanny Rong was surprised. "Are we going to approach her directly?"
Shen Wei chuckled. "Yes, when recruiting new talent, sincerity is key."
