Professional Ethics of a Concubine

(If you don’t want to read about Prince Su and his beautiful mother, just jump to the end of this chapter. If you like it, feel free to read it and treat it as a side story.)

"Go!" Prince Su waved his hand and asked Eunuch Zhang to pick him up. However, before Eunuch Zhang turned around and left, Prince Su stopped him again.

"I will go and fetch him back myself."

When two armies are facing each other and conquering cities, one needs to have unexpected strategies, but one must also be cautious. He has done so much and is about to capture the enemy, so he cannot fail at this last step.

It would be safer for him to go in person, so that he can smooth over any troubles.

Eunuch Zhang hesitated for a moment but still did not speak to persuade the prince. The prince just wanted to give face to a woman, so he should just give it to her.

What a big deal!

For the other women in the harem, this matter is more serious than anything else.

Except for the Princess Su, the two concubines in the palace did not have the privilege of being picked up by Prince Su, not to mention the other women, who were all carried in a sedan chair.

Knowing that Prince Su was going to bring the girl back personally, not only was Princess Su extremely jealous, but the other women couldn't sit still either.

Is this going to be a concubine? Is this going to be a favorite concubine?

Not only did Prince Su go to greet him in person, he even got angry before leaving, complaining that there was not a single festive red brocade garment in his wardrobe. All the clothes were either black, blue or green, and looked old-fashioned.

Eunuch Zhang,...

It's really scary for a man to suddenly start to get horny at this age.

Alas, he no longer has this worry.

-

Ye Mansion.

Ye Yongyuan had been feeling restless since he got up in the morning. He had mixed feelings and was confused. He felt that everything he did was wrong.

Want to decorate with lights?

Inappropriate or inappropriate.

I have never seen a man happily sending his ex-wife off to marry. At most, he would shamelessly give his wife away secretly to the powerful and wealthy, and he would always cover it up.

I don’t want to hang anything, but it seems too plain and I’m afraid the prince will blame me.

I'm in a dilemma and feel so uncomfortable.

Looking at Mu Nianqiu again, she was still wearing a green skirt with a white jade hairpin on her head. It was simple... really pretty, but not festive!

I wanted to persuade her to change into red clothes, but I opened my mouth again and again but couldn't open it.

What did this persuasion mean? Forcing the ex-wife to happily marry? It's so uncomfortable!

Ye Yongyuan was like an ant on the hot pan, paced back and forth, Ye Junfeng and Ye Junyi were also a little anxious and uneasy, looking very unhappy.

Mu Nianqiu was not affected at all. After getting up, washing and eating, she began to do morning lessons. She was so immersed in it that she even forgot that she was going to the palace today.

After finishing her morning prayers, she began to copy Buddhist scriptures with a pious heart to pray for King Su, hoping to eliminate his sins and avoid disasters and accumulate merits.

When Prince Su brought his men to the Ye Mansion, Mu Nianqiu was copying Buddhist scriptures in the house.

Ye Yongyuan, Ye Junfeng and others felt different emotions when they saw the prince coming in person, but they all tried hard to smile and greet him.

"Where is she?" Prince Su asked in a deep voice. As soon as he opened his mouth, there was a sense of aggression, and people who heard it couldn't help but feel scared.

Facing such a Prince Su, Ye Yongyuan's calves were shaking and he was extremely panicked. All he could think about was that fortunately Prince Su listened to the advice, was knowledgeable and cooperated with the prince perfectly, so he would not die.

"Your Highness, my mother is copying Buddhist scriptures in her room." Ye Junfeng said.

"Lead the way." said Prince Su.

Ye Junfeng did not go by himself, but asked the servants in the mansion to lead the way. Even when his younger brothers wanted to follow, they were stopped by him.

It's really inappropriate.

Ye Yongyuan had no intention of following.

Out of sight, out of mind. Putting himself in the prince's shoes, he simply went back to his room and stopped causing trouble for the prince.

Prince Su brought Eunuch Zhang and the servants to Mu Nianqiu's door.

Prince Su walked forward and pushed open the door. He saw Mu Nianqiu sitting quietly at the table, concentrating on copying Buddhist scriptures. His anxious heart suddenly calmed down.

The person didn't run away, it's yours.

Mu Nianqiu heard the noise and turned to look at the door. Seeing that it was Prince Su, he blinked slightly in surprise, then regained his composure, put down his pen, stood up, and saluted him.

"The prince is here."

"What are you doing?" Prince Su approached her and made small talk.

"Copy the Buddhist scriptures and pray for the prince." Mu Nianqiu said, arranging the papers on the table, "I haven't finished copying today, take the rest to the palace to copy."

“…Okay.” Prince Su held it in for a long time and could only utter this word.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I still need to sort out my personal belongings." After Mu Nianqiu had put the papers on the table in order, she said to King Su.

Prince Su stopped talking and simply sat on her bed, staring at her cold and beautiful face. He found it pleasing to watch her packing her things.

"Why is there no maid to serve you?" asked Prince Su.

"I'm used to doing these things myself." Mu Nianqiu said calmly.

Prince Su thought that she had been locked up in the family temple for twelve years, so naturally there was no one to take care of her and her life must have been hard.

"Do you blame me for letting you into the palace?" Prince Su asked again.

"I was resentful at first, and even thought about dying." Mu Nianqiu looked at Prince Su with a calm look in his eyes, until he started talking about his daughter, his tone was filled with some joy.

"Qingzhi advised me to look at this issue from a different perspective. The prince has fought for the Great Zhao for twenty years and protected the people, but he has also committed sins. I should also do my part to recite sutras and pray for the prince to eliminate his sins and bring him more blessings and longevity."

Prince Su: "...Very good!"

Unexplained toothache.

Although it was different from what he thought, so what? He should catch the man first.

-

Mu Nianqiu packed his clothes, said goodbye to Ye Junfeng and the others, and followed Prince Su back to the palace.

"This will be your residence from now on. If you have any dissatisfaction, tell Zhang Dequan." Prince Su brought people into Tingyu Pavilion and said to Mu Nianqiu.

Eunuch Zhang immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "Concubine Mu, if you have any request, just tell me and I will do it for you."

Mu Nianqiu responded, and then said to Prince Su, "Prince, I have a favor to ask of you."

"You say." Prince Su felt his blood rushing to his head for some unknown reason, and he became a little excited.

"I am stupid and cannot see through other people's evil intentions. If I am not protected by the prince in this palace, I am afraid I will suffer some torture, or even my life will be in danger.

Your Majesty cannot be in the palace all the time, so please give me two useful hands."

Mu Nianqiu frowned slightly and said with some concern.

"You don't need to ask for this. I have already prepared some men for you. They will only listen to my orders and will definitely put your safety first."

Prince Su smiled immediately. He liked her more and more as he looked at her beautiful appearance. Her straightforward and transparent personality was also very pleasing.

I couldn't help myself and held her hand first. Seeing that she didn't object, I simply took her hand and sat on the edge of the bed.

Eunuch Zhang left with great foresight.

"Any other requests?" Prince Su asked, holding her hand.

"I am used to a life of seclusion and only want to chant sutras and pray for the prince. I don't want to pay respects to the princess every day, nor do I want to interact with other women in the mansion. Is that okay?"

Mu Nianqiu tried his best to ignore the rough and warm hands holding him, thought carefully, and then spoke again.

Prince Su kneaded the calluses on her hands from copying Buddhist scriptures for many years, and said nonchalantly, "It's no big deal, it's okay."

Mu Nianqiu stared at the two people's clasped hands in silence for a moment, and then thought of what his daughter said about being sincere to the prince, and then he said,

"Your Highness will know later that I am really boring and I will not serve you in bed.

When the prince gets tired of me, he can send me to the temple. I don’t want to stay in the palace, is that ok?”

"Don't say that. You are very good at pleasing me." Prince Su looked at the sky outside and suppressed his anger.

"I have asked someone to find a chef who is good at making vegetarian dishes. You can try it later to see if it suits your taste."

"I am not picky." Mu Nianqiu said, then paused and said,

"Thank you, Your Highness, for being so attentive to me. I have no way to repay you, so I can only pray for you even more attentively.

"Your Majesty, can you let go of my hand and let me finish copying the Buddhist scriptures today?"

"...Don't be in a hurry." Prince Su was still reluctant to let go.

Mu Nianqiu looked at him quietly, and then Prince Su let go.

Mu Nianqiu was copying Buddhist scriptures. Prince Su stared at her for a while and asked Eunuch Zhang to take over his official business.

The two of them were sitting at a big table, each doing their own thing, and there was a sense of peace and tranquility in their hearts.

After lunch, when she had digested the food a little, Mu Nianqiu felt a little sleepy and kept yawning with her hands covering her mouth. She was used to getting up early and taking a nap.

"Go to bed and get some sleep." Prince Su said.

Mu Nianqiu looked at him without moving, and his cold and distant voice was filled with weariness, "Does Your Majesty want to join us?"

"Are you willing?" Prince Su asked in a hoarse voice.

Mu Nianqiu nodded, took the initiative to approach him and undress him, "Let's lie down together and sleep for a while, and then serve the prince in the evening, okay? Doing that during the day makes me feel a little uncomfortable, and I'm afraid it will spoil the prince's mood."

"...Okay." Prince Su felt an inexplicable toothache again.

This cold look and this official tone made him want to pull her down from the altar even more, to imbue her with his scent and turn her into a charming person.

Prince Su hugged her, smelled the sandalwood on her body, and suppressed his restless thoughts.

Really terrible!

-

Prince Su originally thought that it would be difficult for him to fall asleep while guarding the beauty he wanted to eat so much. But as he looked at her, his restless heart calmed down and he fell asleep.

After waking up from a nap and washing up, Mu Nianqiu continued to copy Buddhist scriptures while Prince Su went to the Ministry of War to handle affairs.

When Prince Su came back from the Ministry of War, it was already late. After returning to the palace, he went straight to Tingyu Pavilion to find Mu Nianqiu.

"Your Highness, are you ready for dinner? I haven't waited for you, Your Highness, and have already eaten." Mu Nianqiu stood up to greet him.

"I've eaten at the Ministry of War." Prince Su stared at her with fiery eyes, "Do you want to settle her?"

Mu Nianqiu slightly avoided his scorching gaze, lowered her head and said meekly, "Then I will help the prince undress."

After taking off his shirt, Mu Nianqiu was stunned when he saw the criss-crossing scars on Prince Su's body.

"Are you scared?" Prince Su stared at her and asked.

His princess was most disgusted by his ugly scars.

Even though she said she didn't dislike him and said she felt sorry for him, he could clearly see the disgust in her eyes.

She wanted him to stay overnight because of her face, not because of him as a person.

As for the other women in the mansion, it’s better not to talk about them. They are boring.

"It's a bit scary." Mu Nianqiu nodded blankly.

Prince Su's eyes deepened slightly, and his aura became a little scary.

However, soon, Mu Nianqiu reached out his hand and carefully stroked the scar on his body, with a hint of compassion in his cold voice.

"I have always felt that the prince is a royal noble, high and mighty, and can do whatever he wants.

Although I know that the prince has been fighting wars for years and that you have been guarding the country and protecting the people, I am a woman after all. I have never seen the bloodiness of war and cannot imagine it.

Now, seeing the scars on the prince's body, I am deeply shocked. I realized that no matter how noble the prince's status is, he is just flesh and blood!

The wounds on your body are for the people of Great Zhao, they are merits and virtues, I do not think it is ugly. "

Prince Su couldn't bear to hear her say that, his heart started pounding.

However, he could not stand Mu Nianqiu's compassionate look even more.

What he wanted was not her compassion and sympathy, nor her kind heart.

Prince Su picked her up and walked towards the bed.

Placing the elegant and refined girl on the bed, Prince Su slowly pressed on her and whispered in her ear,

"Bodhisattva, I have committed many sins, please save me."

Mu Nianqiu,...

-

Prince Su gave himself two days off, which could be considered a wedding leave.

He didn't go to the morning court, nor did he go to the Ministry of War. When the emperor summoned him to the palace, he directly refused.

Although he had two days off and although he had been with Mu Nianqiu the whole time, the dirty thoughts in Prince Su's mind could not always be fulfilled.

Even if he wanted to during the day, Mu Nianqiu would not cooperate.

Even if you sacrifice your life to save others, you won’t do it this way.

Even at night, Mu Nianqiu couldn't stand it.

Thinking of what Prince Su did to her, Mu Nianqiu felt that the married life she had experienced before was fake.

Even though she had already given birth to three children, it was the first time she understood... that this kind of thing could be done this way, with such joy, and not all pain.

Mu Nianqiu turned the Buddhist beads, calmed down to do his morning prayers, and stopped thinking about these things.

Her evening class had been forced to be cancelled, and if she didn't concentrate during the morning class, even Buddha would blame her.

-

Jiangyang Marquis Mansion.

When Ye Qingzhi learned from Xie Jin that Prince Su had not attended the morning court for two days because of his mother and even the emperor refused to see him, she remained silent.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and mothers have their own blessings.

The old house of Prince Su was on fire and the fire was burning so fiercely that it was useless for her to worry. She could only walk and watch.

During these two days, Ye Qingzhi was not idle. With the help of several accountants sent by the Ye family, she also worked personally, and the pile of old accounts were finally settled.

Ye Qingzhi took the sorted account book information to report to the lady.

But when the lady saw her, she did not ask about the account book first, but asked her,

"It's rumored that Prince Su married a concubine named Mu Shufei and doted on her very much. Is that concubine Mu Shufei really your mother?"

"Yes." Ye Qingzhi said lightly, with an awkward but polite smile.

She didn't want to chat about personal gossip with her wife during working hours, which was a taboo in the workplace.

Work is work, private matters are private matters.

Even if you get along well with your colleague, don't share your personal affairs with her, as you may be stabbed in the back.

Zhang Jingyi was silent for a moment, then asked directly,

"If your mother could continue to be favored in Prince Su's Mansion, would you want to take a step further and become his equal wife?"

When Ye Qingzhi heard what her lady said, she understood. It turned out that her lady was worried that she would take advantage of her mother's power and develop higher ambitions.

"Madam, I will consider the matter of my mother becoming the Princess of Su one day."

Ye Qingzhi also answered seriously.

Zhang Jingyi glared at her unhappily when she heard this. "How dare you say that? Princess Su's family is from the Wang family, a powerful family. Her position as princess is secure!"

"Yes, that's impossible. So madam, don't think too much about it." Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.

Zhang Jingyi also knew that she said that on purpose to show her loyalty to her.

However, now that the Ye family is rising in power thanks to Mu Nianqiu, and Ye Qingzhi is loved by the old lady, even if the marquis slightly neglects her, the servants in the mansion will no longer look down on her as before.

Ye Qingzhi's identity, status, and face are no longer the same after all.

People's hearts are fickle and their hearts are moved by interests. Will Ye Qingzhi always be willing to help her instead of replacing her?