Harem Daily Life

Duan Chaopei hadn't expected the Crown Prince to move to the East Courtyard. She opened her mouth slightly, but ultimately didn't utter any words of refusal.

She was sore all over today and couldn't leave the palace with He Yinuo. After He Yucheng left, she went back to lie down. Aunt Cui carefully assigned two gentle maids to massage her and take good care of her.

Tao Yanyan raised an eyebrow upon receiving the news. She had said that her son was He Linzhang's son, and that he must have inherited some of that eagerness. It seemed that they were indeed not very familiar with each other during the honeymoon period, but now that they were more familiar, they would only become more familiar with each other in the future.

Before they knew it, the day arrived for Su Xing to enter the Eastern Palace. Her wedding ceremony was much simpler than that of the Crown Princess, but the Gu family still made it a grand affair. Including the betrothal gifts sent from the palace, the Gu family added dozens more loads, and the ceremony was carried into the palace with great fanfare.

Gu Fengyang carried her to the bridal sedan chair. His marriage to Duan Mengting, the second daughter of the Duan family, was already arranged. Today, Duan Mengting came with her mother to attend the ceremony and also presented a dowry. The Duan family's move was an opportunity to befriend Consort Su and, more importantly, the Gu family, all for the sake of the Crown Princess who had already entered the Eastern Palace.

Sitting in the bridal sedan chair, Su Xing was filled with mixed emotions. She had thought she would marry into an ordinary family and live a peaceful life, but unexpectedly, she met the Crown Prince, and they fell in love. She was about to become his wife. This encounter was an immense blessing, a dream she had never dared to imagine before.

The bridal sedan chair was carried all the way into the palace. Su Xing was helped out of the sedan chair and arrived at Chang Le Palace.

He Linzhang was not present, and Su Xing was helped to pay her respects to the Empress and the Crown Princess. The other concubines in the harem naturally took their seats on both sides to watch the spectacle. Among the crowd, Consort Liang occasionally glanced at the Crown Princess, and after the ceremony was completed, she spoke first: "Congratulations to Your Majesty the Empress, you have gained a new daughter-in-law in less than three months."

He Yucheng frowned. His mother's only daughter-in-law was the Crown Princess. Was Consort Liang trying to stir up trouble? He looked up at Duan Chaopei and saw that Duan Chaopei's expression was indeed somewhat abnormal.

Su Xing clenched her fists. She had clearly realized that Consort Liang was trying to sow discord, and the current situation was very unfavorable to her.

Before she could figure out how to respond, Consort Zhou said calmly, "How can Consort Liang acknowledge Her Majesty the Empress's new daughter-in-law in front of the Crown Princess? Today is Consort Su's first day in the palace. It would be best to say less anything that would embarrass the Crown Princess, so as not to spoil the atmosphere."

Consort Xu tugged at Consort Zhou, trying to tell her not to speak so bluntly, lest it embarrass all parties involved.

But Consort Zhou spoke quickly and ignored Consort Xu's attempts to pull her away, finishing her sentence in the blink of an eye.

Consort Xian coughed lightly: "Consort Liang probably didn't mean it. She's been taking a lot of medicine lately, so she's a bit dizzy and might have said something wrong."

Consort Xian offered a way out, and Consort Liang sneered and took the opportunity to decline: "Yes, the medicine from the Imperial Hospital is indeed delivered every day, and it's bitter and unpleasant to drink. All medicines have some toxicity, and it's making me unable to think straight, and my words are faster than my thoughts. Your Majesty the Empress, Crown Princess, I hope you won't take it to heart."

Tao Yanyan sneered. Her displeasure had been stirred up, and now Consort Liang wanted to get away unscathed again? She smiled and said, "A person's state of mind can easily affect their illness. I think that staying in the deep palace for too long might not be good for your recovery. How about this, the Xishan Palace has a quiet and secluded environment. You can pack up and move there. Being in contact with nature and having a more open mind will prevent you from constantly focusing your attention elsewhere, and you might recover faster."

Consort Liang was taken aback. Was this... a way to confine her to the imperial palace?

"Consort Xian, you shall arrange this matter. Within three days, you must send Consort Liang there."

Consort Xian replied with a "yes," her gaze towards Consort Liang filled with coldness.

Consort Liang wanted to plead for her, but Shuang'er stepped forward and helped her up, saying, "This servant will escort Consort Liang back to the palace to rest. Your Highness should recuperate and avoid going out." Shuang'er secretly pressed Consort Liang's acupoint to silence her, and although her mouth moved erratically, she couldn't make a sound. She was then carried away by the strong Shuang'er.

Su Xing witnessed the whole thing and never expected that the situation would change so drastically in just a few breaths, with the Empress deciding the fate of a high-ranking concubine in an instant.

She kept her head down, not daring to utter a sound, only her icy hands revealing her inner unease.

Duan Chaopei's complexion recovered somewhat, and she said respectfully, "The Crown Prince's Palace has prepared a celebratory banquet. Please, Your Majesty and all the ladies, move to the banquet to have a meal."

When the Crown Princess got married, the entire court was invited to a banquet. But when Consort Su got married, the banquet was held only in the Eastern Palace, and only the women of the inner palace attended.

Tao Yanyan nodded and looked at He Yucheng: "I will go ahead with the other concubines. You two can come over after you have finished paying your respects at Changchun Palace."

He Yucheng nodded, watching as Duan Chaopei personally helped Tao Yanyan move to the East Palace before leading Su Xing to Changchun Palace.

The banquet was personally arranged by Duan Chaopei, who also chatted and laughed with the concubines throughout the wedding, making it a grand and splendid affair.

As He Yucheng watched her greet everyone with a smile, he felt a pang of sadness in his heart. Before the banquet was over, Duan Chaopei sent He Yucheng to the west courtyard. Only after the Empress and all the concubines had left, and He Yinuo had also been dismissed by Duan Chaopei, did she put away her smile and return to her room, exhausted.

"Your Highness, would you like to wash up and rest first?" Cui Cui asked in a low voice, watching the Crown Princess sitting sullenly in front of the dressing table without removing her makeup, wondering what she was thinking.

"You can leave now, I'll take care of it myself." After sending Cuicui out, Duan Chaopei was left alone in the room, and she silently shed tears.

She had known all along that the Crown Prince could not have only her, not now, and even less in the future. But she was still a young girl under eighteen who had not yet seen through the illusions of the world. Knowing was one thing, but accepting and adapting was another.

The flickering candlelight cast a long, lonely shadow of her, and the candle wick crackled and popped, mingling with the girl's soft sobs, gradually disappearing into the dawn.

Tao Yanyan did not inquire about the arrangements for the Crown Prince's bedchamber. She only summoned Aunt Cui and instructed her to prioritize the Crown Princess in everything. If Consort Su did anything too outrageous, she should promptly remind her not to show favoritism to Consort Su just because she was General Gu's adopted daughter.

Fortunately, Su Xing was not one to cause trouble. Since entering the Eastern Palace, she had kept to herself and rarely went out. She would go to pay her respects to the Crown Princess every day, without missing a single day, rain or shine. She would ask the Crown Princess for permission before doing anything and never overstepped her bounds.

Two years after the Crown Prince's marriage, Duan Chaopei became pregnant. Seeing an opportunity, officials throughout the court urged the Crown Prince to take a concubine, their aim being to send their own daughters to the Eastern Palace. The ladies of the palace also whispered in the Empress's ear for their nieces and nephews, but Tao Yanyan remained unmoved. She insisted that the Crown Prince make the decision himself, leaving all the power to He Yucheng.

Besides assisting He Linzhang with government affairs, He Yucheng devoted all his attention to taking care of Duan Chaopei. The Crown Princess suffered from severe morning sickness and vomited everything she ate, so he had to cook for her personally every day, making one or two light soups and watching her eat them spoonful by spoonful. He simply didn't have time to care about anything else.