The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Xie Run blinked innocently, then looked at Han, as if saying to Fang Yuaner, "You two look a bit alike."

Fang Yuaner: ...This silly and innocent girl!

Did he really think she couldn't see it? And he even winked at her?

Fang Yuan'er was not angry at first, but when she saw Xie Run winking at her, she felt a surge of anger.

Taking a deep breath and ignoring Xie Run's presence, Fang Yuaner suppressed the irritability in her heart.

Regardless of their own thoughts, Li and Han served tea according to the rules and became King Jing's official concubines.

The princess gave each of them a red envelope, then said with a smile, "The prince once said that day that you two were personally selected by my mother to join the palace, so naturally you can't be treated like ordinary concubines."

They both looked up and looked at the princess at the same time.

The princess uttered a word calmly.

"There is only one concubine position in the backyard now. The prince said that whoever of you gets pregnant first will be promoted to concubine."

When these words were spoken, it was like thunder from a clear sky.

Even though Li always maintained a cool demeanor, a touch of emotion appeared on her face.

Just because of this one sentence, the two became natural rivals as soon as they entered the mansion.

This is not a matter of fighting over a few taels of silver or a few hairpins.

The position of a concubine is related to life and death, honor and disgrace, and even more so to future generations.

Once you enter Prince Jing's Mansion, even the most indifferent Bodhisattva will have to fight for it.

Fang Yuan'er and Concubine Yun, who had just been promoted, were now in the mood to watch the show, and the smiles on their lips were the most meaningful.

The princess was still giving virtuous instructions.

"The royal family's backyard is not rich in offspring. Whichever of you becomes pregnant will be rewarded handsomely. This princess also hopes that you will help each other in the royal family and be harmonious and friendly with the other sisters."

They both bowed at the same time, "We respectfully follow the princess's orders."

After drinking tea, the princess allocated accommodation for the two of them.

Concubine Li was assigned to Qingzhu Pavilion, and Concubine Han was assigned to Zhenzhu Courtyard.

This newcomer meeting ended just like that.

Xie Run was just there for fun, and went back after recognizing the face.

As soon as the door of Linxuan Pavilion was closed, she took off her hairpins and rings, changed into loose and comfortable clothes, and let Yueyaer fan her.

Xiao Shu drank a bowl of iced yogurt before telling him the news she had just heard.

"Master Han is the youngest daughter of General Dingyuan of Jiangzhou. She was raised with great care since she was young. She was originally going to be sent to the imperial selection next year, but somehow the Imperial Concubine found out and chose her to serve the prince instead."

When Xie Run heard this, he immediately became energetic.

The woman who was originally intended for the emperor was intercepted by Concubine Rou and given to Prince Jing instead.

Did he really want to take a concubine for King Jing to continue the family line, or did he want to eliminate his competitors in advance and satisfy his own selfish desires?

Xie Run suddenly felt that Concubine Rou was not really sincere towards her son, Prince Jing.

"Master Li's background is a bit complicated. She is said to be the granddaughter of Prime Minister Li."

Xie Run was eating fruit when he paused. "Prime Minister Li? When did the court have a Prime Minister Li?"

Even though Xie Run didn't understand politics, he must have heard a thing or two from some important figure in the court.

Xiao Shu lowered his voice and said, "It was the Prime Minister in the 23rd year of Yuan Hong. Because he made false proposals to establish a crown prince, his house was raided and his women were sent to the palace as slaves."

"Master Li is well versed in poetry and literature, and was favored by the Imperial Concubine. She was promoted from the Imperial Court to teach and paint for the Imperial Concubine. I originally thought she was to be a companion to the Tenth Princess, but unexpectedly she was given to the Prince."

The tenth princess is King Jing's sister from the same mother.

Concubine Rou gave birth to three children in total: the eldest prince, Prince Su, the sixth prince, Prince Jing, and the tenth princess.

Xie Run opened his eyes wide. Could it be that Concubine Li was modeled after Shangguan Wan'er?

No wonder he is so cool and detached, and full of the fragrance of books.

After a pause, she felt something was wrong again.

"Didn't the Imperial Concubine say that she would choose daughters from officials this time?"

Even if Concubine Li was promoted by the Imperial Concubine, she was at best a palace maid and could not be considered a member of an official family.

To put it bluntly, you have to add the word "criminal" after it.

Xiao Shu added, "Master Li wasn't originally chosen."

"Another family heard from somewhere that the prince only offered her the position of concubine, so they pretended to be sick a few days ago and rejected the position of imperial concubine."

Xie Run didn't feel much about Prince Jing and Concubine Rou being disliked.

After all, everyone has their own ideas. You can't be the only one allowed to dislike others while others can't dislike you, right?

In the previous life, Concubine Rou also rewarded these two people, and they were still concubines at that time.

I'm afraid the other party will use other excuses to refuse.

The main characters and storyline remain unchanged.

Xie Run asked again: "Do you know what their personalities are like?"

Xiao Shu shook her head. "Master Han has been raised in seclusion since she was a child, so I can't find out anything about her. This Master Li is said to be good-natured, though a bit cold. However, he is not someone who likes to argue."

"Don't like to argue?" Xie Run nodded. "That means he's a visionary."

Seeing Xiao Shu and Dan Tao both looking puzzled, Xie Run said with a smile, "She was born in the imperial court. If she didn't have any ambition at all, how could she be summoned by Imperial Concubine Rou and valued by her?"

"If she really had a good temper, she would have been tortured to death in that deep palace long ago."

"She's not fighting for a short period of time, I'm afraid she has long-term goals."

If such a person is really an enemy, he would be more difficult to deal with than the Han family.

The same is true.

In the original book, Fang Yuaner has always been wary of the Han family and doesn't care much about the Li family.

Unexpectedly, he suffered a great loss at the hands of Li in the end.

If it weren't for the third female doctor's superb medical skills, who could have secretly poisoned Li and damaged her health, Fang Yuan'er would have almost lost to the opponent.

Faced with so many talented people, Xie Run thought for a long time and finally decided on one word - Gou!

However, in this life, Li and Han both started out as concubines, and were far less threatening than in the original book.

Because of King Jing's brilliant move, Xie Run was not afraid of being targeted by these two people. Instead, he was looking forward to watching the infighting between the two.

That being said, King Jing is not in the palace now, so there is no way to fight even if you want to.

——Pearl Courtyard

When Concubine Han arrived at the Pearl Courtyard, sweat broke out on her forehead.

She was raised in seclusion since she was young, and was delicate and frail, unable to tolerate the heat and cold.

But a beauty is still a beauty after all. Even if she is sweating profusely, she still exudes a unique charm.

Huatang and Yutang, who had been waiting, bowed and looked at their new master calmly.

At first glance at her face, I felt extremely happy.

This color is not inferior to that of Concubine Fang and Concubine Xie in the mansion. I am afraid she will be favored in the future.

As slaves, your honor and disgrace depend on your master.

Naturally, they also hope that their master will make progress, and even more so that their master will be gifted and can easily win the favor of the prince.

After all, Concubine Han is the legitimate daughter of General Dingyuan. She is not short of money and is generous in rewarding people.

Each of the two maids was given a silver ingot, which was five taels of silver in total, just enough for a concubine's monthly salary.

Concubine Han spoke tenderly, "If you serve me well, you will be rewarded. But if you dare to think of betraying your master..."

A charming smile appeared on her pretty face, but the words she spoke were extremely cold.

"But don't blame me for the blood on my hands."

The two maids shuddered with fear and quickly knelt down to show their loyalty.

Concubine Han lay on the couch, being served by her dowry maid, and asked lazily, "When I entered the palace, I also learned about the situation there. I know that Concubine Xia is the most favored, followed by Concubine Xie, and both of them are pregnant now."

"Then there's Concubine Yun. Although she's not well, at least she has a daughter, and she deserves the prince's love..."

Concubine Han chuckled, "Can either of you explain it in detail? If you explain it well, you will be rewarded."

The two maids looked at each other.

After hesitating for a moment, he began to describe the situation in the backyard of the palace.

Although Concubine Han appears delicate and gentle, she is a woman with strong opinions and a strong character.

The Han family originally pampered Concubine Han in order to send her into the deep palace to climb up the social ladder.

Concubine Han felt that the emperor was old and incompetent, and most of the princes were capable now. There was also the particularly favored Empress Chen standing in the way. If she entered the palace, she would be in great danger and it would be extremely difficult to make a name for herself.

She tried to find a way to become famous in the capital, and 'accidentally' caught the eye of Concubine Rou, who had two sons.

Concubine Han originally thought that Concubine Rou would give her to the eldest prince, Prince Su.

However, Princess Su was jealous. She had three legitimate sons and the support of the General's Mansion, so she directly refused Concubine Rou's gift of someone.

Concubine Rou did not get the favor from Princess Su, so she vented her anger on Princess Jing and gave Concubine Han to King Jing.

In the eyes of the Han family, King Jing was the sixth among the princes. He was neither the eldest nor the youngest, nor the legitimate heir, so his hope of inheriting the throne was slim.

Naturally, it is not worth investing.

The Han family originally wanted to decline the invitation on the grounds of illness, just like the other family did.

After learning about the situation in Prince Jing's Mansion, Concubine Han agreed on her own and even persuaded the Han family.

The emperor has eight princes in total.

The eldest prince, Prince Su, is the eldest. His wife's family is powerful, his biological mother is a royal concubine, and he holds military power. He seems to have the best chance of inheriting the throne, but he is actually the most dangerous.

The emperor is not old yet, but the eldest prince has grown up.

Just with the words "I will not allow others to snore beside my bed", the eldest prince is afraid that he will have trouble sleeping every day.

The second prince, Prince Taiyuan, was the son of the late Imperial Consort Roujia. He was not favored by the emperor and was exiled to his fiefdom at an early age. He seldom returned to the capital during the holidays, and his hope of inheriting the throne was gone.

The third prince, Prince Wei, was fond of poetry, literature and art, and was an elegant gentleman, but he had no real power and had no interest in the throne.

The fourth prince died young; the fifth prince, Prince An, was the son of a minor concubine and had no background.

The remaining seven and eight princes, one is the eldest son and the other is the youngest, but they are too young to achieve great things.

Although the Sixth Prince, King Jing, seems to be unpopular, there has been no bad news about him in recent years. On the contrary, he has served in the Ministry of Revenue, accomplished a lot of things, and won praise from the emperor.

Prince Jing's biological mother is Concubine Rou. Although she is no longer favored, her position is still there.

She was not suspected by the eldest prince, nor was she of low status like the fifth prince's mother. Moreover, she was an adult and had the ability to get things done, so she was quite trusted by the emperor.

If something happens to the emperor someday, Prince Jing has a good chance of inheriting the throne.

If there was one shortcoming of King Jing, it was probably that he married a princess from the Xia Dynasty.

From the perspective of outsiders, when the emperor gave the princess to Prince Jing, his path to succession was cut off.

After all, if King Jing became the emperor, how could the queen be from the Xia Dynasty?

The emperor must have not wanted Prince Jing to be the heir, so he gave her a princess consort from a neighboring kingdom.

What seems like a big shortcoming to outsiders is actually Han Shiqie's biggest opportunity.

If King Jing ascends the throne someday, and Princess Jing is not fit to be the queen, will the queen be chosen from King Jing's backyard?

Prince Jing's Mansion is the place where Han's concubine has the best chance of getting the throne.

So she entered the mansion without hesitation.

Just now in the main courtyard, Han Shiqie saw the expressions of the princess and Concubine Yun.

It was simply because he thought her appearance and voice were not dignified, and he was afraid that she would be charming and seductive and would win the heart of King Jing.

Concubine Han has seen this kind of look many times since she was a child.

Not only was she not angry, she was very happy instead.

This means that the princess and concubine Yun are jealous of her and feel that she will pose a threat to them.

So what if I'm not dignified? So what if I'm called a vixen?

As long as King Jing likes it, no one in this backyard will dare to say a word of nonsense!

As long as King Jing pampers her and loves her, that seemingly illusory position will be within reach.

She entered Prince Jing's Mansion to become the superior person!

Unlike Concubine Han's ambition, Concubine Li is very quiet, even a little too cold.

Concubine Li was originally a maid in the palace and had no one to serve her.

Before she entered the mansion, she personally asked Concubine Rou for help from her good sister Feishuang, and only then did she have a close friend.

When Concubine Li entered the mansion, she had only a box of books and very few clothes or jewelry, apart from some things given by Concubine Rou.

Feishuang packed up Concubine Li's things and saw her sitting in front of the window staring outside in a daze, so she couldn't help but walk closer.

"Master, are you worried about something?"

Concubine Li's eyes fell calmly outside the window, "I'm just thinking about how to live in the future."

"In the future?" Fei Shuang asked curiously, "Master, have you made up your mind?"

Concubine Li: "There are only four concubine positions in the palace's backyard, and three are already occupied. The princess said today that whoever gets pregnant first, Han or me, will be promoted to concubine."

Feishuang came from the palace and immediately sensed the danger in these words.

"You've just entered the mansion. Is the princess trying to instigate a fight between the master and Concubine Han?"

"The master is a good-tempered person, how can he tolerate the fighting and oppression in the backyard?"

As she spoke, Feishuang was filled with worry, and her eyes suddenly turned red.

I thought I had left the tiger's den of the Imperial Palace, but unexpectedly I entered the wolf's den of Prince Jing's Mansion.

There is really no peace.

Concubine Li shook her head: "This is what the prince meant."

Fei Shuang was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but sigh softly: "Master, what should we do from now on?"

"What's the good of that?" Concubine Li chuckled. "Now that I've entered the palace's backyard and become a concubine, I can't avoid disputes."

As she spoke, her eyes darkened, "I must fight for it."

"What?!" Feishuang was slightly startled.

I just feel that these words are completely inconsistent with Concubine Li's character.

Concubine Li held her hand and smiled faintly, "No one is a god without desires. I also have desires and requests, so there is no need to be surprised."

"I will not be soft-hearted when necessary."

Xie Run said something right.

Concubine Li never cares about the immediate benefits because she has a longer-term and more determined goal.

Becoming a concubine is only the first step to achieving this goal.

The arrival of the two new concubines caused ripples on the lake, but then it returned to calm.

Everyone thought that everything was completely calm, but only those who were involved in the situation knew the truth.

The undercurrent at the bottom of the lake never stops, but each wave is more powerful than the last.