Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1029 Princess Jing

Since marrying into the Prince Jing's household, Princess Xu has been deeply favored by Prince Jing. For more than ten years of marriage, Prince Jing has only had one unfavored concubine by his side. Therefore, compared with other royal daughters-in-law, Princess Xu's life is relatively comfortable.

In addition, Princess Jing loved beauty, knew how to dress up, and was willing to spend money on herself. Over the years, she maintained herself well and became graceful and charming. Therefore, Prince Jing's affection for her has never waned, and the two once became a model couple among the nobles of the capital, who were praised by everyone.

But all of this changed completely after a beautiful seventeen-year-old concubine entered the household.

Today, summoned by the Empress, Princess Jing was helped up by her maid and sat in front of the dressing mirror. As she examined her reflection, she was suddenly struck by how much she had wasted her days in worry and how much her appearance had become haggard.

"It's been so long since I've seen the Empress. I wonder if she'll recognize me if she sees me again..." Her once bright and sparkling eyes were now lifeless, like withered wood. Her delicate skin, neglected, had developed several fine wrinkles. Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, and coupled with a poor appetite, she had become thin, her cheeks somewhat sunken.

When people get older, becoming extremely thin makes them look particularly old.

Princess Jing lowered her eyes silently: "Looking like this... Ha, no wonder the prince never comes anymore. He's really tired of me. Even I don't want to see this face."

The maid's nose tingled, and she choked out, "Your Highness is the mistress of the Prince Jing's mansion. The Prince and you have a son and a daughter, and your relationship is stable. That beautiful concubine is just a passing fancy; she's nothing but a lowly servant who serves her master. Why should Your Highness bother with her? The important thing is to find a way to take back control of the mansion."

After a rift developed in the relationship between Prince Jing and Princess Jing, the heartbroken Princess Jing poured all her emotions into the Prince, hoping he would change his mind. Gradually, she became less concerned with managing the household. Under the instigation of the newly arrived concubine, the Prince eventually found a pretext to hand over the reins of the household to her. The Prince and Princess drifted further and further apart, and now they no longer even speak to each other.

Princess Jing sighed, "Love is gone, why should I still manage the household affairs for him? I'm not in the mood."

The maid shook her head, sighing inwardly. The princess, devoid of her fighting spirit, had lost much of her vibrant energy.

In order not to delay the audience, the maid quickened her dressing time and soon she was all dressed up. The group hurriedly entered the palace.

In the west courtyard of Prince Jing's residence, Aunt Liu heard someone report that the Princess Consort had entered the palace. She scoffed, "Trying to curry favor with the Empress and ask her to back her up? That depends on whether the Empress can even reach into Prince Jing's backyard. I don't believe the Empress can turn the situation around for her. Hahaha, a thirty-something-year-old woman dares to dream of competing with me for the Prince's favor? She's simply overestimating herself."

The maid added fuel to the fire, saying, "What you say is true, Madam. I've heard that the Princess Consort has been unable to eat lately and has lost a lot of weight. I imagine the Prince is even less fond of seeing her haggard appearance. Madam, on the other hand, is in the prime of her life and is currently enjoying great success. If you were to give birth to another son for the Prince, perhaps he would even consider changing his Princess Consort."

Concubine Liu became excited upon hearing this, but she was still young and had only been in the household for half a year. She did not want to get pregnant so soon, lest Prince Jing become unable to bear the loneliness and find another young woman to enter the household and share her favor.

"What's the rush? It's more important to calm the prince down first. By the way, have you prepared the things I asked you to prepare?"

Upon hearing this, the maidservant hurriedly said, "I've bought it. The madam of Zuichunlou said that this stuff is extremely effective; just a little bit is enough to greatly enhance a man's virility. Please be careful when using it, lest you use too much and be unable to bear it."

Aunt Liu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Prince Jing was nearly forty, and his libido was not what that of a young man. Without some special medicine, he might not last long in bed. Consort Liu, having just tasted the forbidden fruit, was in the throes of passion and, for her own pleasure, had to put in some effort. Besides, this medicine was also a tool for securing his favor; a small bottle of it had cost five hundred taels of silver.

She carefully put her things away when the housekeeper arrived.

"I've met Aunt Liu. The Imperial Household Department says they can delay the rent for the shop for a few days, but they need to give a specific date. If you can't give me a reply, they'll go directly to the Prince."

Aunt Liu rolled her eyes at him: "They're all His Majesty's brothers. Behind closed doors, we're all family. If this were an ordinary wealthy family, His Majesty would be the elder brother. What elder brother would be constantly watching his brother for rent? Go tell them. It's not like we won't pay. We're sorting out the accounts these days. We'll pay them naturally once the accounts are clear. Why are you rushing us?"

The steward's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything. This prince had been truly favored lately, and even if they, the servants, wanted to advise him, they couldn't bring themselves to speak.

The steward left, and Aunt Liu said to the maid, "What's the situation with the accounts? Can the money I embezzled be covered?"

The maid coughed lightly. "Mr. Li, the accountant, said that there are still three thousand taels that can't be balanced. Madam, why don't you try to appease the Prince? If you can squeeze some valuables out of him, you can sell them and get the money to settle the accounts. Also, I heard that the Empress has always managed the royal property. Today, the Empress summoned the Princess Consort to the palace. I wonder if she will mention this matter. If the Princess Consort uses this as leverage to demand the Prince to reclaim the power of managing the household, we'll be found out before we even finish settling the accounts."

Aunt Liu was momentarily panicked, but she quickly calmed down: "Ha, she thinks she can just take it back? She'll have to see the Prince first." After saying that, she whispered a few words to the maid, who understood and went out to wait for the Prince. As soon as the Prince returned, she would invite him to their west courtyard.

When Princess Jing entered Chang Le Palace, she immediately saw the Empress eating chilled fruit and playing with her daughter in the corridor.

Tao Yanyan also saw her and waved to her from afar.

Princess Jing straightened her clothes and stepped forward to pay her respects. Before she could kneel down, Xianglan helped her up.

"Princess Consort Jing, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat." Tao Yanyan said as she observed Princess Consort Jing. She was surprised to find that she had become so thin after not seeing her for several months.

"Is it because of the heat that you have no appetite? Have dinner here tonight, and I'll have the kitchen prepare some nourishing dishes for you. Eat more."

Princess Jing took a deep breath, concealing the bitterness in her heart: "Your Majesty, I'm fine. I just have a poor appetite, it's nothing serious."

Tao Yanyan dismissed the servants and let He Yinuo go play elsewhere, leaving Princess Jing alone to have a private chat.

“We’ve known each other for many years. Back then, I was of low rank and not well-liked. It was you who befriended me and became my friend. There’s nothing that good friends can’t talk about. Tell me, how did you torment yourself into this state?”

Princess Jing opened her mouth, but in the end, she softened and tears welled up in her eyes.