Favoring Qie Over Wife (12)

Bai Mei Lien entered the imperial third prince's estate through the side entrance in the late afternoon, with Zhao Cheng waiting for her outside the gate.

There were many differences between the marriage rite of a main wife and a concubine. Concubines did not have to bring dowries, they could not enter through the main entrance of their husband's household, and only the ones with ranks above shufei were allowed to have a simple wedding ceremony.

After Bai Mei Lien served Zhao Cheng tea and gave him her hand-made embroidery, the marriage rite was considered complete. Bai Mei Lien officially became Zhao Cheng's concubine.

...

That night, Ruolan and Minglan put the dishes on the table in front of Song Jia with an anxious expression.

Wheat berries congee, scallion pancakes, egg and tomato soup, slices of apples, and a cup of calming rose tea.

The corner of Song Jia's lips slowly hooked up.

How could she not guess their good intentions? Rose tea had an uplifting quality that makes it beneficial for people who were depressed or gloomy. The rest of the dishes were good for calming the shen (spirit) [1]. If she had been the original Li Jia, these dishes would certainly be put to good use. Unfortunately, she was not.

Whether Zhao Cheng had one or 10,000 concubines, what does it have to do with her?

As per her usual routine, Song Jia ate her meals, took a bath, read a little, and slept. When the soft sounds of her even breathing filled the bedchamber, Ruolan looked at Minglan. Minglan also looked at her.

Ruolan hesitated, then said, "Is wang fei..."

Is wang fei feeling alright?

From the xiangfu to the wangfu, Minglan had been working with Ruolan for several years already. She naturally understood what the other girl meant but didn't say.

"I think wang fei will be fine," Minglan replied, her gaze darkening.

She knew how much wang fei loved the third prince. For wang fei to be calm right now while His Highness welcomed the new concubine, it was definitely because she was in low spirits. Minglan couldn't believe that wang ye could be so cruel. He had waited only two months after marrying wang fei before letting in a concubine into the rear court! Did he dislike wang fei that much, to the point of seeking another woman?

After this day, wang fei would probably become a big joke in the whole capital. How will she be able to fare in the future? To their eldest miss who had been pampered since she was young, when did she encounter a difficult hardship such as this?

Minglan and Ruolan's eyes watered slightly before they lowered their heads.

They were only servants, so they could not do anything. To a big Buddha like the third prince, even Prime Minister Li would not dare to scold him. Like wang fei, they could only hold in their anger and dissatisfaction, while displaying a smile on the surface.

Cruel, it was really too cruel...

...

On a courtyard far away from the zhengfang, Zhao Cheng removed the bridal head-kerchief and gazed down at the woman he loved.

He and Bai Mei Lien had been friends since they were little, owing to the fact that Bai Mei Lien's father, a sixth-ranked official in the Ministry of Rites, was a cousin of his birth mother, Mei Guifei [2]. Zhao Cheng had long been desensitized to the way the women in the imperial harem tricked, schemed, and plotted against his Father Emperor. He was also marked with one of the illnesses nearly all monarchs had—paranoia. Why would he invite disaster to himself by attracting these foxes [3] into his home?

But, Bai Mei Lien was different. Her attitude towards him had never changed, regardless of whether he was a favored prince or not. They had always been close, and as they grew up, those feelings gradually turned into love.

As Zhao Cheng stared into her palm-sized face, her cheeks became so red that they could drip blood.

He suddenly smiled and asked, "Embarrassed?"

Bai Mei Lien avoided his gaze, turning her face away. Her eyelashes were long and curling upwards, her white teeth biting her lower lip in nervousness.

"Big brother..." she protested.

Her sweet voice was pleasant to the ears, directly burrowing into his heart. Zhao Cheng raised her chin and dropped a kiss on her lips. Bai Mei Lien held her breath and closed her eyes. Her hands gripped his lapels as her body fell backward onto the bed.

Zhao Cheng braced himself above her, slowly deepening the kiss.

Most of the candles had been blown out, leaving only two or three of them in the inner room. It could barely illuminate the scene on the bed, the red curtains embroidered with golden thread gently fluttering.

The two intertwined silhouettes were like a pair of mandarin ducks, indulging in a spring dream. Bai Mei Lien's face was flushed, stifling her delicate moans by biting Zhao Cheng's shoulder. Just when he was nearing his peak, a face flashed in his mind, and before he could suppress it, he came...

Zhao Cheng really wanted to curse.

The whole thing lasted less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea [4].

[1] These dishes are also nourishing to the heart. Chinese people believe that the heart houses the shen. When the shen is harmonious, the mind is acute and clear, the physical body is exuberant, and the spirit is calm and peaceful. When the shen is disturbed, restlessness, insomnia, poor memory, anxiety, and panic will be present. When the shen is deficient, joylessness and lusterlessness will prevail.

[2] Having the title of huang guifei means Consort Mei, Zhao Cheng's mother, is an imperial noble consort, second only to the Empress.

[3] Used to describe people that has the fox's furtive and overly calculating nature that primarily seeks self-preservation/vixens

[4] About 10-15 minutes