The Daily Life of a Concubine

Chapter 61 - Wen Jieyu's True Identity

With no other option, the two elderly maids had to carefully explain both the positive and negative aspects to Lan Guifei. 

Lan Guifei wasn't truly foolish; she just loved the Emperor too much. She couldn't accept that anyone else besides her could gain his favor. The fact that the Empress was already pregnant had saddened her, and now with Wen Jieyu in a similar situation, she couldn't swallow her frustration.

"Are you saying I should just smile and pretend everything's fine?" Lan Guifei couldn't hold back her resentment.

Maid One: "Your Highness, even if you don't consider yourself, you must think about the young prince. He will need support as he grows up, won't he?" Seeing that Lan Guifei wasn't listening, they had to try a different approach. 

After all, she had been in the palace for many years, yet her temperament seemed even more naïve than when she was at home. Such innocence!

Maid Two: "Exactly, Your Highness. The young prince will need allies. If Wen Jieyu gives birth to a prince, she will definitely side with us. With the two princes joining forces, their power will rival that of the Empress."

They understood the grand ambitions of their mistress. When the lady left the palace, she also instructed them not to indulge Lan Guifei too much, as Tan Momo had done, which left Lan Guifei unaware of the treachery in people's hearts.

After much persuasion, Lan Guifei finally accepted the maids' advice. The serious expressions of the two maids made even the palace maids serving Lan Guifei feel nervous. Once they began speaking, the other maids dared not utter a single word.

"Hua Chun, go prepare some things that are harder to tamper with, and accompany Guifei when she goes to visit Wen Jieyu," Maid One instructed Hua Chun, who had been standing idly by.

Hua Chun glanced at Lan Guifei, and seeing no objection from her, she went to make preparations. The maid was pleased with Hua Chun's response, as everything was done with the master's best interest in mind.

"Guifei, let this old servant help you change your clothes. These aren't suitable for going out, and who knows, the Emperor might come by later!" The Emperor hadn't visited the consorts' quarters in several days. Even when he did, he mostly went to the Empress's residence. This had angered Lan Guifei quite a bit, and if not for the abundant palace medicine, she would have already summoned the imperial physicians.

Hearing that the Emperor might come, Lan Guifei finally rose and, with the maids' help, entered the bedchamber to change.

As predicted, the Emperor did arrive, but as soon as he entered Yongze Palace, he went straight to Qingfeng Pavilion, where Wen Jieyu resided. Lan Guifei arrived just a step too late, following behind the Emperor.

"Greetings to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live long."

The Emperor was conversing with Wen Jieyu when Lan Guifei entered. 

"Yunlan, why have you come? Your health isn't good; you shouldn't be tiring yourself." The Emperor stood up and walked over to Lan Guifei, gently taking her hand and helping her rise personally. "I've been busy lately. Has your health improved? Has the little prince been giving you trouble?"

The Emperor's tone was soft when addressing Lan Guifei, as if even raising his voice would frighten the child in her womb. This was completely different from the formal tone he had just used with Wen Jieyu, which left Wen Jieyu, resting on her bed, feeling bitter.

With the help of the maids, Wen Jieyu got out of bed. "Greetings to Lan Guifei. May Your Highness be well."

Lan Guifei knew how to play the part. "Why are you out of bed? Hurry and lie down. I wanted to come earlier, but my body wasn't cooperating, and it took me a while to leave after being sick. Looks like the Emperor beat me to it." As she spoke, she joked with the two of them, as if she hadn't been the one fuming with anger in the palace just moments ago.

However, Wen jieyu, who knew Lan Guifei well, felt a chill at the sight of this behavior. No one knew Lan Guifei's temperament better than she did. 

She had aligned herself with Lan Guifei as soon as she entered the palace, not just because of her family's plan, but also because she understood the political landscape. Lan Guifei was favored in the harem, and siding with her seemed like the best way to gain some benefits for herself. After all, she was well aware of her own limitations. 

Her appearance wasn't as striking as Lan Guifei's, and her talents paled in comparison to the other concubines. Even though she was the legitimate daughter of a civil official, she lacked the innate scholarly talent. She was fond of leisure and entertainment. If not for her family's intervention when she came of age, she would never have entered the palace.

But since she was here, she had no choice but to strategize for her future. 

After years of careful planning, she had achieved neither pregnancy nor the level of favor she had hoped for. Newer consorts seemed to outshine her in every way. Naturally, she resented Lan Guifei for this, but what could she do? The Emperor deeply favored Lan Guifei, and she had no chance of defeating her, so she could only bide her time and endure.

It was this long-simmering frustration that had led her subordinates to act against Lan Guifei, though the plan had ultimately failed. She had been prepared to face the consequences but was unexpectedly spared when Madam Tan's investigation didn't uncover any of her people.

That had been a stroke of luck, and even more surprisingly, she had become pregnant. The imperial physician had assured her that she was in good health and would likely give birth to a healthy child.

With a child on the way, her ambitions had grown. Lan Guifei was no longer her best ally, especially after hearing rumors from outside the palace that the Emperor might take action against the Tan family.

She was surprised at first, but upon reflecting on the Tan family's actions over the years, she found it unsurprising. Though she had never wanted to involve herself in such matters, her mother had always taught her to observe and listen more, speak and act less. These eight words had stayed with her throughout her life, serving her well.

In the palace, she had taken these words to heart, presenting herself as quick-witted and sharp-tongued, making many enemies with her biting remarks. But she had never truly offended anyone beyond repair, and if anything did happen, it was always Lan Guifei who took the lead while she followed behind.

People viewed her as Lan Guifei's fool, but in reality, she knew exactly what she was doing. Aligning herself with the Noble Consort ensured that even the Empress wouldn't move against her easily, as the high-ranking consorts in the harem came from powerful military or civil families, who were often at odds.

Wen Jieyu couldn't unite the civil and military factions, so she hid her true self and allowed everyone to underestimate her.

And now, her years of effort had finally borne fruit—she was pregnant. If she gave birth to a prince, she would have enough power to rival Lan Guifei's son, especially since the Tan family had lost favor due to their misdeeds. Her father's frequent reports to the palace had kept her well-informed.

She didn't like political maneuvering, but she wasn't foolish. She understood the gravity of the situation, particularly with the ongoing issues in Jiangnan. One misstep could bring the Tan family down, creating an opportunity for her own family to rise.

But back to the present...

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm fine. I felt a bit dizzy earlier, so I summoned the imperial physician, who informed me of my good fortune—I'm pregnant," Wen Jieyu said with the same deference she had always shown the Noble Consort. She wasn't about to challenge Lan Guifei just because of her pregnancy. After all, Lan Guifei was still useful to her.

"You're truly blessed. Now that you're pregnant, you must take care of your temperament and avoid behaving as you did before," Lan Guifei said, releasing the Emperor's hand and approaching Wen Jieyu. She took her hand and spoke like a caring elder sister, though her words subtly reminded the Emperor of Wen Jieyu's previously unruly behavior.

The emperor, Zhao Jinrui, found the situation amusing. He had misjudged Wen Jieyu, never expecting her to be so shrewd. If it hadn't been for the scholars aligning with him, the Jiangnan matter might not have been resolved so swiftly.

As expected, the harem and the imperial court were closely intertwined.