Chapter 473

Chapter 473 The newly arrived Consort Jiang in the residence had an extremely overbearing temperament. The moment she entered the residence, she targeted the new Concubine Lian, bullying her repeatedly. Consort Jiang, relying on her status, looked down on everyone. First, leveraging her position as Side Consort, she summoned Concubine Lian to Songya Court every day to "instruct" her in the rules. Concubine Lian came from a humble background, had no favor, and no backbone—she was practically a soft dumpling for Consort Jiang to knead at will. After finishing with Concubine Lian, Consort Jiang turned her gaze to Fangse. She ordered Fangse to come to Songya Court for instruction as well. After the messenger maid left, everyone in Fangfei Pavilion wore grim expressions. "What are we going to do?" "That Consort Jiang has a terrible temper—she even dares to bully Concubine Xie, who is most favored by the Prince. If our mistress goes, she'll definitely suffer plenty of torment." The chatter among the group actually reminded Fangse of something. During her idle days in the Prince's residence, she had grown somewhat wiser. "The Princess Consort is still here—since when does the residence need Consort Jiang to go around teaching concubines the rules?" "Neither the Prince nor the Princess Consort is unreasonable. If Consort Jiang keeps acting so improperly, she'll be reprimanded sooner or later." Concubine Fang took a deep breath. "Even if I don't go, can Consort Jiang really send people to drag me out?" "If she truly does send people to seize me, that would actually be a good thing—if the matter becomes known throughout the entire residence, the Princess Consort will naturally step in." Unlike Concubine Lian who had just arrived, Fangse had some understanding of the temperaments of those above her. She knew that with such arrogance, Consort Jiang would eventually stumble. "I am worthless rubble, while Consort Jiang is fine jade. If she collides with me, she'll be the one to get hurt." Fangse rarely showed such backbone, and this time she was resolved to risk everything. She had witnessed Concubine Lian's suffering. If she went this time, she would be tormented by Consort Jiang every day thereafter. When word of her refusal reached Consort Jiang's ears, she was indeed furious. It was said she even smashed a set of tea ware, vowing to teach Fangse a proper lesson. Everyone in Fangfei Pavilion lived in fear. After all, Consort Jiang was a Side Consort, while Fangse was merely a lowly concubine. For nearly half a month, Fangse couldn't eat properly, and the maids in Fangfei Pavilion were also downcast, not daring to speak loudly. They feared Consort Jiang might come knocking at their door looking for trouble at any moment. After half a month of anxiety, when Fangse saw that Consort Jiang had still made no move, she finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, knowing she had gambled correctly. This tribulation had been escaped. Concubine Lian next door, seeing this, felt quite resentful. Perhaps because they were both concubines—she had suffered humiliation while Concubine Fang had the nerve to refuse a Side Consort's summons—she felt a sense of injustice. Fangse understood Concubine Lian's thoughts and could only smile bitterly. Life was already hard for women like them—why must they make things difficult for each other? Just because Concubine Lian had suffered, did she need to see Fangse suffer too to feel balanced? From that day on, Fangse closed her doors and lived her own life, no longer associating with Concubine Lian. Later, Consort Jiang crossed Concubine Xie and was demoted in rank by the Prince. The rear courtyard of the residence finally had a period of peace. Fangse had a dull personality, and throughout the entire residence, only Concubine Lu occasionally came by to exchange a few words. Everyone in the residence looked down on Concubine Lu for her humble origins—a maid who climbed into the master's bed and had even stolen charcoal behind her mistress's back, a record of misdeeds. But in comparison, Fangse felt she and Concubine Lu were no different. In fact, she was even more detestable than Concubine Lu. Her position as concubine had been bought with her mistress's life. Last year, when Consort Yun was still alive and Fangse was quite favored by the Prince, Princess Ruyi's birthday banquet was held lavishly, with everyone in the residence coming to celebrate. This year, Consort Yun was dead, and Princess Ruyi was being raised by Fangse. For the birthday banquet, it was said that troubled times called for restraint, so only two tables were set, with close acquaintances invited to eat and drink. Not a single concubine or Side Consort from the residence came—they only sent gifts. Nothing illustrates the coldness of the world better than this. No one even needed to deliberately target anyone—just losing favor and losing one's backing was enough. Even for a Commandery Princess, the difference in circumstances was like night and day. That day, after the guests had dispersed, Fangse personally made a bowl of longevity noodles and brought it before the Princess. The young Princess ate the noodles with a smile on her face. But Fangse held her, silently weeping inside the room. My mistress, if your spirit is watching from above and you see Princess Ruyi living in such grievance, do you regret what you did back then?