Super-Fertile Darling: Forced to Marry the Heirless Tyrant

Chapter 219: Chapter 219: A Proper Master, a Stab to the Heart

Du Yufang said discontentedly, "I am a concubine of the Prince Mansion. Why should I bow to a mere official’s daughter?"

Just as Tao Wanxin was about to speak, Ji Qingwu gently patted her hand.

’She wasn’t a fan of the custom of bowing at every turn herself, so she paid it no mind.’

"Miss Ji, please, have a seat."

The little eunuch whom Prince Yong had sent to show her the way followed her inside.

"I will go have someone bring you tea at once."

Du Yufang watched as Chang Lu, the Prince’s own eunuch, trailed after Ji Qingwu, bowing and scraping in a fawning manner.

She tapped the small tea table beside her. "Mr. Chang, I’ve been sitting here for ages with nothing to drink, and now my throat is sore. Brew me a pot of rose tea first."

After Ji Qingwu sat down to Tao Wanxin’s right, she looked up at Du Yufang opposite them. Two maids stood at Du Yufang’s side, fanning her.

And yet, in the Princess Consort’s main room, there wasn’t a single person in attendance.

When she entered, the little eunuch had to be the one to see to the tea.

Ji Qingwu suddenly gained a clear understanding of what it meant to favor a concubine over the official wife.

Tao Wanxin’s expression was placid, as if she had long grown accustomed to it.

The little eunuch, Chang Lu, said, "Concubine, the rose tea you drink is only available in your personal quarters. Even if this servant wished to brew it for you, I do not have the necessary ingredients."

It wasn’t that Du Yufang actually wanted tea; she just couldn’t stand being ignored.

She said smugly, "Mr. Chang has a point. The Prince brought this tea back from Yao’an, and I’m the only one in the mansion who has it."

Before long, the tea was served, its delicate fragrance filling the air.

Chang Lu waited on them nearby. Ji Qingwu said, "There’s no need for you to wait on me, sir. I’ll only be staying for a short while."

The little eunuch replied, "The Prince ordered me to stay with you, Fifth Missy."

Chang Lu had dealt with Ji Qingwu a fair amount over the past few days, so he knew just how capable the Fifth Missy of the Ji Mansion was. Even Prince Yong treated her with a great deal of awe.

Even if the Prince hadn’t instructed him, he wouldn’t have dared to be anything less than completely attentive.

Du Yufang recognized the familiar aroma and asked in astonishment, "Is that Dragon Well Green Tip you’re serving her?"

She rose to her feet, supporting the small of her back as she took a few steps forward. She glanced at the pale green tea in the white porcelain cup on Ji Qingwu’s table.

"This is indeed the Prince’s favorite tea. They only get a few taels of it a year from plucking the tenderest tips."

As if she’d caught Chang Lu red-handed, she said, "Aha, Mr. Chang! You took the Prince’s treasured tea for her without his permission. Just what are you plotting?"

Suddenly accused of theft, Chang Lu rushed to explain, "You’ve wronged me, Concubine! It was the Prince who ordered me to..."

Ji Qingwu suddenly beckoned the little eunuch over and whispered a few words to him.

Tao Wanxin frowned and said, "Concubine Du, it’s just a pot of tea. Why must you make such a fuss?"

Chang Lu quietly slipped out of the room.

Du Yufang shot Ji Qingwu a sidelong glance. "You may call it ’just a pot of tea,’ Sister, but I believe it’s not so simple. The way I see it, the Prince Mansion is about to welcome a new face. For Miss Ji to cause such a stir on her first visit... she must be here to assert her dominance over the Princess Consort."

Her words were becoming absurd. Tao Wanxin’s voice was laced with indignation.

"Watch your tongue, Concubine Du."

It was common for Du Yufang to defy the Princess Consort within the Prince Mansion; she never paid Tao Wanxin’s anger any mind.

Now that the Tao family had fallen, she had even less reason to fear this empty shell with no backing.

Du Yufang retorted with feigned innocence, "Are these the rules in your quarters, Princess Consort? Silencing anyone who disagrees with you?"

Ji Qingwu lifted her teacup, her slender, pale fingers gently swirling it.

She gazed down at the tea leaves unfurling in the hot water, her voice soft and delicate as she spoke.

"Forgive my ignorance. So this is the hospitality of Prince Yong’s Mansion? To be criticized for simply taking a sip of tea."

Du Yufang saw that she was not only enjoying a tea even she had never tasted but was also complaining about the mansion’s poor hospitality. She was about to fire back a sharp retort.

But Ji Qingwu simply brought the cup to her nose and took a delicate sniff.

"The aroma is merely average. It’s far inferior to what’s served in the imperial court. Best not to drink it."

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Drinking this would be... unlucky."

With that, she flicked her wrist, and the tea splashed onto the floor at Du Yufang’s feet, spattering her embroidered slippers.

Du Yufang couldn’t believe she would dare to throw tea at her. These embroidered shoes had been custom-made by a master seamstress.

Her maid rushed to kneel and wipe the brocade uppers, only to be kicked aside.

Du Yufang’s eyes narrowed. "Is this how the Ji Family teaches its daughters manners? To visit as a guest, only to throw tea at your host?"

With one hand, Ji Qingwu held back the flowing teal gauze of her sleeve, while with the other, she gently placed the empty cup back on the table.

Lifting her gaze to Du Yufang, she said, "One moment, you have a problem with the Princess Consort’s rules, Concubine. The next, you’re unhappy with the Ji Family’s etiquette. You truly are..."

"Truly what?"

Ji Qingwu’s eyes curved into crescents. "Has it occurred to you, Concubine, that the Empress Dowager herself is a Miss Ji? And that the Heir’s wife of Duke Zhongyong’s Mansion also comes from the Ji Family? As for your earlier comments... tomorrow, when I enter the palace, I shall be sure to repeat them to the Empress Dowager. I’ll ask Her Majesty to critique them for me and point out exactly where the Ji Family’s manners are so lacking."

Du Yufang caressed her swelling abdomen. "Don’t try to scare me. The Empress Dowager and I are the true family here. The Prince’s eldest son, Yunxuan, and the child in my womb are all blood relatives of the Prince and, by extension, the Empress Dowager."

Having heirs was the greatest source of her confidence in the Prince Mansion.

’For a mere concubine to dare claim she was family with the Empress Dowager...’ Ji Qingwu could just imagine how this concubine lorded her position over Princess Yong on a daily basis.

She said at a leisurely pace, "You go on and on about rules, Concubine, yet you seem to understand them least of all. To put it nicely, we call you Concubine. To put it bluntly, you’re no different than a common mistress—just a servant with a bit of status and position."

Ji Qingwu’s eyes were bright, her voice lilting. "You mock me for being ignorant of the rules because I’ve only just returned home. Fine, I’ll let that slide."

’As if she would let it slide.’

The remark about being a servant had infuriated Du Yufang so much that her fingertips, dyed a watery red, began to tremble.

Everyone in Prince Yong’s Mansion, from top to bottom, treated her with the utmost respect. Du Yufang lived a more comfortable life than even the official Princess Consort and was met with flattery wherever she went.

As a concubine, she was for all intents and purposes the true mistress of the Prince Mansion. Newer concubines revered her even more than they did the Princess Consort.

Her only source of discontent was her status: she was a concubine, a mistress to Prince Yong, and could never accompany the Prince to banquets at the imperial palace.

In all these years, this was the first time someone had struck such a raw nerve.

Her maid whispered, trying to calm her down. She had just barely managed to compose herself when that same soft, feminine voice spoke again.

Ji Qingwu said with a sigh, "But what you absolutely should not have done, Concubine, was bully my Sister Tao for her kind heart and gentle nature."

"For as long as Sister Tao remains Princess Yong, she is the legitimate mistress of Prince Yong’s Mansion. Her station is noble; yours is base."

Hearing Ji Qingwu call her "Sister Tao" so tenderly a few times made Tao Wanxin’s head spin.

"Sister Tao, wouldn’t you say so?"

As her gaze met Ji Qingwu’s clear eyes, Tao Wanxin nodded.

"Precisely."

She couldn’t help but sit up straighter, feeling she had to live up to the responsibility of being the "sister" in this situation.

A hint of frost entered Tao Wanxin’s voice.