Chapter 2216: Consort Su

Even if word got out, it would be based on what Huaixi province said.

Consort Su and Consort Fu had thought they would be put in a difficult position and had prepared excuses to scold Shao Yunduan for not keeping his position as a minister, revealing his wild ambitions to the world. They did not expect to enter the city so easily. The two of them couldn’t help but feel pleased with themselves.

After all, they were the concubines of the Emperor. They were noble and influential, and Shao Yunduan was still a subject of the empire, so he wouldn’t dare oppose them.

This was especially true for Consort Su. Her father was originally a rough man who, thanks to the chaotic world, managed to gather a group of brothers, recruit some refugees with negative karma, and hoodwink others into joining. He became an overlord causing trouble in Lake Tai.

In the end, he was fortunate enough to be recruited by the Third Prince and became a general under him.

Consort Su was used to relying on her father’s arrogance and dominance. With her background, she lacked proper upbringing. When she first entered the Third Prince’s harem, she made many mistakes and was despised by others, mocked, and ridiculed behind her back.

Some concubines, jealous of her favor and disdainful of her background, schemed and teased her both openly and secretly to embarrass her.

The concubines in the harem were mostly from prominent and sophisticated families. From a young age, they had been exposed to various subtle and manipulative tactics. They excelled at scheming and plotting with treacherous smiles, secretly working against one another.

With Consort Su’s limited knowledge and experience, she naturally did not understand these complexities. Initially, she was the type who would help others count their money after being sold. When she was humiliated and teased, she believed others were praising her, treating her well, and currying favor with her, which only added to the jokes made at her expense.

Later, when these jokes reached Consort Su’s ears and she learned the truth, she flew into a rage out of humiliation. Ignoring the palace rules and the potential consequences, she directly confronted and ruthlessly punished a few concubines who had secretly made her suffer and schemed against her. She even disfigured one of them.

The other concubines were shocked by her barbaric behavior, which defied all the rules they had been taught to follow. They were accustomed to maintaining a facade of politeness and decorum, even towards those they despised. Seeing Consort Su act so wildly and aggressively was unprecedented.

The concubines cried to the Third Prince, and even the Empress was furious. She said that if everyone in the harem behaved so unruly and ill-mannered, the palace would descend into chaos.

“This palace would no longer resemble a palace at all! If word got out, it would become a joke to all the subjects in the world,”

The Third Prince was in a difficult position at that time.

On one hand, he had to appease the harem and address the issue. The Empress was right about the importance of maintaining decorum. On the other hand, he needed the support of Consort Su’s father and her father’s brothers, who were his capable subordinates. Punishing Consort Su too severely would strain his relationship with the Su family.

Hence, the Third Prince chose to paper over the incident. He rewarded the concubines to appease their anger and pretended to reprimand Consort Su, grounding her for ten days. Additionally, he asked the Empress to send a well-behaved old nanny to teach Consort Su the proper rules and etiquette.