Rebirth: The General's Illegitimate Daughter

Chapter 4 A Husband in Name Only

But now that she had become Prince Ling’s concubine, how could she enter the palace as a consort? She tossed and turned for most of the night, then laughed coldly to herself. Even as a married woman, she would create chaos in the harem and overthrow Xu Rong’s entire kingdom as long as she was alive!

Her husband in name, Prince Ling, was the fifth son of the late emperor and the youngest prince. When Qin Zhaoxi was still Crown Princess, she heard that one of Prince Ling’s concubines had caught him in bed with a male lover. The concubine, in tears, had said, “Now I understand why you never touched me all these years. You don’t like women at all!”

In a fit of rage, Prince Ling had sent that concubine to a brothel, but from then on, his preference for men was widely known. At that time, Prince Ling had not yet reached the age to take a concubine, but as he grew older, despite his mother being a noble consort, no family would marry their daughter to a homosexual prince to live as a widow.

Qin Zhaoxi chuckled. This homosexual prince suited her plans perfectly. She would stop at nothing to enter the palace and had no time to bother with anything else. As many faces flashed through her mind, she closed her eyes, thinking, let them be complacent for now. One day, she would make them kneel before her in remorse.

From now on, she was Chu Lianruo.

With no principal wife in Prince Ling’s mansion, the concubine in the Yanxiao Pavilion was the highest-ranking lady. According to protocol, the concubines were to pay their respects to the highest-ranking lady at the appointed time, and the prince was supposed to accompany them. However, Prince Ling had not been present last night and had left early for court. It was well past meal time, and he still hadn’t returned.

With no principal wife, the mansion was used to a lack of order. Even the concubine’s breakfast could be delayed. Due to Prince Ling’s attitude, the servants did not respect the new concubine.

Just as Chu Lianruo picked up her tea cup, two maids entered. Siyu put the food box on the table, angrily complaining, “Concubine, those people are too much! They didn’t even make breakfast. Siwei and I brought back some buns and porridge. Please make do with it.”

Having suffered in the cold palace for two years, she had endured all kinds of hardships. After they set the breakfast, she took a bun and said to the two of them, “You haven’t eaten either. Take the rest and eat. We have important things to do afterward.”

She took a small bite of the bun. While she didn’t want to concern herself with these matters, she needed to stay in the mansion for a long time and didn’t want to go hungry. Before her marriage, the Qin family was harmonious and peaceful, free from sordid affairs. However, having been a crown princess and an empress, dealing with these minor annoyances was trivial.

After breakfast, Chu Lianruo played with the tassel at her waist and instructed Siwei to use some silver to find a maid and ask about the management of the mansion, ensuring she got detailed information.

Today, Chu Lianruo wore a purple wide-sleeved dress, with her hair styled in a simple cloud bun adorned with a jade hairpin. Despite her delicate appearance, she exuded an elegance of a superior. It seemed that the concubine had transformed overnight. Siwei, considering this change, obediently followed her orders. After all, this new demeanor was better than her former meekness, which would have only brought them trouble as her dowry maids.

Siwei soon returned with the information. Chu Lianruo, resting her head on her hand, had Siyu pour a cup of tea for Siwei before lazily asking, “Did you find out?”