From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 151: A Fruitful Endeavour

When Xiao Lichun asked for permission to interrupt Liu Wei mid-tryst, the bright prince of the first rank hadn’t been expecting such good news. He had snarled violently upon seeing Xiao Lichen, most displeased with having his nightly activities put to a halt, especially since this new girl his mother had sent over had such beautiful wide almond eyes, reminiscent of a doe’s and also of a certain unmentionable slave, who must have spread his legs so well he now dominated the imperial harem.

Every day spent without having a taste of that delectable boy was like a profuse itch residing beneath Liu Wei’s skin; his inability to scratch it meant that there was no means of alleviating it and bit by bit he found himself driven into a craze. The substitutes he’d procured to soothe the throbbing need paled in comparison...but today’s girl had the right demeanour to fit his proclivities. She was an expert charmer, it seemed, and aware that when his gaze bore into her, he was looking through her at someone else.

Absorbed as he was in fantasies of holding his brother’s most beloved concubine in his arms, was it any wonder that his mood soured with Xiao Lichun’s untimely entrance?

"This had better be the best news you’d ever had the opportunity to present to me," he snarled, not even pausing in his frenetic thrusting and finding a measure of delight in the way the girl beneath him played coy and started to protest mildly at their audience, twisting her nimble waist so that she could reach behind herself to push ineffectually at his chest in a feeble attempt to get him to dismount.

That seemed like a thing Yan Yun would do. He would have to reward her for the effort later. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Xiao Lichun’s smile didn’t falter, which piqued Liu Wei’s interest. This cunning eunuch of his was glib of tongue and had a pair of hawk eyes, which he put to good use at reading the attitudes of the gentry that surrounded him. If he didn’t fear Liu Wei’s retribution, it meant that there was something important to update Liu Wei on, something that he was sure Liu Wei wouldn’t have wanted to wait to know.

Sure enough, Xiao Lichun fell into a full prostrate on the ground before bellowing in a joyous voice, "Congratulations, Prince Xi! Side Concubine Wu is with your child!"

This finally made Liu Wei stop. He ignored the dark expression that flitted over the face of the girl—at odds with the blatant ecstasy she was portraying just a mere moment ago—and stumbled off the bed, eyes wide as he seized Xiao Lichun by the shoulders in excitement.

"Say that again? Side Concubine Wu is pregnant?!" His mind raced as triumph flooded his veins but he tried to calm himself down. It wouldn’t do to lose his composure. "Have the imperial physicians been sent for?"

Xiao Lichun nodded fervently. "They have, Prince Xi, only Empress Dowager Niangniang’s imperial physician was allowed near Side Concubine Wu, this servant ensured this myself. Niangniang is beside herself with happiness at receiving this news."

His mother would be. She had been looking forward to this almost as much as Liu Wei had, this was certain, especially after her relationship with Liu Yao had soured beyond the point of redemption. Whilst she might have seen this future child as a means of securing a hold on the throne, Liu Wei saw it as a major point in his favour in the eyes of the morning court. What good was an emperor who could not pass on the family line, after all?

In some ways, Wu Shengqi had truly done Liu Wei a favour by organising that dance performance on his birthday. Without it, his dear brother’s impenetrable defences wouldn’t have been brought crumbling by a mere beauty.

Liu Wei didn’t mind second-hand goods, be it the throne or the boy. Power was power and pleasure was pleasure, there was no need to get caught up in regretting who got there first as long as he could ensure that he was the last one standing.

Ah, it would feel positively delightful to fuck his brother’s consort in front of him. It seemed like there was much to look forward to in his future.

Mirth bubbled out of his lips as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair and motioned impatiently for the servant girls to attend to his attire. "How is Side Concubine Wu faring?" he asked, thoughts flying for a brief instant to the slip of a girl he sometimes visited when the inclinations arose. She had thrilled him at first with her submissiveness, compliant with his demands whenever they’d visited Yutao Pavilion together and had cut an elegant figure in male clothing. Unlike the other girls who always started out crying and begging not to be humiliated, this side concubine of his had behaved like she genuinely didn’t care how he’d chosen to use her and Liu Wei had found himself amused and entertained...but not for long.

Her features bore no resemblance to Yan Yun and it didn’t take much time before he found himself growing bored of her. But she was also his woman and easy to lie with; she parted her thighs when commanded to, never clung onto him when he was done, and never once showed him any ugly jealousy whenever he directed his affections elsewhere. As such, it wasn’t too inconvenient on his part to sow her with his seed on the regular in the hopes that it would bear fruit.

And fruit it did bear. Just as he was starting to wonder if he had some sort of mortifying affliction or...if his devious older brother had somehow caught wind of the full scale of his ambitions and had taken measures to rob him of heirs.

He guessed not. Liu Yao was always too noble for his own good, fighting wars that no one wanted to fight and struggling on behalf of the common folk that no one wanted to save. Like a ridiculous martyr, it was foolish for an emperor to pit himself against his entire court of influential, powerful men just for the sake of idealism.

If Liu Wei recalled correctly, Liu Yao’s long-lost love was like that too. It was no surprise that Yun Ziyu wasn’t around anymore, lingering only in the emperor’s nostalgic memories and at the heart of a shared courtesy name.

"Open the treasury and bestow lavish gifts befitting the occasion upon Side Concubine Wu and be sure to reward the servants too as all must be made aware that congratulations are in order," Liu Wei instructed Xiao Lichun, heart hammering as he asked the other servants to prepare the horse carriage, he was ready to enter the inner palace for a meeting with the dowager.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lichun’s beam finally faltered. "Ah, Prince Xi," he said, ingratiatingly oily as he sidled up to Liu Wei’s side to gently take his arm. "Empress Dowager Niangniang had an inkling that you would wish to share this monumental news with her personally and has asked this servant to deliver a message to you."

Of course Liu Wei wanted to discuss matters with his mother. Now that he had a child on the way, it didn’t even matter what gender it was. All that Liu Wei needed to prove was that he could produce heirs for the throne and the court would undoubtedly apply pressure on Liu Yao to name him as heir, especially since the emperor had displayed no intentions of visiting anyone else in his harem.

"Hurry up then," he said, brows knitted with impatience. "What did Royal Mother wish for me to do?"

"Keep calm, refrain from rashness." Before Liu Wei’s temper could explode, Xiao Lichun hastened to add, "Niangniang only has Prince Xi’s best interests at heart, for sure! Consider it carefully, Prince Xi, Niangniang would like you to bide your time, the morning court isn’t ready to fall behind you just yet."

A vase went soaring across the room, eliciting a scream from the girl who was still naked and perched on the edge of his bed. Her noise grated upon him and he motioned for the other eunuchs to take her out of his sight. "Bide my time, bide my time," Liu Wei gritted out, circling the space like a wounded lion before rounding on Xiao Lichun with a vicious growl. "How much longer do I have to live like a spineless coward under Liu Yao’s thumb? I suppose my dear mother would like me to seize the opportunity to lick my royal big brother’s shoes and ask for a boon?" His tone turned acerbic. "As a reward for contributing to the expansion of the imperial family, may this brother-subject please be allowed to attend morning court again? Just because I wasn’t born the eldest...this prince doesn’t believe in destiny. This prince will become emperor."

He would never forget the way Liu Yao had dismissed him from court over the imperial examinations case. Under the guise of reflecting on his mistakes, the emperor had kept him trapped like a wretched caged animal, held under house arrest with no consideration of his reputation as a member of the imperial family.

"P-Prince Xi," Xiao Lichun’s words trembled as he shot a cautious glare at the other servants present. "Please be careful with your words, this servant is afraid that the walls have ears."

Liu Wei was aware that he was speaking of treason but he had other matters to concern himself with at present.

"It’s your job to ensure that no tongues wag later, is it not?"

As the servants and that new girl dropped to their knees around him to beg to be spared, Liu Wei surveyed their petrified faces with a maniacal gleam in his eyes, chest heaving with agitation as he struggled to school his emotions back into a semblance of refinement. His mother was right, of course. The morning court had a stake in Liu Yao’s harem too. Many of the concubines were daughters of prominent families, all eying the position of empress or the prestige of giving birth to the emperor’s eldest son. There was a high chance, after all, that the mother of the first-born prince would be crowned empress, just to ensure the legitimacy of the child. Whether Liu Yao favoured another or not, if he were wise, he would not break this rule.

Those scheming old foxes were well aware of this and felt no rush to secure an heir that wasn’t going to bring them any advantage, especially since Liu Yao was still in his prime. Vague insinuations were one matter but to attempt to rush a young, healthy emperor into appointing an heir was akin to prodding a tiger in the eye.

There had to be some way to take Liu Yao down. To give his brother’s oh-so-loyal ministers a sense of urgency. Only then would they see that it was in their best interests to throw their lot in with him. What were their other options? The licentious wastrel of a sixth prince or a mere child? His mother had long since sent word that Liu Yao was paying more heed to that little brat’s education, a worrying sign for Liu Wei indeed. If he were to wear Liu Yao’s shoes, he could see the allure in raising a much younger, less threatening sibling to take on the role of crown prince.

But he could not let Liu Yao accomplish this, otherwise, all his hard work would be for nought. Anyone who stood in his way had to go, be it the emperor or the unwitting tenth prince.

Slowly, a plan formed in his mind. Like soft wisps of smoke, his treacherous thoughts lingered, faint and intangible, but he was confident that in time they would take shape.

"Xiao Lichun," he said, placid now that he had regained his calm. "This prince requires information on the visiting dignitaries from the north."