The Consort’s Loose Tongue Delighted the Crown Prince to Tears

I have a problem: my words go through my lungs, but never through my brain.

When I was little, my older cousin bullied my younger sister for being born to a concubine.

I asked her whether that made Grandfather a lowborn nobody too. His mother had been a concubine as well.

Grandfather happened to be walking past. My cousin received twenty strokes across her palms.

My second uncle and his wife had to kneel in the ancestral hall for two nights before Grandfather’s anger subsided.

Later, I entered the Eastern Palace as one of the Crown Prince’s consorts.

The Crown Princess had everything going for her: beauty, gentleness, and an extraordinary talent for making pastries. Her only failing was that she couldn’t speak up for herself.

When Consort Jiang mocked her humble origins in front of everyone, her eyes reddened with anger, but she couldn’t get a single word out in reply.

I chimed in without thinking. “The founding emperor came from humble origins too. Does the Jiang family look down on the imperial house as well?”

The following day, Grand Secretary Jiang begged forgiveness outside the palace gates, kowtowing until his forehead split open.

When the Crown Prince heard, his eyes lit up.

“Consort Ye, you’re exactly the talent I need!”

The very next day, he took me to court.

“See those old men over there?”

“Just have a nice long chat with them. Speak the way you usually do.”