Twelve Years as a Concubine

2024.9.10: A beautiful, calculating heroine X an arrogant, conceited hero

Leng Qingyuan was Shen Lian's concubine for twelve years, following him as he fell from power to the depths, then staying by his side as he rose again.

After he regained his position, she remained the only concubine at Shen Lian's side. At first, Qingyuan had pursued him for his power and status. As time passed, however, she couldn't help developing feelings for him.

That night, after they had been together, she curled up in his arms and asked if she could stop taking the contraceptive decoction. Shen Lian cut short her hopes with the words, "You should know the rules of this household." From then on, she focused wholeheartedly on being a proper concubine.

*

Not long afterward, she heard that Shen Lian was going to marry.

And the woman he was marrying was none other than the childhood sweetheart everyone said had waited years for him, as well as the woman who had killed her mother: Sun Yurou.

That night, Shen Lian told her about it. "Once I marry Yurou, I'll give you a child. And Yurou is kind by nature. She would never make things difficult for you."

Concealing the cold glint in her eyes, she nestled limply against him. "Don't worry, my lord. I understand." Shen Lian sighed and comforted her. "Good girl, A Yuan."

*

Who could have guessed that on the eve of the Sun family's legitimate daughter entering the household, the most beloved concubine of the Shen family patriarch would suddenly disappear? To find her, Shen Lian defied everyone's criticism and postponed the wedding. That day, Sun Yurou became the laughingstock of the entire city.

Shen Lian didn't know that she had planned all of this from the moment she learned he was going to marry Sun Yurou.

*Bonus scene:

Shen Lian had always thought his concubine was obedient and gentle, sensible and considerate, and deeply in love with him. Until one day, he ran into Qingyuan at a tavern. She, who usually got drunk after a single sip, was drinking with someone else, lightly lifting the person's chin with a fingertip. "If only Shen Lian were half as charming as you."

At her words, the custom-made jadeite hairpin, carved with a cat pouncing on a butterfly, shattered in Shen Lian's hand.

Theme: Cherish your heart and don't give it away lightly. Let the peach and plum blossoms revel in the spring breeze