The Female Psychology PhD Who Time Traveled to the Royal Harem-Chapter 543

“You are already the Crown Prince, the entire realm is yours—why not let him have his way?”

This was the phrase young Shen Ye heard most often in his childhood.

He became the Crown Prince, yet lost his father’s affection. Within the depths of the palace, aside from his personal eunuch, only his father had ever truly cherished him.

As for his mother…

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

She had never liked him from the start.

Wang Dequan often consoled him: “Your Highness, do not grieve. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager does not dislike you—she holds you to high expectations. The deeper the love, the harsher the discipline.”

No!

Shen Ye believed Wang Dequan was wrong.

His mother did not love him—she even loathed him. The way she looked at him was always filled with scrutiny and malice.

He could feel it.

Yet he refused to give up, so he tested her time and again.

“Wang Dequan, light the lamps!”

Once again jolted awake from a nightmare, Shen Ye sat up, irritation clouding his mind.

The flickering candlelight swayed before gradually brightening.

Two ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‍young eunuchs drew back the golden-yellow bed curtains with brass hooks as Wang Dequan stepped forward with a bow. “Your Majesty, your calming tea.”

With the triennial imperial selection underway, the emperor had been plagued by nightmares in recent days.

The Imperial Astronomer claimed the emperor’s Red Thread Star—symbolizing destined love—was stirring, but dark clouds obscured it, preventing its radiance from shining through.

The emperor’s relentless nightmares, they said, were caused by those very clouds stirring trouble, harming the one tied to him by fate.

Observing the emperor’s weary expression, Wang Dequan spoke gently, “Your Majesty, the selection has concluded, and all the chosen ladies have taken residence in Chuxiu Palace. You’ve been so occupied with state affairs lately—perhaps exhaustion is to blame. Why not seek a change of scenery to ease your mind?”

Anyone else would never dare utter such words.

But Wang Dequan was no ordinary servant. He had attended Shen Ye since childhood, his loyalty beyond question.

It was out of genuine concern that he risked offering such advice.

After all, the current harem was dominated by the favored Noble Consort. If word reached her ears, even the emperor’s personal eunuch would not escape unscathed.

“Tsk…”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Shen Ye rubbed his temples and replied indifferently, “Tomorrow, go pick one. Any will do.”

It made no difference to him.

The next day, after court adjourned, Shen Ye followed his usual routine to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, only to remember at her palace gates that she had taken the two Wu family consorts to a temple for prayers.

He meant to leave, but a voice from behind the corridor caught his attention:

“Her Ladyship intends to pit Jiang Xinyue against the Noble Consort?”

“The Noble Consort prides herself on her beauty and has ruled the harem with arrogance for years. Discontent has long simmered among the other consorts. Our mistress has observed that among this year’s selected ladies, only this Jiang Xinyue surpasses the Noble Consort in beauty. If they clash, His Majesty’s attention might be divided.”

They held no illusions that a mere selected lady could topple the Noble Consort, but if the emperor’s favor toward her waned even slightly, the other consorts might finally have a chance.

Hidden behind a wall, Shen Ye chuckled.

It wasn’t as if he truly loved the Noble Consort either. Her family’s influence dictated his favor, and with no one he genuinely adored, it mattered little whom he indulged.

Since everyone coveted his affection, bestowing it upon someone useful was preferable to wasting it on the undeserving.

Hadn’t the Empress Dowager, too, believed she could manipulate him through a mere Virtuous Consort—pressuring him to pardon the Wu family’s crimes—which was why she remained so compliant?

Such childish schemes, attempting to deceive him, were laughable.

He yearned to be loved, to be acknowledged—but he would never beg for anyone’s sincerity.

What he wanted was someone who would devote themselves entirely to him, offering their heart willingly.

Anyone who dared deceive him would pay the price.

“Wang Dequan, arrange for Jiang Xinyue to attend me tonight.”

As expected, with a new player on the stage, the drama grew far more entertaining than usual.

The daughter of a deputy minister in the Ministry of Rites, she was cultured and perceptive.

Yet her breathtakingly beautiful face, delicate and alluring, was marred by sorrow.

She did not wish to serve him.

For a fleeting moment, Shen Ye was taken aback. Then he tugged her half-removed outer robe back into place.

“If you’re unwilling, then get out. I have no taste for forcing women.”

In noble families, trading daughters for glory was commonplace. A beauty like Jiang Xinyue was a curse in itself.

But the thought that officials under his rule would stoop so low, using their wives and daughters to chase wealth and status, ignited a nameless fury within him.

A true man’s duty was to safeguard the nation and its people—but what kind of home was being protected? What kind of country?

Instead of strengthening themselves, they resorted to underhanded schemes. Disgraceful.

The fragile girl hastily rolled off the bed and knelt at his feet, making him look like some tyrannical brute.

“Your Majesty, forgive me! This humble consort was overwhelmed by Your Majesty’s majesty upon our first meeting and lost composure. It was an act of involuntary admiration. I beg Your Majesty not to hold it against me.”

A smooth recovery—but she was still too green. Her eyes betrayed the lie.

“Is that so?”

“Then I’ll summon you again tomorrow.”

He had warned her. All who deceived him would pay.

For three consecutive nights, the emperor summoned the newly selected lady Jiang Xinyue to his chambers, even promoting her rank.

Overnight, Jiang Xinyue became the talk of the palace.

Yet in those three days, Shen Ye never laid a finger on her. The harem, unaware, assumed she had won his favor.

The lesson was meant to be brief, and after a few nights, Shen Ye forgot about her entirely.

Jiang Xinyue was undeniably stunning, but he had no interest in a woman who scowled and lied through her teeth.

Until—

When he saw her again outside Xihuo Palace, his long-dormant heart stirred once more.

She was passionate, vivacious, untamed. She was bold, forthright, radiating an irrepressible vitality and a beauty that cared not for consequence.

She told him he could seek love, but must love himself most. She said she did not understand his wounds or his pain, but seeing him suffer shattered her heart.

For him, she would debate scholars, defy the Empress Dowager. She saw through his masks and played along with his whims.

It was as though she had been made for him.

Her acting was flawless—tears came at will, her performance surpassing any courtesan he’d ever seen.

At first, he too was fooled, believing her love for him was profound, desperate, all-consuming.

But this was not the same Jiang Xinyue!

Once he realized, he watched her closely. His conclusion remained unchanged—she was not the same woman.

Who she was mattered little.

What mattered was that this Jiang Xinyue had carved a place in his heart.

She wanted what he could provide. So did she love him? How much of it was real? Did she even know herself?

As long as he kept giving her what she desired, Shen Ye would remain invincible.

With a kingdom and a beauty in his grasp, greed had no place.

In life, contentment was true happiness.

And besides, the children she raised for him thrived. In this, he was luckier than his grandfather or father had ever been.