She had no choice but to summon the Crown Prince to the palace.

“Hurry up and take your favored maid away. If she stays any longer, I’m afraid even the Golden Throne Hall will be torn down because of her!” the Empress said irritably.

The Crown Prince glanced at the luminous pearl on the table and recalled the rumors he had heard in the palace over the past few days. He looked at me with a half-smile.

“You even dare to steal the emperor’s things. I think your courage is even bigger than three carts of pork elbows!”

In front of the boss, my confidence faded, and I timidly dared not speak.

The Crown Prince wanted to take me away, but the princess, her eyes red, refused to let me go no matter what.

Aside from the emperor and the empress, the two most honorable people in the world were both reluctant to part with me. I really must be a femme fatale!

In the end, the princess was defeated by the Crown Prince’s imposing presence and reluctantly let go. She whispered a plea,

“Well… Qingcao can go, but can the Secret Guard stay?”

“Secret Guard?” The Crown Prince raised his eyebrows and looked at me. I lowered my head guiltily.

“Yes, the Secret Guard, the one that looks exactly like Qingcao!” the princess said, blushing.

Later, the Crown Prince personally brought the princess and the luminous pearl to apologize to the emperor. The princess insisted that she had sneaked in and taken the luminous pearl herself.

Although the emperor found it hard to believe, for the sake of the Crown Prince, he let the princess off. It was said that the princess had long admired this luminous pearl, so he simply awarded it to her.

Between his beloved consort and his beloved son, the emperor wisely chose his son, the future heir.

At their parting, the Crown Prince ordered my brother to come out and meet the princess. The princess blushed and asked if he was willing to stay by her side, but my brother shook his head.

“My lord is the Crown Prince. I must obey all the arrangements of His Highness the Crown Prince!”

The princess looked longingly at the Crown Prince, but he also shook his head.

“At this moment, leaving him with you would only bring harm to both of you.”

The princess was young and headstrong. How could my brother, as a subordinate, resist? If anything went wrong, the first to lose his head would be my brother.

“If you are sincere, one day you will meet again,” the Crown Prince said meaningfully.

Since when did the Crown Prince become a matchmaker?

As soon as we returned to the Crown Prince’s residence, my brother snatched a pork knuckle and a bowl of braised pork from the dinner prepared for me.

“I’ve been eating palace meals so bland they’ve lost all flavor! Finally, some real meat!”

I chased after him in frustration.

“I really don’t know what the princess sees in you!”

The Crown Prince glanced at me and said,

“Looks like you siblings really have no idea about your own looks.”

“What?” I didn’t understand what he meant.

“Nothing.” The Crown Prince calmly turned his head and ordered the servants to bring me another serving of braised pork.

The Crown Prince no longer had my brother serve as a secret guard, but instead transferred him to the imperial guards, where he gradually rose from a junior guard to commander. My brother’s martial arts skills were truly remarkable, and once he had an official position, he even went on to become the top military scholar.

It was at this time that Princess Qingyao was selecting a consort. Over the years, she had rejected many marriage proposals, much to the Empress’s headache.

Although my brother came from humble origins, there has long been precedent for princesses choosing their husbands from the ranks of top scholars. Whether it’s the top scholar in literature or in martial arts, both are considered worthy matches, so it wouldn’t be a disgrace to the princess. Moreover, the princess insisted she would marry no one but him, so the emperor and empress quickly agreed to the match.^[1]In imperial China, it was common for princesses to choose their husbands from among the top scholars or military champions, and such matches were considered honorable, even if the man’s background … Continue reading

A poor boy who once begged for food actually became the imperial son-in-law. If our parents knew, they’d laugh themselves right out of their graves.

Now, my brother is more grateful than ever that he didn’t become a eunuch!

After he and the princess were married, I sighed and said,

“Now I’m the sister of the imperial son-in-law, no longer a servant. Who knows what fine gentleman I’ll marry in the future.”

The Crown Prince’s expression grew a bit complicated.

“Your status is certainly different now. Not to mention ordinary families-even becoming my secondary consort wouldn’t be out of the question.”^[2]The concept of a “secondary consort” (侧妃) refers to a formal but lower-ranking wife, a practice allowed for nobility and royalty but with a clear hierarchy compared to the primary … Continue reading

I stared at him for a long time.

“Your Highness, don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me?”

A rare blush appeared on the Crown Prince’s face as he lightly coughed.

“I’m just stating the facts!”

“Oh, I see,” I said with a shrug. “I’m such a fine young lady-I can only be a proper wife, a lifelong partner for one man. Being the Crown Prince’s secondary consort probably isn’t suitable for me.”

The Crown Prince looked at me and replied, “You have quite the appetite. My primary wife is meant to become Empress, the mother of the nation, and I’d have to dismiss my entire harem for you?”

I was startled. “Your Highness, what are you saying? When did I ever say I wanted to marry you?”

But the Crown Prince ignored me, muttering to himself, “Then I must seriously think about how to…”

He walked out, lost in thought.

He’s crazy! By then, I’d probably be hacked to death by the Crown Princess. I have no interest in breaking up someone else’s family!

I thought to myself, quietly ordering a carriage to be prepared and slipping several large silver notes given by the princess’s sister-in-law into my bundle.

Back when I had no way to feed myself, I thought about staying at the Crown Prince’s residence for a worry-free life. But now, with money, looks, power, and influence, why would I want to stay there and be unhappy?

Before dawn, I slipped away.

~The End~