Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Aunt arranged for me to meet the Crown Prince. “My judgment has never been wrong. He is a clever man. Marry a clever husband, and you spare yourself a great many worries.”

Li Sheng had a face like carved jade and lips tinted red. He smiled as he called me Sister Yutang, and there was more than a little amazement in his eyes when he looked at me.

I was secretly delighted. I was beautiful and came from a powerful family. He had no reason to be dissatisfied with me.

And when I saw him in the pale yellow robes unique to the Crown Prince, my own heart stirred a little too.

If it was not exactly mutual love, then at the very least, we suited each other perfectly.

Three days later, an imperial decree came down from the palace. Shen Yutang, daughter of the Shen family, was to be titled the Crown Prince’s Side Consort.

The Crown Princess was Jiang Qingyue, daughter of Commander Jiang of the Imperial Guards. I had met her before. Her father was broad and powerful, but she was a frail beauty, a lantern-flame of a woman who looked as though a gust of wind could knock her over.

This result was not the best, but I could accept it.

Jiang Qingyue was in poor health. I felt I could outlast her sooner or later.

When the imperial decree arrived, Sister Xue hid behind First Aunt with a guilty look on her face.

Mother and daughter came to see me together. First Aunt took my hand with great warmth. “Xiao Tang’er, don’t worry. We will take good care of everything at home.”

She waved for the maids to bring over a generous pile of gold, silver, and jewelry. “Take these as additions to your dowry.”

Her eagerness made me suspicious. Only after listening carefully did I learn that First Aunt had already selected the eldest son of the Duke of Guo for her. The young couple had long since reached an understanding. Every month when they went to Dazhao Temple to offer prayers, the two of them would always, by sheer coincidence, run into each other in the Peony Garden.

Who would have thought that one invitation from Aunt would nearly sever a pair of lovers?

For my gallant sacrifice and heroic march to martyrdom, mother and daughter were endlessly grateful.

So it turned out I was this considerate of the greater good.

I looked at the gratitude filling First Aunt’s eyes and the guilt and shame all over Sister Xue’s face. All I could do was dab at nonexistent tears with my handkerchief. “I only hope Sister will remember this kindness of mine.”

Father sent me a chest full of books and instructed me, “Do not get up in the middle of the night to read anymore. Candlelight strains the eyes. Read during the day instead.”

Mother prepared a great deal of money. “My daughter should have plenty to spend from now on. Our family has money for you to use.”

With my family’s concern packed around me, I entered the Eastern Palace.

The little sedan swayed as I thought to myself that Jiang Qingyue’s family background was, in truth, a little too low. She was only the daughter of a minor commander of the Imperial Guards. How had she become the Crown Princess?

Although they said the palace chose brides by family background, appearance, and character, the final result was often not a simple sum of the three.

When I was young, I loved arithmetic. Everything could be calculated into one definite answer.

Given that there were already three Talents and two Beauties in the Eastern Palace, and now one Crown Princess and one Crown Prince’s Side Consort had married in, how many people were there in total?

By the time the red sedan touched the ground, I had already arrived at the answer.

Only two. One was me, and the other was the Crown Princess.

The rest were not worth fearing.