Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The year I married, I was only sixteen. I had read a few storybooks about talented scholars and beautiful maidens, but I did not have many expectations for my future husband.

I married the Sixth Prince and became the Consort of the Sixth Prince. If I played my cards right, perhaps one day I might even become the most honored woman in the Great Yu Dynasty. But the task at hand was to fulfill my duties as a wife-and, beyond that, to conceive as soon as possible.

After all, heirs were important. If I worked a little harder while I was young and gave birth to an outstanding son, my later years would be much easier.

Fate treated me well. Half a year after the wedding, I became pregnant. I had great hopes for this child. Perhaps this would be the support I could rely on in the future.

The prince was delighted as well. With a sweep of his hand, all manner of rewards were sent to me. So I went along with the momentum and suggested he take a concubine. He agreed readily and praised me for being virtuous.

I thought we would have to carefully choose a candidate, but to my surprise, he settled on one very quickly: his maternal cousin, Lady Xue. He even requested the title of side consort for her. Only then did I begin to wonder if his heart had already belonged to someone else all along.

After Lady Xue entered the household, she received great favor. By comparison, my courtyard became much quieter. But I did not particularly mind. I was nurturing a pregnancy, after all, and the most important thing was to stay in a good mood. If the prince did not come to me, then I was the one in charge.

Besides, I had met Lady Xue before. She was a delicate beauty, soft and frail, looking as if a stiff breeze might knock her over. In this world, affection and favor were all empty things. Only a child could truly be relied upon. To put it bluntly, as things stood, I could probably outlive her by sheer endurance alone, so why make myself miserable? Moreover, she seemed like a well-educated, reasonable person. I had no reason to strike at someone who greeted me with a smile.

And so, I was very generous toward Lady Xue. For this, the prince praised me again. I accepted it without the slightest modesty.

After ten months of pregnancy came the day of delivery. I was in pain for an entire night, and as I had wished, it was a boy-the legitimate eldest son of the prince and me. Looking at the tiny child wrapped in swaddling clothes, I pressed my cheek gently against him. This was the person I would depend on for the rest of my life.

Men could not be relied on, but a son I raised myself could. At the same time, I let out a breath of relief. I would not have to give birth again. After all, having a child was like passing through the gates of hell. I very much wanted to live a good, long life.

The prince was also very fond of this child. He pored over countless books, hoping to choose a name for him. In the end, when the baby turned one month old, the emperor sent a name from the palace: Chaoyi.

In private, the prince complained to me that the emperor had so many grandsons already, while this was still his first son, and that it was unfair. I did not think much of it. In any case, it would never have been my turn to choose his formal name. Fortunately, I had picked a childhood name for him early on: Tun’er.