Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Xie Changhui first came to my home to apply for the position of tutor.

My grandmother thought he was too young.

He replied calmly, “This humble one is already twenty-two this year. I simply have a youthful face. If the Old Madam is concerned, you may test my knowledge.”

However, his inner thoughts were loud and frantic.

[Grandma, I’m here to save your granddaughter! You absolutely must keep me here.]

[Besides, what’s wrong with being seventeen? Seventeen is the peak of one’s knowledge! Once I hit eighteen, it’s all downhill from there.]

I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a surge of curiosity toward him.

Seeing my delight, Grandmother decided to let him stay.

She didn’t actually expect Xie Changhui to teach me much. It was just that my father and brother had died in battle and my mother had passed away from illness; in this vast Duke’s Mansion, I was the only child left.

She hoped for a young man who could act like an elder brother to accompany me.

Xie Changhui stayed by my side for a year before Grandmother passed away.

From then on, I was the only orphan left in the Duke’s Mansion.

The Crown Prince took pity on me and intended to take me into the palace.

He made a solemn promise.

“Shaohua, I will surely treat you like my own sister and take good care of you.”

Xie Changhui broke into a cold sweat.

In his mind, he kept shouting, “Holy grass!”

I didn’t know why he liked grass so much; perhaps it was some strange quirk of his.

His inner voice was panicked.

[Don’t go! If you go, you’ll fall in love with the Crown Prince, become a villainess, commit unspeakable atrocities, and eventually die a miserable death.]

[The Duke’s Mansion is a lineage of loyal martyrs, but its reputation will be utterly destroyed because of you.]

[In the end, the Crown Prince will marry someone else and rule the world together with her, while you’re left with nothing.]

My expression turned solemn.

My grandfather was a founding official of the dynasty. My father and brother died in battle, serving the country with their lives. They lived their lives with integrity.

I could die, but I could not die in shame.

I looked at the refined and elegant Crown Prince and said softly, “Your Highness, if I leave, there will truly be no one left in the Duke’s Mansion. As long as I am here, the Duke’s Mansion remains. Therefore, I cannot go.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes widened slightly, filled with pity.

“…Then protect the Duke’s Mansion well. If you ever need anything, you may come to me.”

“In my heart, you will always be my sister.”

Xie Changhui looked respectful on the outside, but he snorted disdainfully in his mind.

[You’d better keep treating her as a sister, kid.]

The Crown Prince moved quickly.

Not long after, an imperial decree arrived from the palace, conferring upon me the title of Princess Guangyi.

I became the Crown Prince’s adopted sister.

I went to the palace to express my gratitude to the Emperor and Empress.

They treated me with great affection, keeping me for a meal and bestowing many gifts upon me.

The Empress even set aside a palace hall for me so that I would have a place to stay whenever I visited.

I softly voiced my thanks.

She happily praised me for being well-behaved.

Only Princess Rouyi was unhappy. Her eyes were red, and she shot me a secret glare when no one was looking.

Xie Changhui frowned slightly.

[Using one little girl’s things to coax another, making two little girls fight over them… No wonder these two grow up to be bitter rivals. Do you parents really not realize how awful you’re being?]

Only then did I realize.

The hall the Empress gave me was originally intended for Princess Rouyi once she grew older. Because I had arrived, they gave the hall to me instead.

Princess Rouyi hated me for it.

But everyone told her to be sensible. She wanted to hate me, but she didn’t dare to; her heart was full of grievance.

I immediately declined the hall, claiming that I could only sleep in my own bed and would only rest peacefully at the Duke’s Mansion.

Princess Rouyi curled her lip and said proudly, “Hmph! I’m not picky about my bed at all!”