His Heart Favors Her

In Ji Yuanting’s eyes, the women in his harem were mostly there to secure stability at court. A daughter of a wealthy merchant family seemed to serve little purpose to him beyond the five hundred thousand taels the Xie family had offered to the treasury. It was a transaction, and he cared nothing for a woman who entered the palace through one.

He had seen her once when she entered the palace. The next time he saw her, she was fleeing from him. Remembering her face, he recalled an exceptionally seductive beauty, and suddenly wanted to see her again. Even then, it was only to stabilize the court and the harem by putting her forward as a second Yu Meiren, a target for everyone to focus on.

But later, he came to regret it. He wanted to protect her and keep anyone from hurting her.

He had seen countless beauties, and seductive women like Xie Wan Chu were nothing rare. But no one else stayed in his thoughts the way she did.

Why? Perhaps because she called his name even in her dreams. Perhaps because of all those heartfelt confessions she thought he never heard. Perhaps because she never hesitated to offer up the Xie family’s vast fortune for him.

She was a woman who loved him wholeheartedly. What was wrong with him thinking of her?

From the day she entered the palace, Xie Wan Chu told herself that if she failed to win the emperor’s favor, she had enough money to live comfortably anyway. If she did win his favor, then the only way to survive in the harem was to rely on the emperor.

She was willing to offer up the Xie family fortune because her family was wealthier than the state and could easily spare a little.

She always professed her love for the emperor when he was away, because she knew his people were watching her.

All she ever wanted was to live her own life, and to present herself to the emperor as devoted and obedient.

But there were always people scheming against her. Xie Wan Chu did nothing but cling to the emperor, saying, “This concubine knows nothing and understands nothing. I only beg Your Majesty to protect me.”

But in the end, even she could no longer tell whether it was an act or genuine affection.

Perhaps she loved him, but her heart would always belong to herself.

As the years passed, they stayed by each other’s side for over a decade. The lowly Talented Lady had become the only Noble Consort in the harem of the Great Hua Dynasty.

They never told each other they were in love, but after years together, they both knew the truth.