After Marrying the Disabled Prince, I Hope Every Day to Become a Widow

Xie Yao was a timid concubine-born daughter of the Marquis of Ningyuan's household. She lived on tenterhooks in the marquis's manor, and was about to be married off to a dissolute playboy who frequented brothels and had a terrible reputation. The boldest thing she had ever done was kneel before the Empress Dowager at the spring banquet and say, “This humble woman has long admired the prince and is willing to marry him.” Prince Jing, Huo Jingzhi, was the most handsome man in the capital. But an accident had left him paralyzed from the waist down, frail and sickly, and with little time left to live. From then on, the noblewomen of the capital avoided him. None of them wanted to marry him and become a widow while he was still alive. But Xie Yao was secretly overjoyed. If she married Prince Jing, she'd be the only woman in his household, with little to worry about and plenty of free time. Once he died, she'd be a wealthy, beautiful widow, and no one could push her around! Huo Jingzhi had heard that Xie Yao, the timid daughter of the Marquis of Ningyuan, was afraid of people. Now, though, she had declared her feelings in front of everyone. She must be deeply in love with him. He had intended to refuse, but when he saw her adoring eyes, he inexplicably found himself saying, “In that case, I shall grant your wish.” … After the wedding, Xie Yao checked on him every day. “How many times did you cough today, Your Highness?” “Have you taken your medicine? Are you feeling unwell?” All the while, she was calculating how much longer she'd have to wait to become a widow. She had no idea that Huo Jingzhi saw all these “tender inquiries” as proof of her profound love. When she saw Prince Jing growing stronger by the day, even recovering the use of his legs, Xie Yao cried. What happened to being frail and sickly, with little time left to live? Seeing tears in Xie Yao's eyes, Huo Jingzhi couldn't help thinking, Yao Yao really does love me. She's crying with happiness. Late at night, the bed creaked. She suddenly decided that perhaps not becoming a widow wasn't so bad after all.