Chu Qingyi was born to be overshadowed by her legitimate elder sister. Though she was breathtakingly beautiful, she was a concubine’s daughter, and her birth mother had low status. From the moment she was born, Chu Qingyi was abandoned at a country estate outside the capital, where she had to struggle to survive. Not one person in the vast Chu family ever cared about her.
In the tenth year of the Tianqi era, news came from the palace: Chu Qingxue, Chu Qingyi’s legitimate elder sister, had been in the palace for six years without conceiving. Her health had been ruined, and she could never bear children. Only then did their father remember that he had another daughter at the estate outside the capital.
For the sake of the Chu family’s glory, he brought Chu Qingyi back to the family residence. Within seven days, she was sent into the palace.
Chu Qingyi had thought she was being sent to compete for the emperor’s favor on her sister’s behalf. She never imagined the Chu family intended for her to bear a child for her sister, then kill the mother and keep the baby.
When Chu Qingyi learned the truth, her eyes reddened. She steeled herself in secret, determined not to become a stepping stone for her sister.
Before entering the palace, Chu Qingyi had never imagined the emperor would be captivated by her beauty. After all, he was the Son of Heaven, wasn’t he?
Even if Chu Qingyi was breathtakingly beautiful, surely the emperor had seen every kind of woman. Yet in a single moment, she caught his eye and won his favor. From then on, she enjoyed his constant affection, rose above everyone else, and became the envy of all…
