I Will Not Be a Concubine

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Cen Zaihua, the daughter of a merchant, once shared a secret affair with the Fourth Prince.

Though born to the imperial family, he would put flowers in her hair and paint her brows, treating her like an ordinary wife.

She was overjoyed, believing fate had brought them together and that all she had to do was wait for her wedding crown and robes.

Until he told her he was going to marry.

“Though a merchant's daughter has low status, I'm willing to ask for the position of secondary consort for you.” He frowned, as if admonishing her. “Don't be unreasonable.”

She lowered her head. Seeing tears fall into her palm, she finally understood how foolish she had been.

After wiping away her tears, Cen Zaihua accepted the marriage proposal from the scholar her family had chosen.

Though poor, he had a bright future and didn't care that she was a merchant's daughter.

Most importantly, he was willing to make her his one and only principal wife.

Over the years of their marriage, strange coincidences kept happening.

By chance, they hired a cook from the capital who could make the pastries she loved.

The court sent silver-thread charcoal to comfort officials in remote regions, something it had never done before.

During the winter when she was seriously ill, the best doctor in the capital happened to pass through her little town.

She kept finding letters in odd places, written in a familiar hand. Cen Zaihua knew exactly who they were from, and never replied.

In the third year of their marriage, however, her husband told her not to make things difficult for him.

The daughter of the newly appointed regional inspector was willing to marry him. She said she admired his fine appearance and would marry no one else. The inspector had only one daughter and doted on her, so after she pleaded with him, he finally agreed.

The young lady graciously said that his former wife could become a noble concubine.

“Ahua, I would never break my vow.”

“Ahua, you don't need to pay any attention to what others say.”

“Ahua, my life is hard.”

“Ahua, don't make things difficult for me.”

Cen Zaihua picked up her brush and replied to that man's letter for the first time in three years.

The latest letter had ended with one question:

“Is there truly no chance you could return to the capital?”

She ground the ink and wrote just one sentence:

“Unless you come to fetch me within a month.”

At that very moment, her maid came to deliver a message, looking frightened.

“Madam, Master asked me to tell you to take another month to consider.

If you still won't agree, he'll have no choice but to... divorce you.”

Gu Qingzhan had seen that man dare to threaten her with divorce. He'd seen how much thinner she had become.

She had learned her lesson. She shouldn't have to suffer any more.

He thought.

But then he heard her say softly, “Thank you, Your Highness, for helping me out of my predicament. With this kindness, I can let go of all the grievances between us.”

“From now on, we owe each other nothing and have nothing more to do with one another. I wish Your Highness a good match and a happy marriage, and a life free of worry.”

Content warnings:

1. The female lead has had previous partners; the male lead has not. Happy ending, one couple.

2. The leads have a misunderstanding, but the male lead genuinely has flaws early on.

3. The setting is fictional, with elements from different dynasties mixed together. It includes plenty of invented details about medicine, geography, agriculture, and more, all in service of the plot.

4. Extremely melodramatic. The melodrama includes, but isn't limited to, what's in the blurb, so I can't list every possible trigger. In short, it's melodramatic. If that's not your thing, proceed with caution. Reality and fiction won't intersect, so it's best not to bring your real-world values into it. If you don't like it, leave right away and take care of your mood!

5. [Bold] [Many author notes are very important. Please read them as appropriate, and don't criticize me for plot points that don't exist.]

Theme: Fate is woven like a net; stand firm as a rock.