I Became the Crown Prince's Secondary Consort

Tian Xiaoman was nothing more than a country girl, yet because of an old debt of gratitude between their fathers, she was betrothed to Xie Yantan, the Crown Prince, as his Secondary Consort.

When she first arrived in the capital, Tian Xiaoman was nervous and uneasy, afraid that the Crown Prince would look down on her for not knowing a single character.

Fortunately, Xie Yantan was gentle and approachable, and treated her with kindness and warmth, never in the least mistreating her.

Life in the Eastern Palace was simple. She was the only Secondary Consort.

Tian Xiaoman rarely went out, spending her days reading and drinking tea with the Crown Prince. It was pleasant enough.

There was just one thing she didn't like...

Xie Yantan took the rites of marriage very seriously. Every month, around the middle of the month, he would insist on sharing her bed for several days.

Though Xie Yantan was frail, and would cough if the wind so much as blew on him, he was surprisingly fierce in bed.

...He always left deep red marks on her, and she couldn't get out of bed for half a day.

-

Crown Prince Xie Yantan was disciplined and scrupulous in observing propriety, and renowned for his virtue.

The entire court praised such a dignified heir to the throne.

Had the late Empress not hanged herself in disgrace, and Consort Shen not grown powerful through the Emperor's favor, how could the Crown Prince have fallen out of favor with the sovereign, or remained unmarried at the age of twenty-five?

Xie Yantan seemed warm and generous, but in truth, he was deeply calculating.

His frail health was nothing but a ploy to deceive his political enemies.

One day, as his claim to the throne neared fruition, an adviser asked what should be done with Tian Xiaoman, the Secondary Consort in his household.

The warm smile faded from Xie Yantan's lips. His phoenix eyes turned cold as he replied without a trace of feeling:

"She's nothing but a countrywoman. This marriage was a humiliation Consort Shen inflicted on me. Once the hidden dragon emerges from the abyss, she should be killed without hesitation."

Tap.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him.

When Xie Yantan turned around, all that lay on the ground was a fallen petal from a wintersweet branch.

It was the flower Tian Xiaoman had murmured about in her sleep the night before...the one she wanted to pick for him.

-

Tian Xiaoman knew she was insignificant, unimportant, and foolish in all things. She was certain Xie Yantan could never love her.

She had also thought that, once Xie Yantan took a principal consort, she could leave the palace and return to the countryside, to her carefree old life.

But Tian Xiaoman had never imagined that Xie Yantan could be so cold, seeing her as a disgrace and wanting nothing but to kill her.

Tian Xiaoman didn't want to die...

The day turmoil erupted in the palace, she escaped in the confusion and vanished without a trace.

-

The Crown Prince's Secondary Consort perished in a sea of flames, her life snuffed out.

The advisers in the residence all sighed, "Perhaps this is for the best. She was, after all, the woman who shared his bed, and there had been some affection between them. If Xie Yantan had killed her himself, it would have tarnished his personal virtue."

At first, Xie Yantan thought that she was only a country girl. Why should he keep her in his thoughts?

But the woman who used to chatter beside him was gone.

When the flowers were about to bloom, there was no one to pick them for him, or remind him to take his medicine and put on warmer clothes...

Now and then, Xie Yantan would remember Tian Xiaoman's kindness.

-

Several years later, Tian Xiaoman set out to hunt in the mountains as usual. But as soon as she left, a crowd of heavily armored soldiers surrounded her home.

Sweating and panicked, Tian Xiaoman saw her former husband, the Crown Prince, approach in a bloodstained white robe, striding toward her.

Xie Yantan raised his lovely eyes slightly and looked at his long-lost little Secondary Consort.

"Xiaoman... I'm here to take you back to the palace."

[Reading Guide]

1. A lovesick, unhinged Crown Prince x an easygoing, honest Secondary Consort

Both are sexually inexperienced. Melodramatic romance, coercive pursuit, the powerful one finally lowering his head, marriage before love.

The story is entirely focused on emotional tension, with lots of romantic and flirtatious scenes between the leads. If that's not your thing, please don't read it, and don't try to tell the author how to write!

2. The blurb may differ slightly from the story. The story itself takes precedence.

3. The heroine is Tian Xiaoman. Her name may seem simple, but all the grander names I thought of just didn't suit her.

I simply hoped that everything in Tian Xiaoman's life would go smoothly and end happily, so I chose this name.

4. This is a fictional setting with original elements added to enrich the story. There's no need to research it. If this bothers you, feel free to drop the story, but please don't argue.

5. This blurb was screenshotted and posted on Weibo on April 9. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reposting or copying of ideas will be pursued.

Theme: Self-reliance and independence