Eat until she's full, then sleep. Wake up and look for food. If she can't find any, go into someone's home and ask for some.
That was how Manman had lived for as long as she could remember.
Until the day she found that fierce-looking man in the mountains.
He was covered in blood and close to death, but wouldn't let her call for help.
Manman didn't understand, but obediently did as he said.
She fed him the wild fruit she'd worked so hard to gather, and even gave him the pork knuckle her aunt had rarely treated her to.
His wounds slowly healed, but one night he suddenly disappeared.
Days later, he came back to her.
Washed clean of blood, he wore magnificent clothes unlike anything Manman had ever seen. He brought her a dazzling array of jewelry, and the pork knuckle he'd promised to repay her with.
He said, You have a proper name.
Your mother was surnamed Zhu. She was educated and named you Zhu Yan. Manman is just the nickname the villagers gave you.
You are now the person who saved My life. It would damage the royal family's reputation for you to go on living by begging here.
I'll take you back to the palace and have someone teach you to read, as well as etiquette, morality, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. When you're a little older, I'll find the finest young man and marry you off.
How does that sound?
Manman asked, "Will I get meat every day if I go back to the palace?"
He nodded, so Manman nodded too.
Several months after Emperor Jing'an ascended the throne, the palace finally had a few consorts.
The consorts secretly counted the days, waiting to see which palace he would visit first. But they waited and waited, and never even caught a glimpse of him entering the inner palace.
Just as everyone began to wonder, he brought a woman back to the palace.
She looked no more than a teenager, and stood behind him, boldly peeking out with half her head as she met everyone's gaze.
The palace attendants whispered among themselves: a country girl, illiterate, crude in speech and behavior, and greedy for pleasure.
Who knew how she'd bewitched His Majesty into bringing a village girl like her back?
She, however, seemed completely unaware. She bared her claws and picked a fight with anyone and everyone.
There was no shortage of scheming in the inner palace, from arguments to frame-ups. Every incident ended up before the emperor, and every time, she was involved.
Xiao Qian rubbed his temples and asked her, "Why is it you again?"
Manman rubbed her head in distress too, then mimicked his voice in a rough tone: "I am the Son of Heaven, and you are the person who saved My life. Come back to the palace with Me, and I will make sure you live well and never suffer the slightest grievance again."
After finishing, she looked at him eagerly. "Why is it me again? Where's my good life?"
Content notes:
1. The heroine has limited social skills early on, and her education remains limited throughout.
2. Both leads have no prior sexual partners, but the hero initially has a nominal harem. Please don't read if that bothers you.
3. Kindergarten-level palace intrigue, sweet romance.
The blurb was screenshotted on August 8, 2026.
Theme: Growing freely.
