1.
Regent King Chu Heng cared deeply for his country and had grand ambitions. He commanded a million troops, wielded the methods of a devil, and possessed the face of a god. Even the current emperor had to show him respect.
Such an exceptionally talented man contracted a strange illness while fighting on the border. He remained unconscious for two whole months, and the imperial physicians tried everything without the slightest improvement.
In her desperation, the eldest princess resorted to an unorthodox solution: she would choose a bride to bring him good fortune from among all the unmarried women in the capital. To everyone's surprise, when their birth charts were matched, the daughter of a servant stood out as the best candidate.
Everyone said, "So what if someone of her status enters the prince's residence? The principal wife can dismiss her with a single word."
Those words proved prophetic. A year later, Chu Heng returned home victorious at the head of his army, only to find an ugly woman who turned his stomach. The young woman he'd longed for had already died, and the servants told him her body had been dumped in the mass grave, wrapped in a tattered straw mat.
The Regent King, who had killed without batting an eye, held her rotting corpse in his arms, and his hair turned white overnight.
2.
Wanw an had skin as fair as ice and features as exquisite as jade. Everyone who saw her called her a beauty capable of bringing ruin to a kingdom, and said she must never be taken into a household.
But fate had other plans. This very beauty was chosen to bring good fortune to the Regent King.
She knew her status was low and humble. When she entered the residence, she planned to wait until the Prince of Dingbei recovered, collect her reward for bringing him good fortune, and return home. But after an unexpected turn of events, Chu Heng took her, and from then on she remained in the prince's residence in an ambiguous position.
Wanw an also knew that using her beauty to win favor would never last. Chu Heng saw her as no more than a pretty songbird and plaything. She knew his favor and affection couldn't be taken seriously, so she always behaved herself and never let his favor go to her head.
But the principal wife, who had yet to enter the household, still couldn't stand her. On her very first day, she sent Wanwan to her death with a cup of poison, along with the child in her womb, who was not yet three months along.
When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to a month before Chu Heng's wedding. She was already carrying his child, and afraid of suffering the same fate again, Wanwan packed her things and fled while Chu Heng was away putting down a rebellion.
She had always thought she meant nothing to Chu Heng, but she never expected that when the usually arrogant Regent King found her, his hands would tremble as he pulled her into his arms.
"Come home with me."
Theme: Growing through adversity
