The Crown Princess Survives by Running Up Debts

The year she came of age, the real daughter of the Minister of Revenue's household, Yang Xuewu, returned home.

Overnight, Mo Nian became a discarded pawn.

Just then, the emperor issued an edict arranging her marriage to Prince Li Ying, who had been unconscious for two years, as a way to bring him good fortune.

The Second Prince knew that Mo Nian's birth chart clashed with Li Ying's, so he forced her to marry into the Eastern Palace under the identity of the Minister of Revenue's daughter.

The palace servants neglected her, and the Eastern Palace was like a cold palace. With nothing to do while caring for the prince, Mo Nian spent her days munching on sunflower seeds, reading picture books, and sneaking a feel of his abs.

What she didn't know was that the prince could read minds. Though unconscious, he could hear everyone's thoughts.

Mo Nian didn't want to die. After hearing her older brothers say, "The one who's owed money is the one in charge," she had a bright idea. Every few days, she would go to the Minister of Revenue's residence and the Second Prince's residence to swindle money, then play the victim and borrow money from the emperor and empress. She also used her status as the crown princess to borrow and extort money from the rich and powerful everywhere.

The more IOUs piled up in the Eastern Palace, the more secure she felt.

Whenever her creditors came to demand payment, she'd burst into tears and hold a sword to her neck. "I don't have the money to pay you back right now. How about taking my life instead?"

Wanting to get their money back as soon as possible, they had no choice but to help the crown princess make money and assign people to protect her day and night. But...

Why did the amount of money she'd borrowed keep growing?

In desperation, they swallowed their pride and complained to the prince after he woke up. "Your Highness, the crown princess is doing all this, and it's your reputation that suffers!"

Seated upright in the main hall, the prince gently rubbed the bone of his index finger. His voice was calm and low, his eyes shimmering. "Is my reputation more important than the crown princess?"

"..."

To make the Second Prince regret everything, Mo Nian used the crown prince as a prop to put on lovey-dovey displays.

But the more she did, the more the prop seemed to change. His gaze grew increasingly intense.

Knowing she wasn't worthy of the crown prince, she drafted a divorce agreement in the middle of the night and planned to run away. Instead, she found the prince sharpening a knife in his room, his gaze bloodthirsty. "You used me and now you want to run? Then don't blame me for slaughtering your whole family and cooking your chickens and dogs."

"..."

Terrified, Mo Nian trembled, crumpled the divorce agreement, and threw it away on the spot.

Theme: Learning to be more confident and independent, as well as kinder and gentler