The Grand Palace Maid

Wen Xin was born into the family as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an.

If nothing unexpected happened, she could see her whole life stretching out before her, smooth and uneventful. She would find a suitable marriage, support her husband and raise their children, then live out her days in peace with her birth family's support.

But when she was ten, her family committed a terrible crime, and everything fell apart overnight.

The men were exiled, and all the women were sent to the palace service quarters as maids.

Wen Xin became a convict servant and endured endless hardship in the palace.

She thought there was no hope of ever turning her life around. But when she was twenty-three, the Empress suddenly summoned her and offered her a new job: looking after the Crown Prince.

Wen Xin nearly cursed aloud.

The emperor had died in a fall from his horse while leading a campaign, and the thirteen-year-old Crown Prince, Zhao Zhen, was about to be deposed!

The Wei and Qi kingdoms were at war, and the court couldn't be left without a leader.

The Empress Dowager favored Prince Qin and seized the opportunity to launch a coup and put him on the throne. The throne that should have belonged to the Crown Prince was snatched away by his own uncle, leaving him in an awkward position.

Wen Xin took on this hot potato at the worst possible moment.

Facing this thirteen-year-old little tyrant, Wen Xin was at a loss.

To keep her job, she did everything she could to care for him. She tasted his food for poison, lied for him, took the blame for him, and even held and comforted him when he was frightened and panicking.

She treated him like a little brother and stayed by his side as he made his way through this thorny path.

Who could have guessed that Zhao Zhen would develop feelings for her in such dire circumstances?

Wen Xin's worldview shattered.

"Wake up! Your mother asked me to be your nanny, not your wife!"

"You can't repay me by offering yourself! I'm ten years older than you, and I can't bring myself to do that!"

Faced with this woman, who was close to flying into a furious frenzy, Zhao Zhen remained completely calm.

To him, she was a ray of light in the darkness.

She gave him the nickname "rice bowl."

From now on, he would become her iron rice bowl, the kind that supports her for the rest of her life.

Male lead's story:

At thirteen, Crown Prince Zhao Zhen fell from the clouds into the mud. He thought there was no hope of ever rising again.

But then his mother brought him a woman and told him to call her Aunt Wen.

The woman had once come from a respectable family, and her misfortune was much like his own.

She was a little eccentric, but he was amazed by her tenacious, weed-like vitality.

She survived in this murderous palace and even protected him, helping him cling to life.

He feigned madness and stupidity, killed, laid traps, and maneuvered carefully, fighting his way through the dark forest and plotting every move.

From his deposition to his restoration, Zhao Zhen held on to only one conviction: he would become her iron rice bowl.

The kind where they share a quilt in life and a grave in death.

#My charming little tyrant!#

#Help, I'm unafraid of power and would rather break than bend, but he's offering far too much!#

Important note:

The female lead is ten years older than the male lead!!! No romance involving the male lead before he reaches adulthood!!

The Wan Guifei route!!

[Weed-like, eccentric transmigrator heroine x scheming, possessive, calculating, mad crown prince]

Reading guide: Alternate world, both leads have no prior partners, one-on-one, happy ending.

Theme: Even in adversity, keep fighting against the current.