I'm Face-Blind, So I Didn't Notice I'd Had Three Husbands

[60% anti-piracy delay, come join the fun~] [My upcoming story, The Harem: A Tale of Male Consorts, is listed in my author profile. Its blurb is at the very bottom~] Yunniang has severe face blindness. Her grandmother warned her from a young age, "You must never tell anyone about this, or it could cost you your life." Yunniang always kept that in mind, but barely three days after her grandmother died, the matchmaker from next door was already wearing down the doorstep of her home, where she lived alone. Zhang San yesterday, Li Si today, Zhao Wu tomorrow... One man after another was brought to her door, but to Yunniang they all had the same big, blurry pancake of a face. Unable to take it anymore, Yunniang steeled herself and went to the road at the village entrance to pick up a ready-made "husband." The man had happened to flee here to escape disaster. He had nowhere to go, and looked so pitiful. When the matchmaker found out, she flew into a rage and pointed at Yunniang. "Anyone can see he fled from the city. You won't be able to keep him. He'll run off sooner or later!" Yunniang stared at her and calmly replied, "Oh." Two months later, when the man really did leave, Yunniang neither cried nor fussed. She simply accepted her fate in silence. But who could have guessed that seven days later, the husband she'd picked up would return, seeming like a completely different person? He barely spoke, and his whole demeanor had turned icy. Yunniang didn't think much of it. She just assumed something had happened to him while he was away and changed his personality. But a month later, her husband left home again. Before he went, he looked grave and gave her a meticulous warning, the first time he'd ever spoken so earnestly: "I'll be back after the fifteenth. Other than that, whoever comes, it isn't me. Remember that." Yunniang didn't quite understand, but she nodded. To her surprise, the next morning she found her husband unconscious among the rocks by the river at the village entrance! Terrified out of her wits, Yunniang hurriedly carried him home. But the fall had left him with amnesia! Yunniang could only take his hand and recount all their "loving" memories together, hoping to jog his memory. Her husband listened, blushing furiously, then earnestly promised to treat her well for the rest of his life. After that, their days together were as sweet as honey, and Yunniang was perfectly content. Until one day, her childhood friend came over and furtively pulled her aside. "Tell me honestly... how many husbands do you actually have?" Yunniang looked baffled. "I only have one husband." Her friend hesitated, then pointed to the tall figure in the courtyard. "But he's not the same person as the two who came before him!" #Reverse-Harem Elements In the ninth year of Jianning, the ever-diligent emperor finally agreed to open the harem and select new consorts. Wen Que's name appeared prominently on the list. That night, his father summoned him to the study, lowered his voice, and relayed every word of a secret report from an old friend in the palace: the emperor intended to bear a fourth child. This selection was not about favor, but about producing an heir. His father took his hand and urged him, "If you can give His Majesty a healthy, clever child, it will bring glory to our family. If not, I only pray that you keep yourself safe." Wen Que agreed to everything. His expression remained calm, but his heart was already in turmoil. Over the next few days, he passed the written exam testing his intelligence and the interview assessing his looks. Even when the official decree ordering him to enter the palace arrived, it still felt somewhat unreal. Wen Que stepped through the palace gates, filled with anticipation and unease. He had no idea how dark and terrifying the inner palace truly was. *Anyone but the heroine may be written out of the story. Theme: Harmony in the inner household