The Mute Girl Becomes Empress

[Sunny, mute heroine vs. gloomy, stubborn prince] Childhood sweethearts, sweet romance

[Heroine's perspective]

When Qingqing was young, a fire burned down her home and damaged her throat.

Later, a frail young master from a wealthy family needed a servant born under a fiery fate to wait on him, and she happened to be the one he chose.

The young master had no name. Everyone simply called him Erlang. While serving him with all her heart, she also planned and saved money.

Most people didn't understand sign language. Once she left Erlang, she would have to communicate with others by writing, and private school would surely cost a lot.

Whenever Erlang had nothing to do, he would watch her fumble with an abacus until the sound annoyed him, then teach her to read and write.

Sometimes he complained that she was clumsy, but he taught her all the same. "If you really become a woman in business someday, remember to come back and pay me for your lessons."

Later, when Erlang was sixteen, he returned to the imperial palace. He became a prince, revered above all, and gained a new name: Shen Ze.

Shen Ze didn't set her free. Instead, he took her to the palace, saying the Imperial Medical Bureau needed palace maids to test medicine, and her throat ailment made her the perfect candidate.

Little by little, she became able to say a few simple words. But only a few days later, enemy forces came to the gates of the city.

Qingqing didn't know what the ritual of leading captives in a rope meant, but she was worried about Erlang. He said he wasn't leaving.

She packed a small bundle and ran to him, stammering, "Come with me. I'll earn money and take care of you. You won't need to herd sheep."

[Hero's perspective]

Shen Ze knew that his father had never intended to make him emperor, but his own brother wanted him to become the ruler of a fallen dynasty.

Now that his country had fallen, he had no one to worry about. He had been raised by the people, so it was only right that he defend the city and die for his country, buying time for his elder brother to flee south.

But he had never imagined a woman would knock him unconscious and carry him away. He became like a kept husband, eating her food, drinking her water, and even getting scolded by her.

That woman was none other than Qingqing, the mute girl who had served him.

Qingqing said with perfect confidence, "If the people raised you, then you must die for them. But now that I've taken care of you, you have to live for me."

He wasn't afraid of dying, but Qingqing wanted to live, and she wanted to live comfortably.

In the years that followed, he would reclaim his kingdom and restore the capital at Bianliang, but he would never forget Qingqing standing with her hands on her hips, telling him off.

"What's so impressive about dying? If you're not afraid of dying, why are you afraid of swallowing your pride and living on?"

At the time, he thought that as soon as he became emperor, the first thing he would do was marry her.

Theme: The most important thing is to survive