Your Highness! My Husband!

Yan Xu had been sickly since childhood, and had been told she wouldn't live past eighteen. A Taoist priest once read her fortune and told her that if she found the man in a portrait and joined with him in a marriage of the flesh, she could borrow his auspicious fortune and break the curse on her lifespan.

Yan Xu believed him.

She took the portrait to the capital to look for the man, but no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find him. Just as she began to wonder whether the priest had been a fraud, she happened upon the royal blessing ceremony held once every ten years. There, on the altar, stood a man of noble bearing who looked exactly like the one in the portrait.

Yan Xu's eyes lit up. Overcome with excitement, she ran over in her dusty clothes and threw her arms around him. She delivered the speech she'd been rehearsing for days, tears glistening in her eyes. "My dear! I've finally found you! You abandoned your wife and child, and now I'm here with a one-month baby bump. Come home with me and marry me! Be my kept husband, and let's make up!"

Silence fell. Everyone held their breath.

Yan Xu didn't understand what was going on. All she saw was her beloved's icy expression as he scrutinized her like a blade.

Someone beside her warned, "That's the Crown Prince! Girl, get down on your knees and beg forgiveness!"

Only then did Yan Xu realize who he was.

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, who had slaughtered the imperial clan and his own brothers, sidelined the emperor, rendered the throne a mere formality, and held all power in his own hands.

Yan Xu froze, then slowly looked up at the man's amused gaze.

There was only one thought in her mind.

I'm doomed!

-

Yan Xu was arrested for her brazen disrespect toward the Crown Prince and locked up in the Eastern Palace. All across the capital, rumors began to fly that the ruthless Crown Prince had a secret, pampered concubine from the common folk.

The Crown Prince was a fickle man. He looked her over with scant interest, like a cat toying with a mouse.

No one who fell into his hands ever met a good end.

Yan Xu was so terrified that she had nightmares for three days straight. She took a hard look at herself and realized she'd really managed to pick a fight with the Crown Prince! But there was no turning back now. She had to survive.

She took out a sheet of paper, wrote down a list, and fell into thought.

First, she was in a desperate situation.

Second, she would never be able to marry the Crown Prince. But if he favored her and took her as a secondary consort, that would still count as being joined in marriage.

Third, the Crown Prince was dangerous and wanted her dead. She had to win his favor without letting him discover her ulterior motives.

So Yan Xu started spending all day at the Crown Prince's side. Under the pretense of being in love with him, she secretly tested his limits, her eyes practically glued to him.

And she was bold enough to call him "husband" every day.

Yin Cong-yu knew Yan Xu had her own agenda and let her put on her act. Her acting was terrible, but she was an excellent cook, and she cured his stomach ailment, so he became a little more patient with her.

When he noticed her legs trembling as she approached him, he found it rather amusing. Sometimes, when he was in the mood, he'd play along just to tease her. The sight of her pale face seemed to indulge a cruel streak deep inside him.

Everyone was adept at reading the Crown Prince's mood. Their initial shock gave way to acceptance, and they all assumed the Eastern Palace would soon have a Crown Princess.

Yan Xu treated Yin Cong-yu exceptionally well. She was graceful in public and skilled in the kitchen, obedient, and as sweet-tongued as honey. Aside from occasionally drooling over the silver in the treasury, she had no real flaws. Gradually, Yin Cong-yu began to believe she had some genuine affection for him.

When she asked him for a title, Yin Cong-yu didn't agree. But when he saw her head droop in dejection, he thought that since he held all the power, keeping her around to serve him might not be out of the question.

Then, on the night before he was to ascend the throne, Yan Xu boldly flirted with him again, saying that she didn't ask for a title, only to stay by his side.

Yin Cong-yu went along with it and favored her. She served him with great enthusiasm, and he lost himself in the moment, stamping the paper she presented to him.

In the heat of passion, he promised her, "As long as you behave, obey me, and don't harbor disloyal thoughts, I can make room for you and offer you some protection within reason."

Yan Xu nestled in his arms and obediently agreed.

The next morning, Yin Cong-yu awoke, satisfied, planning to discuss her title and rewards after his ascension. If she could be a little more gentle and attentive and keep him happy, he could even give her some affection.

But the bedding beside him was empty. She had left behind a note promising to repay his kindness in her next life, then fled with her luggage and all the gold, silver, and jewelry he'd given her.

Yin Cong-yu picked up a strand of hair she'd left on the pillow and laughed in anger.

[Bright and resilient little white flower x Deep, inscrutable, ruthless Crown Prince]

Blurb screenshot archived: 2025/11

Minor revision: 2025/12

--

Theme: The palace gates open beneath the nine heavens, and the rulers of ten thousand nations bow before the imperial crown.