On their wedding day, the Crown Prince, her husband, lifted Bian Xing's red veil and let out a long sigh.
"From now on, consider this your home."
The Crown Prince was many years older than her, and neither side had wanted this marriage. But the entire Bian clan had died in battle, and the emperor, to console the noble families led by the Bian clan, sent their only daughter to the Eastern Palace.
It was called a reward, but in truth, she was a hostage...
Standing in the courtyard where she would likely spend half her life, Bian Xing looked up at the sky. She had once visited the grasslands, vast and endless beneath a brilliant river of stars. She had also visited the water towns, where the fish were plump and delicious and the scenery was picturesque.
Now she was trapped within these walls, beneath a sparse and desolate sky.
A young boy struggled to climb over the red wall. He looked her up and down with open disdain. "Are you the new concubine my father married? You're ugly."
Before entering the Eastern Palace, Bian Xing had heard about Ling Zhen, the young prince who was the Crown Prince's son. He had inherited the royal family's handsome looks, but was exceptionally unruly.
For instance, he had climbed over the wall of his father's new bride on their wedding night, completely ignoring all propriety.
Already in a foul mood, Bian Xing snapped, "A son shouldn't call his mother ugly. Now get down and pay your respects to your mother consort."
Their first encounter set the tone for a turbulent life together in the Eastern Palace.
The Eastern Palace residents, caught up in their daily chaos: Who won today, the side consort or the young prince?
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess: Why does it feel like we've taken in another daughter?
Bian Xing: I'd prepared myself for a dull life, always walking on thin ice, but then you appeared.
Ling Zhen: I'll show you the magnificent rivers and mountains again.
Theme: Love life
