It was said that the old emperor, with his snowy white beard, was merely going through the motions with the palace selection. In truth, he was arranging for the Crown Prince and the princes to choose their principal consorts and secondary consorts, and the families of the capital were all eager to make a move.
The Jiang family had originally chosen their beautiful and clever eldest daughter, Jiang Wanyin, to enter the palace and be considered for the Crown Prince. The second daughter, Jiang Zhiyu, was also pretty and charming, but she was far too honest. The old madam had her accompany her elder sister into the palace purely to serve as a "green leaf setting off a red flower."
Though Jiang Zhiyu herself agreed to enter the palace entirely for the honey sesame crisps, smoked plum candy, milk-sugar lions, and other delicacies in the imperial kitchen...
So when Jiang Zhiyu was chosen as the Crown Prince's secondary consort, the noble young ladies of the capital were furious.
They said the Crown Prince was cold and severe, with a terrible temper. Jiang Zhiyu cried and refused to go. She had already planned to marry the owner of Qingyun House, the biggest restaurant in the capital.
But the imperial decree had been issued. Who would dare disobey it? Jiang Zhiyu was coaxed, tricked, and more or less dragged and carried into the wedding sedan.
On their wedding night, behind the warm red silk curtains, Jiang Zhiyu discovered that the Crown Prince was nothing like the gloomy, heartless man of the rumors. On the contrary, he was in a good mood and especially fond of holding her and kissing her.
So Jiang Zhiyu boldly asked, "Your Highness, are you happy tonight? If I've served you well, could Your Highness grant me one wish?"
The Crown Prince had gone to considerable lengths to win his beauty. In high spirits, he asked, "What does Little Fish want? I'll grant you anything."
Jiang Zhiyu blinked her round, dark, grape-like eyes. "I want to go back to my hometown and open a candied-fruit shop, so I can eat smoked plums whenever I want... Mmph..."
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, a beast's hunting glint flashing through his dark eyes. "Don't even think about it."
His beauty was soft and sweet, impossible to resist. He was determined to keep her by his side for the rest of her life.
Theme: A happy, kind-hearted girl can live well no matter whom she marries
