As mentioned earlier, the original owner of this world, despite her noble status, met the same tragic fate of a beauty dying young.
Li Yu’an was the Empress’s legitimate son, raised from childhood as the heir and installed as Crown Prince at the age of ten.
When Liguifei entered the palace through the selection process at thirteen, the Empress paid little attention at first—merely another beautiful woman. His Majesty had always been measured in such matters. Yet, within just two years, she became the Noble Consort who dominated the Inner Palace, even granted the title “Li.” After giving birth to the Sixth Prince, who had just turned one, His Majesty actually began considering deposing the Crown Prince.
In truth, the Empress did not want the Crown Prince to go to Jiangzhou for flood control. It was not a favorable assignment, but if executed well, Li Yu’an could easily win the people’s support. Coupled with backing from court officials, even His Majesty, despite his favor for Liguifei, could not defy the will of the realm.
Thus, at fifteen, Li Yu’an went alone to Jiangzhou, where he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt and was rescued by Chen Wanjun, the daughter of the Jiangzhou Cishi, who was two years his senior.
It wasn’t exactly a rescue. Though Chen Wanjun had loved practicing martial arts since childhood, her skills were rudimentary, barely enough for self-defense. At the time, she had quarreled with her father and stormed off in anger when she happened upon Li Yu’an, whose attire marked him as noble. She tried to save him, but her limited skills led to both of them falling off a cliff.
They spent a month at the bottom of the cliff before being rescued, during which Li Yu’an developed a secret affection for this free-spirited and unrestrained young woman. Later, during the flood control efforts, Chen Wanjun’s father provided significant assistance and even lost his life saving the Crown Prince when a collapsing dam crushed him. Before dying, he entrusted his daughter to the Crown Prince.
Due to this double life-saving grace, Li Yu’an treated Chen Wanjun with increasing kindness. Having lost her sole support, Chen Wanjun grew to trust and rely on him more and more. The two young people held a simple wedding ceremony locally, depending on each other and whispering sweet nothings, making every promise imaginable.
Of course, before marrying, the Crown Prince had sent a letter to the Emperor. But at that time, the Emperor was wholly preoccupied with Liguifei and her son, indifferent to his own son the Crown Prince, and thus raised no objection.
Not long after, Chen Wanjun gave birth to a daughter in Jiangzhou. Due to the Empress’s urging, Li Yu’an returned to the capital with his wife and daughter, then petitioned for Chen Wanjun to be enfeoffed as Crown Princess, and the enfeoffment ceremony was held.
Knowing the full story, the Empress, who had eagerly awaited her son’s return the day before, was now utterly devastated. However, considering that the Jiangzhou Cishi had saved the Crown Prince’s life and the two were already…
The Empress had no choice but to consent. Yet, the daughter of the Liu Family, whom she had once favored as a candidate for Crown Princess, could not easily be married off to someone else. At sixteen, she was of marriageable age, so the Empress proposed that the Liu daughter also enter the Eastern Palace as a Liangdi. However, the Crown Prince declared he loved only the Crown Princess and would never take a concubine, infuriating the Empress so much she could not eat for days.
If not for having only this one son and the ever-watchful Liguifei lurking in the background, the Empress might have simply abandoned this rebellious son!
Not to mention that the Crown Princess had injured her body during childbirth and had never conceived again. Even if she were healthy and fertile, in the imperial family, monopolizing the heir apparent was simply not permitted.
The more His Majesty doted on the Sixth Prince, the more dissatisfied he grew with the Crown Prince’s behavior. It was only then that the Empress persuaded the Crown Prince again, betrothing the original owner to him.
The original owner, encountering the Crown Prince at the dawn of her first love, naturally felt some affection. With a maiden’s shy and tender heart, she entered the Eastern Palace, adoring the Crown Prince and eagerly anticipating her wedding night. Little did she know she would be met with a chilling rejection.
The original host genuinely liked the Crown Prince, but she was also truly innocent and kind-hearted. She never resented anyone because of it, only thinking that as long as she respected the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince would eventually notice her. However, the fact that they had never consummated their marriage naturally displeased the Empress, who pressured her on one hand and reprimanded the Crown Prince on the other.
Li Yu’an was a feudal man with a traditional mindset—what idea did he have of remaining chaste for one person? In reality, he had been taught by Personnel Palace Maids since he was fourteen, so there was no concept of loyalty or devotion in his mind. To him, love and physical intimacy were entirely separate.
However, because his own mother, the Empress, and Liguifei were locked in a power struggle, he grew up under constant pressure and expectations, which fostered a rebellious streak in him. Even marrying Chen Wanjun was partly due to some affection and partly as a silent rebellion against the Emperor and Empress. His dissatisfaction with the original host also stemmed from this. In the end, his rebellion failed, and he had no choice but to favor the original host. Yet, this man was hypocritical, insisting on feigning deep affection and helplessness in front of the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess had always been wary of her beauty and had made things difficult for her on multiple occasions. After hearing the Crown Prince’s explanation, she grew even more resentful, believing that the original host had sabotaged her relationship with the Crown Prince. She then began to torment her even more severely, causing her to miscarry while claiming ignorance, and ultimately deliberately disfiguring her face.
The Crown Prince, already feeling somewhat guilty for breaking his promise, later listened as the Crown Princess wept in his arms, insisting it was an accident. Naturally, he wouldn’t blame his wife for the sake of an unimportant person. However, out of respect for the original host’s father, he shifted the blame onto negligent servants.
Three months after entering the Eastern Palace, during a trip to the summer retreat, the Empress assigned several concubines to the Crown Prince. Surrounded by beauties, Liu Fuyin, with her disfigured face, became even less favored. The ridicule from others, her own distress over her ruined appearance, and the mistreatment from palace servants soon caused the original host to fall ill.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince put on a show of concern, arranging a comfortable courtyard for her to recuperate in peace. Ultimately, however, this was merely an attempt to control Minister Liu.
When new concubines entered the palace, the Crown Princess only gave superficial consent. After all, since Liu Fuyin’s arrival, she had realized she couldn’t prevent it. However, with more women in the harem, the Crown Prince couldn’t remain merely a figurehead. Where there was favor, there was also harem strife.
The Crown Princess was extremely jealous and used the same methods to disfigure the faces of several beautiful concubines. However, having grown up pampered and sheltered, she lacked deep knowledge of the harem’s dark schemes. Her actions were clumsy, and she was easily outmaneuvered by those with even a little cunning.
Initially, the Crown Prince, out of past affection, did not resent her. Instead, he personally taught her the intricacies of palace politics. But later, as the Crown Princess grew increasingly ruthless and even began harming his offspring, this became the catalyst for their arguments.
The more they argued, the more sensitive and insecure the Crown Princess became, convinced deep down that the Crown Prince had changed his heart. Sometimes, if he merely glanced at another woman, they would end up in a quarrel. This became even more pronounced after she became Empress, especially since she always justified her actions by claiming she loved the Crown Prince too much.
Over time, they grew estranged, maintaining only a facade of harmony. However, after becoming Emperor, Li Yu’an, now wielding real power, began to yearn for familial and romantic affection. For the sake of their daughter, he merely stripped her of Palace Authority, allowing her to remain Empress without any substantial punishment.
Yet, the repeated arguments and disappointments led Chen Wanjun to see through reality. Surprisingly, she survived to the end, even supporting a motherless prince to become Empress Dowager.
Liu Fuyin was utterly bewildered—truly, the wicked lived a thousand years!
The original host’s wish was simple: she wanted revenge on the Crown Princess, to step over the Crown Prince and elevate her own son to become Emperor, making herself the most honored woman in the land!
The Son of Fortune in this world was none other than the Crown Prince, so she wouldn’t need to expend extra effort winning over another person.
As for becoming the mistress of the household, she shared the same view as the original host: being Empress was not as good as being Empress Dowager.
Once the imperial edict of marriage was issued, both the palace and the Liu Family bustled with activity. After all, a Crown Prince’s Liangdi was also a daughter-in-law recognized by the royal family. Though not as grand as marrying a Crown Princess, it was still a proper, formal wedding.
Time flew by, and soon it was the nineteenth day of the fifth month, the wedding day.
The Liu Family had only one son and one daughter. The younger brother was still young, just ten years old. Usually fond of bickering with her, the night before the wedding, he cried his eyes out. Fearing he might cause trouble, his parents would have locked him in his room if not for his perfectly normal behavior the next day.
Despite complaining about the hardships of martial arts training and often slacking off, this boy had skin more delicate than a girl’s. Yet on the wedding day, he carried her on his back to the sedan chair without a word of complaint, and the three of them stood at the gate, watching from afar.
The wedding procession was grand and imposing. Due to protocol, much of the dowry originally prepared for her as Crown Princess had to be pared down. Still, the shops and properties selected were in the finest locations in Jingcheng, making it a dowry worthy of envy, truly a spectacle of red stretching for miles.
Liu Fuyin was no obedient soul. With no one watching inside the sedan chair, she lifted her bridal veil to catch a breath of air.
The bridal sedan passed through the palace gates and soon arrived at the side entrance of the Eastern Palace. Although she was a Liangdi, officially a daughter-in-law recorded in the royal registry, she was still merely a concubine. The Crown Prince only needed to go through the motions of welcoming the bride; there was no ceremony like bowing to heaven and earth. She was carried directly to the bridal chamber in Huilan Courtyard.
Regardless of whether the Crown Prince liked her or not, as a properly married Liangdi, she was entitled to all the decorations and arrangements befitting her status. Unfortunately, apart from the guest area in the front courtyard, the Eastern Palace was cold and deserted. Only her Huilan Courtyard was adorned with red silks, giving a faint sense of a grand wedding.
She was helped to sit on the bridal bed. Her personal maid, Yun Tao, adjusted her veil. Only a few people stood guard outside the door, leaving just the three of them—mistress and maids—inside the room.
There was no telling how long the Crown Prince would be drinking in the front courtyard. Unable to sit still for long, Liu Fuyin lifted her veil and leaned against the bedside.
Though she wasn’t wearing a phoenix crown or ceremonial robes, the hairpins in her hair weighed heavily on her. She longed to lie down but feared messing up her elaborate hairstyle.
After catching her breath for a while, her maids forcibly covered her with the veil again. She sat upright for who knows how long, starving until her stomach felt pressed against her back, when finally, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.