“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The daughter of the Minister of Personnel is virtuous and worthy of a good match. She is hereby granted as *Liangdi* to the Crown Prince. Three days hence, she shall enter the Eastern Palace as a sign of imperial grace. Thus decreed!”
T/n: Liangdi refers to a specific rank within the hierarchy of concubines.
“We… we humbly accept the edict.”
After the eunuch departed, Xiao Hanyan’s mother, Gu Xian, burst into tears. “My Yan’er, my poor daughter…”
“Mother…”
“Dear husband, is there truly no way to change this? The Crown Prince still lies unconscious. If Yan’er enters the Eastern Palace, what will become of her? And why did the Prime Minister’s daughter fall ill at such a time?” Gu Xian’s voice trembled with anger.
“Wife, hush. The imperial edict has been issued. I…” Xiao Wenyuan felt only guilt toward his daughter. “Yan’er, your father cannot defy the Emperor’s will…”
The Crown Prince had long been betrothed to the Prime Minister’s daughter, Liu Meizhao, awaiting his return from the battlefield to wed. But fate intervened: the prince was gravely wounded, and Liu Meizhao suddenly fell bedridden. Now this calamity had fallen upon Xiao Hanyan.
If the prince recovered, all would be well. But if he did not, Yan’er’s future would be bleak. Husband and wife felt as though struck by thunder, their faces heavy with sorrow.
“Father, Mother, do not worry. You always said I was strong‑fated. I will surely bring fortune to the Crown Prince. He will recover.”
Hearing her daughter’s calm words, Gu Xian wept harder, clutching her tightly. “Yan’er, forgive us. We have wronged you, our pitiful child.”
“Please don’t worry. I will take good care of myself.”
Three days later.
Though only a *Liangdi*, Xiao Wenyuan and Gu Xian prepared a rich dowry. The Empress, unwilling to slight her, also bestowed precious gifts and allowed her to wear ceremonial red, carried in a grand bridal sedan to the Eastern Palace.
Because the Crown Prince was unconscious, no wedding rites could be performed. Xiao Hanyan was escorted to the chamber, seated upon the red bridal bed, her veil lifted by the Empress’s attendant.
The chamber was decorated with the full regalia of a Crown Princess — bright red, festive, though the prince lay unconscious and she was but a *Liangdi*.
“Lady Liangdi, rest for tonight. When His Highness awakens, the remaining rites will be completed.” The attendant bowed respectfully.
“Please convey my thanks to Her Majesty. I understand.” Xiao Hanyan replied softly.
The attendant withdrew.
Her maid Qingdai whispered nervously, “My lady…”
“It’s fine, Qingdai. Go rest. His Highness is unconscious; no service is needed tonight.”
“Yes, Lady Liangdi.”
Xiao Hanyan removed her heavy robes and ornaments, finally relieved. She gazed at the Crown Prince lying on the bed. He was in the prime of youth, his features sharp from years of battle, his brows bold, his face strikingly handsome. Even unconscious, his noble aura was unmistakable.
As she looked at him, Xiao Hanyan’s thoughts drifted. In her modern life, she had fallen asleep after reading two newly updated chapters of a novel. When she awoke, she had become Xiao Wenyuan’s daughter — sharing the same name — at the very moment the original girl had fallen from a tree and struck her head. Slowly, she realized she had transmigrated into the novel “The Crown Prince’s White Moonlight.”
And she, Xiao Hanyan, was destined to be the expendable side character.
The Crown Prince Shen Qingchen and Liu Meizhao, the Prime Minister’s daughter, had been childhood sweethearts, betrothed since youth. He had gone to war at twelve, and upon his victorious return, they were to marry.
But six years later, Shen Qingchen was gravely wounded in battle, his life hanging by a thread. The Imperial Physicians were helpless, the Emperor furious, the Empress desperate. She turned to the folk belief of “marriage for fortune (chongxi)” and decreed that the Crown Prince should wed Liu Meizhao. Yet Liu Meizhao fell gravely ill, unable to rise from bed. The marriage collapsed.
The Empress, dissatisfied but without options, consulted the astrologers for another match. Xiao Hanyan was “unfortunately” chosen. Thus, the decree was issued, and she was sent into the Eastern Palace.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince truly recovered, returning to his former self.
In the original story, once the Crown Prince regained his health, Liu Meizhao also recovered. According to their betrothal, the two soon married.
The Crown Princess, though a noble lady, was extremely jealous. She could not tolerate any other woman near the Crown Prince—especially Xiao Hanyan, who bore the title of “the one who saved the Crown Prince’s life.” She often monopolized the Crown Prince. Even if he were visiting Xiao Hanyan’s courtyard, she would find ways to summon him away, and she frequently spoke ill of Xiao Hanyan.
Xiao Hanyan, pampered since childhood and naturally soft‑tempered, never dared to voice her grievances. The Crown Prince pitied her somewhat, but he would not risk favoring a concubine over his wife. Over time, Xiao Hanyan watched helplessly as he drifted farther from her.
Worse still, the servants of the Eastern Palace, under Liu Meizhao’s authority, constantly schemed against her.
In the end, Xiao Hanyan withered away in the Eastern Palace, dying young and sorrowful.
When Xiao Hanyan (the modern reader) first read this part, she felt the side character’s fate was undeserved. Though the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were harmonious, the original Xiao Hanyan’s life was unbearably tragic.
At the age of blooming beauty, she perished. Later in the plot, the Crown Princess’s jealousy led her to suppress all other consorts. The Crown Prince, focused solely on assisting the Emperor in governance, cared little for women. Having the Crown Princess was enough. Over time, his reputation as a devoted husband spread: childhood sweethearts, deeply in love.
Beyond that, the author had not yet updated, so Xiao Hanyan never saw more—before she herself transmigrated into the book.
But this Xiao Hanyan is not the same as that one. Since she has come, she will not repeat the same tragic path. She arrived when the original was only ten years old. In the five years since, she has used modern skincare knowledge to carefully nurture her body. In any era, beauty is a woman’s weapon. Now, even she admired her own complexion.
Returning to herself, the hall was quiet, only her soft breathing and the occasional crackle of red candles. She looked at the Crown Prince. According to the original plot, he would awaken in three days and marry the Crown Princess half a year later. She must seize this time to win Shen Qingchen’s heart.
Since she had entered the Eastern Palace as *Liangdi*, she must show the Empress her sincerity. After a brief wash, Xiao Hanyan lay down beside the Crown Prince and slowly drifted to sleep.