This seemed to be just an ordinary plot with a strong female protagonist on the outside, but it was still a Mary Sue plot on the inside. But after Li Huairou transmigrated and carefully considered it, she realized that it was not that simple.
The key laid in Prince Qi.
Who was Prince Qi? He was the beloved only son of Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin. Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin dominated the harem; she was the white moonlight and cinnabar mole in the first emperor’s heart. Several of the first emperor’s later favored concubines had, more or less, the appearance, or temperament of Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin. For example, because of her charming personality when she was young, Consort Dowager Hui was very similar to Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin— that was why she was the first emperor’s favorite.
[Duan (端) means start, origin. Min (敏) means quick, agile, clever, smart]
[White moonlight refer to an unattainable love, like the moon in the sky]
[Cinnabar mole refer to a love that leaves a permanent mark on your heart, like a mole]
Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin gave birth to her second child and died of an abnormally slow childbirth. The child was a beautiful little princess who stopped breathing when she came out, following after her mother. At the time of Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin’s death, Prince Qi was only three years old. The first emperor considered it for a long time before handing Prince Qi over to Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin’s cousin, who was Consort Su at that time, the present-day empress dowager.
The empress dowager regarded Prince Qi as her own son. She loved him very much, even more than her biological son, the fifth prince, who was named Prince Chu at that time.
[Chu (楚) means clear; orderly]
Later, the first emperor grew old and pondered between Prince Chu and Prince Qi. Finally, because Prince Chu was older, he also vaguely guessed that the reason for Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin’s early death was due to the overwhelming favors he’d bestowed upon her; out of love, he could not bear for his son to become the target, and so he finally chose Prince Chu as the crown prince.
After Prince Chu was established as the crown prince, there was the crown princess and several side concubines in the East Palace, but his favorite one was a concubine who had risen up from the position of palace maid. In the span of a month, he spent more than twenty days in her room.
[The palace residence for the crown prince]
After the first emperor died, the crown prince ascended the throne, and the empress dowager and empress’s positions were finalized, the first thing he did was to make his lover into a noble consort. Her previous status was low, there were no heirs under her, and she was the most favored one in the imperial harem, which naturally made her into a public target. The noble consort was already a sensitive person—she couldn’t handle it and fell sick for a long time. Within a few months, she died.
The consequences of love’s painful loss were evident. A group of people died in the harem at that time, and the corpse furnace on the outskirts of the city was kept very busy.
In order to calm the current emperor’s anger, and in order not to involve more people, the empress dowager was forced to take hold of the situation; she resolutely stopped the current investigation. She even agreed to crown the noble consort as Empress Xiaoyuan.
[Xiao (孝) means obedience or mourning apparel. Yuan (元) means first, original, or primary]
This move caused a rift in the in-law relationship between the empress dowager and the empress.
The empress was originally the empress dowager’s niece. Aunt, niece, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law; they were of one heart, but now the empress dowager had agreed to allow the emperor to crown a lowly palace maid as a queen, and even her posthumous name also used yuan characters. Then what had become of her, the legal wife, who had paid homage to the ancestors, heaven, and earth? Was this supposed to be her successor?
[Only the empress is the legitimate wife. As yuan (元) mean first, then the empress think she will be regarded as the second wife]
The empress dowager was also very disappointed with the empress. If the empress dowager hadn’t agreed to the emperor’s request, how would she possibly calm his anger? Don’t think for one second that she didn’t know that the empress had a hand in the noble consort’s death. Besides, the people were already dead, so what was the use of honor and glory? Wasn’t how this would go down in the history books just a matter of a word from the incumbents? Why was the empress so stupid that she can’t even see this point?
No matter how angry the empress was, or what the rest of the concubines and consorts thought, this is all set in stone. Today, a grand funeral had been held for Empress Xiaoyuan. People were buried in a mausoleum that hadn’t completely been repaired. In the main tomb, they lived and died in the same place.
After the funeral, the current emperor’s love for Empress Xiaoyuan had not diminished in the slightest. Furthermore, he was not like the first emperor, who still had his beloved son to think about—Empress Xiaoyuan had no heirs. For the one to pin his love on, he could only look around for a woman who resembled Empress Xiaoyuan and give her a little support.
It was a pity that after so many years, he had not found the perfect substitute.
Later, Su Wan’er appeared.
Seeing her during the concubine draft was shocking. She was so similar, as if poured out of the same mold. In addition to the similar appearance, she wrote the same intoxicating poetry, and she had the same knowledge and talent.
Encountering Su Wan’er on that day was like a treasure.
Then, there was a series of things that happened later.
On the surface, Prince Qi’s existence was meant for protecting the heroine and teaching her the true meaning of love. But was this really the case?
Thinking about it carefully, with every step Su Wan’er took, there was the indirect influence of Prince Qi. In the end, although Prince Qi died, his child became the emperor, and his title was passed on. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was the winner behind the scenes!
What’s more, did Prince Qi really have no doubts about what happened back then? For example, after the death of Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin, the empress dowager became the biggest beneficiary! As the first emperor’s most beloved son, Prince Qi was only one step away from the throne—could he really face all this peacefully?
As an idle prince, he had nothing in his hands. He wanted revenge and to regain everything that belonged to him, so he could only find another way and another woman. Su Wan’er, like Li Huailan, was probably just one of Prince Qi’s tools; however, she was the most valuable of all tools. Prince Qi had placed all his hopes on her, giving her everything.
Fortunately, the final result was good. If Prince Qi knew this, he would be able to die in peace!
Li Huairou’s thoughts were along these lines.
The slightly stern voice from Fang-momo came from nearby. “Huairou, come down! What do you think girls are meant to look like!”
“I know.” Li Huairou didn’t have time to think, and she quickly turned over.
Then Fang-momo pulled her ear and lectured her along the way.
This went on until Consort Dowager Hui, who had woken up from her nap, rescued her.
“You too! Why did you climb a tree?” Consort Dowager Hui asked, overjoyed.
“The tree is high, and you can see far away. And there is wind, and it is cool,” Li Huairou answered embarrassedly.
A trace of nostalgia flashed in Consort Dowager Hui’s eyes. “When I was a child, I was very curious. My grandfather took advantage of my grandmother’s inattention and took me up the tree to look into the distance, but I accidentally fell from it. My grandmother was so angry that she didn’t talk to my grandfather for three days. Fortunately, there were no scars.”
At this point, Consort Dowager Hui frowned slightly. As for fortunes and misfortunes, it was actually not easy to say. If she had been scarred, perhaps she would not have been able to enter the palace!
“What were you thinking about in the tree?” Consort Dowager Hui didn’t want to think about it anymore, so she changed the topic.
“I’m thinking about what kind of person Prince Qi is!” Li Huairou answered.
“Prince Qi?” A trace of disgust flashed in Noble Consort Hui’s eyes. She knew very clearly that the first emperor spoiled her because her temperament resembled that of Prince Qi’s biological mother, Imperial Noble Consort Duanmin. Prince Qi had also shown kindness to her because of this. But for Consort Dowager Hui, this was actually a humiliation. So even if Prince Qi treated her respectfully and intimately, she was unable to grow fond of Prince Qi.
“The people of the palace say that His Royal Highness Prince Qi is kind, but I don’t think he is. When he looks at people, his face is smiling, but his eyes hold no emotion at all,” Li Huairou whispered.
Consort Dowager Hui smiled. “This child! Since you don’t like him, stay away from him in the future.”
“Of course I will stay away from him. I worry about my sister—she is out of the palace now, in case…” Li Huairou said.
“Don’t worry.” Consort Dowager Hui gave her a slight glance. Even if they were merely abandoned children, the people around her were not tools for manipulation.
It was just that this play was getting more and more exciting. Prince Qi and Concubine Ling? Forget it—she’d better hold back, and she must not make a move. Watching a play was much more exciting than being in the play.
“Just watch the play.” Consort Dowager Hui lightly tapped Li Huairou’s forehead and smiled lazily.
Li Huairou was drawn in by Consort Dowager Hui’s inadvertent beguiling expressions. No wonder this beloved concubine was a beloved concubine, the world’s flower of wealth! The first emperor had a really good eye.
In comparison, the current emperor’s eye was not so good. Concubine Ling, who was as thin as a stick, was obviously not as good-looking as Consort Dowager Hui.
“What’s so funny?” Consort Dowager Hui asked happily.
“Consort Dowager Hui is so beautiful! I like you so much!” Li Huairou exclaimed.
Consort Dowager Hui smiled happily.
Receiving assurance from Consort Dowager Hui, Li Huairou felt relieved. As long as Li Huailan didn’t get involved, the rest was up to them!
A month later, Li Huairou once again saw Concubine Ling in the imperial garden. There was an unfamiliar face next to her.
“Did you see that? That was a little former court lady in the clothing bureau. When Concune Ling was framed, that court lady came forward to testify for Concubine Ling. Although she suffered a bit, she’s now assigned to serve Concubine Ling. There is no one in the palace who doesn’t know how magnanimous the lady Concubine Ling is; it is a blessing in disguise this time,” the palace people murmured from behind Li Huairou.
Li Huairou frowned. It seemed that Prince Qi really had left something up his sleeve. Even if Li Huailan hadn’t gone away, there was still someone else to take suspicion away from Concubine Ling.
She just didn’t know what the follow-up developments would be. Would this court lady be like Li Huailan in the plot? Because love created hatred, she had betrayed and framed Su Wan’er. She’d reported the affair with the imperial physician, questioning the innocence of the royal heir in her womb. After Su Wan’er regained her status, she would be tortured to death.
If she hadn’t doubted Prince Qi, Li Huairou might have thought that the results might have been different. After all, different people would have different choices. This court lady might not do what Li Huailan would do.
But now, Li Huairou did not dare to say that. Everyone was just a tool for Prince Qi. If Su Wan’er hadn’t fallen out of favor, hadn’t understood the truth about the emperor’s love, and hadn’t had her family destroyed, how could she be so cruel as to abandon her kind nature and return to the palace to fight for favor and vengeance!
Even if this court lady was not Li Huailan, Prince Qi would make her become Li Huailan!
Only by being betrayed by her closest person could Su Wan’er completely wake up.
Li Huairou lowered her head and stopped looking at that bright and beautiful face. She was not a saint, and she did not have the ability to save everyone.
However, she would not do nothing. She would do the appropriate thing at the appropriate time.
As for now, she would just quietly watch the show.
Back at Qingning Palace, as soon as she walked in, she heard Consort Dowager Hui calling her. “Huairou, come here.”
Li Huairou quickly held her skirt up and rushed over.
“Here, this is Huailan’s letter,” Consort Dowager Hui said with a smile.
Li Huairou’s eyes lit up. She quickly took the envelope and eagerly opened it. The letter was not long—Li Huailan briefly explained her current situation, and the rest was all instructions. She asked Li Huairou to be obedient and not be willful, and to carefully serve the consort dowager.
Although the contents were brief, Li Huairou could still tell from the lines that Li Huailan was in a good mood. Apparently, she was satisfied with her newlywed husband and married life.
“Huailan also made clothes for the consort dowager, you, and me. It must have been difficult for her to make three sets of clothes in such a short time,” Fang-momo said with a smile. Huailan was living a peaceful life, so she could rest assured.
When Li Huairou heard that there were also clothes, she immediately looked at Consort Dowager Hui with bright eyes.
Consort Dowager Hui smiled and motioned to Fang-momo to bring her the clothes.
Li Huairou immediately took the clothes out, and then grew a little disgusted. Her needlework was still as ugly as ever. What a waste of such good material.
She still wrote back to her and told her not to work so hard to make clothes in the future. She could still make socks, bedclothes, and so on. Anyways, they could be worn on the inside, and no one had to see them.
Consort Dowager Hui’s and Fang-momo’s faces fell when they saw her disgusted look.
So basically, all the emperors are fools who are good at playing infatuation. Claiming to be in love but marrying multiple women. Their love only amounts to finding a substitute. Disgusting.