Deep in Liang Xiyan's heart, there lies an unknown secret.

——She is not her father’s child.

She could no longer remember when and how all this happened.

...Perhaps it was because Concubine De was indifferent and neglectful towards her during those years?

She had naively believed that this alienation stemmed from the prejudice against her daughter, and that Defei regretted not having a prince to bear her children, and therefore lacked the proper tenderness and expectations for her.

This is indeed true:

Rather than spending time and effort to cultivate a princess who will eventually marry far away, it is better to be filial to the Queen Mother wholeheartedly and strive to maintain a high position in the harem.

No matter how lucky you are, if you give birth to a princess, the most you can get is the position of a concubine.

Defei obviously chose the right path, which allowed her to surpass Shufei and other concubines and be ranked just below Guifei.

Therefore, Xiyan never resented Concubine De.

If it were her, she would make the same choice for the greatest benefit.

...Or maybe it's because my father appears to be doting on me but is actually indifferent.

She was the only princess of the Chen Kingdom. After Xiwen went to Nanshan Garden for training, her food, clothing and daily expenses returned to their proper dignity, and she could be said to be the best in the palace.

Compared with the common people, she wore gorgeous clothes and enjoyed delicious food every day.

But compared with the three princes, there are still many subtle differences.

At first, she was not included in the study in the study room. Later, her father prevented her from further learning martial arts.

Xiyan vaguely sensed the subtle difference in her father's attitude.

Is it because she is a princess and is destined to have no chance of ascending the throne that her father is unwilling to devote too much effort to her cultivation?

Later, Concubine De committed suicide. In order to maintain the face of the royal family, her cause of death could only be a sudden illness. As her blood-related daughter, Xiyan should also do some superficial work and fulfill her filial piety to Concubine De.

But when she raised this point to her father, his reaction was unexpected.

The emperor told her that Chang's death was not glorious and there was no need for her to keep vigil for her.

For her future reputation, her father decided to move her to Linhua Palace. From then on, the imperial concubine was her nominal mother.

Concubine Lin is naturally a very good person, and my father has made careful plans for her.

But Liang Xiyan sensed something strange.

She observed everything around her calmly, and while gaining a foothold in Linhua Palace, she was also secretly investigating her own life experience.

Finally, Liang Xiyan thought of someone: Jinxiu, the personal maid of Concubine Ji.

Since Guiren Ji returned to heaven, Jinxiu, who was alone, has become a "hot commodity".

She had been with Lady Ji the longest, so she must have learned a lot of secrets from her master. At the very least, she should have received the most blessings.

At a flower-viewing party, Concubine Zhang let slip that Concubine Ji had a book of secrets that recorded the fates of all the concubines. If anyone was most likely to have read that book, it would have to be Jinxiu.

Liang Xiyan came up with a plan and used a self-torture tactic to successfully keep Jinxiu by her side.

After spending so many years together, Liang Xiyan finally confirmed her guess.

——The blood flowing in her body is not Dachen’s blood.

…

By the time Jinxiu had grown from a girl to an aunt, Liang Xiyan had also reached the age of marriage and it was time for her to choose a marriage.

One day, the sun was shining brightly, the sky was clear, the breeze was gentle, and the path was filled with the fragrance of flowers.

Concubine Lin called her into the room and took out a picture album with a simple binding and elegant flowers on the cover from her sleeve, saying that it was the "Record of Talented People in the Capital" brought by Zijuan from outside.

——A collection of talented people in the capital?

Liang Xiyan was silent: "..."

As soon as she heard the name, she concluded that there would not be any high-quality talents among them.

If she was really well-educated or had an outstanding appearance, she would have been noticed by the young ladies from official families in the capital long ago. Why would she need to participate in this superficial Hundred Flowers Record?

As expected, Concubine Lin simply flipped through a few pages, and the expectation on her face faded away like the tide.

"…What the hell are these? Do the young ladies in the capital like this kind of stuff?" Concubine Lin exclaimed in surprise.

It sounds like there were still many talented people in the capital when Concubine Lin got married.

Liang Xiyan couldn't help but become curious, "Before entering the palace, did mother also meet a few good young men?"

Concubine Lin frowned and thought again and again.

She said, "It's really a long time ago, I don't remember it clearly. I only remember that there were five, six, seven or eight people who pursued me... Two of them even wanted to commit suicide after seeing my appearance, saying that they would never marry anyone other than Miss Lin."

When saying this, Concubine Lin had no intention of showing off her popularity. Instead, she was extremely contemptuous of those men who only cared about looks.

"What happened next? Did he really not get married?" Liang Xiyan asked.

"Later?" Concubine Lin raised a scornful smile and shook her head. "Do you believe their lies? Of course they all married him."

"One of them married and then impatiently took in ten concubines. From then on, there were constant quarrels in the family and there was no peace. The other one did not take concubines but lingered in prostitutes and eventually fell ill and died. His wife was left with pity."

"In that case, it is a good choice for you, mother, to enter the palace." Xiyan sighed.

Hearing this, Concubine Lin smiled faintly.

She leisurely picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "You are wrong. It is said that once you enter the palace, it is like entering a deep sea. But at that time, I was thinking only of entering the palace."

"At that time, the Liu family had a queen in the palace, but my Lin family had no one to accompany the emperor. If I had not been chosen that year, then this responsibility would have fallen on my useless cousin."

"Besides..."

Concubine Lin put down her teacup and continued, "Your Majesty was in his prime, with an extraordinary handsome face. I only took a quick glance at him, and I felt that all the men in the world were eclipsed by him, and there was no room for anyone else in my heart."

...It turns out that the imperial concubine was also chosen based on her appearance!

Liang Xiyan couldn't help but laugh.

Concubine Lin closed the Hundred Flowers Record, and her gaze on Xiyan's face became increasingly complicated.

She said, "The Queen and I have been keeping an eye on your marriage. I have privately selected several young talents for you, but I always feel that some of them are not talented enough or have flaws in character, and are unlikely to be a good match for you."

"——Xiyan, what do you think?"

The sunlight fell on Liang Xiyan's face, reflecting the girl's delicate features.

The girl smiled sweetly and said, "I haven't thought about it yet. Besides, where else can be better than Linhua Palace? Xiyan still wants to stay with you for a few more years, so please don't rush to drive me away, mother."

Concubine Lin reached out and gently touched her hair, but a trace of worry appeared on her face.

Xiyan doesn’t have to marry.

I’m afraid... the emperor has other plans.

Coincidentally, three days later, the Western Xia Kingdom sent an envoy to repair the relationship between Dachen and Western Xia.

In addition to offering a huge sum of money, Xixia also wanted to ask for a princess for the prince to marry.

At that time, Xiyan was still enjoying the pastries comfortably when her second brother hurriedly informed her of this matter.

The second prince had already moved out of the palace as an adult, but he still had the right to sit in on the morning court. After the court session, he immediately came to tell Xi Yan about this shocking news under the pretext of visiting Concubine Shu.

Liang Xiyan listened quietly, feeling that she had expected it.

——Why would the emperor want to recognize a bloodline that is not his biological bloodline?

Of course it would be useful to use her.

Now, it is time for her to dedicate herself to Dachen.

Seeing Liang Xiyan's expression unchanged, Liang You became even more anxious: "Xiyan, don't take me as a joke. During the morning court session, I saw the emperor's face and knew that he probably agreed with your marriage. But how can you endure this torture in the barren land of Xixia?"

Liang Xiyan said, "Second brother, you are wrong. I was born a princess and I have not made much contribution to Dachen. If I can establish a good relationship between the two countries through my marriage, it will be my blessing."

Liang You's eyes widened with disbelief when he heard this. "But the Xixia prince is rumored to be quite old, almost ten years older than you! How can you accept this?"

No wonder people say girls change a lot when they grow up.

Even his most independent-minded sister would sacrifice herself for marriage!

"If I can use my humble efforts to save the people of the two countries from suffering from the flames of war, Xi Yan will naturally be willing to do so."

Liang Xiyan even advised him, "Second brother, you swore to never accept the marriage agreement in the past, but now you and the princess are getting along well, right? Who knows, the prince of Xixia may be my destined lover."

"My mother also said that the talents in the capital are getting worse every year. Instead of choosing among them, I might as well go somewhere further away. Since I am a princess, he will definitely treat me well."

“Hey, you…”

"Second brother, it's alright, you've been in the palace for quite some time, it's time to go."

After seeing Liang You off, Liang Xiyan stood there and didn't speak for a long time.

When it was getting dark, she bent down and touched a bulging purse in the bottom layer of the wooden cabinet of the dressing table.

Although the style of the purse looked a bit old, Liang Xiyan still took it out and wiped it from time to time.

Now, the purse that Concubine Ji gave her finally found a use for it.