My name is Yuexi. I am the only princess of the Yue Kingdom and the daughter of Consort Chen.
Seventeen years ago, Consort Chen believed that Yan Shaoheng had abandoned her, so she poisoned my father's food and became pregnant with me.
Later, however, she learned of the misunderstanding and felt sorry for Yan Shaoheng.
But by then she was already full-term and about to give birth.
After I was born, she left me in a side hall, and apart from the nanny and wet nurse who took care of me, she never went to see me once.
The servants gradually figured out what was going on: as long as I didn't starve to death, they would starve me to death.
When I was one year old, I learned to walk, albeit unsteadily.
That was the first time I saw her. She was elegant and graceful. Even though I had never met her before, I recognized her as my mother at a glance.
I reached out to her for a hug, muttering "Mother" incoherently.
But she didn't even glance at me, and slapped the wet nurse ten times.
When I was taken back, my wet nurse slapped me twenty times.
When I was two years old, during the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet, the Empress Dowager came to see me and said she would take me to the banquet.
I lay on top of the Empress Dowager, greedily inhaling her scent.
She smells so good, completely different from my wet nurse. I love it; it reminds me of my mother.
During the meal, I spotted my mother immediately and ran over to hug her leg.
But she forcefully threw me away. I couldn't resist and could only let her kick me away.
I was terrified; my forehead, arms, and legs were covered in blood.
But I dared not cry, for fear that my mother would be even angrier.
I could only curl up in the corner of the side hall until I fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up the next day, I found myself lying in the Empress Dowager's palace.
She was so gentle, just holding me like that, and I could clearly feel her body trembling.
After that incident, the Empress Dowager was furious and punished my mother, as well as the wet nurse and nanny in the side hall.
I was also completely adopted by the Empress Dowager.
No! Not the Empress Dowager, but the Empress Mother!
I've found that my life seems to have changed.
The Emperor is my elder brother. He treats me gently and always gives me the best things in the world.
And then there's my fourth brother, who always has a stern face and a terrible temper, but he always manages to beat anyone who bullies me to the ground.
The person who is best to me is my mother. She says I am her biological daughter and the most noble princess of the Moon Kingdom.
She taught me to read and was always there for me when I was most afraid.
I feel like the happiest princess in the world!
It wasn't until later that I learned about Consort Chen's past relationship with Yan Shaoheng.
It wasn't until later that I learned she had never loved her father.
It turns out I never did anything wrong; I just shouldn't have been the one to win her favor in the first place.
I think, if it were possible, Consort Chen probably wouldn't have let me be born.
My appearance is a stain on her love with Yan Shaoheng.
Later, as I grew up, my fourth brother returned from his travels with a handsome older brother.
Unlike my fourth brother, who was a fierce man, he would always bring me whatever good stuff he got from the palace.
He noticed the scar on my wrist by chance and realized that I had more than a dozen such scars all over my body.
Even though I told him that I was already fine.
He was still very angry.
The next day, news spread from the palace that Consort Chen had fallen and bruised herself.
On my birthday, he prepared a gift for me, saying that he specially developed it for me and guaranteed that after using it, I would have no scars left on my body.
Every time I made a mistake, he would stand in front of my fourth brother to protect me.
Even if he gets beaten up, he'll just laugh and say it doesn't hurt.
Aside from my mother and brothers, he was the best person to me.
Every time I came into contact with him, my breathing became rapid and shallow.
Every time he nodded slightly, my heart would tremble, as if an uncontrollable force was surging within me.
I learned from the personal maid that this was a disease called "liking".
I've fallen for this gentle and kind older brother, Jingzhan.
But I can only keep this feeling to myself. I'm afraid that one day, when he finds out, he'll go wandering the world again.
Go to a place I can't find no matter how hard I look.
But what was bound to happen still happened.
All my friends have gotten married, and my mother is starting to get anxious.
"Xi'er, if you can't bear to part with your mother, why don't you find a husband for your mother? What do you think of the eldest son of the Minister of War?"
There was no other way, so I had to ask my fourth sister-in-law for help.
The Fourth Princess Consort was quick-witted and immediately came up with an idea: "Let's make a feint and lure the snake out of its hole."
Soon, the news that my fourth brother was going to send me to the Yan Kingdom for a marriage alliance reached Brother Jingzhan's ears.
He stormed into the Qianqing Palace, furious, determined to bring down his fourth brother.
The outcome was predictable; he only got beaten up.
"Yuexi is your own sister, you can't send her to be married off!" Brother Jingzhan roared at the Fourth Prince.
Seeing Jingzhan's indignant expression, I was worried that he would anger the Fourth Prince.
I wanted to go out and explain to him, but my fourth sister-in-law stopped me.
"Haste makes waste. Don't worry, although your fourth brother says he's unwilling, he trusts you the most when it comes to your senior brother. Just watch."
I heard their conversation clearly.
But I also know that my fourth brother has been trying to get Jingzhan to say what I want to hear.
"My feelings for Xi'er are as clear as day and night, and I hope Your Highness will grant my request."
Instantly, tears of excitement welled up in my eyes; I couldn't control the excitement in my heart.
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