Chapter 1: My Brother, Good Luck
Peaches and apricots lean against the red, and the light shines on the green hills.
Wen Xingluo looked at the majestic and magnificent Zhenbei Palace in front of him.
In the previous life, her parents divorced and her mother remarried the Prince of Zhenbei. Her elder sister, greedy for wealth, chose to follow her mother and marry into the palace. She acknowledged the Prince of Zhenbei as her father and became a lady of the palace, living a life of luxury.
She and her three brothers lived with their father, the county magistrate.
Later, her father was recalled to the capital by the emperor and appointed as a minister. She married the crown prince as the minister's daughter, while her elder sister Wen Yueyin was hastily married to a minor official in the Zhenbei Palace and suffered a lot of abuse from her in-laws.
The elder sister was unhappy with her marriage and went home to cry to her father and brother.
So on the day she married into the Eastern Palace, her father and brother actually tied her up and arranged for her sister to marry the prince instead.
Daddy said, "You and your sister were originally twins, but you robbed her of nutrients in the womb, causing her to be weak and sickly since childhood. You owe your sister a lifetime, so use this marriage as compensation!"
The eldest brother, who won the third place in the imperial examination, said, "You are too utilitarian and always force me to study. Yueyin is much more likable than you! In the past, my father and I had low official positions and could not give Yueyin good things. Now our family is rich and prominent, and we can finally send her to become the Crown Princess! From now on, your name and status will be used by your sister!"
The second brother, a wealthy businessman, said, "Yue Yin is simple and innocent, unlike you who are cunning and calculating. Every time I see you showing up to negotiate business for me, I feel ashamed! So I will increase Yue Yin's original dowry by twenty times, to ensure her a lifetime of wealth and prosperity!"
The third brother, who was the deputy commander of the Jinwu Guard, said, "You were too strong-willed. You persuaded my father to send me to the military camp for training. I suffered so much. I'm nowhere near as gentle and charming as Yueyin! I'm going to call the brothers of the Jinwu Guard right now. We'll prepare a grand ceremony and send Yueyin off with great fanfare!"
The elder sister sobbed, "Although I don't want to snatch my younger sister's marriage, I dare not refuse the elders' gift. Since my father and brothers have said so, then it has to be this way. I hope my younger sister won't blame me?"
Wen Xingluo looked at them quietly.
Over the years, she kowtowed and begged the great scholar to come out of seclusion to tutor her elder brother, helping him to get the third place in the imperial examination.
She racked her brains to mediate and calculate in the business world, helping her second brother become a wealthy businessman in Shu.
She persuaded her father to send her third brother to the military camp for training, and he learned a lot of skills and joined the Jinwu Guard.
She also offered her father advice on suppressing bandits, quelling floods and plagues, which led to him being recalled to the capital by the emperor.
She did so much, but her father and brother still didn't like her.
On the day her elder sister returned home from the Eastern Palace to visit her parents, she was taken into a secret room.
Her father and brother believed that the dead would not reveal the secret, so they planned to kill her and let her sister live in the world as her from then on.
When Wen Xingluo was on the verge of death, he used the poison smeared on the tip of the hairpin to send his entire family to the west.
Unexpectedly, when she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the time when her parents had just divorced.
The elder sister spoke first, "I'd better follow Daddy! I will never recognize a thief as my father for the sake of fame and fortune. In my heart, the King of Zhenbei and the King of Zhennan are not as good as my own biological father!"
Upon hearing this, the father and brother were deeply moved.
Wen Xingluo knew that her sister had also been reborn.
She said calmly, "Then I will go to the palace with my mother."
Her sister leaned close to her ear and said, "You don't think that the Zhenbei Palace is a good place, do you?"
Wen Xingluo held the handkerchief.
In the previous life, my sister came home and complained.
She said that the old princess dowager was a mean and difficult old woman. No matter how she tried to please her, she remained indifferent. The rewards she gave her during festivals were no different from those given to beggars.
She said her stepbrothers were cold and heartless.
She said that the most annoying person was the prince of the palace. He was extremely cunning, vicious and cruel, and had two faces in front of people and behind their backs. He ignored her attempts to please him and kept her at a distance, as if she were a dirty thing!
Wen Xingluo feigned confusion: "Isn't such a rich and magnificent place good?"
"You'll know when you go there," the elder sister said meaningfully. "Silly sister, don't look at our family's current poverty. We live in a huddled house in the county government office, barely able to afford good rouge and powder. But in three years, our family will surely prosper! As for me, I'm going to be the Crown Princess in the future!"
Will you become successful?
Wen Xingluo lowered his eyes.
In this life, without her help, she would like to see how her father would achieve remarkable political achievements and how her three brothers would make a name for themselves.
"Miss Wen," the palace maid who led the way called out, "What are you daydreaming about? The Dowager Consort is waiting to see you."
Wen Xingluo came back to his senses.
My mother has been married for two days.
This was the first time the Queen Mother summoned her.
Arriving at Wansong Courtyard, the maid instructed, "Miss Wen, please wait a moment in the corridor while I go in and report."
Wen Xingluo has excellent hearing.
Soon after the maid entered, she heard an old voice coming from the inner room: "I was born into a military family. I have one son and four grandsons, but I have never raised a delicate little girl in my life. Tell me, how should we raise this little girl? I think she should be pampered!"
Wen Xingluo held the handkerchief.
The person who spoke was probably the Concubine Dowager.
Judging from his tone, he clearly values her very much.
It’s completely different from what my sister said about being “mean and difficult.”
A clear, deep voice of a young man followed, "The gift Grandmother prepared is too expensive. She's just a young girl, new to your house. If you give her too much, it might burden her and make her feel uneasy."
"Ziheng, what you said makes sense. Should I put away this box of banknotes for now?"
The prince of the palace, Xie Guanlan, whose courtesy name is Ziheng, is the most annoying person in my sister's words.
Perhaps the maid reported that Wen Xingluo had arrived, and the conversation in the inner room stopped.
After a while, the old man reminded him again: "Ziheng, from now on, that little girl and we will be one family. Since she has become your sister, you must treat her well."
"Grandma, you're joking. As the eldest brother, I will naturally take good care of my younger sister. I still have some official business to attend to at the government office, so I'll take my leave first."
As the footsteps got closer, the maid lifted the felt curtain.
Wen Xingluo lowered his eyes and saw a pair of black boots with cloud patterns stepping out.
The young man who came out was dressed in brocade and leather, standing tall and majestic. The crimson robe made his handsome face look elegant and majestic. Although his facial features were gorgeous and deep, his eyebrows and eyes were distant and cold, just like a dry mountain and cold water in spring.
As he stepped out of the door, the rich scent of sandalwood hit him in the face.
Along with his gaze, it weighed heavily on Wen Xingluo's shoulders as if it were something substantial.
It is the innate sense of oppression of the superior.
Wen Xingluo guessed that he was Xie Guanlan, the prince of Zhenbei Palace.
She knelt and saluted: "Hello, brother."
The young man said slowly, "Miss Wen, you are too polite. Your last name is Wen, and mine is Xie. Why is your brother here?"
His reserved and aloof demeanor was completely different from the gentle and humble demeanor he had just shown in front of the old concubine.
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