The document is clear to the world

Chapter 1

"The World Is Clear"

Everyone says this is a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, with the man's family holding imperial power and the woman's family wielding significant military strength.

But she understood that this was nothing more than a political marriage with ulterior motives on both sides.

He married her because his father wanted to gain control of 300,000 cavalry.

She married him because he was secretly considered the future king.

Although she was unwilling to be a pawn, she had to maintain appearances and play the role of the illegitimate Seventh Prince's consort. Unfortunately, the refined and elegant Seventh Prince spent his wedding night with his concubine, tending to his son, leaving her with some peace and quiet. Having weathered many storms, she was not one to allow anyone to act so arrogantly towards her.

After all, she didn't want much; she just wanted to secure her position as the legitimate wife.

Is this seemingly indifferent and detached man truly destined for a high position?

And what about her?

From a successor burdened with heavy responsibilities amidst the battles of the martial world, to a princess of the Huainan Prince's mansion, and then to the renowned principal wife of the Seventh Prince in the capital, perhaps the next step will be... the mistress of the harem in the Dragon and Phoenix Palace.

The martial arts world is stirred up by this woman, and the royal family is shrouded in mystery because of her.

Keywords: Flourishing and prosperous, Empress Dowager

Chapter 1: Imperial Marriage

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees that Princess Zhaozhi is virtuous and talented... and bestows marriage upon... the Seventh Prince Ningshuo, to be married on a chosen date."

Zhaozhi, I heard, was a name bestowed upon me by Emperor Chunzong. It comes from the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu) and means a pure and bright quality.

"Bestowed a marriage upon the seventh prince..." I laughed first, then kowtowed deeply to express my gratitude.

I am the third daughter of the Prince of Huainan. Back then, my father, along with the then Third Prince, launched the "Capital Coup," seizing the throne from Crown Prince Yanlun. The Third Prince ascended the throne as Emperor Lizong, and bestowed upon my father the title of a prince of a different surname. To express his gratitude for my father's loyalty, he married my aunt as Empress Rong. The Prince of Huainan's power expanded instantly; he controlled the military and was also a powerful maternal relative, commanding respect even from the imperial family.

In my memory, there was no mother, and my father rarely appeared. There was also a woman whom my father made me call "Mother Consort" who would occasionally come to the manor to see me. She was not my mother, but my father's legal wife. I grew up in Nalan Manor and took my maternal grandfather's surname... Nalan.

My maternal grandfather named me Nalan Qingqian. It wasn't until I was thirteen that my father brought me back to the manor from Nalan Manor, and later I was granted the title of Princess.

And I transformed from Nalan Qingqian into a member of the imperial family. From a little girl who was used to fighting and killing in the martial arts world, I suddenly became a seemingly glamorous princess.

Royal women are merely tools. Just like my sisters, one by one they married into the royal family. This is a fate I cannot escape. My eldest sister, Rong Xiyue, became the principal wife of Grand Marshal Pang Jian four years ago. My second sister, Rong Jihe, was educated in the palace from a young age. Two years ago, she was betrothed to the royal family and became the Crown Princess. The people all say that the Rong sisters are all exceptionally beautiful. Their weddings were also extremely grand.

The twentieth year of Tianyou. Winter.

The sedan chair swayed and staggered along amidst the suona horns, and no one knew how far it had gone, only that all they could hear was the clamor around them.

In a daze, my father's aged voice still echoed in my ears.

Currently, the court is divided into two factions: one led by the Empress and the Prince of Huainan, and the other controlled by the Grand Secretary Lin, a relative of the Empress. The Second Prince, Qin Wang, has been raised by the Empress and is the most likely heir apparent. However, in recent years, the Emperor has shown considerable dissatisfaction with the Second Prince while showering favor on the Fifth Prince, born to Consort Lin. Even appointing a woman surnamed Rong as Crown Princess has failed to firmly control the Lin family's growing power. At this juncture, another force is needed to stabilize the court, so the court has begun to heavily rely on Consort Ding's two sons, the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince. And my husband is… the Seventh Prince, deeply favored by the Emperor.

I wore a bright red silk dress, the gold and silver threads embroidered on it making my eyes dazzle, and the jade bell at my waist shone brightly.

Finally, they heard that incredibly joyful voice, "Your Highness, please alight from your sedan chair."

I lifted the curtain, and a hand reached out. I looked up and saw a man in wedding attire. He was none other than the long-awaited Seventh Prince, the renowned Prince Ningshuo, famous throughout the capital. He lacked the arrogance and flamboyance of the princes I remembered; nothing could more accurately describe him than his refined and elegant demeanor. He didn't possess a superior, radiant air; only a pure, understated elegance emanated from his lips. It was that quiet, expressionless calmness that made you feel that although he was physically present, looking at you, his heart was elsewhere.

I gently took his hand. The red carpet seemed so long, and I endured it, endured the length, endured this arrangement, endured this fate.

"The ceremony was a bit too complicated, and the princess must be tired..." Even his voice was faint.

Through the red veil, I couldn't see his expression. Even his profile appeared ethereal and otherworldly. Indeed, as the rumors said... he possessed a noble bearing, serene and composed, like a piece of dark jade reflecting the radiance of the sun and moon. And to him, I was merely a small but powerful pawn placed beside him by my father.

That night

There was still a burst of laughter outside, but I watched Liu Shang tidy up the bedding without any expression.

“Princess, things are not as convenient as they are in the manor, so please make do.” Liu Shang did not notice my distraction.

Someone bowed at the door and relayed a message, "Your Highness, the Prince sent me with a message saying that the young master has fallen seriously ill. He is going to check on him now, and since Your Highness is worried about waiting, he asked you to make your own arrangements first."

I went straight to the dressing table, shedding my burdens. Liu Shang asked in a panic, "Are you really not waiting for the Prince?"

"I'm tired, I need to settle down." I looked at myself in the mirror, my face calm but clearly weary.

Chapter Two: The Family Gift Incident

When I woke up early in the morning, I found a group of people waiting outside the door. They were very well-behaved and waited for me without saying a word. Then I remembered that in this mansion, I was sitting in the position of the principal wife.

Lu Li moved out of the palace five years ago after taking a concubine. Five years ago, he was just a fourteen-year-old boy. It's hard to imagine how he managed the Prince's Mansion and how he rose to such a position.

The mansion wasn't very large, consisting of two gardens, one in front and one behind.

The front garden was mostly used for receiving guests, while the back garden was where the family lived. I lived in the south room of the main courtyard, the west room was Lu Li's study, and the east room was the main hall for handling household affairs. Lu Li's concubines lived in the west wing, and the servants lived in the north wing.

As I walked into the hall, everyone bowed to me.

As I walked into the main hall of the east room and sat down, the concubine brought in tea. I noticed a four- or five-year-old child following closely beside her.

I was startled. I had heard that most royal sons were betrothed to concubines and left the palace to live alone when they reached the age of fourteen. I had also heard that royal children were born early and that Lu Li had a son. But when such a big person appeared in front of me, I was still a little uncomfortable.

"Yiling greets Your Highness." She knelt respectfully before me, and the child beside her also knelt down.

I smiled and took the tea. I took a sip. "Sister, please get up."

Her lips trembled slightly. She stood up and pulled the little girl beside her closer. "Zhen'er, why don't you go and pay your respects to your mother?"

The little boy blinked his innocent eyes. "Son greets Mother."

"Your name is Zhen'er, right? How old are you?"

"Replying to Mother, your son is four years and two months old, and his birthday is in autumn."

I laughed and pulled him into my arms, gesturing for Liu Shang to take out the gift I had prepared earlier—a piece of top-grade snow jade. I tied the jade pendant to his waist, glancing at Yi Ling's unmoved expression out of the corner of my eye. I secretly sized up this woman who was destined to share a husband with me, but the shrewdness hidden beneath her pretty face reminded me that this woman was not easy to get along with.

I glanced at the teacup, sighed, and said, "I was young and ignorant, so I'll have to be more tolerant of you in the future, sister."

She smiled slightly, "Your Highness is too modest. I hope you will be tolerant of my son and me in the future."

I felt something was off when I heard that, but I didn't think too much about it. I changed the subject and chatted casually. Before long, they all left.

I was about to go back to the north house when I saw that handsome figure walking across the front yard from not far away.

I stepped aside and waited for him to come up, giving a slight bow.

He glanced at me indifferently and said only, "Get ready to return to the palace to pay respects to your elders."

I sat in front of the mirror while Liu Shang combed my hair. I put on a light red blouse with floral patterns. Liu Shang brought me a plate with a jade bracelet in the shape of a hibiscus and a silver hairpin with filigree begonia flowers on it.

Seeing him buried in his book again in the mirror, I was taken aback. I had heard before that Lu Li, like the Crown Prince, had been given to the Empress as an adopted son from a young age. It seemed that his relationship with his birth mother, Consort Ding, wasn't very deep.

The sedan chair stopped outside the palace gate. The curtain was lifted, and Liu Shang reached out to help me out of the sedan chair. As I stepped out, I saw Lu Li emerge from the sedan chair in front of me. His eyes glanced back at me unintentionally, and I quickly lowered my head, refusing to look at him.

I followed behind him somewhat awkwardly; he walked so fast that I almost couldn't keep up.

"I'll go to my brother's place first, and your sister-in-law will come out to take you out in a little while." His voice remained calm.

My silence is my response.

Passing through the front yard, we saw a graceful and elegant woman approaching, exuding a distinguished air. Lu Li quickly stepped forward and said, "Greetings, Fourth Sister-in-law." I surmised that she was the Fourth Prince's principal wife. The Fourth Prince was said to be deeply favored by the Emperor; no wonder his wife possessed such an air of grandeur. Lu Li pulled me over: "Hurry up and greet Fourth Sister-in-law!"

She smiled and said to Lu Li, "Alright, alright, there's no reason for the princess to bow. We're family now. I'll take my sister-in-law to the sisters' house first, and Seventh Brother can go to the main room and chat with the men."