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"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'
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