Imperial Noble Consort Song had entered the palace at age eight, accompanying the Empress Dowager’s most precious treasure, Princess Shijia, and Wang Jinsi who, though not a princess, was treated like one. She had cautiously endured step by step until she was fourteen, originally thinking she could leave the palace to await marriage. In the blink of an eye, however, she caught Emperor Jianzhang’s eye and was made a consort.
She couldn’t say whether this was glorious or not. When she returned home to await marriage, she couldn’t sleep night after night. When she woke with the moon high in the sky, her pillow was always wet. She had known from early on that as the Song family’s legitimate eldest daughter, her marriage couldn’t be willful like her aunt’s—choosing only whom she liked to marry. The legitimate eldest son had to shoulder the family’s heavy responsibilities, while the legitimate eldest daughter represented the family’s reputation.
She knew she couldn’t bring shame to the Song family and had always worked hard to become the exemplary model of an aristocratic young lady. But at the same time, she was merely a fourteen-year-old girl. She knew that Wang Jinsi secretly liked Duke Chengguo’s heir apparent. Watching them sweet and affectionate together, though she appeared disdainful on the surface, maintaining dignity and reserve, to say she felt no envy or stirring of the heart would be false. She too wanted to choose a compatible husband and live harmoniously and beautifully with him for life.
But Emperor Jianzhang selected her. She was only fourteen—her flower hadn’t yet bloomed before it had already withered.
She still remembered the day she left. The pomegranate in the courtyard was in full bloom, but her heart gradually turned to ash, bit by bit. All those romantic thoughts and yearnings from her maiden days turned to nothing.
The past always easily made one sorrowful. Her chest felt somewhat stifled. Grasping Song Chuyi’s hand, she let out a gentle sigh filled with utter helplessness, looking earnestly into Song Chuyi’s eyes. “Xiaoyi, listen to me. Men can have many choices. If they marry a wife who doesn’t suit their heart, they can still have many beloved concubines and chamber maids. But once a woman marries, that person is all she has for her entire life. No matter how you choose to decide, whatever you do, don’t marry into the imperial family.”
Men were all fickle. They appeared gentle and affectionate, but actually never understood how to write the characters for “cherish.” Even if they married home a beauty like a celestial fairy, after a while when the novelty wore off, that would be that—they’d always go marry another beautiful maiden. Those of imperial blood were especially so. In their hearts, women perhaps didn’t even have meaning in and of themselves. Some were ornaments, some were puppets.
But women were different. Once they married someone, if that person treated them even slightly well, they easily threw their whole heart at him, wishing they could tear out their very heart and lungs.
Song Chuyi hadn’t expected Imperial Noble Consort Song to suddenly speak to her this way. She stared at Imperial Noble Consort Song in shock, tears brimming on her lashes, suddenly unable to utter a single word.
Imperial Noble Consort Song wiped the corner of her eye, seeming to realize her loss of composure. But she quickly adjusted herself, forcing a smile as she patted Song Chuyi’s hand, her voice very soft. “I told Eleventh the same thing. She’s even more foolish than you. When she encounters someone she likes, she wishes she could present everything before them. But you’re both still too young and inexperienced. You don’t know that things too easily obtained are never cherished. People are such base creatures—what’s delivered to their doorstep is never as precious as what’s obtained through painstaking effort.”
She was somewhat incoherent, her words confused and unable to find the main point, as if wanting to convey a lifetime’s accumulated wisdom to this sister before her who was in her best years and still had the opportunity to choose.
Song Chuyi lowered her head. Imperial Noble Consort Song didn’t know that she had already experienced all this once. Not to mention toward imperial nobility—even toward the species called men, she had already developed a sense of dread. Imperial Noble Consort Song was right. Men would always be men. They could never fearlessly love their wives wholeheartedly the way wives cherished their husbands.
The fragrance in the hall made one’s throat feel sweet, but Imperial Noble Consort Song’s words made the tip of one’s tongue taste bitter.
She released Song Chuyi’s hand, closed her eyes, and sighed. “Xiaoyi, I know you’re clever. Think it over carefully—the Ye family is truly an excellent destination.”
She looked at Song Chuyi, truly planning things out for her in her heart. “Think about it. The Zhennan Prince’s estate has its position and status right there—first of all, it’s a well-matched family. Secondly, the Zhennan Prince is the most upright person imaginable. Some families are so filthy you simply can’t bear to look—having an upright family head is truly an incomparably important matter. The Zhennan Princess Consort is also easy to get along with. Ye Second Young Master has a capable elder brother above him, a princess for a sister-in-law, and is himself willing to strive for advancement. His two younger sisters will soon marry out as well. With your skills, you could handle the family relationships with complete ease. Thirdly, and most importantly, Ye Second Young Master has his heart set on you. Regardless of what the future holds, at least right now his heart is set on you. A man willing to set his heart on you is always better than one who doesn’t.”
She drank a mouthful of tea to moisten her throat and continued. “When I was your age, I also had many yearnings for the future. But later, after experiencing more, I discovered that pursuing these illusory things wasn’t as good as grasping what was real and tangible. Think about your aunt, think about Wang Jinsi who single-mindedly threw herself at Duke Chengguo’s heir apparent back then—what became of those two?”
“Sooner or later, you must marry.” Seeing Song Chuyi with her head lowered, Imperial Noble Consort Song slowly set down her teacup. “Marry someone who likes you, secure your position first, and while the novelty hasn’t worn off, bear legitimate sons and daughters first. Then you’ll have something to rely on in the future. Even if he stops liking you, you’ll still have support. Xiaoyi, listen to my advice—people cannot be too greedy. Sometimes when you have this, don’t covet that as well.”
Song Chuyi suddenly felt deeply sorrowful. In her previous life, she had vigorously pursued some person her heart desired, and later received an unbearably painful lesson. In this life, she didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes, yet wasn’t resigned to truly living the kind of life Imperial Noble Consort Song described. This was probably the reason for her hesitation—neither willing to invest emotion, nor resigned to merely calculating profit. All matters in the world involved gain and loss. To want something, one must necessarily first lose something. She was too greedy.
She let out a low sigh. “Elder Sister, allow me to think it over.”
What Imperial Noble Consort Song said wasn’t without reason. Compared to the imperial family that was like a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den, the Zhennan Prince’s estate was truly the best possible destination. Even if in the future she had to fall into unavoidable factional struggles, as a second son, Ye Jingchuan might not necessarily be deeply implicated. Even if the implication was too deep, the Zhennan Prince’s estate had ways to send them far away. She had been reborn in this life—hadn’t her original intention simply been to live well? Right now there was a place as perfectly suitable as the Zhennan Prince’s estate. According to her original plan, it was simply ideal.
Moreover, Imperial Noble Consort Song was right—someone who liked her was always better than someone who didn’t.