Chapter 1 — Instead of Marrying His Wife, 7 Years of Supporting Him to the Throne, In Exchange for a Cup of Poisoned Wine

I married him for 7 years instead of my sister. Help him become emperor. The day he ascended the throne, he gave me a cup of poisoned wine. When I died, there was a lot of snow... In Kun Ninh palace, silver charcoal was burned, it was too warm, yet I knelt on the ground, my whole body still trembling. Not because of the cold. It's because of pain. After the cup of poisonous wine passed down my throat, my internal organs felt like they were being bitten by countless ants. My hands were on the ground, my nails scratching little by little into the cracks of the yellow brick, my throat was filled with the stench of blood, even my breathing felt like I was swallowing a knife. On the high throne, sitting there is Dai Thinh's new emperor - Ta Hanh. Also my nominal husband. I have been with him for seven years. Seven years ago, he was still the crown prince who was not favored by the emperor the most. The reason may have been an illness that made his body weak all year round. Everyone said he would not live more than twenty-five years old, his mother died early, and there was no one to support him in the court. The ladies in the capital avoided him like snakes and centipedes; no one was willing to marry him. My elder sister - Tham Minh Chieu - after hearing the decree granting the marriage, cried on the spot and fainted, broke an entire room of porcelain, and refused to marry into the Eastern Palace. Therefore, we were pushed out. Mother took my hand and said:

"Thanh Vu, I'll marry there in your sister's place. If the Crown Prince is sick like this, I'm not sure how long he'll live. After he dies, if I have a son, he'll be the Queen Mother. If I don't have a son, I'll still be the Queen Mother."

The father said with a gloomy face:

"Even though you're the second child, after all, you're the daughter of the Tham family. The Tham family raised you this much, now it's time for you to repay the favor."

At that time I was only sixteen years old. I'm scared too. Also panicked. Also want to live. But I want to have a little favor from my family even more. Even if it's just a little. So we agreed…. I replaced my sister and put on the robe, entered the Eastern Palace, and became the crown princess with the most miserable fate in everyone's eyes. At first, those days were extremely difficult to endure. The Eastern Palace was empty, the crown prince was sick with an old illness, the royal court was constantly haunted by arrows and arrows, everyone was waiting to see when he would die, and also waiting to see when I - a concubine - would be dragged into the mud with him. But I still gritted my teeth and resisted. When Ta Hanh got sick, I stayed up all night without leaving my clothes and stood by the bed. When he was framed by the Third Prince's faction, I returned to the Marquis Palace and knelt for two hours, begging my father to come forward and turn things around. When he was assassinated during the winter hunt, I took an arrow for him and was paralyzed in bed for three whole months. Later, when he gradually stabilized the Eastern Palace and began to interact with the court, I also took care of the house for him, made friends with the palace staff, and went through the most difficult years with him. I have always believed that the human heart is made of flesh and blood. I've been with him for so long, but I've been able to cultivate a little sincerity. Even if there is no love, there should at least be some love. But it wasn't until today that we realized, it turns out that if there isn't, then there is none. The man leaning on the dragon was wearing a dark black dragon robe, his appearance was cold and solemn, like a frozen lake surface in the middle of a winter night. He lowered his head to look at me, his eyes not wavering at all.

“Tham Thanh Vu.”

“Do you know the crime? Are not."

A mouthful of blood rose up in my throat, making me almost want to laugh. What is my crime? Is it a crime to marry him instead of his sister, or is it a crime to stay in the Eastern Palace for seven years, or is it a crime after he ascended the throne to obstruct Tham Minh Chieu's path to becoming queen? I raised my head and looked at the woman standing next to him. A phoenix robe, head full of pearls, as beautiful as a peony just in full bloom. That's my sister - Tham Minh Chieu. It is also the new, immeasurable light of today. She met my gaze, a flash of pride flashed in her eyes, then sighed softly, her soft voice said:

“Sister, things have come to this, just accept it.”

"You betrayed the foreign minister, intending to disrupt the royal family's bloodline. Your Majesty only remembered your old feelings and left you with a corpse."

“If you continue to cause trouble, I'm afraid that even your mother under the yellow spring will not be safe.”

I stared at her. In my entire life, I hate two things the most. One is that I was born a female. Second, I truly considered her a sister... When I was a child, I lived in the most remote courtyard of the Marquis Palace. In the winter there was no coal for heating, and in the summer there was no ice to cool me down. My mother didn't like me, my father never paid any attention to me, only Tham Minh Chieu occasionally brought someone two snacks, or an old outfit she no longer wore. It is that little bit of goodwill that makes us remember for many years. Even on the day I changed my marriage, I still consoled myself that my sister didn't mean to harm me, she was just scared. Later, I entered the Eastern Palace and suffered enough, and she was given the honor to marry the Third Prince. After that, the Third Prince lost power, she didn't know what tricks to use, so she returned to Ta Hanh's side. Until today, when she stepped on me and stepped up to the throne, I realized that from beginning to end, she never considered me a sister. I am just a dog that can be arbitrarily pushed away by you to prevent disaster at any time. My throat was hoarse, but I still asked Ta Hanh word by word:

“I have been with you for seven years.”