I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

The flame on the wedding candle crackled and burst into a tiny flower.

The room was filled with red, warm and cozy, but Ye An'an's heart was as cold and chilly as the freezing weather outside.

She was wearing a heavy phoenix crown and an elaborate wedding dress that could suffocate anyone. Her back was about to break from sitting so long since the afternoon's wedding ceremony.

The results of it?

Not to mention the groom, His Highness the Crown Prince, we haven't even seen a shadow of him.

Ye An'an rolled her eyes dramatically in her mind.

Not only did she transmigrate, but she also found herself in the middle of a massive arranged marriage, and as the Crown Prince's concubine, she was disliked from the very beginning.

"Your Highness, are you hungry? How about... I go to the kitchen and get you something to eat?"

The head maid, Chenzhu, lowered her voice and asked, her tone full of cautious worry.

Ye An'an remained silent.

She was busy sorting through the memories of this body.

Legend has it that this Crown Prince Xiao Jingshi was aloof and ascetic, with unparalleled handsomeness, a figure as unattainable as the bright moon in the sky.

It is also rumored that he has someone in his heart, and he prefers a well-educated, gentle, and refined young lady.

The original owner of this body, on the contrary, was a spoiled young lady pampered by her father, a great general. Because of her mad infatuation with the crown prince, she begged her father to use his outstanding military achievements to get her the position of concubine from the emperor.

Her foolish father kept apologizing in the letter, saying that he was incapable of making his precious daughter the principal wife and that he had wronged her.

From the very beginning, this marriage became the laughing stock of the entire capital.

On their wedding night, the Crown Prince's concubine was left alone in her room.

She could already imagine that by tomorrow morning, the news would spread like wildfire throughout the entire palace, and she, Ye An'an, was destined to become the laughingstock and headline of the harem's annual KPIs.

"Your Highness?" Chenzhu called out again, her voice trembling with tears. "Don't be sad. His Highness is probably held up by some important official business. He'll be here soon."

Another maid, Fuyun, was even more anxious, pacing back and forth, muttering under her breath, "Yes, yes, His Highness certainly didn't mean it. Your Highness, please wait a little longer. Please don't remove your phoenix crown or makeup, otherwise it would be improper if His Highness suddenly appeared..."

"Alright." Ye An'an finally spoke, her throat parched from not having drunk water all day. "Stop spinning, it's making me dizzy."

She moved her neck, which felt like it was about to break, and felt that the phoenix crown could break her cervical spine at any moment.

"Wait? If I wait any longer, I'll turn into a fossil." She twitched the corner of her mouth. In her past life, she worked overtime until she died of overwork. In this life, she finally became a privileged class and didn't want to wrong herself for even a second longer.

"Chenzhu, help me up."

"Your Majesty, this...this is against the rules! What if..."

"I can just put it back on when he comes, right?" Ye An'an interrupted them impatiently. "Don't worry, he won't come. How could a man with a legendary germaphobia and a white moonlight in his heart willingly come and bother me, the 'trouble' he sees? Hurry up and help me take this outfit off, I'm starving!"

When the word "hungry" was mentioned, Ye An'an's stomach rumbled loudly in perfect unison.

All day long, she was like a puppet, forced to dress up, enter the palace, pay respects to Emperor Xiao Yuanzheng and Empress Wei, and then go through all sorts of lengthy formalities, surrounded by a group of princesses and noblewomen watching a monkey show.

Especially that Princess Jing, she spoke in a sarcastic tone and put on airs more than anyone else.

After a whole day of this ordeal, she hadn't eaten a single grain of rice and was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back.

Chenzhu and Fuyun exchanged a glance, both seeing panic and helplessness in each other's eyes, but in the end they couldn't persuade her otherwise.

The two men hurriedly helped her remove her phoenix crown and take off layer after layer of heavy wedding clothes.

When the last layer of restraint was removed, Ye An'an breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if she had finally come back to life.

She grabbed a soft nightgown and put it on, then flopped down on the chaise lounge next to her, humming contentedly.

"Fuyun, go to the small kitchen and see what food they have. Just make something simple and hot, I'm starving."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Fuyun replied, lifting her skirt and running outside.

Chenzhu silently began to pack up the priceless wedding dress, sighing as she folded it, her little face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.

Ye An'an found it somewhat amusing to look at her like that, picked up the apple on the table, and took a big bite with a "crunch".

"What's there to worry about? The sky isn't falling down."

"But Your Highness," Chenzhu said worriedly, "you are, after all, the Crown Prince's concubine. On the very first day of your marriage... who knows what rumors will spread outside? How will you manage in the palace from now on?"

"Let them say what they want. It's their mouth, what can I do about it?" Ye An'an said nonchalantly, taking another bite of her apple. She mumbled, "Let them say whatever they want. As long as I'm eating and drinking well and living comfortably, that's all that matters."

She knew exactly what was going on.

The emperor's betrothal of her to the crown prince was a display of imperial cunning, using her father's military power as a general to solidify the crown prince's position. The crown prince, this future wise ruler, was probably feeling resentful at being used as a pawn.

Therefore, it's perfectly normal that he didn't come.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity here, you should think about what to eat for breakfast tomorrow.

I've heard that the small kitchen in the Eastern Palace has a rich variety of ingredients; this is fantastic news!

Soon, Fuyun returned carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup on it.

"Your Majesty, this is all that's left in the kitchen. Please have something to eat."

"It's good enough that we have it!" Ye An'an's eyes lit up, and she immediately sat up straight.

She took the bowl, and the aroma of chicken soup wafted up. The soup was clear, with a few bright green vegetables floating on top, and a round, slightly browned poached egg resting on it. The noodles were handmade and looked very chewy.

She didn't care that it was hot; she picked up a mouthful of noodles and slurped it into her mouth.

Mmm, the noodles are smooth and have a wheat aroma. The chicken soup is flavorful, but a bit bland. It would be perfect with some pepper and a spoonful of chili oil.

However, in the dead of night when one is starving, having a bowl of hot soup noodles is already a great satisfaction.

She ate very quickly, leaving nothing, soup and noodles.

After eating and drinking her fill, with a warm feeling in her stomach, Ye An'an let out a delicate yawn, and all her fatigue washed over her.

"Alright, stop standing around, turn off the lights, and go to sleep!"

She waved her hand and walked first to the huge wedding bed, which was covered with peanuts, longans, and red dates.

Chenzhu and Fuyun looked at each other, and finally could only obediently blow out most of the candles, leaving only two dim wall lamps, before retreating to the outer room to keep watch.

Lying on the soft bed, Ye An'an smelled the faint fragrance on the bedding. She felt no anxiety like a new bride, but rather a sense of peace and security.

No wedding night? Perfect! She couldn't be bothered with a strange man anyway.

As for the rumors and gossip outside? Ha, when has Ye An'an ever been afraid of that?

Starting tomorrow, it's time to change my way of living.

She closed her eyes, her mind already racing with plans.

The food in the palace is too bland. No, she has to make it herself. Tomorrow morning, she'll start with a deluxe version of jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) with sausage, egg, and tons of toppings!

Yes, it's settled!