Ji Yichen wasn't always called by this name when she was born. Her father had prepared over a hundred delicate, feminine names suitable for a daughter, waiting for her to pick one during the traditional "Zhua Zhou" ceremony. Unfortunately, before that could happen, Ji Yichen fell seriously ill.
Yan Xiao said the illness was congenital—Mingyi had been poisoned before, leaving her with a weak constitution, and Ji Yichen, being her first child, suffered some consequences.
It wasn't life-threatening, though. After recovering, she just had an unusual physique, prone to gaining weight easily, but it didn't endanger her life.
However, Ji Bozhai was terrified. To protect his daughter's well-being, he gave her his surname and Mingyi's given name, adding the imperial character "Chen" to form her full name. He also bestowed upon her the courtesy name Chang Le.
Thus, everyone in the Six Cities knew that Princess Chang Le was exceptionally doted on. Whether it was the emperor, the queen, or even the usually stern Master She—all indulged her, letting her ride on their shoulders while happily carrying her around.
Before the age of fourteen, Ji Yichen grew up immersed in love, free from worries or hardships, surrounded only by doting parents and a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted younger brother.
But after turning fourteen, as she watched her peers at the academy grow tall and slender, she remained a little round ball, and Ji Yichen grew upset.
"Mother, did you forget to give me a waist?" she asked Mingyi, her hands forming a bowl-sized circle. "Everyone else has such a slender waist—I should have one too."
Mingyi held her close and gently replied, "You do have a waist—it's just rounder. But round is beautiful too. In Azure Cloud, thinness isn't the only standard of beauty. You're lovely just as you are."
Her mother never lied to her, even if this statement wasn't entirely true—Azure Cloud did favor slenderness at the time. But after saying this, Mingyi would immediately start advocating for beauty in all shapes and sizes.
Ji Yichen knew her mother meant well, but she still felt sad. Who didn’t want to wear pretty dresses? Who didn’t want to hear the new instructor praise them as "graceful beyond compare"?
A new instructor had recently arrived at the Academicians' Court—a man in his twenties, as refreshing as a breeze, with eyes as cool as the moon. Many female students secretly admired him, and she was no exception.
But the instructor seemed to prefer slimmer girls. When teaching Combat Skill to others, he smiled warmly, but the moment he faced her, his expression turned serious, and an air of detachment settled around him.
Ji Yichen was unhappy. She wanted to shed some of her weight.
Her classmate Hailan tried to console her: "You didn’t gain weight from overeating—you already eat so little. Eating even less would harm your health."
"But I want to be slender," Ji Yichen insisted, clenching her small fists as she gazed at the instructor standing with his back to them in the distant courtyard.
She changed her breakfast from the usual congee and side dishes to a small piece of corn. For lunch, she skipped meat, eating only a bite of vegetables with brown rice. Dinner was even more frugal—just a few sips of clear broth before she threw herself into rigorous training.
Hard work pays off. After a month of this, she finally... gained two taels.
Tears welled up in Ji Yichen’s eyes as she stared at the Weight Code on the scale.
As luck would have it, Ji Mingchen chose that moment to visit, bringing her famous pastries from East Market Street. "Sis, come try these!" he called as he walked in.
Ji Yichen burst into tears.She had resisted the urge to eat pastries countless times over the past month. Even when her stomach growled thunderously in the middle of the night, as if ten thousand hands were dragging her toward the kitchen, she held firm. So why wasn’t she losing weight?
Ji Mingchen was stunned by her sudden outburst of tears. Before he could even hand her the pastry in his hand, his father swept in like a whirlwind, yanking him into a corner and demanding fiercely, "What did you do to upset your sister?"
"It’s not my fault!" Ji Mingchen raised his hands in surrender. "I just bought her some pastries..."
Mingyi came over as well, pulling Ji Yichen into her arms and patting her back gently. "Don’t cry. You’ve done your best."
But it was precisely because she had tried so hard that she felt even worse. Ji Yichen was convinced she was doomed to remain a plump little ball forever, never earning praise from her teachers—or his admiration.
She grew quieter, choosing dark blue and deep green clothes to wear, sitting in the corner during every lesson without raising questions or speaking to those around her.
Hailan grew concerned and went to pay her respects to Mingyi, casually mentioning the teacher’s behavior.
"You mean Li Shaoling?" Mingyi frowned.
"Yes," Hailan sighed. "For some reason, he treats all the other female students well, but he’s particularly cold toward the princess."
Mingyi sighed. "Have you considered that perhaps he’s wary of her status, not because he thinks Chen’er is plump?"
Li Shaoling came from a humble background but was exceptionally talented, earning him an exceptional promotion to the Academicians' Court as a teacher. He avoided any association with the princess out of fear for his career—after all, the rule in every city was that imperial consorts could not participate in court politics.
The rule was harsh, but with many noble families and city lords having only daughters, it was upheld to prevent those with ill intentions from seizing their estates. A daughter’s descendants could inherit, but not her husband—just like the treatment of sons-in-law in other households.
Mingyi thought the rule was fair enough; those willing to become live-in sons-in-law had already accepted giving up certain things. But she never expected her own daughter to fall for a man with ambitions.
What was to be done?
She was troubled.
And when Mingyi was troubled, Ji Bozhai grew frantic. He cared nothing for ambitions or ideals—what ambitions could a man with mere Azure Meridians have? He summoned Li Shaoling to the palace with an edict and asked him bluntly, "Would you be willing to become my daughter’s consort?"
His reasoning was simple: if the man refused, then so be it—it would help Chen’er move on. If he agreed, then everyone, especially his beloved Yi’er, wouldn’t have to worry anymore.
However, Ji Bozhai overlooked the effect of his own imposing presence.
His stern expression alone was intimidating, and with the grand hall empty except for the two of them, Li Shaoling felt the oppressive weight of dark Essence Power looming over his head. One wrong answer, and he’d lose his life.
Becoming a consort was out of the question—it would strip him of any chance at a political career, leaving him to live off his wife’s status and endure scorn. Any man with pride would find it humiliating.
But he didn’t want to die either.
And so, on a quiet afternoon, just as Ji Yichen finished her lessons and sat alone in the rear courtyard pondering a Combat Art Technique, she sensed someone standing before her.She opened her eyes and looked up blankly, only to see Li Shaoling speaking to her with an awkward expression, "Your dress looks quite nice today, though the color is a bit too dark."
"..." She was momentarily at a loss for words.
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