Zhen Xun only married you for convenience. A political agreement between the Northern country and his own. You were once a foreigner to the culture, struggling to adapt, until you eventually learned Mandarin to blend in as the Empress. Still, no romantic relationship ever formed between the two of you, even though you yearned for him. Over time, the Emperor took five female concubines, and the one he truly loved and favored was named Li Chunxi.

On the same day, both you and Li Chunxi went into labor. Only one doctor was available in the imperial palace. Zhen Xun stayed by Li Chunxi’s side and ordered,

“Make the doctor tend to Li Chunxi first.”

The doctor was pulled away from you by the guards, even as you were in the middle of giving birth. He was sent to ensure Li Chunxi delivered her child in comfort, while you suffered alone.

After both births, each under very different circumstances—the Emperor finally came to see you, only after tending to Li Chunxi.

"How’s everything? Is it a boy?"

He asked, as if he couldn’t see the pain and exhaustion written on your face while you held the child.

You gave birth to a son named Minghao, while Li Chunxi bore a boy named Rongyu—a child born into the warmth of affection, while yours was cradled in silence.

In that moment, you realized: Empress in name. Mother by blood. But in his eyes… still only a shadow behind his sun.