Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Upon hearing that the Third Prince Zhu Yuanzhang had arrived, Tu Guoqiang dared not be the slightest bit negligent. The Third Prince had always been cautious in his words and deeds, rarely venturing out of the palace and not concerning himself with politics.

It could be said that the Third Prince had little presence in the imperial court, yet Tu Guoqiang always held him in high regard.

The reason is simple: the Third Prince's mother had once had a relationship with him.

This happened a long time ago, before the Third Prince's mother, Mo Meng, entered the palace.

Tu Guoqiang's father was the Minister of Works in the previous Han Dynasty, in charge of water conservancy and engineering construction in the capital.

Mo Meng's father, Mo Yan, was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. The two families were old friends, and their fathers were not only good partners in politics, but also good friends in private.

The two families had a good relationship and lived not far from each other. Mo Yan and Tu Guoqiang were two years apart in age and could be described as childhood sweethearts, growing up together since they were little.

As they grew older, the two began to fall in love. They were very compatible, and their parents also wanted to bring them together.

They had discussed it and decided that when Mo Meng reached marriageable age, they would get married. However, when Tu Guoqiang turned sixteen, everything changed.

At that time, Tu Guoqiang was young and passed the imperial examination at the county level, with a promising future. In addition, Tu Guoqiang was handsome and full of vigor, which made him highly valued by his teacher Liao Chang, who gave him special attention and training.

Liao Chang was a scholar who passed the imperial examination in the previous dynasty. He had a daughter named Liao Mingjuan. Liao Chang was 40 years old when he had this daughter, which can be described as having a daughter in middle age. Naturally, he doted on her.

Liao Mingjuan had long harbored feelings for Tu Guoqiang, and even declared that she would marry no one but him, leaving Liao Chang helpless.

As Tu Guoqiang's teacher, Liao Chang was very pleased that Tu Guoqiang was intelligent and had a bright future.

However, Tu Guoqiang had no romantic feelings for Liao Mingjuan whatsoever; he only ever treated her as a younger sister.

Upon learning that Tu Guoqiang had a childhood sweetheart and that the two were in love, Liao Mingjuan cried and begged her father for help, even threatening to go on a hunger strike.

This terrified Liao Chang. After discussing it, the couple decided to prepare a feast under the pretext of celebrating Tu Guoqiang's passing the imperial examination.

For the sake of her daughter, she wanted to bring the two of them together, but unfortunately, Tu Guoqiang directly refused.

For the sake of her daughter, Liao Mingjuan's mother, Cao Feng, secretly put aphrodisiacs in Tu Guoqiang's wine.

Being young and impetuous, Tu Guoqiang's eyes became glazed and his body felt hot after eating the food. Then Cao Feng locked the two of them in a room.

Tu Guoqiang lost control and mistook Liao Mingjuan for his childhood sweetheart Mo Meng. That night became his lifelong regret.

Of course, Liao Chang, being a scholar, was unaware of this, and even if he had, he would not have approved of his wife's actions.

The next day, when Tu Guoqiang woke up, he saw Liao Mingjuan sobbing beside him and realized that he had done such a foolish thing.

Of course, at the time he didn't know that someone had put medicine in his soup; he thought he had drunk a little wine with his teacher and was drunk.

Liao Mingzhen cried out that she had lost her innocence and couldn't go on living. She threatened to hang herself and cried with her mother, which terrified Tu Guoqiang.

Liao Chang was trembling with anger, cursing Tu Guoqiang for committing such a scandalous act as a scholar.

The key point is that this happened in my own house, in other words, right under my nose.

Whether as Tu Guoqiang's husband or as his daughter's father, Liao Chang felt guilty. He sighed deeply to his wife and daughter, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Knowing he had caused such a disaster, Tu Guoqiang knelt down in front of Liao Chang, saying he would definitely take responsibility and marry Liao Mingjuan, which finally dissuaded Liao Mingjuan from committing suicide.

After returning home, Tu Guoqiang told his parents that he was going to marry Liao Mingjuan. His son did not come home all night, and when he did return, his personality suddenly changed 180 degrees, which made his parents feel suspicious.

Under his parents' repeated questioning, Tu Guoqiang knelt down and confessed to the absurd things that happened the night before, admitting that he had let down his parents' good intentions and the Mo family.

The father trembled with rage, slapped him twice, and pointed at him, yelling, "You beast! You and Mo Meng were childhood sweethearts, and you were both of marriageable age with bright futures ahead of you. How could you do something like this? You're a disgrace!"

The father was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet, feeling sorry for his friend. The mother was also angry, but things had already escalated to this point, and there was no way to change the facts.

For the sake of their son's future, the couple thought it over and over, and finally swallowed their pride and went to the Mo family to tell them that the two were not meant to be, and made the matter clear.

Upon learning of this, Mo Meng refused to eat or drink for a week and almost died. Fortunately, she was saved by a doctor, and from then on, she was like a different person.

Three months later, Tu Guoqiang and Liao Mingjuan got married. Heartbroken, Mo Meng didn't cry or make a fuss when she heard the news. Instead, she locked herself in her room again and didn't eat or drink for three days and three nights.

Finally, her mother knelt in front of the door and begged her to open it. Only then did she open the door. Mo Meng's eyes were lifeless, she was stunned, and she looked much thinner.

The moment she opened the door, she saw her mother kneeling on the ground, her face haggard. Mo Meng immediately rushed over and hugged her tightly, crying out in sorrow, "Mother~ Your daughter is unfilial and sorry for making you worry about me."

"Waaaaah~ Waaaaah~"

Before Mo Meng could finish speaking, she burst into tears, letting out all the grievances she had been holding in for the past few days. She cried for a full half hour.

The crying was heart-wrenching; it was so moving that it brought tears to the eyes of all who heard it, and many maids were secretly wiping away their tears as well.

Mother Li said nothing, only patted her back lovingly, stroked her head, and murmured, "Cry, it's good to cry... it's good to cry..."

“Our Meng’er is such a wonderful girl, there are so many good men lining up to propose to her, the line is almost all the way to the capital.”

"Mother, you're making fun of your daughter again!"

Mo Meng chuckled.

After crying for so long and releasing all the pent-up frustration in her heart, Mo Meng immediately felt much better.

Just then, the palace was recruiting young women for the imperial concubine selection, usually from among the daughters of civil and military officials. At that moment, Mo Meng made a bold decision: she would enter the palace to participate in the selection.

Her parents knew she was just being stubborn and naturally refused, but Mo Meng persisted and even threatened to continue her hunger strike if her parents didn't agree. In the end, they had no choice but to give in.

Mo Meng is tall and slender with fair and delicate skin. She has a gentle and charming appearance and is also intelligent.

Although she was a woman, her father arranged a tutor for her from a young age, and she was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and embroidery.

Mo Meng overcame numerous obstacles and stood out among the many candidates. When she met the emperor, the late emperor took a liking to her at first sight.