In history, there was a woman who first lost her husband. We are not clear on how he died, but in any case, she became a widow.

Her husband was probably good at managing things during his lifetime, so he left her a small restaurant, and she barely made a living from it.

At this time, a rogue often brought his so-called brothers to the small restaurant to eat and drink, always on credit, which made her life even more difficult.

However, this rogue saw that she was a woman with some beauty and a widow, so he began to court her. As time went by, the two became lovers.

The woman was a widow and could remarry, while the man was a bachelor and could marry her. It seemed that this development would lead to the man marrying and the woman remarrying, especially since the woman was already pregnant; the rogue should marry her.

However, the rogue's family was poor and could not afford to marry her, so he promised to go out to earn money and marry her once he had saved enough.

Just then, a wealthy family was looking for a bride, and the rogue thought he could take advantage of the situation. Unexpectedly, his shameless behavior caught the attention of the wealthy family's parents, who decided to marry their eldest daughter to him.

On one side was immense wealth, a fortune that would take twenty years of hard work to accumulate, and on the other side was a destitute life with a lover who was already pregnant with his child. How should he choose?

When the rogue returned, he told his widow lover that he had decided to go on a long journey and might not return for a long time.

The widow lover seemed to sense something and gently asked what would happen to the child in her womb.

The rogue could not answer. If he chose the old love, he would lose the opportunity for wealth and might face even harsher living conditions in the future. He had already lived such a life for over forty years, and he was tired of it.

Choosing the eldest daughter of the wealthy family, he could rely on her help, and his career might flourish; they both had needs and could achieve a balance of interests.

In the end, he still let down his widow lover. Although she was sad, she did not cry or make a fuss; she knew she had lost her support again, and perhaps this life was destined to be that of a widow.

Later, with his extensive connections and the financial support of his in-laws, the rogue's life went smoothly. In just a few years, his wife gave birth to a pair of children.

Originally, such a life could have continued peacefully, but the rogue was still implicated by the harsh political environment of the time, and he had to choose to leave his hometown, perhaps forever.

However, on the road, the instinct for survival took over, and he led a group of people to rebel. This was a point of no return, but who could predict the outcome of life without striving for it?

News of his rebellion quickly reached his hometown, and the local governor ordered the arrest of all his family members.

In the face of life and death, he chose to fight for his life. History favored his courage, allowing him to become the Duke of Pei. He was Liu Bang, who laughed last in the wars at the end of the Qin dynasty and the founder of the Han dynasty.

He lived a muddled life for most of his years, yet there was a widow willing to bear him children. Once he became emperor, no one had more power than him, and at that time, as long as the widow Cao asked him for compensation, he would grant it without hesitation.

However, Widow Cao did not do so; she was unwilling to enter the harem. What she needed was a man who would be loyal to her, not to be one of many men. Now that Liu Bang was emperor, it was even less likely for her to become one of them.

Between great wealth and living in poverty, she still chose to live in poverty. However, she did contribute her son and told Liu Bang that her life was like this, and if he felt indebted to her, he should treat her son well.

Liu Bang listened to Widow Cao's words, feeling a surge of emotions. He knew he could not force her to enter the palace, and now that he was old, he might not have many years left. All his feelings of guilt towards Widow Cao turned into care and love for his son Liu Fei, and he granted the richest kingdom, Qi, to Liu Fei.

Even Liu Ru Yi, the son of Consort Qi, could not take away this honor; the title of King of Qi was Liu Fei's, and it was not to be changed by anyone. He was willing to sacrifice the interests of his great general Han Xin to satisfy the interests of his son Liu Fei.

Perhaps Widow Cao did not foresee Liu Bang's future achievements to be so extraordinary; she simply respected life and had a deep affection for Liu Bang, which led her to disregard societal views and give birth to a child. No matter how hard life was, she never forgot to raise her son.

In fact, the child raised by Widow Cao was neither weak in character nor prone to the dangerous traits of seeking power, which meant that even though the ruthless Lü Zhi killed many of Liu Bang's sons, she did not take any actions against Liu Fei.

Perhaps Lü Zhi also thought about killing Liu Fei for the Lü family, but in the end, she did not take action. After all, Widow Cao was pregnant at that time and was abandoned by Liu Bang, and one of the participants in all this was Lü Zhi. Although Lü Zhi could not bear the main responsibility, her existence did take away Liu Bang's opportunity to marry Widow Cao.

Widow Cao's life was tragic, yet full of wisdom. She lost her husband at a young age and was a pitiful woman, relying on the small restaurant to maintain her family's livelihood, and at that time, a rogue man barged into her life.

She thought she had found love and could be with him forever, but unexpectedly, when she needed him the most, she faced his betrayal. She might have wanted to hate him, but in the end, she could not bring herself to do so, and ultimately chose to let go of everything and raise her child well.

When she was old, she thought she could enjoy her son's filial piety, but because of Liu Bang, she had to be separated from her son. Her son went to a fief, while she remained at the place where she once found love, that small restaurant, which held all her memories.

She could have become the empress dowager, but she did not. She could have relied on Liu Bang and his wife’s debt to her to live in the harem, but she had no such plans.

However, history could not completely ignore her, as she gave birth to Liu Bang's first child, and this child became the king of Qi.

Yet history cannot detail everything about her; she chose to be ordinary and returned to ordinariness, leaving behind a simple symbol—Widow Cao, proving that there once existed an ordinary widow in history.

Her identity is hard to categorize; one could say she was a mistress, but she became pregnant and gave birth before Liu Bang's legitimate wife, and fell in love with him before they did.

One could say she was just impulsively pregnant and gave birth, yet she never remarried in her lifetime, working tirelessly for her child's growth and ultimately raising the child to adulthood.

One could say she sought wealth and glory, but when she had the chance to gain riches, she chose to give it up, still living contentedly in the small restaurant for many years.

Liu Bang had many wives, but perhaps the one who truly loved him was Widow Cao. Although Consort Qi was beautiful, she was always scheming and never considered the consequences. Although Lü Hou was exceptionally wise, she favored her own lover. In the end, the women around Liu Bang each had their own agendas, and perhaps only Widow Cao, who cried and fainted upon hearing Liu Bang's death, was the one Liu Bang should have cherished the most.