Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In ancient times, Su Qin held the prime ministerial seals of the Six States. Today, I, Su Li, hold the empress seals of the Six States.

The only difference is that in the former case, all Six States were in on it.

As for me? I’m keeping all Six States in the dark.

In these chaotic times, the Seven States are vying for dominance over the Central Plains, caught in a cycle of love and hate. Last month you attacked me; this month I ambushed you. Today you and I are allies; tomorrow we’re at each other’s throats.

This went on for a century, eventually reaching a delicate balance.

My father happened to be standing right at the forefront of this era.

He traveled between the various countries, buying and selling local specialties, and somehow managed to become the wealthiest merchant in the world. Rumor had it that the Su Family’s wealth could rival that of the Seven States.

Naturally, every country came knocking.

The first batch consisted of the Yan State, the Qi State, and the Chu State.

They all came to propose marriage.

The three envoys nearly started a brawl in our house.

Seeing this, my father realized he couldn’t afford to offend any of them, so he simply agreed to all three.

The envoys were stunned. “You have three daughters?”

My father did some quick math. If he promised these three, once word got out, the remaining four states would likely be on their way.

Without batting an eye, he lied through his teeth: “I have septuplets.”

This gives you a glimpse into how my father managed his business across the Seven States. He was a master at keeping everyone happy.

Once the news broke, it took less than three months for the Zhao State, the Wei State, and the Han State to arrive together. Their three envoys didn’t fight; they were perfectly civil. After all, there were enough daughters to go around, so there was no need to scramble.

Another three months passed, but the Qin State was nowhere to be seen. We sent people to investigate secretly and heard they were busy with internal strife over their succession.

My father didn’t wait any longer. He set up a schedule for the wedding processions of the Six States. Every half-month, one daughter would be married off.

On the surface, six daughters were being married in sequence. In reality, I was one person juggling six different identities.

I asked my father, “What if I’m caught?”

He told me to just do as he said, guaranteeing I’d be fine. To save my skin, my father heavily publicized that he would bestow his world-renowned fortune upon his best son-in-law. This drove the Six States into a frenzy of internal competition, causing them to overlook the fact that I was the same person.

When the Emperor of the Yan State walked through the door, I stood up immediately.

Before he could speak, I reached out and tugged at the fur collar around his neck.

“I’m telling you, this place of yours is way too cold. My five younger sisters weren’t willing to come.”

Men from the Yan State are tall and sturdy. Xiao Yan had deep, well-defined features that were actually quite easy on the eyes.

He smoothed his fur collar and said indifferently, “If they weren’t willing, why were you?”

I was just waiting for him to ask.

Without a hint of fear, I shrugged. “We rolled dice to decide. I lost. What else could I do? Otherwise, who would want to marry into such a bitter, frozen wasteland?”

I walked over to the table and picked up a few dates, a specialty of the Yan Region.

“Even the food is terrible. Haven’t you heard? Eating these dates is a sign your state is ‘done for’-doomed sooner or later.”

I tossed the dates from hand to hand, my palms moving in a dizzying blur. The cold, aloof emperor was left utterly speechless. He flicked his sleeves and stormed out.

Perfect. I’d successfully annoyed Xiao Yan enough to make him leave.

I had no choice. I was a woman destined to be the empress of the Six States; men would only increase the burden of my many roles.

From then on, I criticized every aspect of the Yan State, making it clear that I found nothing there to my liking. Whenever Xiao Yan ran into me, he looked like he’d seen a bad omen and would turn away immediately.

I took the opportunity to suggest a trip home to visit my family, hurrying off to marry into the next household.