Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Xiqing Tribe won’t withdraw their troops for a woman. I am the Empress of the Zhou Dynasty. They want me to humiliate our dynasty and wash away the disgrace of the battle three years ago.

The court officials delude themselves, thinking that sending me away will keep the Zhou Dynasty safe.

Ridiculous!

Xiao Jince refuses to sacrifice me. He insists on personally leading the army, to live or die with the Zhou Dynasty.

This battle is bound to be lost. General Pei was defeated three years ago; now there is even less chance of victory.

I have kept Pei Yu’s memorial tablet enshrined in Fengyang Palace. I sat before it through the night, recalling everything that came before. If he were still alive, he would never let foreign cavalry set foot on Great Zhou’s soil.

Pei Yu believed Xiao Jince to be a wise ruler. I decided to trust him one more time.

I ran to Qiming Hall and, before the court, accepted the marriage alliance. Not a single official objected, including my father.

Outside the Capital gates, Xiao Jince’s eyes were bloodshot. He knew this parting might be forever, yet he still told me, “Yanran, come back safely.”

I fixed my gaze on him and asked, “Three years ago, did Pei Yu send you six letters asking for reinforcements?”

He nodded, guilty.

“Xiao Jince, then why didn’t you send troops?”

Three years ago, the Xiqing Tribe invaded our lands, seizing nine cities in succession.

Our border soldiers fell back again and again. Seeing the enemy would not relent, the Late Emperor had no choice but to relocate with the officials to Northern City, leaving Crown Prince Xiao Jince to hold the Capital.

The Pei Family was a house of generals. My betrothed, Pei Yu, went to war with his father and brothers without hesitation.

Before he left, he told me, “Once the country is at peace, I’ll come back. Then I’ll give you the grandest wedding, one that even that Xiao Jince will envy.”

I refused to go to Northern City. I defied my parents and insisted on staying in the Capital. Day after day, I kept vigil in the temple, praying for the soldiers and waiting for Pei Yu’s triumphant return.

Old General Pei led his whole family into battle, took command, and in the end stopped the Xiqing Tribe’s army outside Yuezhou City.

Our soldiers were no match for the steppe riders in ferocity and skill. Worse, the reigning Emperor was wantonly extravagant: military funds were cut, weapons were outdated, and warhorses were scarce.

Yet we had numbers. Our soldiers were prepared to die; they vowed to trade three lives for a single enemy head.

I waited and waited, and at last received the news: the entire Pei Family had fallen in battle.

Our troops feigned surrender and allowed the enemy into the city, but they had already planted explosives and oil throughout. They went down together with the enemy in a sea of fire.

They used their bodies to shield the nation, that peace might return to our homeland.

The nation found no peace, and he did not return.

The Xiqing Tribe had long seen the Zhou Dynasty as theirs for the taking. Even so, in that conflagration they lost nearly half their forces.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jince hurried to Northern City, killed his father the emperor, and seized the throne.

I cannot comprehend it. His Highness the Crown Prince, a man so obsessed with saving face that he would insist on redeeming himself after losing a single contest to Pei Yu-why would he choose to bear the stain of patricide and regicide in the annals of history?

The Pei Family, loyal and valiant, died fighting the invaders. My father, unwilling to wait a moment, forced me to marry Xiao Jince for the sake of power.

On Xiao Jince’s desk, I found letters written in Pei Yu’s own hand, all begging him to send troops-six in total.

Perhaps there were more than six; the rest simply never made it in time.

In those letters, Pei Yu laid out his plan with clarity. If Xiao Jince had dispatched reinforcements and they had coordinated properly, there was a chance to rout the enemy in one stroke.

When the Late Emperor fled with the officials, he took some soldiers with him but still left three thousand elite troops to guard the Capital.

Yet Xiao Jince did not send aid. The Pei Family waited in vain and ultimately had to use the most brutal method to stop the enemy at Yuezhou City.

Standing before the Capital gates, I felt the same resolve Pei Yu had when he left.

To sacrifice oneself for the nation’s peril, to face death as if returning home.

In this same place, Pei Yu was seen off, Su Wan’er was seen off, and now Xiao Jince is seeing me off-leaving him alone.

I did not wait for Xiao Jince’s answer. I turned and went with the bridal escort toward Yuezhou.

Yes, the Xiqing Tribe deliberately set the wedding in Yuezhou-the burial ground of our soldiers.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Yuezhou City, I kept only my personal maid with me and chose not to bring anyone else.

This escort was exceptionally capable, handpicked for me by Xiao Jince. Their leader had once been his personal guard-Yun Shiyi.

I ordered Yun Shiyi to take his men back into Great Zhou territory.
“Tell Xiao Jince that Pei Yu and I will trust him one more time.”

I was supposed to marry the Old Khan of the Xiqing Tribe, but the one who came to escort me was the enemy commander, Yanleqi.
The moment I laid eyes on Yanleqi, I felt a chill. He struck me as a wolf, his gaze brimming with undisguised ambition and contempt for everything around him.
He wasn’t much like the typical grassland man-rough and direct. Instead, he reminded me of the courtiers back in my dynasty: deeply scheming and full of ill intent.
As expected, his tone was arrogant and dismissive. “So you really are the most beautiful woman in Zhou Dynasty. That dog emperor actually had the heart to send you over?”
I smiled lightly. “Is Chief Yan satisfied?”
He ignored the question and pressed on. “Your Zhou Dynasty marries off its Empress, and the dowry is this shabby?”
I hadn’t brought much. The treasury was empty, and Xiao Jince had put all the silver into raising troops.
“Since this is a marriage alliance, isn’t my arrival enough?”
He reached out and lifted my chin, sneering. “Beautiful, yes. But worthless.”

Yuezhou City had long been reduced to ruins, uninhabited. They had picked out a few crumbling houses for a single night’s stay.
As I stepped onto the sand, I couldn’t help but wonder: were Pei Yu’s ashes buried somewhere beneath my feet?
That night, as I lay on the cold, hard planks, a figure suddenly barged in. I smiled, careful not to show it.
No matter how dismissive he acted during the day, the amazement in his eyes the first time he saw me still couldn’t be hidden.
I gave a soft laugh. “I never imagined Chief Yan had a taste for climbing into others’ beds.”
Caught, he wasn’t angry. “Such a delicate beauty-it really would be a waste to leave her to that old man.”
“Then what does Chief Yan wish to do?” I reached out and hooked my arm around his neck.
In the darkness, I couldn’t make out his expression. I only felt a sharp pain in my wrist as he brutally tore my hand away.
“Little Empress, don’t even think of scheming against me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind making sure you die on the road.”
He squeezed harder, as if he meant to snap my wrist. The pain made cold sweat bead on my forehead.
“So… what exactly does Chief Yan want?”
“Once we’re within Xiqing territory, you’ll obey me. Understand?”
“It sounds like Chief Yan needs my help. What’s in it for me?”
“Do you think you’re in a position to bargain? Staying with me will be much more worthwhile than staying with the Old Khan.”
He had a point. Only when I finally relented and agreed did he let go.
I’d already found out the truth: the Old Khan held little real power. Yanleqi controlled nearly half of the Xiqing Tribe’s forces.

The Gu Family and the Pei Family were old friends, so Pei Yu and I had been betrothed since childhood.
When we were young, knowing I couldn’t go out freely, he often climbed over the wall to see me, bringing all sorts of rare little trinkets.
Even when my father drove him out with beatings, he kept coming back.
He practiced the qin with me, taught me archery, and accompanied me to all kinds of banquets in the Capital.
That spring, the Empress held the Spring Banquet outside the city. Pei Yu competed in the riding and archery contest and won a Gilt Hairpin for me.
We didn’t know at the time that the second-place finisher was the Crown Prince Xiao Jince. He had worn a mask and disguised himself as a noble son, hoping to steal the spotlight, but instead his pride took a blow.
Xiao Jince wouldn’t accept it. After the match, he insisted on another round with Pei Yu.
When he saw that the hairpin Pei Yu had won was meant for me, he waved his hand helplessly. “Forget it, forget it. Since you’re trying to impress a young lady, I won’t fight you over it.”
Pei Yu wasn’t satisfied. “What do you mean, not fighting me? You clearly lost to me.”
The two of them ended up having another match-no stakes, just to decide the winner. In the end, Pei Yu narrowly won.
Xiao Jince had to admit defeat and gracefully apologized to Pei Yu.
As the saying goes, “Friends after a fight.” From then on, Pei Yu often hung around with the Crown Prince, and he visited me far less often.
The Crown Prince was born of the late Empress and never earned the favor of the Emperor or the current Empress. But Pei Yu liked him and followed him willingly, convinced that he would one day become a wise and capable ruler.