Volume 1, Chapter 3: The Imperial Palace in a State of Turmoil

The marriage envoy from Sheye Kingdom had been lingering in the capital of the Great Sheng Dynasty for a whole month.

Sheye Kingdom lay to the east of Great Sheng, its territory stretching for hundreds of miles, sharing a common fjord.

The climate was humid, and the people were poor farmers, living in hardship.

What to do about poverty? They resorted to raiding! Small armed groups were sent year-round to harass Great Sheng along the waterways, striking swiftly and disappearing even faster. Since Great Sheng’s soldiers were not adept at naval warfare, they often failed to give chase, and over time, the border fishermen and villagers grew restless and resentful.

Yet, if it came to outright war against Sheye Kingdom, Great Sheng was far from powerless.

However, over a decade ago, the late emperor had launched a campaign against a southwestern minor kingdom, a war that dragged on for over ten years. Though victorious in the end, it was a costly affair, draining both men and resources.

Having lived through those years, the current emperor harbored an instinctive aversion to war.

Upon ascending the throne, he vowed to nurture the nation’s peace and develop internal governance, unwilling to dispatch troops lightly.

Thus, as the raids from Sheye Kingdom intensified, the emperor sought a gentler solution—political marriage.

At first, there was no intention to involve Princess Changning.

Great Sheng planned to select a prince’s daughter to wed into Sheye Kingdom. After much deliberation, two suitable candidates were chosen: a delicate and gentle young princess and an energetic, talented young lady.

But the gentle princess fainted three times upon learning she was to marry into Sheye Kingdom and eventually vanished without a trace.

The talented young lady didn’t run away, but she was so frightened that she became mentally unbalanced, endlessly muttering before her dressing mirror, “The Ziwei Star of Sheye is weak, I cannot suppress it, I cannot suppress it…” and finally descended into madness.

The palace erupted in chaos.

The emperor’s face darkened with fury as he summoned the chief astronomer of the Imperial Observatory and berated him for half an hour: “What nonsense about a weak Ziwei Star? How can you spout such rubbish?”

The chief astronomer, however, remained calm and composed. “Your Majesty, I dare not speak falsely. The Ziwei Star represents the emperor’s fate. If the queen of Sheye Kingdom does not possess a strong destiny, she cannot stabilize the court and may even threaten our borders. An ordinary prince’s daughter will not suffice; only a princess born of the imperial bloodline can pacify the celestial omens.”

The emperor frowned. “A princess born of the imperial bloodline…” he murmured slowly, a particular troublesome little ancestor immediately coming to mind.

As expected, the chief astronomer’s next words struck the heart of the matter: “Only the emperor’s eldest daughter holds such a noble fate. Sheye Kingdom precisely needs someone like her.”

So it was settled—Princess Changning could not evade this marriage.

At the emperor’s order, the entire palace mobilized for the wedding arrangements.

First came the matter of personnel. Even selecting the entourage to accompany the bride was debated in the Imperial Study for an entire day.

“Assign the chief eunuch and the head maid—Empress, please provide a list. The palace must send the most reliable attendants,” the emperor said, pinching his brow in frustration.

The empress was prepared. She handed over a list. “These are my personally chosen attendants, the most capable and trustworthy from my own quarters.”

The emperor glanced over the list and nodded. “Very well, I trust your judgment.”

But selecting the general to escort the bride proved problematic. Choosing someone too young would seem insincere; too old, and it might appear they looked down on Sheye Kingdom.

As the debate grew heated, Prince Yue spoke calmly: “I believe Gu Han, heir to the Duke of the Nation, is a suitable candidate.”

His words were met with widespread approval.

Gu Han had accompanied his father in battle during his youth and was once titled Marquis of Huaihua. Though his father, the Duke of the Nation, had gradually withdrawn from court affairs, Gu Han’s reputation remained formidable.

Moreover, the Duke’s household had lost some of its luster in recent years. Assigning Gu Han as the escort general would restore some prestige.

After brief consideration, the emperor decided: “Let it be Gu Han. The lad is vigorous and valiant. Since the escort general title falls to him, grant him the rank of Third Rank General of Pacifying the Frontier to show our dynasty’s respect.”

Meanwhile, the Ministries of Revenue and Rites were overwhelmed.

The emperor commanded these ministries, together with the Imperial Household Department, to prepare the princess’s dowry—several times the size of any dowry from previous princesses.

To assemble the dowry, artisans throughout the capital were mobilized.

Silks and brocades, gold, silver, jewels, jade, porcelain, books, calligraphy, furniture including elaborate beds, medicinal herbs and prescriptions, timber, grains and seeds, as well as pets and spirit beasts—each category required ninety-nine carefully selected items.

For the princess’s grand entourage, craftsmen busily completed a phoenix carriage made entirely of gold, with even the wheels gilded.

Alongside the princess’s personal physician, imperial chef, maids, perfumer, pharmacist, animal trainer, carpenters, blacksmiths, metallurgists, leatherworkers, hut dwellers, cart drivers, and an entire troupe of performers, the ministers of Revenue and Rites had endured three sleepless days.

The princess added a new demand: “I will choose the performers myself along the way. If I do not find anyone to my liking, we shall not proceed!”

The emperor massaged his temples, gritted his teeth, and finally consented: “Granted.”

Gifts from various vassal states would be sent directly to each provincial capital the princess passed through, rather than transported to the capital first.

A month later, the grand marriage procession finally departed from the capital.

The line stretched from the palace gates to beyond the city walls.

The phoenix carriage gleamed with gold and jewels, adorned with pearl chains. The bridal procession filled one hundred ninety-nine carriages. In addition to the escort general, his officers and soldiers, and the marriage envoy, the group included one hundred ninety-nine private officials, guards, maids, and skilled craftsmen assigned to the princess.

Gu Han rode a black steed, upright and stern, like a cold mountain breeze, drawing countless gazes from onlookers.

“A noble figure among the common folk, a peerless gentleman,” a young girl murmured admiringly from within the crowd.

An older woman nudged her. “That’s Gu Han, heir to the Duke of the Nation—one of Great Sheng’s finest talents! Such a shame he must endure hardship escorting the bride.”

“Why a shame?” the girl pouted. “I’d rather have this stunning young general on a marriage mission than fighting on the frontier.”

Inside the phoenix carriage, Princess Changning reclined calmly, savoring a bowl of chilled lychee.

Her maid, Qingluan, flipped through the dowry inventory and whispered, “Princess, the troupe still isn’t selected. Are you really planning to pick performers as you go?”

Changning rolled her eyes. “Of course. It’s so hard to find the right ones! Besides, if a better suitor appears along the way, wouldn’t it be a pity not to choose?”

Qingluan sighed helplessly, silently praying that this journey would pass peacefully without further trouble.

Meanwhile, rumors stirred among the capital’s officials and aristocrats: “Princess Changning is marrying into Sheye Kingdom. Can that petty king handle our princess? Let’s bet—there’ll be trouble within six months!”

The common folk said, “That little princess will have a hard time in Sheye, so far from home! I hear the Sheye king is quite wild.”

Yet inside the carriage, Changning was in high spirits.

Peering through the curtains toward the capital, a sly smile curved her lips.

“Sheye king? When he meets me, he’ll be like a dragon coiling for me, a tiger crouching beneath me. If he dares to resist, let him try!”