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“The human heart is an unpolished stone from a distant mountain. Power is the stone brick crafted from that rock. The world is a ten-mile-long fortress wall built brick by brick. Under the phoenix’s authority, the common people endure.”
*****
She was the hottest novelist of her time, plagued by recurring dreams of intimate encounters with an unknown woman. A voice echoed in her mind: “Write it down. Write me down.” She dismissed it as absurd and didn’t write. But when she awoke, she found herself transported into the body of that very woman.
This woman’s fate was tragic: she was the eldest princess, slain on the battlefield. Even worse, she discovered she hadn’t died in battle at all, but had been poisoned. The woman she had trampled underfoot in the crimson tent held the key to her revenge. So she knelt and begged for the woman’s help, forging a dual-sword alliance to slay their political enemies, depose the crown prince, rally a million volunteer troops, and establish her own dynasty.
She was the Ninth Princess of the Hengyu Kingdom. To compete for the throne, she had disguised herself as a man since childhood, studying etiquette, laws, horseback riding, archery, and military strategy. But at age twenty, she received an imperial decree appointing her as a hostage prince to the Rong Kingdom. Abandoned by her nation, reduced to dust, she was unexpectedly honored with three formal bows from the eldest princess: “Please, sir, assist me!”
The princess called her “sir,” disregarding age and gender, recognizing only her boundless talent. Thus, two women abandoned by their nations, in an era where women were barred from politics, united their fiery patriotism to build a dynasty of their own.
Ji Rong declared, “Every inch of this princess’s realm shall be reclaimed. Every enemy who has wronged me shall be punished, no matter their power.”
Zhao Fei retorted, “What magnanimity exists in court? Only ruthless scheming and vengeance reign supreme. If you won’t exact retribution, I will.”
*****
A tale of two women. A general (the eldest princess) and a strategist (the hostage prince) who forge a prosperous dynasty.
