Chapter 44: The Fake Princess and His God of War Prince (Part I)
The moon rose above the branches.
Xiao Ji sat expressionless in front of the bronze mirror.
Dressed in plain palace attire, he was surrounded by two maids who were removing the hairpins and floral ornaments from his head one by one. It seemed he was preparing for bed.
His eyelids twitched violently as a cold electronic female voice sounded at the right moment: [Please receive mission details, Enforcer.]
Since the founding of Great Yue, the nation had been powerful. The foreign enemies in the east, west, and south were weak and never dared to challenge Great Yue.
Only the alien tribes in the north were rampant. Probably because food was scarce in their small land once winter arrived, they repeatedly invaded Great Yue, attempting to encroach on its cities to beg for more living space for their people.
In desperation, the late Emperor appointed a Prince of a different surname to guard the Northern Frontier.
Unexpectedly, this vassal Prince was invincible. The border was guarded, but he became a new major threat.
In the thirteenth year of Emperor Xuanhe’s reign, the previous Prince of Beichen passed away, and his eldest legitimate son inherited the title. Emperor Xuanhe had intended to wait for the new Prince of Beichen to make a mistake, find an excuse, and reclaim the seventeen cities of the Northern Frontier.
Who would have thought that the new Prince of Beichen would surpass his predecessor, his prestige even greater than his father’s? Since taking the seat of the Prince of Beichen, he had tamed the Rong and Di tribes into submission; not a single sheep dared to cross into Great Yue territory.
The most terrifying thing was that the Prince of Beichen hadn’t come to court to pay tribute for three consecutive years.
Clearly, with the sky high and the Emperor far away, he had become a local emperor in the seventeen cities of the Northern Frontier, completely disregarding Great Yue.
The border couldn’t be left unguarded, and right now the Prince of Beichen held self-respect through his troops. Even Emperor Xuanhe dared to be angry but not speak, and could only come up with the muddled move of a marriage alliance, hoping to stabilize the Northern Frontier.
But the Prince of Beichen was a bastard, not so easily fooled. He looked down on the Sixth Princess, whose maternal family status was low, and named the Ninth Princess specifically.
Seemingly for the Ninth Princess’s beauty, it was actually for her status as a legitimate daughter.
A vassal king taking a wife but forcing the imperial family to send a legitimate son as a hostage—it was simply turning the world upside down.
And Xiao Ji’s identity this time was this celestial-looking “Ninth Princess.”
According to the original predetermined fate, the original owner was the Empress’s second son. However, due to abnormal phenomena at birth, an expert was invited for guidance, saying that the Ninth Prince’s fate was closely linked to the entire Great Yue, with fortune and misfortune intertwined.
If raised as a boy, trouble would likely arise.
But if raised as a girl until coming of age, he would very likely become the lucky star of Great Yue.
Therefore, after the original owner was born, all insiders were silenced, and he was raised at the Empress’s knee as a girl.
After the Prince of Beichen’s letter was presented to Emperor Xuanhe, the Emperor sent people out of the palace to find the expert from back then. Unfortunately, the expert had passed away, leaving only a disciple with the message: “Let nature take its course.”
Thus, the original owner was sent to the Northern Frontier under the name of a princess.
The original owner was lofty, full of talent, and well-versed in the treacherous arts of the court. If he could restore his identity as a prince after reaching the age of twenty, he would almost certainly win the battle for the throne.
But plans can’t keep up with changes. With this incident, he had basically lost his chance at the throne.
The Prince of Beichen only kept the original owner as a canary, and the original owner counted this debt against the Prince of Beichen, holding a grudge in his heart.
Using his female identity, he privately charmed the Prince of Beichen’s younger brother, Xiang Siyou, causing him to spin in circles. He sowed discord and promised Xiang Siyou that as long as the Prince of Beichen died, he would ensure Xiang Siyou took the seat of the Prince of Beichen.
He used Xiang Siyou to gain the Prince of Beichen’s trust, spread false intelligence, colluded with the Rong and Di tribes, and just when the Prince of Beichen was critically injured, he personally handed the dagger to Xiang Siyou to plunge into the Prince of Beichen’s chest.
Afterward, he feigned death to escape, returned to the Great Yue palace, stirred up the winds and clouds, killed his father and brother, and the first thing he did upon taking the throne was to strip Xiang Siyou of the title of Prince of Beichen. He started a war, disregarding the suffering of the people, wasting money and manpower, leaving corpses everywhere, just to forcibly reclaim the seventeen cities of the Northern Frontier.
[Mission: Cleanse the soul fragment of the fugitive Xiang Siyou, replace the original owner Xiao Ji, and obtain the true heart of the Prince of Beichen, Xiang Yinnian.]
Xiao Ji pondered for a moment. [Did the mission in the last life fail?]
037 spoke directly: [No, it was very successful.]
Xiao Ji looked at the strange face in the bronze mirror. [But until he died, he never said he loved me once.]
037 thought about it. [Forgive my bluntness, but you never asked him either.]
The people sent out by the Emperor just returned with the news. In less than a quarter of an hour, the imperial decree reached Xiao Ji’s palace.
Just after Xiao Ji accepted the decree and gave thanks, the Empress stepped through the door of the Moon Palace.
She walked into the flower hall and raised her hand. “Everyone withdraw. This Palace has words to say to the Princess.”
The palace servants withdrew in response.
Xiao Ji had a brother from the same father and mother, the Empress’s eldest son and the current Crown Prince. He was twelve years older than Xiao Ji, but he was a useless wastrel with only superficial looks, unable to handle anything.
Once the Emperor’s health failed and the horn for the throne struggle sounded, he would probably be the first to die.
The Empress was getting on in years and couldn’t bear that worry. Originally, she hoped that if Xiao Ji didn’t have ambitions, he would assist his elder brother. If Xiao Ji did have ambitions, at least he would keep his elder brother alive.
What kind of person was the Prince of Beichen? With this decree down, it was possible that neither of her two sons would survive.
The Empress was numb.
Looking at Xiao Ji, who held the imperial decree and was so calm he didn’t seem alive, her tears fell on the spot.
“Why is your fate so bitter?”
Watching the Empress weep, Xiao Ji felt no ripples in his heart, even a bit confused, not understanding what there was to cry about.
But after thinking about it, he pulled a handkerchief from the Empress’s waist and stuffed it into her hand, signaling her to wipe her tears.
Clutching the handkerchief, the Empress said indignantly:
“This matter can’t be avoided. And the Prince of Beichen was prepared long ago. A messenger sent word an hour ago that the wedding procession has already arrived outside the city and will enter the capital tomorrow.”
“He planned this long ago! His heart is punishable!”
“At that time, your imperial brother will be isolated in the palace, and you will be a sheep entering a tiger’s mouth, sent to that bitter cold land. Xiang Yinnian is not easy to get along with. If you consummate the marriage with him, your identity won’t be kept secret, and he will definitely attack your Imperial Father. If you don’t consummate, and can’t capture his heart, who knows what bitter days you’ll live in the Prince of Beichen’s Manor…”
Xiao Ji didn’t care much about these things and had no patience to listen further. Interrupting the Empress, he only said one sentence:
“You look after your eldest son. I won’t die.”
The Empress frowned slightly. “Are you willing to marry into the Northern Frontier just like that? If that Xiang Yinnian…”
Xiao Ji said faintly:
“I want to go. Even if he is a jackal, wolf, tiger, or leopard, I still want to go to his side.”
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