Her life was tragically cut short, leaving behind national and personal grievances.

Princess Fenghua, Zhao Yiru, was a princess sent to marry the emperor with high hopes of "stopping the war" by the Liang Dynasty. However, her situation in the Great Yan palace did not improve with the passage of time. Instead, it deteriorated rapidly, and she fell into an endless hell.

Emperor Murong Hong of the Great Yan Dynasty was tyrannical and stubborn. He viewed the marriage alliance as a humiliating act of appeasement by the Great Liang Dynasty and showed no pity for this "spoils of war" that had been delivered to his doorstep. At first, he merely neglected and confined her to her quarters. Later, perhaps due to worries about state affairs, or perhaps simply to vent his anger, he began to unleash his fury on this isolated and helpless woman.

Beatings and scoldings became commonplace.

Whenever Murong Hong was in a bad mood, he would visit the desolate Lan Yue Pavilion. He didn't need a reason; sometimes it was simply because Princess Fenghua's bowing posture during her greetings wasn't "respectful" enough, or because she still carried a faint, elegant scent of Daliang incense. This would bring him a torrent of reprimands, sometimes even physical violence. Her magnificent wedding dress was already torn to shreds, and her jeweled crown was nowhere to be found.

Following the example set by those above, the demons and monsters in the palace began to reveal themselves.

The emperor's attitude became the barometer of the harem. The concubines of Yan, who were already filled with hostility and jealousy towards this foreign princess, became even more emboldened by the emperor's attitude. They provoked trouble and made sarcastic remarks, which was the least of their worries. Sometimes they would even deliberately pick fights, slapping and shoving Princess Fenghua, leaving her covered in bruises, and then falsely accusing her of "disrespect."

Even the lowest-ranking palace maids and eunuchs dared to bully them at will.

The servants from Yan, sent to "serve" her, revealed their true, vicious nature upon seeing their mistress's fall from grace. They cut back on her food and clothing rations, often delivering spoiled and cold meals, and the charcoal fire in winter was intermittent. Any slight misstep would result in vicious curses and beatings. The two young palace maids from Liang who had brought her tried to protect their mistress but were beaten even more severely, and eventually, they too were transferred away and disappeared without a trace.

Princess Fenghua, once a princess of noble birth, was reduced to a prisoner worse than a servant, subjected to the whims of others.

She tried to resist and plead, but all she received in return was more cruel abuse. She once thought of ending it all, but even that freedom was taken away—all the items in Lan Yue Pavilion that could be used for suicide were taken away, and she was guarded day and night.

Despair, like an icy tide, slowly engulfed her consciousness. Her body rapidly deteriorated; old wounds had not yet healed, new ones were inflicted, and coupled with mental and physical exhaustion, she soon fell ill. She suffered from a persistent high fever and a relentless cough, but the imperial physicians only offered perfunctory treatment, refusing to prescribe even decent medicine.

On a bitterly cold, windy night, the Lanyue Pavilion was dimly lit.

Princess Fenghua lay curled up on the cold bed, barely breathing. Her thin clothes offered no protection from the bitter cold, and her numerous wounds burned even more painfully with her illness. She gazed at the waning moon outside the window, half-hidden by dark clouds, her eyes vacant, no longer able to shed tears.

She missed her father's warm embrace, her mother's gentle admonitions, and her brothers' doting smiles... Those memories now seemed so distant, like something from a past life.

Finally, after a violent coughing fit, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining her already stained clothes. Her hands fell limply to her sides, and her eyes slowly closed, never to open again.

Princess Fenghua, only sixteen years old, suffered endless humiliation and torment in a foreign land and died quietly.

The news was deliberately suppressed by the Yan Kingdom for several days before being relayed to the Liang envoy in an extremely dismissive manner. The report only vaguely stated that "Consort An" had died of illness, without mentioning a word about the mistreatment she had suffered at the hands of the Yan Kingdom.

When the devastating news reached Daliang, it was like a bolt from the blue!

In the Golden Palace, Emperor Zhao Huan received an urgent report from the border. After reading the contents, he swayed violently, his face turned ashen, and the jade tablet in his hand fell to the ground with a "crack" and shattered into pieces!

"Yi... Yiru... my daughter...!" The emperor let out a heart-wrenching cry, tears streaming down his face, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He staggered backward, almost unable to stand, and was hurriedly supported by the eunuchs.

The entire court was horrified, then filled with overwhelming anger! They could accept the humiliation of a marriage alliance, but they could not accept the princess's humiliation and death! This was no longer a marriage alliance; it was a blatant insult and trampling on the Great Liang!

"Your Majesty! The Yan Kingdom has gone too far! This is a national and personal vendetta! I request permission to fight!" The pro-war generals stepped forward one after another, knelt down and pleaded for their lives, their voices filled with grief and indignation, echoing throughout the hall.

Even the usually composed and prudent old minister was so angry that he trembled all over, and denounced the Yan state for being treacherous and worse than beasts!

Inside Prince Yi's residence, Zhao Jingyi received the news. He slammed his fist against a pillar, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, "Murong Hong! I swear I will never forgive you! I, Zhao Jingyi, will not rest until I have utterly destroyed your Yan Kingdom!"

Upon hearing the news, Qin Yuti held her daughter Nuannuan, tears streaming down her face. That dignified and serene young girl at her coming-of-age ceremony had met such a tragic end... This was not only a tragedy for the royal family, but also a disgrace to the entire Liang Dynasty.

Princess Fenghua's death acted as a fuse, igniting the long-suppressed anger throughout the Liang Dynasty.

The humiliating illusion of peace has been completely shattered.

National hatred, coupled with bloody family feuds, has cast the shadow of war over the border between the two countries once again, and it is heavier than ever before.

A war of revenge is now inevitable.