Inside the General's Mansion in the capital of the Moon Kingdom, as Lady Yan was about to give birth, thunder and lightning raged, and a fierce storm raged, plunging the world into darkness. A phoenix burst through a window from the heavens and circled above the birthing bed. With a loud cry, a baby girl was born. At that moment, the sky was clear and bathed in purple light, and hundreds of birds circled around the General's Mansion.

At this moment, a voice rang out, "The imperial edict has arrived, General Yan, receive the edict." The chief eunuch, Eunuch Wang, arrived at the general's residence with the imperial edict.

General Yan and his entourage immediately knelt down to receive the imperial decree. "General Yan, do not kneel. By order of the Emperor, General Yan and his family shall stand to receive the decree."

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: General Yan Cheng of the Yue Kingdom has rendered outstanding military exploits, and his wife is gentle and kind. She is hereby granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady. The General's family has now welcomed a daughter, which the Empress Dowager and I are delighted to hear. She and my fourth brother, Yue Xiyuan, are a match made in heaven. To bring this beautiful union to fruition, General Yan Cheng's daughter is hereby granted the title of Princess Yue'an and be betrothed to my fourth brother as his Princess Consort. After Princess Yue'an comes of age, all ceremonies shall be jointly handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory, and the wedding shall be held on an auspicious day. This decree is hereby issued."

"Your Majesty, I accept the decree and thank you for your great favor. Long live the Emperor!"

General Yan's wife, Jiang Luo, was like a sister to the Empress Dowager. The late emperor died relatively early, and the new emperor ascended the throne at the age of only twelve. The Empress Dowager and Jiang Luo were about the same age.

"General Yan, this is the engagement gift from the Empress Dowager to Princess Yue'an. Please keep it safe."

Eunuch Wang placed a jade pendant, entirely purple in color, into General Yan's hand. The pendant was engraved with the character "锡" (xi).

When Jiang Luo was pregnant, the Yan family said that if it was a boy, he would be named Yan Ze, and if it was a girl, she would be named Yan An, hoping that she would be safe and sound every year.

The Empress Dowager jokingly remarked, "If it's a girl, she'll definitely be my royal daughter-in-law; she won't run off anywhere else."

Now that a girl has been born and there are even unusual celestial phenomena, this girl with the destiny of a phoenix cannot possibly marry into another family. The Emperor and Empress Dowager immediately issued an imperial decree to bestow a marriage upon her.

"Congratulations, General Yan and Madam Yan, on the birth of your daughter. General Yan, please hurry back to be with Madam Yan and Princess Yue'an. I must go and report back to the Emperor."

"Thank you very much, Eunuch Wang. Please convey my gratitude to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor upon your return to the palace."

Then he took a bag of celebratory money from the steward and put it into Eunuch Wang's hand. "Everyone in the household receives celebratory money for the addition of a new member; do not refuse."

"I thank the General. I will now return to the palace to report back."

At this moment, an old man dressed in white landed on a white crane at the general's mansion. The white crane and the Broken Sword at his waist proved the identity of the visitor. This person was none other than Bai Qing, who was rarely seen.

The four kingdoms of Yue, Yan, Lu, and Feng stand in a tripartite balance of power. Among them, the leader of Yue is Bai Qing, a legendary figure in the four kingdoms. He is omnipotent and is revered as a god by the people. He travels the world, appearing and disappearing without a trace, making him extremely mysterious.

"May I ask if you are Venerable Bai Qing?" General Yan asked the old man with delight.

"It is indeed I, the old man," Bai Qing replied, stroking his beard.

"I observed the celestial phenomena last night and divined that a phoenix lord would be born in the General's Mansion, so I came here to investigate," Bai Qing continued.

Bai Qing glanced at General Yan, who was carrying a baby girl, and said, "Yan An, a name with the destiny of a phoenix, can protect the Yan family and ensure the prosperity of the Yue Kingdom. It's a good name. General Yan, I have come here today with a matter to discuss. Although my daughter Yan An is the reincarnation of the Phoenix Lord, a once-in-a-millennium event, she faces a tribulation before her coming-of-age ceremony. The date is unknown. If she overcomes it, she will live up to her name; if she doesn't, the Phoenix Lord will be reborn a thousand years later, and my daughter Yan An will be mentally challenged. Therefore, I have come here to take my daughter Yan An away and help her overcome this tribulation. I will send her back a month before her coming-of-age ceremony. What do you think, General Yan?"

Upon hearing this, General Yan felt reluctant, realizing that his newly acquired daughter had barely warmed up before being betrothed and now being taken away. However, he knew that what Venerable Bai Qing said couldn't be false, and he was caught in a dilemma.

At this moment, Madam Yan came out of the room, took Yan An from General Yan's arms, kissed his forehead, walked to Bai Qing, and just as she was about to kneel down, Bai Qing supported Madam Yan with one hand and took the child.

"Madam Yan, please don't be so polite. I have a special connection with Yan An's daughter and I will definitely help her overcome this tribulation."

General Yan placed the purple jade pendant in the swaddling clothes, touched Yan An's face, and cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you, Venerable Bai Qing."

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Wang, who had not yet left, bowed to Venerable Baiqing and said, "Venerable Baiqing, may I accompany you to the palace? The Emperor and Empress Dowager will surely be overjoyed."

"Eunuch Wang, we've come to fetch Miss Yan'an, so let's skip that. Please convey to His Majesty that in fifteen years, Miss Yan'an will surely protect the Yue Kingdom and ensure its peace and prosperity for generations to come."

Bai Qing leaped lightly onto the white crane, then flew away, leaving behind only Madam Yan wiping away tears, her eldest son Yan Yi, and General Yan wailing.

Madam Yan, who was already heartbroken, frowned when she heard her husband's heart-wrenching cries. "Alright, it's not like you're never going to see An'an again. Stop crying like that, what kind of behavior is this?"

Upon hearing his wife's reprimand, General Yan immediately fell silent, not daring to utter a sound, only grumbling to express his dissatisfaction.

"General Yan, Madam Yan, I'll take my leave now."

"Please take care, Eunuch Wang. I won't see you off. Steward, please see Eunuch Wang out."

Eunuch Wang and his entourage walked towards the main gate, while General Yan helped Madam Yan into the house.

When Eunuch Wang returned to the palace, he told the Emperor and Empress Dowager everything that had happened at the General's Mansion.

The Emperor and Empress Dowager were overjoyed to hear that Yan An would protect the Yue Kingdom and bring peace and prosperity in fifteen years, but they were also deeply worried because Venerable Bai Qing said that Yan An would face a great calamity, and they couldn't help but sigh.

"Princess Yue'an was born amidst extraordinary omens, she is destined for great fortune. Your Majesty, please do not worry too much and harm your health," said Rong, the old nanny beside the Empress Dowager, softly.

"Yes, An'an is a blessed person, she will surely return safely. It's a pity that I didn't get to see the child, nor did I have a chance to let Xiao Si see his little wife." After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, everyone in Shou Kang Palace burst into laughter.

"I don't want a crying little girl as my wife. Yuexi was ugly and cried a lot when she was little. I don't want a wife like that." After saying that, Shou Kang Palace burst into laughter again.

The late emperor did not have many concubines during his lifetime. Currently, there are only the Empress Dowager and Consort Chen who are still alive. The emperor is the eldest prince, and he and the fourth prince are both sons of the Empress Dowager. The second prince's mother had a difficult childbirth, and the second prince died shortly afterward. The third prince and the fifth princess, Yuexi, are sons of Consort Chen.

"Fourth brother, you're talking big. Don't let yourself be proven wrong later." The Emperor looked at his six-year-old fourth brother with a malicious smile.

I was really afraid of what I said or did being brought up by others later. I didn't expect that after Yan An came back, this little emperor (who will have to be called the fourth emperor from now on) would slap me in the face so quickly, and his boasts would be brought up and ridiculed from time to time.