Chapter 1 Chapter 1 "Qin and Jin are good."

==Chapter 1: The Alliance Between Qin and Jin==

By the end of February, the flowers will be in full bloom, and withered trees will come back to life.

If we were to name the greatest event in the world right now, it would be the upcoming marriage of Prince Cheng of Beili to Princess Weiyang of Nanqiong as his principal wife, thus forging a bond of kinship.

Nanqiong and Beili have been rivals for a century, with their military strength and national power being roughly equal. However, after a century, this situation is on the verge of being broken, which is why they are maintaining their stability through marriage.

The Nanqiong Palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and maids were coming and going, preparing things for the grand wedding, making it extremely noisy.

However, the excitement did not reach Kunning Palace. Two palace maids, two governesses, and four burly guards stood guard outside the Empress's bedchamber. It was unclear whether such a large-scale operation was for protection or defense.

In the inner palace, a young woman, still in her prime, sat before the mirror. Beside her stood Empress Nanqiong, who appeared gentle and dignified. She took out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. "Wanyue, I know you have been wronged in this matter, but if it were not out of necessity, His Majesty and I would not have resorted to such a desperate measure."

The wedding procession and envoys from Beili will arrive tomorrow. Even if they send all their soldiers to search for Weiyang, they won't be able to find her. Moreover, if they really search in a big way, and the people from Beili find out, wouldn't they be able to guess that Weiyang is unhappy with this marriage and doesn't want to marry into the family?

How could they tell the truth about something that would damage the reputation of both Nanqiong and Beili? So, after discussing it, the Empress and the Emperor of Nanqiong decided to send someone to find Weiyang after the marriage alliance was over. The most urgent task was to choose someone to marry in place of Weiyang. This person had to look similar to Weiyang, but not be of too low a status. Even if no one from Beili had ever seen Weiyang, if the other person's demeanor did not look like that of a princess, then it would not work.

If there are no precedents in history for having someone else marry in place of a princess, then there certainly are. It's just that Nanqiong and Beili are evenly matched in strength, and Prince Cheng of Beili, Xiao Yu, is also exceptionally capable and renowned throughout the world. That's why they decided to marry the real Princess Weiyang to him. Who knew that this brat Weiyang would sneak into a secret cave and openly run away from the wedding? Fortunately, the good news was kept secret fast enough that the Beili envoy won't arrive until tomorrow. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

After much deliberation, Princess Ziluo Su Wanyue from the royal family was the most suitable candidate. Su Wanyue's appearance bore a resemblance to Princess Weiyang, and she even possessed a more lively and radiant charm than Princess Weiyang. Furthermore, she was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, tea ceremony, incense burning, military strategy, and swordsmanship—there was nothing she couldn't do. Otherwise, Lu Qingchen, the second young master of the prime minister's mansion in Nanqiong Kingdom, who was renowned throughout the capital, would not have remained so devoted to her for so many years. If it weren't for this unexpected incident, her marriage to Lu Qingchen would have been a foregone conclusion.

Seeing that Su Wanyue remained silent, the Empress knew that she had suffered a great injustice. She took a deep breath and complained, "This is all because of Weiyang's willfulness and her open elopement. Otherwise, His Majesty and I would not be in this predicament, and we have also implicated you, Wanyue. I really feel bad about it."

"Your Majesty, is my cousin really gone forever?" Su Wanyue looked at herself in the mirror, her almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, her red lips and white teeth. In fact, ever since she was brought to the palace before dawn, she had been in a daze, unable to believe that her cousin had really run away from the wedding, and unable to believe that she was really going to marry into Beili in her cousin's place.

Seeing that she still wouldn't agree, and exhausted, the Empress earnestly advised, "The Bei Li wedding procession will arrive tomorrow. How are Your Majesty and I supposed to find Wei Yang within a single day?"

"I know you still have many worries on your mind. Rest assured, His Majesty and I will certainly not mistreat your Prince's Mansion. As for other matters, as far as I know, His Highness Prince Cheng of Nanqiong is no less than anyone else."

Mentioning that person, Su Wanyue's expression fluctuated slightly. Her butterfly-like eyelashes trembled gently, and her ten fingers clenched so tightly they turned white. Perhaps knowing that she had touched on Su Wanyue's thoughts, the Empress did not speak further. She gently patted Su Wanyue's small hand and sighed, "Think about it again. I guarantee that His Highness Prince Cheng is definitely a good man."

As soon as the Empress left, Su Wanyue's personal maid Qin'er rushed over and softly called out, "Princess."

Recently, every time Princess Weiyang came to see the princess, she would cry and complain that she didn't want to marry into Beili. This was because the situation in the Beili royal family was particularly complicated, with several princes eyeing the throne. Princess Weiyang said that the reason why Prince Cheng was willing to marry her was to better compete for the position of crown prince. She didn't want to be a pawn. However, what they didn't expect was that Princess Weiyang would run away from the marriage. After the runaway, His Majesty and the Empress still wanted to marry the princess into the royal family. Wouldn't that cause chaos?

Seeing that the princess was in a daze and clearly unwilling, Qin'er gritted her teeth and her face turned red. "Princess, how about I go out of the palace and send a message to the second young master, and ask him to help me think of a solution?"

The "second young master" Qin'er mentioned is Lu Qingchen, the second young master of the Prime Minister's mansion. He and Su Wanyue are childhood sweethearts. If it weren't for this accident, Su Wanyue would be with him...

Su Wanyue gave a bitter smile, grabbed her wrist, and told her not to go, because the palace was already heavily guarded, and the Empress had no intention of giving her a second choice. Moreover, just in case, the Empress would not allow her to see her father before she got married.

Qin'er then asked her in a low voice if she really planned to marry him, to a complete stranger. She had heard Princess Weiyang say that Prince Cheng was not a good person, and that he agreed to this marriage only to better compete for the position of Crown Prince of Beili. She wondered if the princess would be treated well after marrying into the family.

The emperor is far away and the emperor is far away. Even if the princess has suffered some injustice, the emperor and the empress cannot make decisions for her. Besides, the princess is not the real Princess Weiyang, so she is already in the wrong.

Su Wanyue stared at the woman with exquisite features in the mirror, remaining silent for a long time.

The lady-in-waiting, Zhou, helped the Empress to her seat in the main hall and offered her a cup of tea. "Your Majesty," she said, "what should we do if the Princess doesn't agree?"

The Empress said meaningfully, "She will definitely agree. Wanyue is a child I watched grow up. She is soft-hearted and cares a lot about her family. She is always respectful to me and His Majesty. She knows how much turmoil and disaster this marriage will cause if it doesn't go through, so she will definitely agree."

I won't agree...

That would involve more than just their royal family. If Bei Li and Nan Qiong were to go to war, would the Nan Wang Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion remain uninvolved? Su Wanyue has been in and out of the palace since she was a child. Doesn't the Empress know her personality well?

Lady Zhou: "The princess is indeed very kind-hearted. It is also thanks to the foresight of Her Majesty and the Empress that the princess was able to marry into Beili under the name of 'princess,' which is not an insult to her."

The Empress smiled, but in her heart she was still blaming Wei Yang for not considering the bigger picture and leaving them with such a mess. This marriage would certainly not disgrace Su Wanyue, but the Empress still felt sorry for Su Wanyue because Su Wanyue's relationship with Lu Qingchen was very special. With Su Wanyue's proud personality, she probably wouldn't even care if she married the Emperor of Beili.

The Empress was looking through the betrothal gift list sent by Bei Li in the main hall. It was a whole stack. At three quarters past 5 pm, a maid who was guarding outside the inner hall came to report to the Empress that Princess Zilu had agreed.

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the servants to prepare dinner. Lady Zhou thought that the Empress was truly good at planning ahead, so she quickly helped her to the inner palace. The Empress was really happy this time. She first sent someone to tell the Emperor, and then had a long private conversation with Su Wanyue before letting her have dinner.

The following day, the envoys from Beili arrived in Nanqiong. The chief and deputy envoys were Xie Cheng, the eldest son of the Duke of Xie's family in Beili, and Mu Ziyi, the youngest son of the General of Dingguo's family. The emperor received them at the Qianqing Palace and then sent people to escort them to the post station.

The envoys sent by Nanqiong to escort Princess Weiyang to Beili were Princess Weiyang's elder brother, Prince Xiang, and Zhou Heng, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, along with two other deputy envoys. On the day of the ceremony, the person who witnessed the princess being escorted to the bridal sedan chair was Lu Qingchen, the second son of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

On the second day of the third lunar month, magpies perched on branches, an auspicious day, as Princess Weiyang was to be married off from the palace.

Just before dawn, the maids of Kunning Palace helped Su Wanyue with her makeup. Several embroiderers worked through the night to make a bright red wedding shawl, a phoenix crown adorned with pearls and jade, and a magpie hairpin made of expensive gold, all telling Su Wanyue that she was about to get married.

Before leaving the palace, she had to pay her respects to His Majesty and the Empress. The matchmaker covered Su Wanyue's head with a red veil and told her not to be nervous, as she would remind her of all the proper etiquette.

Su Wanyue nodded gently, like a puppet on a string.

The Emperor and Empress of Nanqiong were already waiting in the Qianqing Palace. The Empress, in particular, had a friendly smile and was gentle and graceful.

The matchmaker helped Su Wanyue to perform a grand salute to the Emperor and Empress, saying, "Weiyang bids farewell to Father Emperor and Mother Empress."

Emperor Nanqiong raised his hand and said, "Rise." After the Empress said a few auspicious words, Su Wanyue, who had been raised by Emperor Nanqiong, was found to be exceptionally talented in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She also had a good temperament. Compared to the willful and capricious Weiyang, Su Wanyue was perhaps the most suitable woman to marry into Beili.

Nanqiong and Beili are thousands of miles apart. As long as Su Wanyue herself doesn't expose herself, no one will realize that the person she married is not the real Princess Weiyang.

After bidding farewell to the Emperor and Empress, Princess Weiyang was escorted to the palace gate by Prince Xiang and others. The bridal sedan chair and procession were waiting at the palace gate. The person who escorted Princess Weiyang into the sedan chair was Lu Qingchen from the Prime Minister's Office. Today, he was dressed in a blue robe, his gentle eyebrows slightly lowered. When he saw "Princess Weiyang" coming, he held his hands together, bowed slightly, and spoke in a clear voice that everyone could hear: "This humble subject is seeing off Princess Weiyang. I hope that the princess will have a safe journey and that she and His Highness Prince Cheng will live a loving and long life together."

Su Wanyue, hidden under the red veil, remained silent, only nodding gently at him.

However, the matchmaker supporting Su Wanyue could clearly feel that the woman's arm was stiff. She subtly tightened her grip on Su Wanyue's arm, as if to remind her, "Princess, hurry up and get into the sedan chair, don't delay the auspicious time."

The Prince of Xiang glanced at the second son without saying a word. After Princess Weiyang got into the sedan chair, the Prince of Xiang ordered in a deep voice: "Lift the sedan chair."

A grand red procession unfolded in all directions. Outside the palace walls, the sky was clear and the air was fresh. Everyone knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your subjects respectfully bid farewell to Princess Weiyang."