In Lianrong City lived a girl named Shangguan Liuyu. Her name sounded gentle and refined, so one might imagine she was a delicate young woman. But Liuyu was no less skilled in letters than the celebrated talents of the capital, no less capable in martial arts than the crown prince of the Hong dynasty, and no less intelligent than the emperor. The year Shangguan Liuyu was named a princess, someone framed the Shangguan family and brought it down. With no other choice, they moved in with her maternal family, the Shen clan, whose wealth rivaled that of a nation and who supplied the Hong dynasty with its money. Even after the Shangguan family fell, Liuyu still had somewhere to go. She made a cherished friend in Princess Siyu. When the Shangguan family was brought down, Siyu did not abandon her. Together, they prepared evidence, witnesses, and testimony, successfully clearing the Shangguan family’s name and restoring its standing. Liuyu thought their peaceful days would last forever, but one day a man in black abducted Princess Siyu and imprisoned her in a cage, where he tortured her for three months. He gouged out her eyes and whipped her every day. The man in black was none other than a subordinate of Princess Siru. When Liuyu found Siyu, she thought, “From now on, I’ll be your eyes.” The realm was now divided among three powers: Lianrong City, ruled by Shangguan Liuyu; Princess Siyan; and the Hong dynasty’s eldest prince. The crown prince, Siyi, was another power, and their forces were evenly matched. In the end, Princess Siyan and the eldest prince went to war to fight for the throne, and both died by their opponents’ swords. The throne passed to Crown Prince Siyi. Siyi and Liuyu stood together against their enemies and helped Li Jing become empress. But one day, Li Jing fell ill and died. Overcome with grief, Siyi handed the throne to Liuyu. From then on, the Hong dynasty changed its name to the Yu dynasty, and Liuyu and Siyu ushered in an era of unifying the three realms, ultimately rising to the pinnacle of power.
