The Cuckoo That Stole a Nest

In the final years of the Xuande reign, the Liang Kingdom openly tore up its treaty on the banks of the Wei River and conspired with Jing to encircle and destroy Baiyue.

After standing in the Central Plains for more than 120 years, the Yue Kingdom finally fell, bringing to an end a tripartite standoff that had lasted for over a century.

Liang and Jing divided the land between them, with sixteen prefectures marking their border. Jing to the south, Liang to the north: the two powers stood opposed, each facing the other across the divide.

The Baiyue royal family was slaughtered to the last, except for an eight-year-old princess who escaped under the protection of loyal warriors. From then on, she concealed her identity, vanished from sight, and waited patiently in hiding.

By the eighth year of Yongtai, two generations of rulers had come and gone in Liang and Jing. The old ministers of Baiyue were scattered far and wide, their former glory gone. The name Yue gradually faded from the history books, surviving only in the stories passed around by common folk and village elders.

The dream of restoring the kingdom seemed as distant as a wisp of smoke.

Shen Li had transmigrated into this world and lived a second life. She had meant to spend it in peace, but in the end, she could not escape her fate.

She had endured the world's cruelties and witnessed the pain of parting and death.

She had once laughed as she trampled across battlefields, and had also known the heartache of being unable to hold on to the one she loved.

Then she would fulfill the wishes of her benefactor, heed the teachings of loyal ministers, and rely on the support of her trusted companions.

One person, one saber, one spear.

After ten years, she finally became a trusted confidante of the emperor.

But at court, the emperor was suspicious, treacherous ministers held sway, and military power was a liability. One misstep, and the battlefield would run red with blood.

If that was the case, she might as well turn the plot against its author and break free of this murky political struggle.

She would set ambushes in the shadows, weave a dense web, and lay out a star-spangled game of strategy.

With delicate hands, she would stir the winds of change across the realm.

When she had trained her troops and prepared for war, she would use cunning and intrigue to restore the House of Yue and bring it out of the shadows once more.