Princess Nanxing

In the first year of the Li Dynasty, the newly enthroned Emperor Wu, Li Kedingshan, was ambitious and eager to annex the neighboring small kingdoms and expand his territory. The army had a formidable general named Wu Yong, a master of martial arts and a fearless warrior. Over six years, he brought all the neighboring kingdoms into Li territory, rendering outstanding service by expanding the dynasty’s borders. The emperor made him the Prince of Anding, a noble title bestowed on someone outside the imperial clan, and appointed him Great General of Valor. He also granted him Yue, a remote kingdom on Li’s northern frontier, as his fief, ordering him and his descendants to guard the border for generations. Wu Yong knew that his achievements had overshadowed the emperor and made the ruler wary of him. Still, he did not dare show the slightest resentment. He accepted the decree with gratitude, soon took his leave of the emperor, and set out for Yue.

But the neighboring kingdoms had been destroyed without cause, leaving countless people displaced and destitute. Yue was among the lands Wu Yong had conquered. Though a small frontier kingdom, it had been ruled by Fu Ying'an, a good emperor who cared for his people as if they were his own children. He lightened the labor duties and taxes, earning the people’s loyalty. He established schools where the children of commoners could study without paying tuition or fees. The emperor had only one empress in his harem, and they had a daughter, six-year-old Fu Jingyi, whom they doted on. One day, the wet nurse took the princess to play in the imperial garden. Suddenly, amid the clamor of clashing weapons, she heard shouts of battle. As she wondered what was happening, a group of guards hurried through the garden entrance, escorting the emperor and empress. The emperor ordered the guards and the wet nurse to protect the empress and princess and flee to the mountains beyond the palace gates. The steep, rugged terrain offered them a slim chance of survival. Just before reaching the gates, the empress suddenly bowed solemnly to the guards and wet nurse. “Please, you must protect the princess with your lives. I will repay this great kindness in my next life!” Then she drew the sword from a nearby guard and resolutely ran toward the emperor. And so the story begins.