In the fifth year of Jian'an, she was born into the womb and became Sun Wan, daughter of Sun Ce and his wife.
She grew up secluded in the Wu palace. Outsiders all said she was the favored orphan of the late lord.
Only she knew what upheavals awaited over the decades to come.
In the first year of Huangchu, her uncle Sun Quan made a decision and sent her north in place of Sun Deng, the eldest son and crown prince, to marry Cao Rui, Prince of Pingyuan of Wei.
Everyone praised it as a fine marriage alliance between Wu and Wei.
Sun Wan saw the truth clearly: the alliance would not last two years. The flames of war would rise at Yiling, and the two kingdoms would immediately turn against each other.
Thirteen years ago, at Ruxu, she had gazed across the Yangtze at Cao Cao.
Who could have imagined that the enemy camp once separated from her by a river would now be the Cao family's imperial palace, which she would have to enter?
On one side was her homeland in Jiangdong, where her mother and brother's lives depended on her;
on the other was the imperial palace in Luoyang, where her husband Cao Rui was inscrutable and the succession was uncertain.
Blessed with foreknowledge, she did not seek to stir up the realm. She only hoped to tread carefully between the two kingdoms and keep those she wished to protect safe.
