[Three Kingdoms] One Guo Jia Away from Becoming Emperor

[Raising a Native-Born Empress]

As the “crown princess-in-waiting” whom the Nanyang Deng clan had poured its entire strength into grooming, Deng Jie held a dowry capable of standing against Empress He and the eunuchs:

The clan’s entire fortune in gold and silver, a salt-and-iron smuggling route, three hundred elite warriors ready to die for her, and an intelligence network covering half the Central Plains.

But her coming-of-age ceremony fell in the sixth year of Zhongping. When the Deng family learned that Liu Hong had little time left, they feared Deng Jie would enter the palace only to spend the rest of her days guarding his tomb. So her father, Deng Jiu, an assistant administrator of Yingchuan Commandery, pulled off a last-minute maneuver and hurriedly married her off to a poor scholar from a declining family in the commandery: Guo Fengxiao.

The world laughed that the Deng clan’s luck had run out. Still dreaming of regaining power through marriage, they were bound to come up empty-handed.

The young couple were certainly an absurd pair.

The young lady, who had always followed the rules, began traveling everywhere after her wedding. Her sickly son-in-law shamelessly blew through his wife’s dowry. Every day, they did things no one could make sense of: collecting scrap iron in Chenliu today, delivering grain to the countryside in Runan tomorrow. Instead of cultivating ties with great clans, they sought out nobodies and made connections with them.

Then came August. The emperor died, He Jin was killed, Dong Zhuo rose to power, and the realm fell into chaos.

Deng Jiu was frantic. “Yingchuan is sure to suffer. Hurry, take your band of elite warriors and come back to Nanyang with me to escape the disaster!”

But the usually delicate young lady appeared in a suit of black iron armor.

“Father, what’s there to panic about? We’ve just let this dowry earn a little interest on its interest.”

“The scrap iron from Chenliu has become three hundred heavily armored shock troops.”

“The village men from Pei have become three hundred elite Tiger Guards.”

“And that ‘old friend Huang Hansheng’ you mentioned? I invited him to command our mounted archers.”

Her sickly son-in-law stood smiling beside her.

“Has the Deng clan still not learned why it fell? Why bother marrying into the imperial family? Why not end this chaos, put your wife on the throne, and let the Deng clan reign for a thousand generations?”

Deng Jiu stayed silent for a day and a night, then slapped the table.

“Empress Dowager Deng could call herself ‘We,’ so why can’t my girl? Then let’s rebel!”

“But can you answer two questions first?

Why is Emperor Bian here with us???

And why has Fengxiao, her legitimate husband, ended up as the kept man in a gilded cage???”

Romance Synopsis

On their wedding night, they reveal their secrets and forge an alliance:

“I’ll make you empress, you’ll rule as regent and become emperor, and you’ll appoint me as one of the Three Excellencies.”

After marriage, they enter their “I can’t believe I fell for you” era: childish possessiveness and exclusive devotion.

Ask them why, and they say, “We’re married.” Their answer? “We’re pretending.”

Newlyweds, sharing honor and shame.

To uphold the promise they made at the beginning,

perhaps also to protect old wounds,

and to maintain appearances before the emperor,

the proper married couple live like secret lovers.

The closer the day of her investiture as empress comes, the more they push each other away.

At last, the day she is to take her place in the inner palace arrives.

Deng Jie finally drops the act:

“I want you tonight.”

“Fine, fine, have your way…”

But what are these two fledglings chirping about all night?!

Are you two even up to it?

[Tags] Native-born, alternate history

Slow-burn, business-building and power struggles, with a focus on development and infrastructure early on

Strategic maneuvering and faction-building, with everyone scheming eight hundred moves ahead

Romance is a major focus, and I’ll do my best to keep it central. The title gives you a hint, so feel free to skip it if it’s not your thing.

It doesn’t affect the main plot, only the characters’ inner development.

Two fledglings, young husband and wife, pure 1v1 romance only

A slight love triangle, the heroine has no children but has heirs

Random bonus scenes in the author’s notes

Feel free to save this novel for later. Thank you to everyone who adds it to their library.

[Content Warnings]

It’s neither particularly cathartic nor intense, just a steady, determined march forward.

There are limits imposed by the era, and the characters grow and break through them bit by bit.

Character design notes are included in the author’s note for Chapter 3.

For the sake of the alternate setting and plot,

some less popular historical pairings may be split up,

and a few unlikely pairings may appear. Apologies in advance.

It’s simply an alternate-history story that isn’t especially rigorous about historical accuracy.

[New and Upcoming Stories]

① Lighthearted feel-good story: “Eat, Sleep, and Beat the Japanese Pirates,” a maritime adventure set during the Wanli era

When An Ning was sent to live with the Li family,

she was certain she would never have anything to do with her parents again.

The Li family had many sons, but only Li Rumei was close to her in age and shared her interests.

Since childhood, the two of them had loved three things: eating, sleeping, and beating up Japanese pirates.

When they came of age, their families arranged for them to marry.

Convinced they were nothing but childhood friends, they refused to accept the match and ran away together on their wedding night.

To evade the Li family’s search, they hid aboard a ship and accidentally put out to sea.

Look closely, isn’t this an Atakebune, the Japanese pirates’ own warship?

They had their start-up capital!

The good news: They slipped into a pirate stronghold without a fight and began a daily routine of beating pirates on land and sea.

The bad news: The Ming navy thinks we’re pirates too?!

Then they encountered the Qi Family Army. Li Rumei pointed to the flag bearing the character “Qi” and said:

“An Ning, we’re saved. That’s your parents’ fleet!”

But An Ning ordered the ship to turn around. “I don’t have parents!”

③ A little-known historical farming story: “Can You Farm in the Three Kingdoms While Keeping Your Head Down?”

Watch how the countryman Hu Zhao, courtesy name Kongming, manages to stay alive through the chaos and live to the age of eighty-nine.

He starts with a hoe and tricks a girl into coming along, only to have every faction vying to make him their leader:

Lu Zhi: “I’ll recommend you for office and restore the glory of your Hu clan.”

Yuan Shao: “Come to Ji Province and serve as my chief strategist.”

Cao Cao: “Help me build my hegemony, and I’ll make you one of the Three Excellencies.”

Even when he reaches eighty-eight, Sima Yi, at seventy-one, still comes to pay his respects with one hand calling himself a “disciple” and the other leading his fine sons along.

“Master, I’ve secured power in Cao Wei. Come with me to Luoyang, and I’ll provide for you in your old age.”

From Wen County in Hanoi to Yiyang in Hongnong, from the Seven Scholars of Jian’an to the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, from Dong Zhuo’s Rebellion to the Incident at Gaoping Tombs, he spends his life searching for balance amid chaos. Wherever the moon shines, there is a refuge from the world, standing apart from the troubled times.

Friends’ novels

“Pick Up a Nezha, Please Marry Me” by He Buhe, an everyday romance about Nezha

“[Three Kingdoms] My Lord Has a Little Problem With Dying” by Yuntao Shanluan, an ensemble story about women fighting for power, paired with Guo Jia

Theme: Let righteous deeds travel the world, and let filial devotion bring peace to the realm.