I’ll Guard the Mountains and Rivers for You

Xia Wanzhao was the most dazzling and spirited young lady in Chang'an.

She was born to a noble family and had a radiant appearance, but her temper was a little explosive.

She loved standing up for the wronged and throwing punches.

She always carried a riding crop, and would whip anyone she took a dislike to.

The emperor loved to say, "Like father, like daughter."

The empress would gently reassure anyone who came to complain: "Wanzhao is still young. Her character hasn't settled yet. Why be so hard on her?"

But the empress dowager laid bare the reason for her carefree confidence in a single sentence:

"The Xia family commands 200,000 troops. They are the strongest bulwark defending Great Qi against the southern barbarians."

But...

"It'll only last a few more years. Once she's grown and married, her husband's family will keep her in check."

Though several princes were of marriageable age, the empress dowager felt the royal family couldn't handle a young lady who was so headstrong. Better to leave the trouble to someone else.

Crown Prince Zhu Yuanzhen lowered his eyes, thinking that he would insist on welcoming her through the front door and spoiling and indulging her for the rest of her life. He'd see who dared to control her then.

After much plotting, his wish was about to come true.

Then war suddenly broke out in the south, and the Prince of Zhennan was trapped.

On the night the news arrived, a red-maned horse raced out through the south gate, never looking back.

The wedding dress embroidered with gold thread was abandoned on the ground. Even the pearls on the phoenix crown were removed to pay for the journey.

A brief, forceful letter was left on the bedside:

"My parents gave birth to me, raised me, and loved me. Now that the enemy is at our gates, your daughter doesn't want to be anyone's wife. I only want to be a daughter of the Xia family, uphold our family motto, and protect our country and people!"

Everyone was in an uproar:

So willful and unruly. That's Xia Wanzhao for you!

Seeing the crown prince left in the lurch, everyone laughed at her for not knowing what was good for her and said she'd regret it one day.

Yet many years later, she returned in glory at the head of a great army.

The once-young girl's frame had grown taller, her slender body wrapped in hard armor.

Her face, once fair and delicate, had been weathered by the frontier's winds and scorching sun.

Her brows were untrimmed, and even her moist red lips had lost their color.

Yet she still rode a steed even taller and more imposing than before,

carrying a six-foot-long blade, her gaze clear and sharp.

A single casual glance from her silenced those hoping to see her make a fool of herself, leaving them too afraid to speak,

and sending them scurrying far away.

"It's been years. General, I hope you've been well." The young emperor gazed steadily at her, his expression full of meaning.

Xia Wanzhao: "Where your sword points, my blade will follow! I'll protect this land for you!"

Zhu Yuanzhen: "My lifelong wish? To be a good emperor. To let the people live in peace and the realm enjoy tranquility. Then the land will be safe and the fighting will end, and you won't have to go to war anymore, General, will you?"

There are other completed stories in my collection. Come take a look!

Coming soon: The Former Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and Me (Ancient Times to Modern Day)

In her previous life, Min Jing went from being a consort who used her beauty to serve others to the powerful empress dowager of Chu. Her life was nothing short of legendary.

After dying of old age, she was reborn in the modern era in the body of a woman who shared her name.

Her parents were dead, and she was enormously wealthy. But she was blind to the truth and married a heartless scumbag, who was about to seize all her assets.

To steal her wealth and ruin her reputation, the scumbag's mistress schemed against her and forced her to appear on a variety show with her autistic child.

Fortunately, she hadn't come alone.

"It's just a little kids' variety show. Son, you're going on!"

Shen Ji, the Western Emperor whose name would endure through the ages and whose achievements were unmatched, put on a stern face. But shrunk down into a five-year-old's body, his little face held no authority at all, only soft, adorable charm.

"I am the Western Emperor."

"The Great Chu dynasty is gone." Min Jing didn't indulge him in the slightest. "If you lose the family fortune, too, you'll only be able to become the emperor of the Beggars' Sect."

Shen Ji: ...

Min Jing then turned to the deadbeat she hadn't seen in twenty years, Shen Yan.

"What are you standing around for? Go to work! Do you expect me to clean up that enormous mess for you?"

Shen Yan: ...

Shen Ji couldn't stand her. "We do all the dirty, exhausting work. What are you going to do?"

Min Jing blew on her glittering manicure and twirled her newly styled waves, looking languid. "Women in the harem aren't allowed to meddle in politics. I'm just a frail woman, so naturally I'll stay home and let you men support me."

At first, in the eyes of online viewers, Min Jing was sitting on a mountain of wealth but couldn't stand on her own two feet. She'd ultimately let a wolf into her home, which was utterly foolish.

When they heard she would bring her only child onto a kids' variety show, nobody had any faith in her.

[Who wants to watch a lovesick fool play the victim?]

But on the show, Min Jing said to the first guest, "Men like women who obey, but if you really do obey, he'll forget all about you."

The first guest got divorced.

To the second guest, she said, "You can't just be forceful all the time. After you hit someone with a stick, don't you have to offer them a date? A mix of firmness and kindness is the way to go."

To the third guest, she said...

The viewers couldn't help asking from the depths of their souls: [Sis, you have plenty of tricks for handling men. So why did you end up like that yourself?]

Min Jing raised an eyebrow and glanced behind her. Like what?

Shen Yan, still working overtime late into the night, calmly helped her clear her shopping cart.

"What else do you want to buy?"

Theme: Love brings responsibility, but I embrace it willingly