Li You Ning's father was the great general who guarded the north, while she herself was a notorious spoiled young woman.
When she heard the Northern Barbarians were nearing the capital, Li You Ning was in a neighboring county mourning her father. She cried out excitedly, "At last, it's my turn to carry on my father's legacy and make a name for myself!"
Everyone thought it was just a joke from a spoiled rich girl, but they didn't know the truth: she claimed she was going to save the emperor, but in fact she meant to assassinate him.
She set out with a hundred personal guards to rescue the emperor and earn military merit, only to find him in the outskirts of the city, weeping over the dead Crown Prince. A frail-looking princess stood beside him, and Li You Ning's heart softened.
A few days later, the Third Prince took the throne. A few days after that, the Sixth Prince took the throne. Looking at the handful of officials and guards still standing beside the emperor, Li You Ning found the whole situation rather amusing.
The little princess asked her pitifully, "General, do we have nowhere left to go?"
Li You Ning comforted her. "Your Highness, don't worry. With His Majesty here, the rebels will surely be brought to justice." But in her heart she thought, I'm the rebel. I'm here to bring the foolish emperor to justice.
Seeing that the foolish emperor really didn't have long to live, Li You Ning didn't want to get her hands dirty. She planned to take her men up into the mountains and live peacefully as a bandit chief in these troubled times.
Unexpectedly, the emperor died of rage. As he lay dying, he took her hand and said, "I command you to serve as Deputy Marshal of the Empire's armies. Help the princess put down the rebellion and restore the old capital."
Li You Ning sneered.
What a joke. She'd come to kill the damned emperor, and now he expected her to support this ridiculous, crumbling dynasty.
As if that would ever happen.
Li You Ning silently counted her troops. Sixty, no more and no less. Just then, the princess, weeping like a pear blossom in the rain, looked at her as if she could see right through her.
Li You Ning found herself saying, "I will not fail in my mission."
Xiao Qing He watched her elder brother die before her eyes. Usually composed, she was at a loss for once. Just then, a young general, dusty from the road, came toward her against the flow of the crowd. She loved the way that person worried about her.
She didn't want her to leave, so she pretended to be weak.
In an unnamed, dilapidated temple, Xiao Qing He ascended the throne. Li You Ning, carrying the imperial edict, shielded her from wolves and tigers and fought battles in every direction for her.
P.S. A scheming princess on the brink of losing her kingdom x a spoiled general commanding a small force
A fictional world where women can hold office, and there have been female emperors before.
Theme: Growth
