A Knife from the Start, Drifting on Dongting Lake

In the tenth year of the Xuanhe era, a massive peasant uprising erupted at Dongting Lake. It spread across nineteen counties in Jingxiang, drawing more than a hundred thousand participants.

The central court dispatched troops to suppress the rebels. Just as they were about to reach the rebels' stronghold, they inexplicably withdrew, leaving the local authorities in misery and unable to defend themselves.

Power abhors a vacuum, and a vacuum gives birth to new power.

For a time, Dongting became a grand stage. If you have a dream, come on down! The uprising rose from the ashes, and heroes from all corners gathered to take part in the spectacle.

Among these schemers and power-hungry men was Yang Yao, a common girl unwilling to accept a fate that demanded she marry. She, too, dreamed of carving out a bright future with the blade in her hand.

Later histories would begin their account of this legend with the moment Yang Yao picked up a sickly young man.

The heroine: "Brimming with fighting spirit, invincible under heaven" x The hero: "A sickly beauty with a scheming mind"

Theme: Are kings, marquises, generals, and ministers born to their stations?