A Chaotic World: The Treacherous Empress

[The story of the cold, domineering, and arrogant King of Xiye and his beloved, rebellious, unruly little treasure of a queen]

The fifth princess of Northern Qi sacrificed her dynasty, her own life, and her family’s lives for a man.

Before she became a pile of bones, she swore through gritted teeth: “One day, when you learn who I am, remember not to regret it. Wait for me to grant you a Qingxiao Kingdom engulfed in war, drenched in blood, and piled high with bones.”

Lucky enough to be reborn in the body of a woman whose past was a mystery, she had beauty enough to topple kingdoms and wisdom to rival the world. The world was her chessboard.

In public, she was the calamity who brought ruin to Hualiu House, famous throughout Yunzhou for beguiling princes and nobles.

In private, she was the instigator, a celestial traveler who remained calm and directed the fate of the land with her own hands.

The sixth prince of Qingxiao once said, “Chaocang, if you stay with me for the rest of your life, I will offer you all of Qingxiao as your betrothal gift and promise you eternal peace in a prosperous age.”

The young marquis once swore, “Yun Chaocang, you don’t have to love me deeply. Even the smallest measure of affection will do. I will give you a prosperous Northern Qi that will last forever.”

Young Master Bai also once tried to tempt her gently: “Miss Yun, if you’re willing to join hands with me, you can have your pick of this prosperous world.”

The condemned man, Xi Liushang, had also pleaded, “Chaocang, you are the only woman I have ever wanted as my queen. I don’t want Qingxiao, and I’ll give up the world. Just give me one chance to make it up to you with a wedding night beneath a soft lotus-patterned canopy.”

She stood amid a great army in her wedding robes, coldly beautiful and noble, looking down upon the world, peerless and proud.

Calmly, she said, “I don’t care for what you offer. Your promises can wait. I’ll take everything from you with my own hands, piece by piece. Remember this: when the world is drenched in blood and piled high with bones, Yun Chaocang will stand at the peak and hold the world in her palm.”

That night, a certain man held her tenderly from behind, whispering sweet nothings in her ear. “Yun Chaocang, you did very well today.”

Chaocang smiled seductively, her sly eyes reflecting his handsome face. “Feng Yin, if you can’t do it, I’ll make you the first eunuch king of Xiye in history.”

She asked for little in life. The only person she wanted to hold on to was the flawless, composed man in her memories, with his cool expression and not a single blemish to be found.

All because of a vow that had seemed like a jest.

“Chaocang, Qingxiao is not what I wish for, and the world is not what I seek. Only you, Yun Chaocang, are as vital to me as blood and bone. I will bear every curse and shoulder every burden the world places on us. I will endure every trial between us and death. If I am the hero of this troubled age, then you will be the one and only empress beside me.”

The winds rose, the clouds gathered, and the times were turbulent. A new generation of talent emerged, each vying to rule, pacify the chaos, and turn the tide. The past is gone, and the heroes of this age are before us: the Empress of the Troubled Age, Yun Chaocang.