Basking in the Emperor's Favor

The Kingdom of Yaochuan ranks among the four great kingdoms of Jiuzhou, yet it places too much value on literature and looks down on martial strength. Men take pride in being frail and refined scholars, and feel ashamed to be brave and manly. But with Jiuzhou in turmoil and the balance of power in the world about to shift, how will Yaochuan, a country that stands out like a towering tree and suffers from a shortage of men and a lack of powerful women, face an invasion by formidable enemies? People say that Commandery Princess Chengen is noble-born and radiant, but that she is a fool by nature and has become a laughingstock. The princess begs to differ: when powerful enemies invade, she dazzles everyone with a stunning reversal of fortunes and intellect. People praise His Highness Prince Chen for his refined, handsome bearing and lofty virtue, but say that he is ultimately a frail scholar, unable to shoulder great burdens. His Highness begs to differ: when the nation is in peril, in the blink of an eye he puts down his brush and takes up his sword. The love and hatred, grudges and tangled affairs of a past life remain unresolved. Now they meet again, evenly matched. Let us see who gains the upper hand.