Chapter 1: Marriage Alliance

Chapter 1: Marriage Alliance

Dawn breaks faintly, as a caravan moves along a mountain road, advancing toward the slowly rising sun.

Soldiers escorting the caravan wear armor and carry weapons, patrolling back and forth anxiously within the stretched-out procession, becoming ever more vigilant as they draw closer to their destination.

Everyone knows this is the bridal convoy of Princess Zhao Yun, the beloved sister of the Emperor of Nan Chu, escorted to her wedding. Having grown up together, the siblings share a deep bond. The Emperor, before departure, repeatedly emphasized that no mishaps could be afforded on this journey.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to them, the person they were supposed to escort had been switched even before departure. The one they are escorting is not Princess Zhao Yun, but the Emperor himself.

Lu Changping sits in a lavish carriage at the center of the procession, rocked into a drowsy state, with the hairpins and pendants on his head causing his neck to ache.

Dressing as a woman and replacing his sister, Lu Zhao Yun, in the marriage alliance to the North Wei was his own choice, but the inconveniences along the way surpassed his expectations.

He couldn't ride a horse, speak loudly, and had to wake up early every day to dress and make up...

The caravan traveled thousands of miles day and night, just to deliver him to North Wei for an early marriage with that tyrant.

At this thought, Lu Changping frowned unhappily.

What virtues and abilities does that tyrant possess to deserve his sister?

He and his twin sister, Lu Zhao Yun, were not the biological children of the late emperor, who remained unmarried throughout his life and adopted the children of his deceased brother, the King of Guangling, who died in battle for the country, raising them in the palace with great care.

From a young age, Lu Changping was groomed as the heir apparent, spared from the struggles for power that often pit father against son and brother against brother, leading a life that should have been smooth sailing.

However, Nan Chu is not the only country on this continent.

To the north of Nan Chu lies a powerful nation known as North Wei, boasting vast territory and a strength comparable to Nan Chu. The two countries have had frequent disputes, each experiencing victories and losses.

The continuous wars in previous years had severely weakened both nations, maintaining a superficial peace for a long time. However, since the new ruler, Xie Xuan Yuan, took the throne in North Wei, he has made no secret of his ambition to invade Nan Chu, constantly creating incidents at the border to provoke a war with Nan Chu.

To rashly wage war would only lead to mutual destruction. Lu Changping had no interest in dealing with the tyrant of North Wei, yet the latter provoked him repeatedly, this time setting his sights directly on him.

Since ascending the throne, Lu Changping neither indulged in the pleasures of women nor engaged in oppressive taxation; every day of the year, he diligently governed and administered his state.

If one were to find fault with him, it would be his perceived overindulgence towards his own sister in the eyes of others.

The tyrant of North Wei, having heard from somewhere that Lu Changping's sister was the foremost beauty of Nan Chu, shamelessly sent envoys to propose marriage repeatedly.

That tyrant was notoriously fatal to his wives, with three fiancées dying under mysterious circumstances before they could even marry him.

Furthermore, hearing from time to time that the tyrant delighted in devising horrifyingly cruel punishments for his concubines and ministers, Lu Changping instantly rejected the marriage proposal without a second thought.

Little did he know, the more he refused, the more determined the tyrant became. Recently, he even amassed troops at the border, claiming he would conquer Nan Chu if his sister was not sent to him.

Lu Changping didn't truly believe the tyrant had the capability to conquer Nan Chu, but the consequences of igniting a war between the two countries were unimaginable.

After much deliberation, he made a daring decision: to impersonate Zhao Yun in marrying into North Wei and use the opportunity to assassinate the tyrant.

Thinking of soon reaching the capital of North Wei to settle new and old grudges with the tyrant, Lu Changping's expression softened, a faint smile playing on his lips.

At that moment, a horse's neigh came from outside the carriage, and the bridal procession stopped abruptly. An armored soldier approached the carriage and dismounted.

Before he could speak, as if sensing something, a slender hand lifted the carriage curtain, "What has happened?"

The speaker's voice was calm and indifferent, lacking the delicate softness typical of women, yet inexplicably pleasant to the ear.

The soldier, startled by the "princess'" initiative, took a moment to recover before responding:

"Your Highness, the road ahead is blocked by rocks. The mountain path here is treacherous, and it seems someone may wish to harm Your Highness. Please, step out of the carriage for safety."

The person inside the carriage pondered for a moment before replying, "No need, those people are probably already here."

As soon as these words were spoken, many figures in black emerged from the surrounding woods. They seemed to have planned this in advance, not targeting the bridal carriages laden with gold and jewels at the rear, but charging directly at the princess' personal guards.

In an instant, the air was filled with the clash of hidden arrows flying from the woods and the melee weapons striking each other, creating a piercing noise.

Amidst the chaos, someone in black near Lu Changping's carriage started a fire, keeping most of the approaching soldiers at bay.

Then, specks of blood splattered on the carriage curtain as a black-clad assassin took control of the carriage, stabbing the horse to make it run wildly in the opposite direction through the forest.

The young man inside the carriage, his eyes darkening, did not panic or attempt to flee. He steadied himself with one hand on the carriage, while skillfully hiding a sharp golden hairpin in his sleeve with the other, preparing for what was to come.

Soon, the carriage was steered onto a secluded path away from the main road, and its speed gradually decreased.

About five or six of the black-clad men who had hijacked Princess Zhao Yun remained, now slowly closing in on the carriage.

Unable to restrain his curiosity, one asked his companion, "We haven't heard any noise from inside the carriage all this way. Is the princess really in there?"

"Absolutely, I even spoke with the princess before we made our move."

The voice that spoke this time sounded familiar; it was the soldier who had just suggested Lu Changping leave the carriage for safety.

Reassured by his statement, the black-clad assassins became more audacious. One of them, with a harsh and unpleasant voice, jeered, "I think the princess must have been scared silly by us."

A series of malicious laughter followed.

Lu Changping tightened his grip on the golden hairpin, his mind racing. The marriage alliance was indeed fraught with danger, encountering hostility even before reaching the North Wei capital. It was uncertain whether these assailants were sent by the tyrant Xie Xuan Yuan or by other forces seeking to prevent the alliance.

Fortunate that Zhao Yun did not come, fortunate it was him instead...

But his relief was short-lived, as voices outside the carriage rose again, "I've heard that Princess Zhao Yun is the greatest beauty in Nan Chu, with both her face and figure top-notch. It'd be a pity to kill her outright."

"Right, since she's going to die anyway, why not have some fun with her before that."

Lu Changping, usually composed, could no longer contain his fury upon hearing those outside speak of his sister in such vulgar terms.

As the carriage curtain was lifted, the assassin disguised as a soldier barely had a chance to see the "Princess Zhao Yun's" face before a flash of gold streaked before his eyes.

Lu Changping acted swiftly and efficiently, blinding the man in the blink of an eye. Then, with a swift move, he pinned the assailant firmly beneath him.

The man's mouth opened as if to scream, but before any sound could emerge, his neck was seized.

"Tell me, who sent you?" The voice that whispered in his ear was still melodious, yet it carried a veiled threat.

Suddenly, the man seemed to realize something was amiss, "Wait, you're not the princess, you're a man..."

Before he could finish, the slender fingers tightening around his neck squeezed harder, "That's none of your concern."

The man, evidently not professionally trained, shivered in fear, his teeth chattering, unable to speak clearly, "I... if I tell you... can you... not kill me?"

Lu Changping pressed the tip of the hairpin deeper into the flesh, his voice cold, "Of course."

"It was our Emperor of North Wei!" The man blurted out without hesitation, hoping for mercy.

"Is that so?" Lu Changping's response was noncommittal, but his grip tightened further.

With his life hanging by a thread, the man quickly corrected himself, "I mean... I mean... not the Emperor, the Empress Dowager!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden hairpin in Lu Changping's hand was thrust into his throat. The man died instantly, without even a chance to scream.

"You could have been spared, but you had to harbor forbidden thoughts..."

Lu Changping removed his outer garment to wipe the blood off his hands, casually took a few more hairpins from his head, and stepped out of the carriage.

With the hairpins gone, his carefully arranged bun from the morning had come undone, his soft black hair cascading down, diminishing the feminine aura about him.

The remaining assassins, seeing him emerge disheveled and unkempt, initially viewed him with disdain and sacrilege, but soon someone noticed something was wrong.

Although Lu Changping had a handsome face, his taller stature and flat chest distinguished him from ordinary women.

The four remaining men exchanged uncertain glances, their next look at Lu Changping filled with caution:

"You're not Princess Zhao Yun, who are you?"

Lu Changping curved his lips into a gentle, enticing smile, "I am the one who is to marry your Emperor.

Now, I'd like to know why the Empress Dowager is so opposed to my marrying your Emperor?"

Being twins, Lu Changping bore an eighty percent resemblance to Princess Zhao Yun, the foremost beauty of Nan Chu.

With just a bit of adornment, he could pass as a beauty with a refined and ethereal aura. When he remained silent, even those who doubted his gender dared not make an immediate judgment.

However, now speaking in his natural voice, unmistakably male and distinctly cold, no one could persist in mistaking his gender, despite its pleasantness.

These desperados, truly hardened criminals, had never encountered someone cross-dressing and impersonating a princess like this. Caught off guard, they inadvertently exposed their intentions upon hearing "the Empress Dowager," immediately contemplating murder to silence him.

Lu Changping's question was initially probing, but the killers' overreaction inadvertently confirmed the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes.

He faced four adversaries with ease, his movements extraordinarily swift, each strike lethal. He swiftly claimed the lives of three, with the last fleeing desperately only to be cornered.

Seeing no escape, the man spat out in hatred towards Lu Changping, "Pah, you freak, neither man nor woman. A man dressing in women's clothes, why don't you just go to a brothel and..."

Unfortunately, the handsome youth with his hair loosely hanging did not let him finish his curse. A slight effort from his slender fingers was enough to drive the last hairpin into the man's neck.

After the deed, he lifted his arm, looking somewhat wistfully at the elegant and soft imperial attire on his body, lost in thought.

Neither Nan Chu nor North Wei had cultures open enough to accept men willingly wearing women's dresses.

Moreover, Lu Changping was not an ordinary man but the ruler of a nation, a status that should have nothing to do with cross-dressing.

Ironically, the skills for dressing as a woman were not deliberately learned but seemed innate, occasionally surfacing in his mind. There was even a time when Lu Changping had bizarre dreams every night.

In these dreams, the customs of another world were incredibly open, with many men sporting short hair yet taking up cross-dressing as a leisurely hobby and pastime.

When a man dresses up meticulously in women's clothing, far from being scorned as he was just now, he finds himself greatly admired instead.

What's more astonishing is that in these dreams, Lu Changping's cross-dressing skills are incredibly refined, often leaving even himself amazed at the adept makeup techniques.

Even though the current Lu Changping has no interest in cross-dressing, the influence of these dreams has given him a superficial understanding.

Little did he dream that one day he would have to use this skill to deceive the tyrant of an enemy nation...

Author's note:

Starting a new story, please give it lots of love, like, and save it to your favorites, sending virtual hearts to everyone~

The tyrant will soon make an appearance.

If you're wondering whether it would be a problem for the attacker to leave Nan Chu, the answer is no. The switch of identities with his sister is only temporary, and with other trustworthy ministers governing, there's nothing to worry about.

Lastly, a loving pre-collection request for the new story:

"After Snatching the Scumbag's White Moonlight, I Dominate the Stars" – A beautiful yet scheming stand-in attacker x The empire's godly tsundere white moonlight receiver.

In a fantasy danmei universe where the main attacker can conceive, the stand-in battles villains and kicks scumbags, and accidentally impregnates the empire's godly figure~

"After Killing My Husband for Enlightenment, My Attacker Came Back to Life" – An obsessively beautiful and dominant total attacker x An innocently clueless receiver.

In a fantasy danmei universe set in a full-dive online game, after stabbing his newly-wedded villain NPC partner in the game, he finds out the NPC is not only a cross-dressing master but also the owner of the gaming company~

And a friend's joyously silly and cute story:

"I Was Forced to Pick Up a Dragon" features a dragoness who conjures storms, rain, and hail calling a diamond tycoon "Daddy" in broad daylight. What's the story behind this?