Chapter 1 The Beginning of Chaos, Starting with the Death of an Emperor

Chapter 1: The Dawn of Chaos, Ushered In by an Emperor's Demise

My head aches...

It's killing me!

The throbbing pain jolted her half-awake from a hazy dream.

The sounds around her seemed distorted, flooding her ears all at once.

She tried to raise her hands to cover her ears, to quell the pounding headache, but her arms were held fast, preventing her from lifting them.

Then, her scalp was yanked twice, as if someone meant to rip out her hair.

"Ah—" She couldn't help but cry out in pain.

But her cry brought no hesitation or mercy from her captors.

As a suffocating tightness constricted her waist, someone pulled harshly at the silk sash, cinching it tighter.

She strained to discern the voices around her.

All she could hear were increasingly urgent shouts: "Crown Princess! Crown Princess—"

"Ah!"

Wang Shenai finally awoke completely.

...

The flickering candlelight cast dancing, claw-like shadows on the palace walls, looming as if to swallow her whole.

Before her, palace maids adjusted her layered skirts and tightened the sash around her waist, pulling harder to accentuate her slender figure and the flowing drape of her robes.

Her elaborate updo was already meticulously styled, needing only final touches.

Another maid stood nearby, holding a gold-inlaid turquoise hairpin crown, its jewels glinting under the candlelight.

Yet another approached, a sapphire-blue outer robe draped over her arms.

Wang Shenai held her breath.

The faces before her were painted ghostly white, moving in and out of her still-bleary vision, making her feel as though she were still trapped in a dream.

But this sudden clarity made her realize—what she'd seen before closing her eyes was no illusion. No matter how hard she tried to fall back asleep, she wouldn't return to her original world.

Opening her eyes, she was still in this unfamiliar place, confirming a terrifying truth—

She... she had truly traveled through time, now in the body of a girl who shared her name.

But this Wang Shenai was only thirteen years old and already held an exalted status.

"Crown Princess, were you having a nightmare?"

A pair of lips rouged with "Little Red Spring" moved close to her face.

Only now did Wang Shenai manage to pull her hands free from the maids, massaging her pounding temples.

She took a silent, deep breath before speaking as calmly as possible, "It's nothing. Just a bad dream. Today..."

She glanced toward the half-open window and hissed softly, "Why so early?"

From "Wang Shenai's" memories, she knew it was currently September.

In Jiankang, even in late autumn, the weather remained pleasant. As the Crown Princess, she usually paid her respects to the elders after daybreak—never in such pitch darkness.

Inside the palace, lanterns glowed; outside, torches and wind-lanterns moved swiftly, their light visible through the palace walls. Yet the night sky remained stubbornly dark, untouched by their glow.

This was no hour to be awake.

The maid in the direction Wang Shenai looked trembled, her mouth quivering. "Outside—something has happened outside."

Wang Shenai glanced down at the meticulously tied sash and found it utterly absurd.

What kind of emergency would have one dress so meticulously?

But as she was led out of the hall and saw the other concubines and palace maids rushing about, she realized this was no exception.

The silver pillars and golden beams of the palace shimmered under the candlelight, reflecting off the jewels and silks adorning the women. No panic showed—only lavish display.

Wang Shenai was hit with another jolt of reality.

This was no longer the 21st century she had come from. This was the Eastern Jin Dynasty!

A poorly documented dynasty, yet one that valued poise even when fleeing a fire.

No wonder, even after being told "something has happened," the maids still managed to dress and adorn her so meticulously after dragging her from bed.

Yet even as Wang Shenai hurried out, bracing for rebellion, coup, or the constant threat of "anyone can become emperor," she never expected to look up at the still-dark sky and see—

The stars and moon had dimmed, leaving only a blue-black void.

But the sky was not empty.

Between the black tiles and golden eaves, the clouds swirled unnaturally, gathering with impossible speed. The closer they drew, the more they bleached white, forming a massive rectangular shape.

To Wang Shenai, someone from modern times, it was unmistakably a screen.

But to the people of this era, the court astronomers could only stare in terror at the celestial phenomenon, frantically seeking explanations.

Even more astonishing—the glowing white rectangle in the sky seemed to drink all light before suddenly brightening.

Wang Shenai’s eyes widened.

Because what she saw was clearly the layout of a video platform she had used in her past life, though slightly different. And in the center of the screen stood a figure, face hidden by an effect.

The moment the figure appeared, the sound of knees striking stone echoed around her as people prostrated themselves, as before a god.

In the stunned hush, one voice stood out.

"Fascinating!" A boy of fifteen or sixteen, all sleepiness vanished, applauded excitedly at the figure in the sky.

Had the maids not been petrified, no one would doubt he’d demand a ladder to get a closer look.

Unlike the others, properly attired, he was an oddity—still draped in a winter cloak.

Yet he saw nothing amiss, his eyes wide with wonder at the spectacle above.

The palace maid attending to him was on the verge of tears, "...Crown Prince!"

Stop this nonsense...

If they offended the gods, even the Crown Prince wouldn't escape unscathed, let alone this boy named Sima Dezong, an idiot who couldn't tell summer from winter!

If not for the fact that he was the firstborn imperial prince, and given the precedent of a mentally deficient firstborn imperial prince ascending the throne before him, the position of Crown Prince would never have fallen to him.

"Crown Prince!" someone else whispered urgently, trying to remind him.

Sima Dezong remained oblivious.

At that very moment, the figure on the heavenly screen spoke, completely drowning out the palace maid's voice and capturing his full attention, while also making others temporarily forget to admonish the Crown Prince for his impropriety.

"Hello, fellow Youzhan buddies! The viewership numbers for recent historical recap videos have been low, so forgive me for riding the trend and revisiting past topics. Today, let’s revisit Emperor Yong'an, who ended the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

"Since I’ve admitted upfront that I’m chasing trends, no scolding allowed! If there are any inaccuracies in this video, feel free to point them out in the comments or bullet comments."

"What... what is this?!" A startled cry rose from the crowd before someone swiftly clamped a hand over the speaker's mouth.

When the heavenly being on the screen spoke, who dared interrupt?

They couldn’t even fully comprehend some of the words spoken, nor did they understand terms like "historical viewership numbers," "chasing trends," or who this "Emperor Yong'an" was.

All they could do was watch as unfamiliar characters scrolled across the screen, with only the heavenly being’s words translated into a dialect they could understand.

Listen—just keep listening.

The words of the gods must have divine reasoning. Even if it sounded like a storyteller at first, it was a celestial storyteller.

The voice from the screen continued:

"There are many videos recapping Emperor Yong'an, but most start from the point where he 'manipulated the emperor to command the ministers.' I’m different—to extend the duration, I’ll push the timeline further back to show just how remarkable it was for Emperor Yong'an to rise above such circumstances."

"Without further ado, let’s get to the point. This video divides Emperor Yong'an’s life into four stages. The first stage is called—The Dawn Approaches."

The figure on the screen suddenly vanished.

In its place appeared four enlarged golden characters against a black background.

Presumably, the words "The Dawn Approaches."

A gasp rose from the crowd.

After the four characters, the scene didn’t cut back to the "storyteller" but instead shifted to an aerial view.

Below towering pavilions and Buddhist temples, densely packed houses of Jiangnan nestled within riverside city walls, their shadows interlacing under rolling clouds and the rising and setting sun and moon.

This was—

"Jiankang City!"

This was their Jiankang City.

Only a perspective like that of an immortal or a bird could capture the entire city in such a sweeping view.

By the time the voice on the screen resumed, the gathered palace attendants had fallen back into silence.

"The Dawn Approaches—that is, before Emperor Yong'an stepped onto the stage as a political figure—was a pivotal moment of imperial transition and change."

"Some say the death of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin and the ascension of his son—an idiot who couldn’t tell summer from winter—marked the beginning of chaos. Others argue it was the very opportunity that allowed a wise ruler to emerge from turmoil. It was precisely because of this peculiar emperor that Emperor Yong'an was accused for over a decade of 'manipulating the emperor to command the ministers.'"

"But regardless, for over a thousand years, none have failed to praise Emperor Yong'an for his discerning eye for talent, his military prowess, his unification of the north and south, his policies of rest and recuperation for the people, and ultimately, the Yong'an Prosperous Era."

"Setting aside all that came later, let’s return to the time of Emperor Xiaowu’s death and examine the political landscape then."

"History books strictly record this day."

A line of text appeared on the screen, like drifting clouds hovering over Jiankang City, accompanied by the "storyteller’s" voice—

"The Gengshen day of the ninth month of the 21st year of the Taiyuan era."

Wang Shenai’s eyes widened in shock once more.

The Gengshen day of the ninth month of the 21st year of the Taiyuan era?

She had the memories of the original "Wang Shenai." Though not fully digested, they were enough for her to realize that the date displayed on the screen was none other than today!

Not just her—even the palace attendants, who had managed to stay silent under the divine display, couldn’t suppress another gasp.

The term "Emperor Xiaowu" was clearly a temple name, making it unclear who it referred to. But the reign title "Taiyuan," especially the specific date, was all too familiar to them.

That was their current reign title, the current date!

Immediately, some palace attendants trembled as they stared at the screen, their eyes filled not just with awe but sheer terror.

The heavenly voice on the screen claimed that Emperor Xiaowu—the current emperor—would die today, passing the throne to the idiot Crown Prince, followed by a capable "Emperor Yong'an" who would manipulate the emperor and command the ministers for over a decade before ultimately ruling the realm. Did that mean today was the beginning of upheaval?

"Where is His Majesty?"

A clear voice suddenly shattered the tense silence.

The palace attendants turned to see the Crown Princess, her youthful face struggling to suppress panic, biting her lower lip as she spoke.

Right—they needed to find His Majesty!

Even if today was the death date foretold by the celestial being, as long as they hadn’t seen him yet, there might still be hope to avert this fate.

For the palace attendants present, the so-called "Emperor Yong'an" who would unify the land was still a distant figure, irrelevant to them. As attendants of "Emperor Xiaowu," their fates were already bound to the Eastern Jin dynasty.

This was the matter of life and death at hand!

A trembling voice rose from the crowd: "His Majesty was with... Noble Lady Zhang today."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Quick! To Noble Lady Zhang’s chambers!"

In the rush, no one had time to wonder why everyone else had been assembled outside while His Majesty, who was with Noble Lady Zhang, remained unseen. Finding him—the emperor—was the priority.

As Wang Shenai bowed her head, desperately sorting through the memories of her namesake, the heavenly screen above continued its historical account.

"Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin had a very modest harem—perhaps because the turbulent period afforded little space for detailed records. Only three high-status consorts are recorded."

"The first was Empress Xiaowu the Virtuous, Wang Fahui, who died prematurely at 21. Her family name alone indicates her noble lineage from the Jinyang Wang clan, which secured her position as empress after Emperor Xiaowu ascended the throne. She simply died too young."

"The second was Imperial Concubine Chen Guinv. She bore the emperor two sons—the firstborn, Sima Dezong, and the second, Sima Dewen—earning her position as one of the Nine Imperial Concubines despite her background in the music bureau. Sadly, though both her sons would become emperors, she never lived to see it, as she died when her second son was just four. She was only granted posthumous honors."

"The last was the Noble Lady Zhang."

"According to historical records, Noble Lady Zhang was bewitchingly beautiful and peerless in charm. After Chen Guinv's death from illness, she became the apple of Si Mayao’s eye, rising rapidly and enjoying his favor for a full decade..."

...

The crowd had gathered outside Noble Lady Zhang's private chambers.

This bedchamber alone was enough to prove what the heavenly narration had described as "Emperor Si Mayao's favorite."

Compared to other palace quarters, this hall was crafted with refined elegance. The pillars before the main hall were even supported by Buddhist golden lotuses, a favorite motif of the devout Buddhist emperor Si Mayao.

Yet the guards dared not make a sound, standing silently outside the palace, afraid to disturb His Majesty's leisurely pursuits, rendering the place unnervingly silent.

Not a single light burned inside the chamber, as if no one was within—a stark contrast to the voice emanating from the heavenly narration above.

"Why are you just standing there? Confirm His Majesty's safety first!"

"If Noble Lady Zhang doesn’t respond, and His Majesty doesn’t answer, then batter the door down!"

Wang Shenai’s eyes narrowed sharply as she turned toward the speaker. The man had a broad face, thick eyebrows, and a straight nose, bearing some resemblance to the foolish Crown Prince Sima Dezong, yet his air of authority set him worlds apart.

Standing there, he immediately took charge.

A few among the palace servants cast thoughtful glances his way, but the urgency of the moment left no room for hesitation—they could only follow his orders.

Meanwhile, fragments of attention remained fixed on the heavenly narration’s ongoing narration.

"...The records above are enough to illustrate just how favored Noble Lady Zhang was by Si Mayao. Yet, their bond proved tragically fragile against the test of time. For someone who relied on beauty to secure favor, time became her fiercest enemy."

"Ten years had passed, and she was growing older—"

A series of deafening crashes shook the sturdy palace doors violently, and in the next moment, under the full force of the impact, they collapsed inward.

The imposing man in court official robes marched in with thunderous footsteps.

The palace servants, crowding behind the Crown Prince and Crown Prince’s consort, also entered the bedchamber.

The candlelight met only silence, illuminating only the scene upon the ornate bed.

"Ah!" The nearest palace maid let out a shrill scream, dropping her lantern in shock.

The flames raged free from their paper prison, igniting the fallen gauze curtains like a sudden torch, casting stark light on the gruesome tableau.

Thick black hair framed a bewitching yet corpse-pale face, her beauty still striking even in the firelight, though the emptiness in her eyes did nothing to diminish her allure.

This was none other than Noble Lady Zhang, Si Mayao’s beloved consort.

The gods had clearly lavished gifts upon this beauty—or, in Wang Shenai’s eyes, Noble Lady Zhang appeared no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, far from the "withered beauty" described, exuding instead the allure of a mature woman.

But before this beauty lay a corpse, lending her firelit face a macabre glow.

A corpse indeed!

She slowly released her grip, letting the bedding she had clutched slip to the floor, sliding toward the growing flames, revealing beneath it the lifeless, ashen face of Si Mayao.

She seemed unaware of the heavenly narration, deaf to all other sounds, staring only at the stunned crowd before her before suddenly bursting into hysterical, unhinged laughter.

"His Majesty said I was old—ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"He wanted to replace me, to promote a younger rival. So I had no choice... but to ensure he could never make that choice."

Her gaze fixed feverishly on the dancing flames, she laughed again. "Tell me, did I do the right thing?"

To prevent the emperor from discarding her for her fading beauty, she had struck first, suffocating him beneath the bedclothes—was that the right thing to do?

...

Wang Shenai had no answer.

Only the voice from the heavenly narration drifted faintly from outside the hall.

[The historical records preserve this account: At the time, Noble Lady Zhang was favored, approaching thirty. The emperor jested, "You are getting old and should be dismissed." The noble lady secretly fumed. That evening, the emperor drank heavily and suddenly died.]

"To put it simply, Emperor Xiaowu Si Mayao’s life ended at the hands of his own favored consort."

"The descent into true chaos—and Emperor Yong'an’s rise—began at this very moment."