Offered as a Lucky Bride to the Mad Princess to Ward Off Misfortune - Chapter 1

1: “If only I had acted sooner… perhaps we could have…”

Yu Nanqing knew she was about to die.

She was born into the Duke’s household, a family whose ancestors had followed the founding emperor to conquer the realm, ensuring that their descendants could inherit official positions through privilege. But she was a woman, and the old rules of feminine virtue and morality destined her to have no share in such opportunities.

Yu Nanqing refused to accept fate. Using her mother’s family register, she disguised herself as a man. From the county-level exams to the provincial exams, she finally stood in the golden halls of the imperial palace in the 21st year of Zhaoyuan, personally appointed by the Emperor as the top scholar.

That year, she was only seventeen.

With her striking beauty and exceptional intellect, she became a protégé of the then most favored Prince Chen, tackling floods, opening border trade, and dedicating herself to the welfare of the nation. Even when her identity was exposed, the Emperor spared her from execution, setting a precedent in the Great Qi dynasty for a woman to stand in the imperial court. For a time, she was truly unrivaled in glory.

Yet later, it was this very special favor that plunged her into the abyss.

In the 25th year of Zhaoyuan, Prince Chen suffered a crushing defeat, and Yanmen Pass fell. Two hundred thousand troops retreated eight hundred miles, desperately defending the capital.

The once-bustling governor’s residence was now desolate. The spent lanterns on either side of the gate swayed in the wind, scattered like the road to the underworld.

Yu Nanqing, dressed in a blue robe, sat calmly in the center of the courtyard. One hand held a brush, while the other pressed down on a topographical map, recording something with quiet focus.

Her wide blue sleeves slipped slightly with her movements, revealing a slender, jade-like arm. Her half-tied hair cascaded down her back, yet it couldn’t conceal her grace. Amid the cold, silent courtyard, she stood out like a painting, exquisite and out of place.

Hearing footsteps, Yu Nanqing didn’t look up, continuing to write intently. The priceless glass cup beside her was long empty, its rim faintly frosted.

The city’s residents had long fled with the army, and even the beggars on the streets had found ways to survive. Who would come looking for her now?

The Yu family had already severed ties with her, and Prince Chen… She had publicly opposed Prince Chen’s plan to borrow troops from the Xiongnu and had blocked many others’ paths. Now that the tide had turned, she was nothing but a discarded pawn.

A small, broken twig snapped underfoot with a faint crack. The visitor took a seat beside her.

There was no avoiding it.

Yu Nanqing, looking weary, finally raised her head.

The visitor was dressed in black, slender in stature, his face concealed behind a silver mask—the rebel leader who had driven Prince Chen to abandon the city and flee.

Yu Nanqing had never been on the battlefield, but she had crossed strategies with this man many times in military tactics. Now that he had sought her out, she paused for a moment before setting down her brush and smiling. “Are you here to kill me?”

Xiao Qiling said nothing.

Yu Nanqing studied him for a long while. The silver mask was sharp and bold in its lines, his ink-black hair not tied up in its usual crown but secured instead with a translucent jade hairpin. As he drew closer, a faint scent of white sandalwood drifted over, entirely unlike the bloody aura she had imagined.

“Yu Nanqing,” he said, his voice deliberately low and cool. “Xiao Qijun has given you to me.”

Xiao Qijun—Prince Chen, Yu Nanqing’s former master.

Yu Nanqing wasn’t surprised. If Xiao Qijun had truly allowed her to live out her remaining days peacefully in this city, that would have been shocking. A mocking smile curled on her pale lips. “Instead of pressing your advantage, you come here looking for me? Is my life really that valuable?”

“I didn’t come to kill you.”

Xiao Qiling’s shadow enveloped her completely, his peach-blossom eyes behind the mask narrowing slightly. “I told you long ago—he couldn’t be relied upon.”

Yu Nanqing glanced down at the corner of her blue robe pinned beneath his hand, her fingers tightening around the paper and inkstone. They were so close she could feel the cold emanating from the mask.

“If he couldn’t be relied upon, does that mean you can?”

Yu Nanqing leaned closer to Xiao Qiling, her shimmering gaze shifting subtly, a strange, bewitching smile playing on her lips. “Since you’ve come here, why pretend to be noble? Or… do you not want me?”

The moment the words left her mouth, his hand clamped around her jaw, stopping her from coming any closer.

Yu Nanqing was startled by the sudden movement, coughing violently until two drops of bl00d splattered onto the map, blooming like crimson plum blossoms.

She seemed long accustomed to this, wiping her lips carelessly with her fingers.

When she looked up again, a silk handkerchief was held before her, its delicate embroidery paired with a subtle, elegant fragrance—clearly a woman’s personal item.

Yu Nanqing stared at the handkerchief, momentarily lost in thought. Did this rebel leader already have a beloved in his household? If she were taken away, would she become a concubine?

Xiao Qijun had once offered her the position of a secondary consort, and she hadn’t wavered. How pitiful her circumstances were now.

Xiao Qiling didn’t answer her question, his gaze shifting to the bloodstained map, his eyes darkening. “Is this… the battle plan for Yanmen Pass?”

The courtyard fell silent for a long moment, the moonlight illuminating the paper and inkstone.

Yu Nanqing tilted her head, resting one hand on the map, her wide sleeve obscuring the writing. She looked up with an innocent expression. “Yanmen Pass has already fallen. What battle plan could there be?”

Xiao Qiling’s eyes flickered over her faintly curved lips before he lowered his voice. “If you had a strategy, why didn’t you use it during the battle? With this deployment, the fight could have dragged on much longer.”

Yu Nanqing poked idly at the inkstone, replying offhandedly, “Whether the battle ends quickly or slowly, you’d still win. Why waste more lives and resources?”

Xiao Qiling clearly didn’t believe her excuse, his gaze icy. “Xiao Qijun didn’t trust you?”

Yu Nanqing burst into laughter, her mirth growing louder and more absurd in the desolate courtyard.

Xiao Qijun had colluded with the Xiongnu and didn’t want to expend too much of his forces, hence his reluctance to fight to the death. But she hadn’t expected the rebel leader to guess their discord so quickly.

Yu Nanqing didn’t explain further. Gently brushing aside Xiao Qiling’s hand, her laughter faded as she murmured, “Old Lady Sun’s son at the street corner never came back. Do you know how many families were torn apart in this war?”

Without waiting for Xiao Qiling’s response, she continued as if consoling herself, “The moment the city fell, I began repenting. Do you think… when I stand before the King of Hell, he might lessen my sins a little?”

Xiao Qiling’s gaze followed hers to the glass cup. He snatched it up before she could, bringing it to his nose for a sniff.

A moment later, his expression changed drastically. “Yu Nanqing!”

The corners of Yu Nanqing’s lips still bore traces of bl00d, vivid and eerie like a demon’s. Startled by his furious tone, she shrank back slightly.

So fierce.

Yu Nanqing wondered if this rebel leader truly hated her for the battles she had won against him.

Was her suicide not enough? Did he have to kill her with his own hands?

But she understood. Obediently, she said, “I still have a few words left. Let me finish before you act. Don’t worry—I won’t die before you’re done.”

“Xiao Qijun borrowed troops and horses from the Xiongnu, offering fourteen cities of Jiayu as collateral. The Xiongnu are ambitious. If he wins, the people of Great Qi will suffer… cough, cough…”

Xiao Qiling stood abruptly, his face dark as he called to his trusted subordinate outside, “Summon the military physician.”

Yu Nanqing reached out, her cold fingers wrapping around Xiao Qiling’s pinky. Her once-fading eyes suddenly sharpened with clarity. “Xiao Qijun gave me to you. I can’t let you lose out on the deal.”

Xiao Qiling frowned. “What do you mean?”

Yu Nanqing’s tone was playful, but her voice was soft as water. “The capital’s grain reserves, military supplies, defense plans… Do you want them?”

Xiao Qiling grabbed her wrist, his deep, unfathomable eyes locking onto hers. “Must you talk about these things?”

Her voice was no longer as low as before—clear and cool, like jade on a stranger’s path. Yu Nanqing wondered if the poison was making her hallucinate.

“If I don’t say it now, it’ll be too late.” She could feel her strength draining rapidly, the poison searing through her organs with agonizing pain.

With her last bit of energy, Yu Nanqing shoved a thick envelope hidden beneath the map into Xiao Qiling’s hand, her eyes dimming. “You said Xiao Qijun couldn’t be relied upon. I’m giving you all of this. You won’t disappoint me, will you?”

The moment the envelope was taken, Yu Nanqing collapsed like a broken kite, no longer able to cling to the stone table. Her disheveled hair cascaded like flowing water, fresh bl00d tracing a crimson line down her lips, her face ghastly pale.

As her consciousness faded, she fell—only to be caught at the last second by a cool embrace that shielded her from the biting wind.

The mask tilted slightly, revealing a delicate, snow-white jawline, as if painted by a master’s brush, his ink-black hair spilling loose around them.

Wrapped in the scent of sandalwood, Yu Nanqing watched the last rays of sunset fade from the horizon, as if heralding the end of a dynasty. By tomorrow’s sunrise, a new era would dawn.

But she wouldn’t see it.

Her frail body slowly lost its vitality. As her senses faded, she whispered one last phrase:

“If I had met you sooner… perhaps we…”

Xiao Qiling’s voice trembled. “Perhaps we what?”

Yu Nanqing closed her eyes, offering no answer.

The courtyard fell silent as snow began to fall, swirling in the desolate moonlight like a mournful elegy for the battle of Yanmen Pass.

……

……

“Doctor, please, I beg you—save my lady! It’s been two days and nights, and she still hasn’t woken up. If this fever doesn’t break soon, how will she survive?”

“I must inform the master. If anything happens to the young lady, those from Qiushui Pavilion won’t get away with it!”

“Miss, the medicine won’t go down. This old man is powerless. You must find another physician.”

“No, please—try again, just one more time…”

……

So noisy.

Waking from the suffocating grip of near-death, Yu Nanqing’s ears buzzed with fragmented voices, punctuated by sobbing. Her head throbbed violently.

Perhaps the fever was too severe—she couldn’t distinguish dream from reality. Gritting her teeth, she murmured, “Stop… the noise…”

The sound of a cup clattering to the floor echoed, followed by someone bumping into her bed. A shrill cry erupted: “Doctor! My lady is awake!”

The next moment, Yu Nanqing felt herself being propped up as a bitter, sour medicine was forced down her throat.

“It’s just a fever from falling into the water. Now that she’s awake, administer the medicine on time, and she’ll recover in a few days.”

Yu Nanqing listened hazily, thinking, What quack is this? The poison she had taken was incurable—what could a few bowls of medicine do?

But whether it was the medicine or not, she soon regained some strength and managed to open her eyes.

The sight before her was achingly familiar: lavish bed curtains adorned with gold and jade tassels. When she recognized the maid weeping by her bedside, she froze.

“…Chenxiang?”

The maid, Chenxiang, clutched the bed sheets, tears streaming. “My lady, you’ve been unconscious for two days and nights with a high fever. The doctors couldn’t do anything. If something happened to you, how could I face your mother in the afterlife?”

“Enough. The young lady just woke up—don’t disturb her. Go prepare the other doses of medicine, and don’t let anyone else handle them.”

An older woman entered with a basin of hot water. Yu Nanqing turned her head, stunned. “Nanny Ji?”

Nanny Ji responded warmly, dabbing Yu Nanqing’s forehead with a damp cloth. “How do you feel? Still unwell?”

Yu Nanqing, freshly awakened, stared at the two who had long passed away in her memories. Piece by piece, her recollections fell into place.

After a moment, she took a deep breath, her dazed eyes finally focusing. She looked at Nanny Ji again, forcing herself to stay calm despite her shock.

“Nanny, what’s the date today?”

“Today is the eighth day of the second month. You’ve had a fever for two days and nights. The doctor said if you didn’t wake up soon, it’d be dire. Thank goodness… It must be your mother’s protection from heaven.”

The eighth day of the second month.

In the 21st year of Zhaoyuan, on the sixth day of the second month, the Duke’s household had received an imperial decree betrothing Yu Nanqing to the deposed crown prince, Xiao Qiling. To emphasize the family’s favor, the eunuch announcing the decree had done so publicly in the gardens.

Yu Nanqing had already passed the county and provincial-level imperial exams. If she succeeded in the spring metropolitan exams the following month, she could finally escape the confines of the inner chambers. Naturally, she had no desire to accept this arranged marriage. Fearing her defiance, the rest of the Duke’s household had pushed her into the water while she hesitated, leading to the scene upon her awakening.

Yu Nanqing had returned to four years ago.

The past life—all of it—had been nothing but a fleeting dream.

She had been reborn.