Becoming the Crown Princess by Strength - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The emperor and I grew up together, childhood sweethearts in the sense that we had been suspicious of each other since childhood.

He feared my family would rebel. I feared he would raid our estate and execute us all.

My father was the Great General, my brother was the Young General, and my sister was the Lady General.

Originally, I’d had a chance to become a Lady General too. Unfortunately, when I was little, I lost a round of rock-paper-scissors, so I could only stay at home and wait to enter the palace.

Father said I was an important chess piece. In the future, I could send messages back to the family from inside the palace. That way, if the emperor ever decided to move against us, I could warn them ahead of time so they could flee.

I asked, “What about me? I’ll still be in the palace. If all of you run, what happens to me?”

Father hemmed and hawed before saying, “You have to fight for favor. You have to make the emperor dote on you. That way, he won’t be willing to kill you.”

I understood. Basically, they were abandoning me.

Sigh. Lose one round of rock-paper-scissors, lose a whole lifetime. Ever since the year I played scissors, I had been like duckweed adrift, lonely and helpless, my fate tied to one person alone.

When I was seven, I met that person.

At the time, I was wandering around the street when a carriage came barreling down the middle of the road, charging wildly ahead. It startled pedestrians, swept goods off vendors’ stalls, and showed no sign of stopping.

I thought, The horse must have gone mad. I have to protect everyone on this street!

So I pried up a bluestone paving slab and hurled it at the horse. In an instant, headshot. The carriage flipped onto its side.

Several guards rushed out from all directions to seize me. Though I was born with divine strength, two fists were no match for four hands, and I was pinned down by the roadside.

A blade was pressed to my neck when a child’s voice from inside the carriage called for them to stop. “Since she is only a child, she should be given a chance to mend her ways. Bring her back for questioning.”

“Your Highness is merciful, but jianghu assassins have all manner of tricks these days. Most likely, she used some secret art to disguise herself as a child,” a guard replied.

I burst into aggrieved tears. “Waaah, I really am a child! Don’t kill me! Go find my father! His name is An Qiang, and he lives in the second house on Wutong Street. Turn left from here…”

The air went quiet for a moment. Then the person inside forced himself to remain calm and said, “Let her in.”

I was escorted into the carriage and met him.

He was a boy dressed in rich, elegant clothes, about the same age as me. His face looked as delicate as carved jade, though he was trying hard to keep it stern. His bright black eyes blinked again and again, still betraying his unease.

Even though the carriage was lying on its side, he was still sitting steadily on a little stool on the floor. The window that had originally been on the side now opened above his head, letting in a beam of light. The dragon patterns subtly embroidered on his white robes with gold trim appeared and vanished in the glow, lending him a faint air of divinity.

He spoke, his childish voice carrying a practiced maturity. He balanced distance and gentleness just right as he said, “You are An Ning?”

“That’s my older sister,” I replied.

“Then you are An Fu.” Having confirmed my identity, he let out a breath and ordered the people around him, “Untie her at once. You have frightened Miss An. The Great General is loyal and devoted. How could his child possibly attempt an assassination? This must have been an accident…”

I cried out, wronged, “I never have accidents. My aim is very accurate.”

His face twitched. With a strained smile, he said, “Then there must be some misunderstanding…”

I said, puzzled, “There’s no misunderstanding. I was aiming for your horse.”

His whole body stiffened. I patted his knee to comfort him. “You must have been scared. Your horse went crazy and ran wild. Luckily, I stopped it. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Only then did his expression relax, though a little resentment rose in it. “This palace had urgent business… Forget it. This must have been this palace’s fault. Thank you, Miss An, for coming to my rescue.”

“You’re welcome.” I accepted his thanks generously. “Since you keep calling yourself ‘this palace,’ which palace are you from?”

He sat up straight, a trace of pride showing through his reserve. “The Eastern Palace.”

“Oh!” I couldn’t help opening my mouth wide and looking him up and down several times. “So you’re the Crown Prince. My future husband.”

The Crown Prince froze, staring at me in disbelief. “I… This palace is to marry you?”

“My father said that once I grow up, he’ll send me into the palace to be your consort.” I touched his clothes again. The fabric felt fine and soft, and the dragon embroidered on it looked so lifelike. I picked at the dragon’s eye.

His face went pale, his expression grave. “The general truly intends this…”

I nodded. “Once I come of age, I can join the palace selection. I’ll aim to rise to Beauty within half a year, Imperial Lady within three years, and Consort within five. Becoming empress depends more on luck, so I won’t force it.”

His small body swayed, his expression turning panicked. “The general has actually planned it out so meticulously…”

“The prerequisite is that you have to wait for me. Don’t die early.” I patted his shoulder. With every pat, he wobbled a little. It seemed his health really wasn’t very good, and I grew a bit worried.

He avoided my hand and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes in despair. “Then I will… be waiting…”