Marrying a Warlord

Jiang Congyan is a woman who transmigrated into the body of the late Crown Prince Zhaowen’s granddaughter, the fifth princess of the Liang Dynasty. In her previous life, she died from heart disease, and upon waking in this new world, she finds herself inhabiting the frail, sickly body of Jiang Congyan, who had survived a near-fatal incident of falling into icy water at age seven. The real Jiang Congyan died in that accident, and the transmigrator now lives under the name of the Commandery Princess Shun’an. She spent eight years in Liangzhou with her maternal grandparents, the powerful Zhang family, before being summoned back to the capital Chang’an by her father, Prince Chu Jiang Huai. Her stepmother, the Princess Consort of Chu, and the imperial court view her return with suspicion, fearing that her marriage could strengthen the military influence of Liangzhou against the throne. Jiang Congyan is acutely aware of the historical trajectory of her era: the Liang Dynasty is in decline, and within four years, the "Chaos of the Northern Horsemen" will plunge the land into a century of bloodshed, starvation, and war.

During her journey back to the capital, Jiang Congyan’s convoy is attacked by Qiang bandits on the border. In the midst of the crisis, she displays unexpected calm and leadership, rallying her guards to fight. Their salvation comes from a mysterious Hu warrior named Tuoba Xiao, who rides in with a small contingent of Xianbei cavalry and annihilates the bandits with terrifying efficiency. Tuoba Xiao is the King of Mobei, a young and brilliant ruler who unified the steppe tribes in just three years. Though he speaks fluent Han Chinese and possesses a complex heritage, he is viewed with fear and disdain by the Liang court as a barbarian. He takes a keen interest in Jiang Congyan after their encounter, noting her composure and strength in the face of danger. Upon arriving in Chang’an, Tuoba Xiao announces his intention to marry a Liang princess to forge an alliance, but he rejects the initial candidates presented by the court, demanding to choose his own wife.

The political landscape in Chang’an is fraught with tension. The Emperor of Liang is paranoid about the military power of the Zhang family in Liangzhou and has long kept Jiang Huai, the Prince of Chu, under house arrest through psychological warfare. Jiang Huai has spent the last decade pretending to be a mad, drunken fool to survive, but Jiang Congyan sees through his act and confronts him. He reveals the tragic history behind his feigned madness: his wife, Jiang Congyan’s mother, was killed by imperial agents, and his young son died in the icy water incident, both orchestrated by the Emperor to eliminate potential rivals. Jiang Huai’s grief and rage have been suppressed for years, but his daughter’s existence gives him a new reason to live. Meanwhile, Jiang Congyan attempts to secure her own safety by arranging a nominal marriage with Huan Jun, a scholar who loves another woman, hoping to appear harmless to the Emperor. However, her plans are disrupted when she is forced to perform at a royal banquet.

At the banquet held at Tongling Garden, Jiang Congyan performs a sword dance for Tuoba Xiao. He recognizes her immediately as the woman from the border, and his gaze locks onto her with intense desire. Suddenly, assassins attack the gathering, targeting both the Emperor and Tuoba Xiao. During the chaos, Jiang Congyan kills an assassin who threatens the Sixth Princess, staining her white dress with blood. Tuoba Xiao rescues her from the fray, holding her tightly and declaring his intent to marry her. The Emperor, seeing an opportunity to remove a potential political threat by sending her far away to the northern steppes, quickly issues an imperial decree bestowing upon her the title of Princess You’an and ordering her marriage to the King of Mobei. Jiang Congyan accepts the decree, realizing that her fate is now inextricably linked to the man who conquered the steppe. She faces the prospect of leaving her homeland and entering a dangerous political alliance, while Tuoba Xiao prepares to take his chosen bride to the north, setting the stage for a union that will alter the course of history.