[ Year 805 AD ]
This year, the Jade City of Arghon eagerly anticipated a new heir to the throne. Emperor Wang Long and Empress Yun Li Xian were expecting their first child together after several years of waiting. Though Wang Long already had two older sons with his concubines—one four years old, the other two—he had pointedly withheld the title of Crown Prince from both. Rumors rippled through the court that the Emperor was holding the title specifically for the Empress's unborn child.
It was no secret that the Emperor deeply favored his Empress. She hailed from the continent's noblest lineage and was universally beloved for her gentle manners and kind heart.
Her family, the Yun Clan, was renowned for their legendary bravery. Currently, the Yun held more raw influence than even the imperial house itself; with one daughter ruling as the Queen of the wealthiest kingdom and the other reigning as the Empress of the continent, no one dared challenge them. They were a spectacularly promising clan.
Today marked yet another milestone for the Yun family. The entire imperial palace was a hive of frantic activity. The Emperor and his ministers gathered outside the imperial delivery chambers, waiting in tense anticipation to welcome the new child while the Empress's labor cries echoed through the halls.
Among those waiting in the biting cold was Queen Yun Ni Xiua of the North, the older sister of Empress Li Xian.
In stark contrast to her sister, Queen Ni Xiua was notorious across the continent for her unforgiving nature and fierce jealousy. Born into the wealthiest kingdom and groomed from birth to rule the North, she refused to let anyone take what was hers, always putting her clan's dominance first. Ni Xiua had married Feng Su Cao, leader of the Weiyou Tribe. His people controlled the vital Trading Route—a wealthy, influential buffer separating the Arghon Empire from the rival Ruyu Empire.
A sudden gust of freezing wind swept through the courtyard just as the royal maternity physician emerged from the palace, shouting to the waiting crowd:
"The New Prince of Arghon is born!"
Queen Ni Xiua immediately bowed to congratulate the Emperor. "Emperor Long, I offer my deepest congratulations on the birth of another prince!"
As the ministers watched, the Emperor smiled in genuine gratitude. "You have my thanks for comforting Her Majesty during her long labor, Queen Ni Xiua. I shall not forget your loyalty."
Ni Xiua had stayed at the capital for a month to support her sister. Now that her own political seeds were planted, it was time to return to the North. She excused herself and walked back to the royal court.
On her way, she pulled aside her trusted cousin, the Second State Councilor Yun—a man she had personally placed in power when Li Xian became Empress.
"Ensure the Empress receives full credit for bearing this prince," Ni Xiua whispered sharply. "And ensure her son inherits the throne. No one deserves the crown more than the Yun Clan."
An hour later, officials from every corner of the empire swarmed the grand hall to welcome the prince and witness his fortune-reading. In Arghon, fortune-telling was a sacred imperial tradition; as rulers mandated by heaven, the alignment of a royal child's stars was vital information for the realm.
"Prince Wang Tae Hua was safely delivered on this 30th day of the 12th month, in the year 805 AD," the announcer heralded.
The crowd fell silent as the High Prophet of Philosophy stepped forward to speak.
"His Highness will bring unparalleled fortune to the empire, provided he survives three great blockages along his path. The first is a severe disease that will bring him to the brink of death. If he overcomes these trials, further prophecies will unfold until he reaches his prime. He is destined to become one of the most legendary figures in the history of the Wang Clan."
[ Year 807 AD ]
Two years later, during the coldest month of 807 AD, the prophecy struck.
The third prince, and the only child of Empress Li Xian, fell gravely ill. A violent fever shook the young prince, plunging the entire empire into a state of panic. After nine grueling months of battling the sickness, the dark nature of the first blockage was finally revealed.
Summoned to the throne room, the High Prophet declared grimly, "Someone has tangled the strings of his fate. His life-force is now shared with another. From this moment on, they will fight a silent war just to survive. Only one may live; the other must sacrifice their destiny."
Before the imperial family could process this harrowing news, the prophet delivered a second, even more terrifying omen:
"The Empire shall fall and succumb to foreign imperial rule the moment the NEXT Emperor lets his guard down."
Though the young prince barely managed to survive, the terrifying prophecy changed everything. In response to the looming threat, the Empire issued a decree: every child, upon turning seven years old, would be forced into strict military training and education to defend the crown.
[ The Northern Kingdom of Arghon ]
In the 11th month of that same year, 807 AD, a crisis brewed in the North.
Royal Consort Gao gave birth to a daughter, the Second Princess of the North. She was born in the exact same year as Queen Ni Xiua's own daughter, the First Princess. Queen Ni Xiua was furious; she had been entirely unaware that Consort Gao was pregnant so soon after her own delivery.
This birth fractured the Northern Kingdom. As the two princesses grew, the court struggled to divide its favors, for both girls possessed extraordinary beauty and talent.
The Second Princess was named Feng Xie'en. By the age of three, she captivated the royal house with her stark intelligence and her uncanny ability to read fluidly.
Fearing that the brilliant Second Princess would overshadow her own daughter, Queen Ni Xiua weaponized a series of unfortunate events and spreading rumors to eliminate the threat.
An investigation was launched into Consort Gao's past. Rumors spread like wildfire that she was actually a refugee from the rival Ruyu Empire who had hidden within the Weiyou Tribe before King Feng Su Cao took her as a consort.
Claiming that Consort Gao's mysterious origins posed a threat to national security, Queen Ni Xiua forged a royal decree. Just days before her fifth birthday, the young Princess Xie'en was stripped of her title and exiled to the brutal Northern Border, while her mother, Consort Gao, was publicly executed.
The brutality of the event ignited massive controversy, especially when King Su Cao chose to abandon his own independent tribe and betray his clan just to appease his ruthless Queen and protect his position in the North.
In retaliation for this betrayal, the wealthy Weiyou Tribe completely closed the vital trading route between the Ruyu and Arghon Empires. This shattered centuries of peace. The Weiyou route was the single thread maintaining diplomacy between the two superpowers, and its closure was a functional declaration of war.
As the gateway to the continent, the Northern Kingdom held Arghon's largest military fleet, vast plains for mobilization, and the bulk of the empire's wealth. The entire defense of Arghon rested on the North.
With history blurring and a dark prophecy looming over the throne, the empire now desperately needed a flawless foundation to survive the coming storm.