My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Holding her daughter, Consort De sobbed.

"Zhaoyang...His Majesty has decreed...that you...must be married...to the Khan of the grasslands..."

Upon hearing this, the paintbrush slipped from Zhaoyang's hand and fell to the ground with a thud.

She blinked, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"The grassland? Is it the grassland Mother mentioned? The very big one?"

Consort De was in tears and did not answer.

"Is the Khan... the king of the steppes?"

Consort De hugged her daughter even tighter, and finally could not hold back any longer, bursting into tears.

The cries were shrill and desperate, like a mother beast driven to the brink of despair, uttering a heart-wrenching wail in its final corner.

"Zhaoyang, you're only fourteen years old, only fourteen!"

Princess Zhaoyang's eyes reddened slightly; she understood.

She knew the grasslands were far away, so far that she might never be able to return.

She knew the wind was strong, the snow was cold, and the people were fierce; it was completely different from the imperial city where she had lived for fourteen years.

She was going to a strange place to marry a strange old man and spend the rest of her life in unfamiliar wind and snow.

They might not even have the rest of their lives.

Princess Zhaoyang shed tears.

At first, she just shed silent tears, which slid down her fair cheeks, one drop at a time, and landed on Consort De's shoulder.

Her lips began to tremble, and her small shoulders began to quiver.

"Wow……"

She threw herself into Consort De's arms and burst into tears.

That was the instinctive crying of a fourteen-year-old child.

There was no pretense, no restraint.

She cried her heart out, gasping for breath.

"Mother... Mother, I don't want to go to the grasslands, I don't want to get married, I want to stay in the capital, I want to stay by your side."

She cried until her voice became hoarse.

"Why doesn't Father want me anymore? Is there something I did wrong? I'll practice calligraphy and play the zither diligently from now on. I'll never be lazy again. Please, Father, don't send me away..."

Consort De was heartbroken. Holding her daughter, she cried so hard she couldn't speak.

All she could do was stroke her daughter's hair and kiss her forehead repeatedly, murmuring softly.

"It's not your fault...it's not your fault...it's your mother who's useless...it's your mother who couldn't protect you..."

The mother and daughter embraced, their cries echoing through the deep palace, so heart-wrenching that all who heard them wept.

The palace maids and eunuchs around them all had tears in their eyes, and some of them had already covered their mouths and cried.

They all watched Princess Zhaoyang grow up.

Why was that cheerful, playful little girl who loved to draw snow sent to that man-eating grassland?

After crying for an unknown amount of time, Princess Zhaoyang's sobs gradually subsided, turning into intermittent sobs.

Her eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying, her nose was red, and her face was covered in tear stains.

Consort De looked distressed and helpless.

She had pleaded with the emperor many times, but to no avail.

The emperor was so annoyed by her that he stopped seeing her altogether.

"Your mother would never let you go into a den of dragons and tigers and fall into a living hell."

Consort De's eyes were resolute; she was determined to do everything in her power to protect her daughter.

At the same time, inside the Kang Prince's residence, the Kang Prince summoned all his forces and gathered them together.

"Gentlemen, Father wants to send my younger sister to the grasslands for a marriage alliance. The grassland people are wolves in sheep's clothing; how can they stop invading Great Yan just because of a princess?"

"I only have this one sister, and I absolutely cannot watch her walk into the lion's den. I am preparing to rescue her."

King Kang's words were astonishing; if they were to spread, they would surely cause a huge uproar.

Even though he was a prince, he could not escape death.

"His Highness Prince Kang has treated me well; I would go through fire and water for him without hesitation."

A man dressed as a monk spoke with a carefree air.

It was as if they weren't going to kidnap someone, but rather to do something trivial.

"How can the safety of a nation be borne by a little girl? Damn it."

"Your Highness, we will do our utmost and have no complaints."

"Your Highness, whatever you say, we will do."

"..."

King Kang was a man of great loyalty and righteousness, and his subordinates all benefited from his kindness.

They didn't care at all about the capital offense of kidnapping a princess for a political marriage.

The group was filled with boundless enthusiasm and ready to make a big splash.

King Kang's eyes were red, and he bowed deeply to the crowd.

Thank you all.

Immediately, the group began to discuss how to abduct Princess Zhaoyang.

"Your Highness, the Imperial City is guarded by the Imperial Guard and powerful figures from various factions. We cannot take action within the Imperial City."

The imperial city is teeming with powerful figures, and countless old and powerful clans are hiding in the shadows. Anyone who dares to make a move in the imperial city is only courting death.

The crowd nodded slightly. Although they were not afraid of death, they could not recklessly throw their lives away.

"The marriage procession will arrive at Ganquan County, where it will be escorted into the grasslands by the garrison commander Li Xuancang."

"Li Zhenshou is very powerful. If the princess arrives in Ganquan County, our hope of taking her away is slim. We can only make our move on the way between the capital and Ganquan County."

To succeed, they had to make their move during the journey of the marriage alliance.

Moreover, there is only one chance, so you must strike decisively.

"Your Highness, even if we rescue the princess, have you considered where you intend to take her?"

Rescuing the princess is only the first step.

How to escape with the princess and hide her is also an issue that cannot be ignored.

King Kang shook his head and said, "I can't think of that much. As long as Zhaoyang is rescued, I will take her away from the Great Yan territory to avoid trouble for the time being."

Unable to think of a good solution, the King of Kang could only escape from the Great Yan with his sister.

Everyone frowned, disapproving of the idea.

"Your Highness, if you leave the Great Yan, you will no longer be a prince and will be arrested by the court. How will you and the princess survive?"

The battle is likely to end badly, and everyone is prepared to sacrifice themselves.

They will risk their lives to rescue Princess Zhaoyang and hold off the pursuers.

The rest of the journey will depend on King Kang himself; they are powerless to help him.

With only the Bone Forging Realm cultivation, if Prince Kang were to leave the Great Yan territory with Princess Zhaoyang, both of them would likely face dire consequences if they encountered danger.

"Your Highness, why not take the princess to seek refuge with your uncle?"

The King of Kang's maternal uncle was a member of the Bi'an Bureau. If they could escape to the Bi'an Bureau, they would have someone to rely on and would be safe.

King Kang had considered escaping to Bi'an Division, but Bi'an Division was within the territory of Dali, which was tens of thousands of miles away from Da Yan. He was not confident that he could safely bring his sister to Bi'an Division.

"Gentlemen, our most urgent task is to rescue Zhaoyang. As for what happens next, we can only take it one step at a time and leave the rest to fate."

Upon hearing King Kang's words, everyone sighed.

Even the best plans can't keep up with changes; we can only act according to circumstances.

If they can't even rescue the princess, then all is lost.

Seven days later, the imperial procession set off for the marriage alliance.

The procession stretched for dozens of miles, escorted by a thousand imperial guards, and accompanied by many top-level palace experts.

"It is hoped that the princess's marriage will bring peace."

Upon witnessing this scene, the people prayed silently.

Your perspective is determined by your position; everyone has different interests, so naturally, their thoughts will also differ.

Consort De and Prince Kang, Princess Zhaoyang's closest relatives, did not want her to go to the grasslands.

The common people and many other factions hoped that the princess would go in exchange for peace.