Princess Yuan Zhen of Great Hao had always been a lively princess, but she fell into a sudden listlessness, staying in her chambers for consecutive days without tending to her appearance. The cause was a recurring dream that was not chaotic but coherent, spanning a full ten years. In every night’s vision, she witnessed the fall of her kingdom. The Northern Rong army, led by Prince Murong Xingji, surrounded the capital Shangjing, throwing the imperial court into panic. The peace faction among the ministers proposed to appease the invaders by sending women as tribute, beginning with commoners and moving on to imperial princesses. Princess Yuan Zhen was sent out of the city as part of this arrangement. She was taken north into captivity, enduring hunger, cold, and brutal treatment. During this time, she encountered the Seventh Prince Xiao Qi, an unfavored half-brother who had also been sacrificed by the court. Despite his fear, she took pity on him and risked her life to help him escape from the enemy camp, providing him with a horse and directions to the south, hoping he would one day restore the dynasty. She herself remained behind, continuing to suffer for years until she finally found an opportunity to flee disguised as a male beggar, traveling for nearly half a year to reach the newly established Southern Hao court. To her shock, she discovered that Xiao Qi had ascended the throne as emperor. However, instead of a warm reunion, she was met by a high-ranking eunuch sent by the palace to verify her identity. The eunuch subjected her to a degrading physical inspection and then declared her a fraud, brandishing official news that the real princess had died of illness in the Northern Rong capital a month earlier. Despite her desperate pleas to meet the emperor, she was forced to drink poisoned wine. As the poison took hold, the eunuch leaned in and confessed the truth: she was indeed the authentic princess, a woman of unparalleled courage who had saved the Seventh Prince and protected the former emperor. But the peace faction now dominated the court, and her return threatened the ongoing negotiations with the Northern Rong. The Seventh Prince, now a pragmatic ruler, had personally sanctioned her death to maintain political stability. Her loyalty and sacrifice were repaid with betrayal. The dream had been a prophetic warning, and she could not escape its fulfillment. The princess had known her fate all along, which explained her earlier despair and withdrawal from the world.
