Xu Jingyang was the eldest daughter of General Xu. At fourteen, she disguised herself as a man and took her father’s place in the army. Over ten years, she won twenty-nine battles without a single defeat. She lifted a siege, captured enemy generals, recovered lost territory, and finally captured the enemy king alive, forcing him to shave his head and commit suicide, avenging the Emperor’s humiliation as a hostage. She was awarded the title of Shence General. After the war, fearing her disguise would be exposed, she faked her death and returned home in female attire, hoping to reunite with her family.Her family had already raised another daughter, Xu Rouzheng, to take her place. They feared the crime of deceiving the Emperor and forced Xu Jingyang to hide. Xu Rouzheng claimed to be the Shence General’s only sister, went to the palace to receive rewards, and the Xu family received titles and privileges. Her father was ennobled as Duke Wei, her mother became a consort, Xu Rouzheng was made princess and betrothed to the crown prince, and her younger brother Xu Mingzheng was called the Little War God. Xu Jingyang was not allowed to appear. When the family decided to marry her off to a distant place, she refused, saying the reputation she had earned was hers. Her father tried to strike her. Her mother pretended to be kind, arranging a birthday banquet where they drugged Xu Jingyang with muscle relaxant. As she lay paralyzed, her father said her ankles could not be broken but her fingers must be broken so she could never hold a weapon again. Her mother cried but agreed. Xu Mingzheng broke all ten of her fingers. They feared she would cause trouble, so they fed her mute drug, burning her throat. She was tied to a flagpole outside the city for three days, unable to speak. People cursed her for impersonating the Shence General. Xu Jingyang thought of her merits—her father’s leg was broken, refusing the imperial decree meant death, going to war meant death; she risked everything to protect her father. She hid her identity and never competed with Xu Rouzheng. The nine generations of glory she earned became her death warrant. She died in agony, filled with regret.She was reborn three days after her death from the frontier. She was already in female form, traveling to the capital with her maid Zhuying. She remembered that in her past life, on the same day, news of the Shence General’s death had arrived, and her family introduced Xu Rouzheng to Madam Changping Hou as the general’s sister. By the time Xu Jingyang reached home, it was already too late. She had been forced into hiding, living like a rat. Now reborn, she vowed to never let her military merits be stolen. She had a secret letter. Her plan was to secure her identity as the Shence General’s sister with the support of someone more powerful than Madam Changping Hou. She remembered that when she had returned in her past life, she had helped a carriage stuck in the mud, and inside was a VIP. This time, she deliberately staged a scene. She told Zhuying that she would guide her brother’s soul by kowtowing step by step. They knelt in the snow, drawing attention. The Princess, the Emperor’s sister, was passing by and saw them. Xu Jingyang pretended to faint from the cold. The Princess had her brought into the carriage and sent people to verify her identity. Xu Jingyang had instructed Zhuying to say that Miss Xu was returning with the general’s remains and had become separated from her servants. The Princess learned that Xu Jingyang had indeed come from the direction of the frontier. Believing her to be the general’s sister, the Princess took her to the Xu mansion.At the Xu mansion gate, the gatekeeper claimed the real eldest miss had already returned that morning. Mama Qing, the head nurse, came out and deliberately refused to recognize Xu Jingyang. She ordered her to be tied up and sent to the authorities. Xu Jingyang did not resist, only pretended to be shocked and wronged. The Princess watched coldly, suspicious. Just then, a thunder of horse hooves sounded. Han Bao, the deputy general under the Shence General, arrived with soldiers. When he saw Xu Jingyang being held down by servants, he leaped off his horse, whipped the servants, and shouted, “Release the eldest miss!” He recognized Xu Jingyang as the general’s sister. The Princess, seeing Han Bao’s intervention, realized the truth. Xu Jingyang’s chance to reclaim her identity had arrived. She was no longer alone. The conflict, rooted in her family’s betrayal and theft of her achievements, now faced exposure. Her goal remained clear: to make her family return what they had taken and pay with their lives. This time, she would carve a path for herself.
