Chapter 1: The Alliance Princess
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When Xia Xi was born, he was nearly strangled to death.
He was born intersex—his lower body possessed both male and female reproductive organs. In the Xia Dynasty, such a birth was considered extremely inauspicious. Even in a commoner's home, such an infant would likely be drowned in a pond or buried alive in the wilderness. To be born into the Imperial Family made his survival nearly impossible.
However, his mother, Consort Qun, was no ordinary woman. Upon hearing the midwife’s scream, her first instinct was to order the palace gates closed, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving. She then continued to give birth to her second twin. Before the labor, no one—not even herself—knew she was carrying twins. After the birth, only a few trusted confidants knew of the second child; the rest of the world believed she had only given birth to a healthy daughter.
Consort Qun was not particularly favored. The Emperor did not visit until the following day. He held the newborn girl and bestowed upon her the name "Rong"—Xia Rong. At first, Princess Rong wasn't specially favored, as newborns are often wrinkled and plain. But as she grew, she became exquisite and lovely. With her sweet talk, the Emperor grew to dote on her, eventually granting her an official Princess title.
As for the intersex child, Xia Xi, the Emperor remained unaware of his existence until he was twelve years old.
That was the year Princess Rong accidentally fell into a pond and drowned. Heartbroken, the Emperor skipped court for three days. While wandering the princess’s former courtyard in grief, he happened upon Xia Xi, who had come to mourn his twin sister. Their faces were nearly identical. Thinking he was dreaming, the Emperor lunged forward and grabbed Xia Xi’s wrist, only to find the skin warm to the touch.
The truth came to light: Consort Qun had secretly raised an "inauspicious" child right under the Emperor’s nose for twelve years. Furious, the Emperor banished Consort Qun to the Cold Palace and executed her confidants. But when he moved to dispose of the "inauspicious" boy, he looked at those familiar features and found he could not harden his heart.
He looked exactly like Princess Rong. However, while the late Princess had been pampered and boisterous, the person before him was timid and trembling, his face deathly pale from terror.
The Emperor ultimately spared him, confining him to a remote, desolate corner of the palace. He forbade Xia Xi from seeing outsiders or leaving, and forbid the court from speaking of him.
Xia Xi kept his life and dared not ask for more. Having grown up in hiding, his new quarters were actually larger than his old ones. The only difference was that he couldn't see his mother as often.
And, he began to see more people.
The Emperor forbade him from leaving, but he hadn't forbidden others from coming to see him. When word of his identity spread, many were curious—especially his half-siblings.
The Emperor had many consorts and children. Consort Qun had three (though the other two were gone), while others, like Noble Consort Yuan, had seven. Xia Xi’s siblings ranged from twenty years old to newborns. Those who frequented his courtyard were mostly young princes and princesses around ten years old.
The Xia Dynasty followed strict protocols; children weren't born with titles. Titles were limited, and those without them were merely ordinary royals. Among those who visited most was Princess Hui, the eldest daughter of Noble Consort Yuan. She was close in age to Xia Xi. Before Xia Rong passed, the two princesses had been rivals, constantly bickering and sabotaging each other in small ways.
Half a year after Xia Rong's death, a bored Princess Hui wandered into Xia Xi’s yard. Squatting before him, she sighed, "You’re so boring. Not even half as fun as your sister. I tease you, and you don't even fight back."
Xia Xi’s forehead broke out in a nervous sweat. "You... you are a Princess, I... I..." His voice trailed off.
"Aren't you Father's child too?" Princess Hui huffed. "Actually, are you a son or a daughter? They say you have everything down there. You never let me see. Why don't you take off your pants and let me look?"
Terrified, Xia Xi recoiled. The Princess, fueled by curiosity, pounced on him. She refused help from servants and pinned Xia Xi to a bamboo couch. Xia Xi didn't dare struggle for fear of hurting her and causing trouble, but he didn't want to be exposed in public. With red eyes, he pleaded, "Please, don't, it’s not right..."
But the bossy Princess stripped his pants anyway and forced his legs apart. Initially curious about the female parts, her face turned bright red when she saw the small male organ. She spat at him, "You... you really are a freak! How filthy!" Spooked, she fled and didn't return for days.
Xia Xi barely had time to breathe before Princess Hui returned. Her interest in his body had faded, but she visited out of boredom, sometimes bringing pastries or showing off her rewards. Occasionally, in a good mood, she would give him a trinket, which Xia Xi would store away, not daring to use.
Princess Hui was heavily favored. When she turned fifteen, many sought her hand, but the Emperor couldn't bear to let her go. He delayed her marriage until she was seventeen.
This time, however, the marriage wasn't a choice. It was forced. A peace treaty with the Northwestern Barbarians demanded that the Emperor marry a princess to their King.
The Barbarians had harassed the borders for decades, even seizing a city. The Emperor wanted to fight, but after several defeats and pressure from the pro-peace faction in court, he compromised. A princess was a small price to pay.
But the only other titled princess was only five years old. Princess Hui was the only logical choice.
One day, while Xia Xi was watering his cabbages, Princess Hui burst in, collapsed into a chair, and began to wail and curse. Xia Xi was confused. Over the years, he had grown somewhat familiar with her and knew she wasn't truly wicked. He hesitated, then put down his ladle and approached, offering a clean handkerchief. "What happened?"
Princess Hui blew her nose on his silk cloth and sobbed, "Father wants me to marry those Northern Barbarians! I have to leave in three months! I'll probably never come back... I heard the Barbarian King is terrifying and old—older than Father! They say he can crush a person with one hand, eats raw meat, drinks blood, and smells so bad flies follow him everywhere. I don't want to marry someone like that... If I had known, I would have agreed to marry the Chancellor’s son last year..."
The Northern Barbarians? Xia Xi had heard of them—a nation on horseback, fierce and cruel. Though he didn't "love" the Princess, he felt pity. "The rumors might not be true, Princess... please stop crying..."
Princess Hui cried harder, wrinkling his handkerchief. She suddenly glared at him. "Are you gloating?" Before he could answer, she continued, "I know the others are. They want to see me suffer. You must be too!"
"I... I'm not..." Xia Xi stammered.
"You'd better not be!" Her tone softened into misery. "Of all my siblings, I was best to you. If you laugh at me, I'll be so sad."
Princess Hui couldn't accept it, and her mother, Noble Consort Yuan, could accept it even less. The Consort wept from her palace to the Emperor's chambers, begging him to reconsider. When the Emperor refused, she pleaded, "The Barbarians only asked for a princess, not a specific one! Please, your Majesty, spare Hui'er. Find someone else; she can even give up her title."
The Emperor also couldn't bear to lose his favorite daughter. He called for the register of eligible daughters. His eyes fell on the crossed-out name of "Xia Rong," and grief struck him. Then, he remembered another face—the one identical to Xia Rong.
A thought emerged. The Emperor found it quite perfect.
The Barbarians wanted a princess? He would give them a "Princess."
you gon update? when? ðŸ˜
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