The towering Imperial City was set ablaze, painting the sky in a deep red hue. The clamor of battle and hopeless screams heralded the end of a dynasty.
Ning FengQin stood on the city wall, her white robe pristine, her waist-length ink-black hair fluttering in the wind.
Her snow-like face shimmered against the backdrop of flames that touched the sky, breathtaking in the cover of the night.
"This day has finally come," she muttered, a trace of relief in her voice.
Her father, an absolute tyrant and a fool, was incapable, lazy, and bloodthirsty.
As the princess of this kingdom, she had tried every means to affect change; diligently disciplining herself since childhood, learning all that was deemed necessary and unnecessary for a woman.
She had attempted to admonish her father, save loyal ministers, and relieve the citizenry of their suffering.
However, her efforts were faint against the growing chaos in the court, the increasing hardship faced by the people, and the unstoppable force of rebellion.
After the change of the dynasties, the Great Zhao can welcome a new prosperous age. It was her heartfelt wish, though she knew she wouldn’t live to see it.
In the imperial city that had stood the test of centuries, a lone figure dressed in white silently leapt into the abyss.
---
In the most prosperous city of the celestial empire, the international exhibition center dazzled under the spotlight with the media swarming in every nook and corner.
Countless celebrities were gathered for a charity auction. It was unclear how many were genuinely there to do good, but for the celebrities, it was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to gain exposure and amass goodwill.
"Ning, wake up, we're almost there," Chen Chen, the assistant, gently shook her awake. Ning FengQin had just arrived from a flight. "You mustn't be drowsy when you walk the red carpet."
Ning FengQin opened her eyes in a daze, and the way her sparkling eyes lit up surprised the assistant. She was relatively new and wasn't accustomed to these moments of beauty that took her breath away.
"Don't move, let me touch up your makeup for you," Chen Chen sighed for the ten thousandth time in her heart at her naturally beautiful skin.
If it hadn't been for this fine face retaining a group of visual admirers, she might have been harshly booted out of the circle already, Chen Chen mused.
Ning Fengqin allowed the young woman to fuss over her face, her mind a whirlwind of confusion as the original host's memories flooded into her.
"Am I not dead?"
No, she had died, but now lived in the body of a person who not only shared her name, but was almost identical in appearance.
After a struggle to digest this fact, she was stunned by the state of this technologically advanced world beyond her wildest dreams.
"So the future without an emperor or court is so marvelously prosperous?"
"Done!" Chen Chen scrutinized her work with satisfaction, even without work being praised by netizens as riding on coattails, their Ning sister still outshone everyone!
Ning Fengqin touched her cheeks, warm and slightly unfamiliar. She had been unafraid even in death, so what was there to fear about living in a peaceful era?
"Am I wearing this?" She asked, glancing down. The only thing she was unhappy with was the garment that revealed more than half of her body.
Chen Chen misunderstood and thought that Ning Fengqin was unhappy with the brand of the dress, regretfully explaining: "Unfortunately, the brand sponsors won’t lend dresses because of online backlash. Could you just bear with it? Anything you wear will look good."
"I want to change."
But seeing they were about to arrive at their destination, Chen Chen advised, "Where could we find a suitable gown at this point? You might as well..."
"I said I want to change." Ning Fengqin’s voice was soft, but carried a firm severity that was impossible to defy.
Stunned by Ning Fengqin's gaze, Chen Chen stuttered in response: "Change to...which one?"
In Ning Fengqin's memory, she possessed a suitcase filled with clothes.
The driver pulled over, and Chen Chen opened the suitcase for her to choose outfits from.
Being the peak of summer, the clothes within the suitcase were all light and cool.
Ning Fengqin frowned as she tossed clothes onto the backseat, until finally, at the bottom of the case, she found an garment she was familiar with.
It was an ancient-style outfit in a light green color, different from the style she wore in Dazhao, but it offered decent coverage.
Finally, a small smile appeared on her face as she said to the driver in front, "You can step out for now; I need to change."
The driver's lips twitched slightly, "Step out? Who phrases it that way? No wonder they say she's pretty unpleasant online."
"You're wearing that?!" Chen Chen's eyes widened, "Who on earth walks the red carpet in an ancient dress? Oh my goodness!"
"The craftsmanship may be a bit rough, but it's more dignified," Ning Fengqin ignored the protest and began changing.
Chen Chen couldn't help but roll her eyes. 'Dignified?' Who uses 'dignified' in relation to her, who was always clad in sexy attire.
Today's auction was to be broadcasted live. Chen Chen could already foresee the comments about Ning's affectation and attention-seeking pouring into the live chat.
The van was spacious, and with Chen Chen's help, she got changed swiftly. She checked herself in a mirror and frowned in dissatisfaction with her hair.
Apart from when she was sleeping or in great distress, she never lets her hair hang so indecently.
She glanced around, and located a long disposable chopstick.
In Chen Chen's eyes, Ning Fengqin looked as though performing magic. With a few nimble twists and turns of her hands, her thick, black hair now sat obediently suspended in a bun, held up by a single chopstick.
Ning Fengqin was thoroughly pleased. "Let's go."
As the driver got in to drive, Chen Chen surreptitiously watched her. Having followed Ning Fengqin for a month, she did not fully understand her, but she felt that something about Ning Fengqin was different.
Sitting upright on the soft and comfortable seat, her ancient costume and coiled hairstyle seemed to merge with her, and to Chen Chen's surprise, she genuinely saw an aura of elegant grandeur emanating from her.
Resignedly accepting her new appearance, just before getting out of the car, Chen Chen hastily warned, "Sister Ning, stay away from Emperor Yan!"
The delicate flutter of Ning Fengqin's eyelashes indicated recognition. She recalled this man, her neighbor, who had become a very popular movie star.
At first, netizens called him "Emperor of the Seasons", but as it was too cumbersome, he ended up being referred to as "Emperor Yan", and this nickname stuck.
It seemed like… the original host had been harshly criticised online, and more than half of those critics were his fans.
The car slowly stopped at the entrance of the venue, the next stop was the red carpet, reminiscent of a royal path leading to the emperor's throne in a palace.
In the live broadcast room, hundreds of thousands were watching in real time. The moment another car pulled up, the screen was flooded with comments.
"Who is it? Is it our YuYu? Or maybe JiuYue?"
"You guys can guess first, but I bet Emperor Yan will be last."
Suddenly, a comment popped up. "I recognize this car! Isn't this Ning's drama queen? I could recognize it even if it were scrapped!"
"Why is it Ning Fengqin? Bad luck!"
"Can't she stop stealing the limelight? I refuse to believe that she's really here for charity!" The comments exploded instantly.
"Why isn't she getting out yet? Is she still trying to act important in such a situation?"
At this moment, Ning Fengqin in the car was troubled because she couldn't wear high heels. She almost sprained her ankle as soon as she got up and was now looking for shoes in her suitcase.
The barrage didn't care about all these and started to spray wildly.
"Don't guess blindly! Surely it's because no brand lent her haute couture to wear, she's too embarrassed to come down because she doesn't want to lose face, right?"
Beneath this, a stream of +1s followed.
Just as the netizens were getting impatient, the car door slowly opened. Across two rows outside, cameras, photo cameras and mobile phones were simultaneously aimed over.
Ning Fengqin wasn’t used to the flashing lights and raised her hand to shield her eyes. She lifted the hem of her dress with one hand, elegantly stepping out of the car with a grace unmatched.