It was in the third month of the year when the Kingdom of Zhao sent a letter of surrender to the emperor to the Kingdom of Xin.
The two kingdoms have been engaged in a three-year-long war. After repeatedly winning and losing, it was the Zhao Kingdom that folded first and declared its defeat.
It wouldn't have turned this way if the Zhao Kingdom's throne wasn't usurped.
Yes. That's right. A royal rebellion was lead by none other than the emperor's younger brother. The rebellion was instigated in the hopes of overthrowing the warmongering emperor and restoring peace in the lands. If the war has continued for even a year more, the Zhao Kingdom would have been obliterated beyond the hope of recovering.
Indeed, having the throne handed to someone else is a good choice for the majority. However, that isn't the case with the dethroned emperor's family.
Right after the previous emperor's brother was crowned the new emperor, the issue of dealing with the previous royal lineage was raised in court.
The previous emperor has already been executed the night the rebellion started. That's to be expected since if the previous emperor wasn't killed that night, there is a possibility that he will rise to power again and cause another mayhem. He was wise and had the ability to think far ahead. If not for his desire for being the sole ruler of the land, he would have been a wise ruler that everyone can look up to.
As for the Empress Dowager, since she is also the mother of the new emperor, she has retained her position. However, she was forbidden from dipping her hands into politics ever again.
As for the Empress, the new emperor gave them a choice of living outside the palace and far into the countryside with nothing to their name or to follow the previous emperor. The Empress decided to follow her husband. However, she pleaded leniency for her royal children.
It can be said that the story of love between the previous emperor and empress was that of an ideal husband and wife. The empress was the only one in the inner palace all throughout the previous emperor's life. Even when the empress gave birth to three daughters first, the previous emperor didn't abandon her and looked for a concubine. The emperor turned a deaf ear towards those ministers who kept on urging him to add more women to his harem just to be sure that an heir to the throne can be born. Even when it took a decade and a year before the empress bore a son, the previous emperor only doted on her.
In this era when having three wives and four concubines is applicable for a common man and three thousand concubines for the emperor, the previous emperor was certainly considered a fool.
After the new emperor has agreed to her pleadings, the Empress raised the bowl filled with odorless and colorless poison to her lips.
As promised, the new emperor was more magnanimous in dealing with the children of the previous emperor. Since the new emperor doesn't have any sons to confer the Crown Prince position to, he resolutely argued in the court to have the current Crown Prince retain his position. Some people think that this is a form of amends from the new emperor towards the previous one.
As for the three princesses, dealing with them can be quite tricky.
No one outside the palace had ever caught a glimpse of the three princesses. Six years ago, the previous emperor had given an edict regarding these three beloved princesses of his.
The three princesses were not allowed to leave the palace. They were not allowed to attend any banquets, even if it is for the emperor. Lastly, all the eunuchs and palace maids who were not serving in any of the three princesses' palaces must never lay their eyes on these three royal sisters.
It wasn't known why the previous emperor gave this edict.
Thus, the three princesses have hidden away from the people's eyes for the past six years. It is unknown as well if the three princesses look favorably on their royal father or not. Some people thought that the princesses might have resented the previous emperor because of that royal edict. During those six years, no rumors about the three princesses ever made it outside of the royal palace and thus no one had any idea on what these princesses are like.
It is because of these factors that the new emperor is having a headache.
If these three princesses desire to get revenge for their royal father, then keeping them alive is not an option. In case they hide their vengeful heart and the new emperor makes the mistake of marrying them off to someone with significant power in the royal court, another rebellion may not be far off.
This situation is really volatile.
However, the opportunity to resolve the issue in the best way possible when talks about tribute crop up during one of the morning courts.
It was decided that the three princesses are to be part of the tribute. They will become marriage tributes in the hopes of establishing peace and alliance between the Kingdom of Zhao and Kingdom of Xin! If they are in a land where they don't have any foothold to rely on, then it will be arduous for them to come back and settle the score.