Chapter 1: The Prince is a Woman (Part 1)

Chapter 1: The Heir is a Girl 1

"Success or failure hinges on tonight."

"Let that brat Ye Ji wait for his death."

"Hmph, if his Ye clan can sit upon this throne, then my Ning clan should be able to as well. Since ancient times, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. If that brat Ye Ji dies by my hand tonight, it is simply because he lacks the destiny for it."

"Everyone, help me seize this empire, and your future wealth and glory will be guaranteed."

"We are willing to follow you to the death, Your Highness."

As the synchronized oaths of the men echoed in her ears, A-Zhen slowly raised her head. She saw the middle-aged man at the head of the table speaking with such arrogance and wild expression; his presence was indeed somewhat intimidating.

Her gaze swept quickly across the surroundings. She was currently in a military tent, and everyone present was a key member of tonight’s rebellion.

The client’s surname was Ning, which made it easier for her to step into the role. The system had tinkered with things, using her own name; in this world, she was called Ning Zhen, also known as Ning Zhen—there were reasons for that.

After the Prince of Ning had seven daughters in a row, he still had no son. Unreconciled, when his eighth daughter—the client—was born, he announced to the world that he finally had a son. To fulfill the Prince of Ning’s ambitions, the client had been dressed as a boy since childhood and raised as one.

This was merely a stopgap measure; in the Prince of Ning’s eyes, he would eventually father a son.

As for his seven daughters, the Prince of Ning used them for whatever they were worth, and most of them met miserable ends.

The middle-aged man at the head of the table, still daydreaming about his ambitions, was the biological father of this body and one of the few princes of a different surname in Northern Xia, Ning Guangjun.

Ning Guangjun believed that since he had followed the late emperor to conquer the empire and the late emperor was now dead, it was his turn to sit on the throne. Dynastic changes were common, but his capabilities simply did not match his ambition.

He thought tonight was the perfect time to rebel and that he had a high chance of winning, not knowing that this was a trap the young emperor had already dug for him to jump into.

【Host, the client’s wish is to survive and protect her poor sisters. Therefore, you must stop the Prince of Ning from rebelling tonight, or even the gods won't be able to save you.】 997’s voice carried a hint of nervousness. This was a novice host he had found after wandering through various worlds. Since it was her first mission, he, as the system, couldn't help but worry.

A-Zhen responded in her mind; indeed, the Prince of Ning could not be allowed to rebel tonight. She had to stop him.

"The time has not yet come. To avoid any complications, you may all return to your tents," Ning Guangjun said, waving everyone away after indulging in his beautiful vision of the empire falling into his hands.

As the others retreated one by one, A-Zhen remained in her seat, quickly catching Ning Guangjun’s attention.

"Hmm? Why haven't you left?" he asked with a hint of disdain.

A-Zhen stood up and walked toward Ning Guangjun. Only when she was close did she say, "I have some important matters to ask Father."

Ning Guangjun did not suspect anything. In truth, he was very dissatisfied with this daughter who dressed as a man. A girl is a girl, after all; she could never compare to a son. He had only resorted to this desperate measure when she was born out of panic. Once he seized the empire and possessed all the women in the world, he would surely be able to father a true heir, and only a son could inherit his throne.

As for this daughter, she could temporarily help him stabilize the position of heir and put his subordinates' minds at ease.

"Speak, what is it?" Ning Guangjun’s tone was flat. He disliked this daughter, who was usually taciturn and looked like a coward.

"Father, I hope you will give up on this rebellion," A-Zhen said.

Ning Guangjun did not expect her to say this. He was instantly enraged and raised his hand to slap her across the face. She really was just a useless girl; at the final moment, she was actually trying to talk him out of it.

"You useless thing!"

Just as the Prince of Ning’s hand was about to strike A-Zhen’s face, she dodged lightly. Before he could react, she delivered a hand-chop to the back of his neck. His head spun, and he collapsed to the ground with wide, disbelieving eyes. The moment his consciousness faded into darkness, he heard a faint voice in his ear.

"Who did you call a useless thing?"

"Speaking so rudely will get you hit, old man."

"Think before you speak next time, so you don't get beaten."

997 was stunned, his jaw dropping. It wasn't until A-Zhen grabbed Ning Guangjun’s shoulders and dragged him onto the couch to lay him flat that he finally regained his senses.

【Host, didn't we agree to persuade him?】

A-Zhen blinked: "I did persuade him. He didn't listen, so I took action. You saw it yourself."

She couldn't be blamed for this.

997 looked at her innocent face and immediately felt she was right. She couldn't just take a slap from the Prince of Ning for no reason, could she?

The client had practiced martial arts diligently since childhood; knocking out the Prince of Ning was perfectly normal. He wasn't good to the client, so it was only right for the host to be a bit rough with him.

That old man really deserved a beating.

Come to think of it, the host was adapting quite quickly. Could it be that he had found a treasure?

Was his novice host actually a "missionary prodigy," born to complete tasks?

Seeing the system go quiet, A-Zhen walked toward the tent entrance. She lifted the curtain and said to the guards outside, "Go and fetch Physician Zhao quickly; Father has fainted."

The guards were startled and ran quickly toward Zhao Jincai’s tent.

This Zhao Jincai was the physician brought from the Prince of Ning’s estate and was deeply trusted by him. But what the Prince of Ning didn't know was that this man was actually a nail planted by the young emperor. The Prince of Ning thought he could seize the empire, not knowing that his every move was under the emperor’s watch.

Zhao Jincai was shocked when he received the news. *Huh? The Prince of Ning suddenly fell ill and fainted?*

*Are you kidding me? Wasn't the Prince of Ning planning to rebel tonight? To faint at such a critical moment—is he really sick?*

Whether it was real or fake, he would only know once he saw him. Regardless of what schemes the Prince of Ning had, he was nothing more than a trapped beast that couldn't stir up any trouble.

A-Zhen invited Physician Zhao inside and instructed the guards outside not to let anyone in. The guards nodded solemnly; indeed, no one should be allowed in at this time. Being in these positions, they were naturally the Prince of Ning’s confidants, and they only hoped Physician Zhao could work his magic and wake the Prince up. Tonight was a rare opportunity; it was not a good thing for the Prince to be unconscious at this time.

Physician Zhao reached out to take the Prince’s pulse, but his brow suddenly furrowed. Before he could react, he felt a cold sensation on his neck. He looked down to see a dagger gleaming with a cold light, and a chill ran down his spine.

*Could his identity have been exposed?*

*No, that’s not right. The Prince of Ning is truly unconscious.*

"Physician Zhao, is Father’s illness very serious? Does he need to rest?" A-Zhen asked with concern in her eyes, her tone extremely polite. If not for the fact that her beautiful hand was gripping the dagger, pressing its sharpest edge against Zhao Jincai’s neck, he would have surely thought this Heir was genuinely worried about his father.

Zhao Jincai broke out in a cold sweat, not understanding what was happening.

Just then, a dull thud sounded. He subconsciously looked down to see a gold ingot lying on the floor.

"Physician Zhao, you dropped your gold ingot," A-Zhen kindly reminded him.

The heroine looks innocent, but she is very strong.

The hero is a small fragment, an ultimate romantic, a shut-in dreamer; he may not appear in some worlds due to the setting.

To read similar quick-transmigration novels, please search for the author’s name: Du Liaoliao.

(End of chapter)