Da Qi, Xiliang, and Nanrui had historically maintained a balanced, triangular relationship, with comparable national strength, which had kept peace for hundreds of years. But in recent decades, tensions between Da Qi and Xiliang had escalated, eventually leading to war. Da Qi was defeated, losing several cities and even sending the Third Prince, Xia Zhichun, as a hostage.
In the conflict between Da Qi and Xiliang, Nanrui had maintained neutrality. However, both Da Qi and Xiliang hoped to draw Nanrui to their side. If two of these countries formed an alliance, the third would be at a significant disadvantage. In recent years, Qi had been working to improve communication with Nanrui, with Minister of Rites Su Quan even representing the Qi Emperor to Nanrui, requesting a marriage alliance.
Until a year ago, Nanrui finally agreed to marry the Fifth Princess to the Eastern Palace of Da Qi as the main wife. The Qi Emperor was overjoyed, promising that this princess would become empress upon the Eastern Palace’s ascension, demonstrating the intent of cooperation between Qi and Nanrui. But unexpectedly, this Nanrui princess escaped the imperial palace on her wedding night, disappearing without a trace.
This escape directly caused the already fragile alliance between the two countries to collapse. Although the princess escaped on her own, it happened within Qi’s borders, and Qi could not explain her whereabouts to Nanrui.
On the other hand, the princess’s escape brought shame to the Qi royal family, and the Qi Emperor could not lower himself to apologize to Nanrui. The relationship between the two countries became deadlocked.
Xiliang was undoubtedly the greatest beneficiary. Originally in difficulty, Xiliang now became the object of courtship from both Nanrui and Qi. Therefore, when the new Xiliang Emperor proposed a marriage alliance with Qi, the Qi Emperor could not refuse and was eager to marry off all his daughters.
“So the Seventh Princess’s marriage to Xiliang today is entirely due to the Nanrui princess’s escape a year ago,” my father-in-law sighed. “A single move can affect the entire situation.”
