Foreign troops massed at the border. The court proposed a marriage alliance for peace. Some officials sacrificed the eldest princess to save themselves. She fought back publicly and arranged three contests among royal kin, ruling that the loser would go for the alliance. The incompetent crown prince lost and was sent away. Later, the princess led troops to pacify border unrest, uncovered a treasonous plot by imperial clansmen, assisted a worthy ruler to ascend the throne, and swore the nation would never resort to marriage alliances again.
