Chen Danzhu was not frightened by the general or his words. She murmured, “What’s so good about dying? Isn’t living better?”
Hearing such childish words, the Iron‑faced General gave a faint laugh. Of course—he should have known. This Second Miss Chen had dared to kill her own brother‑in‑law; neither his appearance nor his harsh words could scare her.
“Yes, not dying is naturally better,” he said evenly. “Originally, so many people didn’t have to die. They were all subjects of Great Xia. But you killed Li Liang, and the plan that required no deaths was ruined. Remember this, Second Miss Chen: my soldiers died because of you, and the people of Wu also because of you.”
Chen Danzhu sighed. “General, you don’t need to say such things to frighten me. It only makes me sound like a criminal of Great Xia. No matter what, with what Li Liang did, any Wu soldier would have killed him.”
Different identities, different positions—words were meaningless. In truth, he wouldn’t have met her at all if not for a misunderstanding. The Iron‑faced General lost interest. “Second Miss Chen has already killed Li Liang. Your wish is fulfilled. I can promise you one thing.”
Chen Danzhu looked at him.
From behind the iron mask, his hoarse voice grated like a blade on stone: “Your body will be returned intact to Wu, so that you may be buried with dignity.”
It sounded like another threat, but Chen Danzhu suddenly thought of her earlier plan to die together with Li Liang. What would have happened to her corpse then? She had killed Li Liang, and he had tried to use her to assassinate the Sixth Prince. Such a death was unforgivable. To be buried with her sister and father was impossible—perhaps her body would even be hung at the city gates.
Thinking of this, she looked again at the cold iron mask and felt a trace of warmth. “Thank you.”
Her gratitude was not mocking; it was sincere. The Iron‑faced General fell silent. Was this girl not simply bold, but perhaps not right in the head? Strange indeed.
And after all this talk, shouldn’t she be standing up in defiance, forcing him to drag her out? Yet she sat calmly before the desk, even distracted—surely her mind was unsound.
The General glanced at the man beside him and thought of something. “Li Liang is gone, but the military tally you hold remains. If we use that tally to send your body back to Wu, wouldn’t it serve the same purpose?”
Li Liang had wanted the tally to lead troops past the defenses and strike the capital by surprise. Now, under the pretense of returning Li Liang and Chen Danzhu’s remains, it could still work. The man clapped his hands. “The General is right.” He looked at Chen Danzhu and teased, smiling. “Second Miss did not give us the tally in vain.”
Chen Danzhu shook her head. “Impossible. The tally only works in Li Liang’s or my hands. Not even my corpse, nor if you escorted me alive, could pass Wu’s defenses.”
Her father had bound her sister for stealing the tally and nearly executed her. He would do the same to her. This was not a lack of love, but his duty as Wu’s Grand Tutor.
Back then, they hadn’t known Li Liang’s true intent until he was already pressing forward. If they had known earlier, even with the tally, he would not have crossed the defenses so easily. By now, her father must have discovered the tally missing.
Was this little girl seriously debating with them? Of course, they knew it wasn’t so simple. Chen Liehu had already decided to sacrifice his daughter. Wu’s capital must already be prepared for war.
The Iron‑faced General laughed again. “Then what does Second Miss think should be done?”
Chen Danzhu looked at the messy pile of reports and maps on his desk. A general of Great Xia sitting in Wu’s camp, directing troops—what battle was left to fight?
She had killed Li Liang, but could she change Wu’s fate? If she killed this Iron‑faced General, perhaps. She glanced at him. No, she couldn’t. She had little skill, only some poison. And the man beside him was a master of poison.
“I—” Chen Danzhu murmured, not even knowing how the words slipped out, “I can do what Li Liang was meant to do.”
The Iron‑faced General froze. Just moments ago, the girl’s gaze had been full of murderous intent—she wanted to kill him. Yet now, she spoke such words. For a moment, he couldn’t quite grasp her meaning.
Chen Danzhu herself was startled. She hadn’t expected to say that. But in the next instant, her eyes lit up. She could not change Wu’s fate of destruction, but perhaps she could change the fate of many Wu lives.
The General had wanted Li Liang to lead them into Wu’s capital. She could take Li Liang’s place. And by doing so, she could prevent the breaking of dikes, the storming of cities, the slaughter of innocents.
“General!” she cried, leaning forward, her eyes blazing. “Whatever you wanted Li Liang to do—let me do it!”
The Iron‑faced General was taken aback. The man standing beside him looked as if he had seen a ghost. What? Had they misheard, or was this girl raving mad?
“Second Miss Chen?” the General asked. “Do you know what you are saying?”
Chen Danzhu nodded firmly. “Of course I know. General—may I ask your honorable surname?”
The General paused. It had been a long time since anyone dared ask his name. He said coolly, “As long as the rebellion of the princes of Great Xia remains unsettled, I have no name, no surname.”
Chen Danzhu had only asked casually. In her past life, she hadn’t known, and now that she met him, she thought to ask. If he didn’t answer, so be it. She said, “General, I mean that I will take the military tally and lead you into Wu’s capital.”
The Iron‑faced General laughed aloud, shaking his head with deep meaning.
“Chen Danzhu, if you were an ordinary citizen of Wu, I would not doubt your words for a moment.” He pronounced her name slowly, deliberately. “But you bear the surname Chen. Your father is Chen Liehu. Your elder brother Chen Danyang has already sacrificed himself for Prince Wu. Even though Li Liang existed, he was a Li, not a Chen. Do you truly understand what you are saying?”
“I know. I am betraying Prince Wu,” Chen Danzhu said softly. “I am becoming the kind of person Li Liang was—the man I killed.”
The Iron‑faced General looked at her, his gaze behind the mask deep and unreadable.
Chen Danzhu straightened her back. “Just as you said, General, I am of Wu. But this is the realm of the Great Xia, and I am also a subject of the Great Xia. Because I bear the surname Chen, I dare to do this. General, do you not dare to use someone from the Chen family?”
“It is not that I do not dare,” the General replied. “Second Miss Chen, it is simply unreasonable.”
Chen Danzhu sighed. “Yes. In truth, before meeting you, I never thought I would say such words. But once I saw you—” She looked at the cold iron mask. “I saw that the tide cannot be stopped.”
From beneath the mask came a muffled cough. Was this girl flattering him? Her pale face, her bright eyes, sorrowful yet calm—ah, if this was acting, she was astonishingly skilled at such a young age. If it was not acting, then she had abandoned Prince Wu in the blink of an eye. Either way, once she grew older, she would be formidable. And with brows like distant mountains, skin fairer than snow, and beauty to match—Interesting.
The Iron‑faced General almost laughed. He wanted to see what this Second Miss Chen truly meant. “Very well,” he said. “Since Second Miss Chen is willing to follow the Son of Heaven’s command, then I shall gladly accept.”