Chen Danzhu returned to the Wu army’s camp. The eunuch waiting there hurried to ask what had happened, what was said—he had been sent by the King of Wu, but dared not go himself to the imperial camp.
“The Emperor’s envoy said His Majesty is already preparing to cross the river. But I demanded that the imperial troops not cross—that the Emperor must enter Wu alone.” Chen Danzhu replied. “The envoy said he would report to His Majesty, then return with an answer.”
She had truly said it! The eunuch’s heart leaped in terror. Such words—never mind saying them to the Emperor—even to the Princes of Zhou or Qi, no feudal lord would agree!
“Miss Danzhu,” he said anxiously, “if you anger the Emperor and he attacks directly, you will be the guilty one.”
Chen Danzhu sneered inwardly. If the Emperor attacked, it would not be because of her. “Rest easy, sir,” she said aloud. “If war breaks out, we will die for the Prince.”
Die for him? The eunuch had no wish to die. Anger and fear churned in him. He thought at once of having the soldiers escort him back to the capital.
Chen Danzhu ignored him. She turned to the officers assigned to receive the Emperor. They looked at her in astonishment. In just one month, Second Miss Chen had come twice. The first time, she bore the Grand Tutor’s military token and killed Li Liang.
They already knew how Li Liang had died. When the Grand Tutor hung Li Liang’s corpse at the capital’s gates, he also sent troops to the camp to announce it and hunt down Li Liang’s accomplices. That matter was not yet settled when Second Miss Chen came again—this time bearing the Prince’s decree, as an envoy to welcome the Emperor!
Earlier, the imperial troops had arrayed their ships and prepared to advance. The Wu army had readied for battle. But then the other side raised Prince Wu’s decree, declaring he wished to welcome the Emperor into Wu. Unbelievable! The Emperor’s envoy showed them the decree—it was genuine.
Welcome the Emperor! Was the war truly over? Those who had wanted to fight were stunned. Those who had not wanted to fight were stunned as well. What had happened in the capital in so short a time? How had this Second Miss Chen become the Prince’s most trusted person?
Chen Danzhu cared nothing for their astonishment. She did not explain. She only asked where Chen Qiang was.
The last time she had seen Chen Qiang was when he met Chen Liehu, then vanished. She had had no time to inquire in the camp, hurrying away with Li Liang’s corpse. Now, holding the Prince’s decree, she could ask and investigate anything.
To her relief, Chen Qiang was not dead. He was quickly brought to her. The explanation given was that after Li Liang’s death and Second Miss Chen’s departure, Chen Qiang had been left to take over Li Liang’s duties. Though in truth, he had been kept confined these past days—
No one knew whether it was Inspector Zhang’s men, Li Liang’s accomplices, or infiltrators from the imperial court.
Chen Qiang had only just learned of Chen Danzhu’s mission, and felt as if the world had turned upside down. Prince Wu invites the Emperor to Wu? How could the Grand Tutor ever agree? Alas, others might not know, but the Grand Tutor had fought for decades, watching the endless strife between feudal lords and the court. Did he not understand the Emperor’s attitude toward the lords?
Once a feudal lord bowed his head, the Emperor would never allow him to survive. Seeing Chen Danzhu, Chen Qiang naturally assumed she came in her father’s stead.
Chen Danzhu sighed inwardly. She used the Prince’s decree to assign Chen Qiang to the river crossing. “Guard the embankments at all costs.”
Even if in this life Wu still perished, even if she still died, she hoped at least to prevent the floods and the cries of misery that had ravaged the land in her past life.
Chen Qiang chose his most reliable soldiers and departed to guard the riverbank. Chen Danzhu stood outside the camp, gazing at the vast waters. On the far shore, countless troops were arrayed; in the river, countless boats waited to launch.
At that moment, only a single boat crossed the river. At its prow sat the Iron‑faced General, holding a fishing rod. The scene was like a painting. Yet Master Wang, who usually loved art, felt no mood to sketch.
“General, you must not anger His Majesty further!” he said gravely. “The war has dragged on too long. His Majesty is already enraged.”
The Iron‑faced General replied: “But are we not about to enter Wu now?”
Master Wang stepped forward. The narrow prow held only one seat; he could only stand behind the General. “How can the Emperor enter Wu alone? This is no longer decades past. The Emperor need not bow to feudal lords, nor suffer their insults. He must show them imperial might.”
The General said: “I believe Miss Danzhu is right. Compared to sweeping Wu with armies, the Emperor’s solitary entry shows greater majesty. For years, the lords have dominated the land. In their domains, the people know only their kings, not the Son of Heaven.” His voice grew wistful as he looked across the river.
So he had been persuaded by that girl! Master Wang stamped his foot. “Enough! You—you are just like her—childish, fanciful nonsense!”
The river surged, the small boat rocked. Master Wang’s stamping made it sway more. The General flicked his rod for him to grab hold—it was no fishing rod, but a bamboo pole.
“Wang Xian, the great tide is set. The feudal lords must fall.” He laughed, calling Master Wang by name. “The Emperor’s majesty is everywhere. Alone, he passes, and the people bow in awe. Truly magnificent. And besides, he will not be entirely alone—I myself will escort him with three hundred soldiers.”
Master Wang—Wang Xian—flung the bamboo pole aside. “A centipede may be half‑dead yet still wriggle. Chen Liehu’s daughter may be mad, but that old beast Chen Liehu is not dead yet. What are three hundred men before him?”
Even though Wu was filled with spies and defenses, if something truly happened, no number of imperial troops could save them in time.
Perhaps this was all a ruse staged by Chen Liehu and his daughter, meant to lure the Emperor. Do not think feudal lords lack the courage to slay a sovereign. In the Five Kingdoms’ Rebellion, they manipulated princes, meddled in succession, and threw the throne into chaos. If not for the Third Prince enduring humiliation to survive, who could say which feudal lord would now sit as Son of Heaven?
For decades, the Emperor had endured hardship, gathering strength, all to eradicate the chronic disease of the feudal lords. He must not grow careless now and lose everything.
The Iron‑faced General laughed loudly. At the prow, he swung the bamboo pole like a great blade toward the river, shouting: “I alone can stand against ten thousand. Even if Wu has armies beyond count, with His Majesty and I united in will, we are invincible, sweeping all under heaven, unifying the Nine Provinces!”
Madman! Wang Xian shook his head helplessly. The Emperor was no madman. He was cold, calm, and ruthless. Because of his iron resolve, for the sake of the empire’s future, there was no one he would not kill. Alas, Lord Zhou…
Wang Xian gazed at the surging river, his expression conflicted.
The waters rose and fell. In her tent, Chen Danzhu’s heart rose and fell with them. On the third morning, drums and horns thundered through the camp, and soldiers stirred.
“The imperial army has crossed the river!”
“The imperial army is attacking!”
At the urgent alarm, the eunuch who had prepared troops screamed for haste, beating his chest in regret—too late now, surely they could not escape.
Chen Danzhu stood calmly in the camp, awaiting fate’s judgment. Soon, another messenger arrived.
“Only five ships have crossed, three hundred soldiers.” The courier’s face was incredulous. “They say—the Emperor has come.”
Three hundred soldiers? The Emperor himself?
The officers were stunned, still questioning, still doubting. But Chen Danzhu had already mounted her horse, galloping with Ah‑Tian toward the riverbank. After a moment’s hesitation, the generals followed.
Wu’s armies lined the riverbank in dense ranks. Across the waters, five warships advanced slowly, like arrows loosed from a drawn bow, opening a path.
Chen Danzhu stood on high ground, gazing intently. On the lead warship, the dragon banner snapped in the wind. A tall man in royal robes, crowned with the Son of Heaven’s diadem, stood surrounded by attendants. At this moment, the Emperor was forty‑five years old, in the prime of his strength. In her past life, she had seen the Emperor only once.
She lowered her head and stepped back a few paces. Once she was certain there were truly only three hundred soldiers, Prince Wu’s eunuch no longer tried to flee. With the palace guards, he went forward joyfully to welcome the Emperor—this would be his great merit!
Chen Danzhu did not advance. She remained behind the generals, listening as the Emperor came ashore, was greeted, his footsteps thundered, the crowd surged, kneeling and crying “Long live!” like waves. The tide rolled to her, and a voice came.
“This is the daughter of Wu’s minister, the Grand Tutor Chen—Miss Danzhu?”
The soldiers around her stepped aside. Chen Danzhu lifted her head. She saw the Emperor looking down at her, his presence merging with the memory she carried—
The sight was dazzling. She lowered her head and bowed deeply. “Chen Danzhu greets His Majesty. Long live the Emperor, long live, long live.”
The Emperor’s gaze lingered on her, surprised, then he smiled faintly. “The younger generation is to be feared.”
Ah—this time he said “the younger generation is to be feared.” Chen Danzhu’s eyes stung. She was no longer the pitiful child of her past life, dragged before him with her family already slaughtered, trembling as she awaited judgment.
Chen Danzhu bowed again. “His Majesty is mighty.”