Li Liang had a mistress. It was around the second year after his marriage to Chen Danyan.
In her previous life, Chen Danzhu only learned of this much later.
That mistress was no ordinary woman.
In the second year after the imperial court captured the capital of Wu, though resistance still lingered in the southern lands, the overall situation was settled. The emperor moved the capital, rewarded merit, and granted Li Liang the title of General Weiwu. He even bestowed a county princess upon him in marriage.
Such honors were not unusual—signs of imperial favor. But once, when Li Liang and the princess returned from visiting relatives, they passed by her mountain. The princess did not ascend, but Li Liang went down. Chen Danzhu secretly followed, and from halfway up the slope she saw the carriage. The princess remained inside, but a boy of four or five suddenly ran out, arms outstretched, calling him “Father.”
Li Liang laughed and scooped the child into his arms.
Chen Danzhu was stunned. Li Liang had only married the princess a year ago—how could he already have a son so old?
Tao Mountain lay along the main road to the capital, where travelers passed daily and rumors spread quickly. While treating villagers, she discreetly asked around and heard whispers: Li Liang and the princess had long known each other. It was said he had rescued her in heroic fashion, and she, smitten at first sight, concealed her identity to follow him.
Nonsense. Heroic rescue, hidden identity—Chen Danzhu’s already cold heart grew colder. Clearly, this woman had concealed her rank to seduce and win him over. Li Liang’s betrayal of the Chen family and of Wu had begun far earlier than she had imagined.
Judging by the child’s age, by the third year of his marriage to her sister, Li Liang already had a new wife and son outside—yet none of them had noticed. At that time, the Three Princes had not even risen in arms against the court. Li Liang had been in the capital all along.
Chen Danzhu felt she might as well gouge out her own eyes.
Now, given a second chance, she would not blind herself. She would dig out that woman and child instead. But where were they? Li Liang would never speak; only his closest confidants would know.
“Second Miss.” Chen family guard Chen Qiang entered, uneasy at her expression. “Brother-in-law, he—”
Ah, he was worried for the son-in-law. Chen Danzhu considered whether to reveal the truth. These guards were Chen family retainers, loyal soldiers who had followed the clan for generations—her father’s private troops. They could be trusted.
“Brother-in-law is fine for now,” she said. “Have the messengers been arranged?”
Chen Qiang nodded. “As you instructed, I chose the most reliable men to escort Chen Hai in delivering the letter to the old master.”
He was puzzled. Why did Second Miss insist Chen Hai return with twenty escorts, handpicked not from Li Liang’s men but from those they themselves deemed trustworthy? Wasn’t Li Liang family?
Chen Danzhu beckoned him closer. The room was empty—she had dismissed everyone, claiming suspicion of all, leaving only Li Liang’s personal guards outside the tent. Yet she still spoke in a whisper. Chen Qiang knelt on one knee beside her bed.
Chen Danzhu cupped her hand to his ear: “Brother-in-law’s poison was mine.”
Chen Qiang collapsed to both knees, face pale, staring in disbelief. What had he just heard?
“You needn’t be shocked. My father ordered it,” she lied. As a mere girl, she could not convince anyone otherwise, so she invoked her father’s authority. “Li Liang has already betrayed Wu and thrown in with the court.”
At the mention of the old master, Chen Qiang’s shock subsided into fury. His gaze turned to the unconscious Li Liang, eyes blazing. “How could he!”
For Wu’s soldiers, since the founding of their state, they had been the king’s men first, before they were ever troops of Great Xia. If the court warred against their king, they would die for Wu without regret.
Chen Danzhu hushed him. “We don’t know how many of his confidants are here, nor how many spies from the court.”
No wonder she had insisted on choosing only the most reliable men. Chen Qiang clenched his fists. This camp held fifty thousand soldiers—yet only four of them remained true. Then he thought of something. “Second Miss, let Chen Li hurry back with the command token.”
Chen Danzhu shook her head, a bitter smile flickering across her pale face. “That area is also under Li Liang’s control. We must have our own people there—otherwise, if his men breach the dikes…”
The floodwaters would surge like an army of thousands, sweeping the capital flat. Chen Qiang’s face turned even paler than the young girl’s. Wu might command hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but no force could withstand a flood. If such a disaster struck, the land of Wu would be strewn with corpses.
“Brother-in-law… Li Liang… he wouldn’t be so utterly depraved, would he?” he muttered.
Of course, he would. Chen Danzhu remained silent.
“Miss.” Chen Qiang straightened, forcing resolve into his voice. “We are too few here. It’s too dangerous for you.”
They should have brought more men.
“If we had more,” Chen Danzhu replied, “we wouldn’t have been able to get close to Li Liang at all. This time, I succeeded because he never suspected me. And now, with him incapacitated, I can use his position to steady the situation.”
On Chen Li’s side, her father’s command token was essential.
Chen Qiang nodded, his gaze filled with admiration. Even if these were the old master’s orders, Second Miss was only fifteen—yet she had carried them out swiftly and cleanly. Truly worthy of being the Grand Tutor’s daughter. Though the young master was gone, Second Miss could shoulder her father’s mantle.
Chen Danzhu read his thoughts and sighed. Her father had no mantle left to pass on. Soon, Great Xia would erase Wu entirely.
“Li Liang is poisoned and unconscious. At most, he can last five days,” she said softly. “Within those five days, we must seize as many troops as possible to stabilize the army.”
“Yes, Second Miss,” Chen Qiang answered. “I’ll inform the others. Leave the rest to us.”
“Be cautious,” she warned. “Li Liang’s confidants may not suspect us yet, but they will be watching.”
Chen Qiang knelt, fist to chest. “Rest assured, Miss. These are soldiers the Grand Tutor has trained for decades. Li Liang cannot have seized them all in just two or three years.”
Chen Danzhu nodded. “I am the Grand Tutor’s daughter, Li Liang’s sister-in-law. If I take his place at the helm, I can hold the line.”
Chen Qiang bowed. “Take care, Miss. I go now.”
When he left, Chen Danzhu sat by the bed, hands clenched. She did not know whether what she was doing was right or could change what was to come. But one thing was certain: Li Liang had to die. At least his fate was already altered.
She sat by the bed, watching over the man who would soon be a corpse—and she smiled.
The vast camp of fifty thousand soldiers sprawled across the land. In another tent, laughter rang out. It was a man’s voice, hoarse and aged, as though scraped raw by something. He laughed and asked, “Li Liang is poisoned? And you still don’t know who did it?”
The tent was dim. At the desk sat a man cloaked in armor and cape, shrouded in shadow.
Three men stood before him. One lifted his head, revealing his face—it was Li Liang’s deputy, Li Bao.
“Yes,” he said gravely, fear in his eyes. “We are investigating who struck. It happened too suddenly. Second Miss Chen had only just arrived—”
The hoarse voice chuckled again. “Indeed. Second Miss Chen arrives, and Li Liang is poisoned. Of course it was her.”
Second Miss Chen? Li Bao froze.
“You think a fifteen-year-old girl wouldn’t kill?” The shadowed man raised a finger and wagged it at them. “Never underestimate a child.”