Shoutout to Tachibanaswife for the commission!
In mid-June, Qi Sheng, on behalf of the Emperor, conducted an inspection tour north to the Jiangbei Military Camp.
On the banks of the Wan River, Qi Sheng wore a golden crown binding his hair, a black narrow-sleeved outfit embroidered subtly with golden dragon patterns, and over it a thin suit of gilded fine-steel armor. Under the gaze of the masses, he strode with the bearing of a dragon and tiger as he boarded the warship of the Fuping navy.
I, dressed in an ordinary gray-blue naval uniform, hid in the lower hold of the ship, crouched by a crack in the window and peering out like a thief.
The difference, this is the difference!
Qi Sheng said that on an inspection of the northern camp no female companions could be brought along, so he could only arrange for me to change into military attire and hide aboard the ship in advance.
What I wore and how I boarded didn’t concern me much. With this curvy body of mine, even if I put on a dragon robe, I wouldn’t look like an emperor. The problem was, it was clearly Qi Sheng who told me to go to Jiangbei with him, yet he had to put on an innocent act as if he knew nothing!
Thus, the official version of the matter became: The Crown Prince, acting for the Emperor, inspected the north. The Crown Princess Zhang privately left the palace in disguise to follow along. Only after passing Taixing did the Crown Prince discover that Lady Zhang was among the entourage. The Crown Prince flew into a rage and fiercely reprimanded Lady Zhang, but since things had come to this, he had no choice but to let Lady Zhang accompany him.
Simply put, the Crown Prince’s image would remain tall and glorious; any wrongdoing would be that of Crown Princess Zhang.
Did he take me for a fool?
The moment Qi Sheng first suggested it, I immediately raised my hand in opposition.
He merely narrowed his eyes and said unhurriedly, “Lady Zhang already has a reputation for being willful and reckless. Adding this one more offense is nothing. The Empress won’t have time to do more than enjoy the spectacle, at most she’ll scold you for show. As long as I don’t pursue it, what are you afraid of?”
Bah!
If this were truly carried out, it would become a stain on Crown Princess Zhang’s professional career, something to be recorded in the archives! You say now you won’t pursue it, but if you change your mind in the future, who will I appeal to?
“No, no!” I waved my hands quickly. “With how I look, even in military clothes no one would believe it. What if someone wants to search me? Can I let them?”
His gaze deepened. After looking at me silently for a moment, he said, “I’ll give you a written order bearing my seal. Does that reassure you?”
By saying that, he had seen through my thoughts. But that didn’t frighten me. I nodded and smiled. “If that’s the case, I’ll feel somewhat more at ease.”
He gave a mocking snort and then ordered in a low voice, “You are to bring not a single maid, only yourself. Tonight, find a way to send Luli away. I’ll have someone fetch you and arrange for you to board the ship under cover of night.”
So that very night, as soon as it was dark, I sent Luli to the Buddhist hall in the summer palace to chant scriptures for me all night.
She asked what I wished to pray for. Looking at her hopeful little eyes, I said against my conscience that she should pray for Qi Sheng to be deeply devoted to me, never leaving nor abandoning me.
Without another word, she gathered a large bundle of incense, candles, and scriptures, and spiritedly left the hall.
Before the palace gates were locked, I secretly slipped out of the summer palace with a young eunuch. By the Wan River, a small boat ferried me to Qi Sheng’s flagship.
After hiding in the lower hold for half the night, I finally waited for the moment he boarded.
Cannons boomed dozens of times from the flagship. Then the ship slowly left the shore and headed across the river toward Taixing City.
Taixing, the largest city north of the river in Nanxia, stood opposite Fuping, one north, one south, mutually dependent across the Wan River, spanning Su and Xiang provinces and controlling north and south. Since ancient times it had been a strategic battleground.
In the third year of Chengzu’s reign, after pacifying Lingnan, the Nanxia army immediately marched north, crossing here to besiege Taixing and attack Yuzhou, joining forces from north and south with Marshal Mai’s Jiangbei army to defeat the invading Northern Mo forces and ultimately reclaim Jiangbei.
Zhang’s grandfather, the Grand General Who Protects the Nation Zhang Sheng, rose to prominence in that battle. According to Luli, Zhang Sheng, then commander of the Jiangbei cavalry, obeyed Marshal Mai’s orders to storm a small pass station in northern Yu. Two thousand cavalry charged again and again until only a few hundred remained before finally capturing it. From then on, no one in the army dared underestimate that lame man surnamed Zhang.
Yes, such a valiant and formidable general was in fact disabled, truly astonishing. I had seen several portraits of Zhang Sheng in his youth at the Zhang residence, all on horseback, handsome-faced and vigorous.
From him was proven again the old saying: a lame man loves riding horses; a buck-toothed one loves holding a fan.
While I was thinking idly, someone entered the cabin. I turned and saw it was the young eunuch surnamed Li who had led me out of the palace, only now dressed as a guard.
Guard Li carefully bowed to me and handed over a set of guard clothes, saying softly, “Your Highness, His Highness has ordered that when we arrive at Taixing Dock, you are to disguise yourself as a guard and disembark with this humble one. You must not let anyone discover your identity.”
At this point I had no choice but to obey. After changing again, I tightly bound my chest with white cloth and carefully rolled up the written order Qi Sheng had given me into a thin scroll and tucked it inside.
After sailing a while longer, we reached outside Taixing City. The city governor Yang Yu and numerous officials had long been waiting at the dock. Amid drum and music, Qi Sheng was welcomed ashore, mounted a horse, and headed toward Taixing City.
Mixed in the crowd with Guard Li, I also slipped off the ship during the commotion. I had barely taken two anxious steps when someone suddenly exclaimed nearby, “Niang– ah! Why are you here too?”
I looked up and indeed saw Yang Yan standing not far away, staring at me dumbfounded.
I grinned at him and asked, “Where is your honored mother?”
Yang Yan choked slightly and said nothing, striding toward me.
Guard Li hurried close and whispered, “Niang Niang, we must not stir up trouble now. I think we’d better avoid him.”
Without thinking much, I followed Guard Li and plunged into the crowd, hoping to slip away in the chaos. But Yang Yan refused to let me go, pushing through people and chasing after us, shouting, “Wait! Wait!”
Wait your grandmother! I cursed inwardly, quickening my pace. Guard Li led me in a large circle around the dock and finally back toward the river. Seeing Yang Yan still chasing closely, he simply dragged me onto a small fishing boat moored by the shore and urgently ordered the fisherman, “Quickly, set sail.”
The fisherman deftly untied the rope, and the boat drifted swiftly downstream, soon far away.
Yang Yan was a step too late. On the shore he stamped his foot anxiously, still waving at me unwilling to give up.
I was delighted and raised my arm high at him, extending my middle finger.
Seeing this, Yang Yan brightened and waved even more vigorously.
There was wind on the river and the boat moved fast. After a while without Yang Yan catching up, I finally relaxed. Turning back to Guard Li, I asked, “What now? Return to the dock or find another place to land?”
He replied respectfully, “Returning to the dock now may not be prudent. Better to find a secluded place to disembark and then head to Taixing to seek His Highness.”
His words were courteous, his expression steady.
I thought it made sense and nodded. “You’ve considered it well. Let’s do that.”
The boatman calmly rowed at the stern, seeming deaf to our conversation.
Suddenly something clicked in my mind. My scalp tightened and my back turned cold. I forced myself to walk to the bow and sit down, fanning myself casually. “It’s really hot today.”
As I spoke, I took off my boots, and, ignoring the startled looks of Guard Li and the boatman, also removed my socks. I looked up at Guard Li. “What? Don’t you feel hot?”
He quickly turned away, shaking his head.
His reaction made me hesitate. If someone wanted my life, surely they wouldn’t send someone so thin-skinned? Was I overthinking?
I wavered, should I jump into the water or not? That hesitation nearly cost me my life. For such a thin-skinned person, his strike was extremely swift and ruthless. By the time I reacted, his blade was already before me. Fortunately, I was seated at the edge. Without thinking, I leaned back and flipped into the water. Even so, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, I’d been cut.
Red ripples spread in the water. I dared not hesitate, held my breath, and swam desperately underwater toward the shore. I faintly heard Guard Li shouting angrily on the boat, “Hurry and fish up the body! She still has the Crown Prince’s written order!”
Instinctively I pressed my chest and felt the rolled order still there, and swam even harder toward the riverbank.
Post-incident summary:
First, you can’t judge a person by appearance, an assassin may also be a pure-hearted man who blushes at the sight of women.
Second, you can’t judge a person by appearance, being a woman, a deep cleavage line truly has its advantages.
Third, you can’t judge a person by appearance, Qi Sheng is indeed no good thing!
