There are moments when a string of coincidences creates the illusion that one has arrived at a turning point in one’s destiny — and that every sight and encounter at such a moment is an auspicious omen.

Gan Daode was, by all appearances, feeling exactly that way at present. Though he had gained nothing in Jizhou and retreated in disgrace, his mood utterly wretched, good news had come rolling in one after another — and his spirits had turned bright and clear as a summer sky.

The officials from the capital had been working diligently to prepare the enfeoffment ceremony, busy with one thing and another every day without rest.

From procurement to arrangement, from planning to execution, those men had involved themselves personally in every detail without exception.

This had given Gan Daode the thought of simply keeping them on permanently — because his own subordinates genuinely lacked such capable and reliable people. Most of them came from bandit backgrounds. What did they know about proper rules and decorum? For the enfeoffment ceremony alone — which day, which hour, which robes to wear, what words to speak, what forms of obeisance to perform — none of this was known to him or to his men.

He had, in an effort to demonstrate his benevolence and discernment, recruited some scholars into his service — but these scholars held no official credentials, had never been to the capital, and had never attended any kind of grand ceremony. Their knowledge came entirely from books or word of mouth. Without firsthand experience, there were bound to be gaps.

Once the enfeoffment was formally complete, by the rules of propriety he could begin openly building the official administrative structure for his kingdom. The composition of officials within a kingdom largely mirrored that of the imperial court — so keeping Gui Yuanshu on to serve as his kingdom’s prime minister seemed a fitting appointment.

He was still turning this over in his mind when a subordinate came rushing in to report that a party had arrived outside Wulai City — men from the Mountain-Sea Army of Yanzhou.

This gave Gan Daode a moment’s pause.

He had had no direct dealings with the Mountain-Sea Army. The only connection at all was through the letter from Mu Fengliu. But he did not know that Mu Fengliu was already dead, nor did he know the full extent of the Mountain-Sea Army’s defeat.

Uncertain how to read the situation, he assumed it was probably related to Mu Fengliu somehow.

He gave an order: “Bring them in.”

Before long, Li Chi and Dantai Yijing presented themselves at the royal residence as representatives of the Mountain-Sea Army, their entourage left to wait outside.

Upon entering the city, they had already heard about the Dachu Emperor’s enfeoffment of Gan Daode — and that court officials had stayed behind to help prepare the ceremony.

Dantai Yijing looked ready to charge straight to the capital and drag the Emperor off his throne for a beating.

This treacherous, self-serving wretch was getting a royal title? While the Ning Army bled and died in the north defending the heartland, Gan Daode had stabbed them in the back — and the Dachu Emperor was rewarding him with a royal enfeoffment?

If such a man could receive the Emperor’s favor, then the Dachu Emperor might as well kneel before the Black Warrior Khan and call him Father.

“Don’t say anything unnecessary in there.”

Li Chi rested a hand lightly on Dantai Yijing’s shoulder. “Meeting him face to face — yes, this is a good opportunity to kill him. But none of us would get out alive. So we stick to the plan.”

Dantai Yijing drew a slow, deep breath. “I know.”

Before long, someone emerged from the great hall — looking down at them with open contempt. “His Highness summons you inside. Mind your conduct in the King’s presence. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Li Chi and Dantai Yijing affected humble, obedient expressions and followed the man into the great hall.

It had to be said — Gan Daode had spared no effort in setting himself apart. This hall was built on an extraordinary scale. It could not compare to the Hall of Shiyuan Palace in Daxing City, but measured against the palaces of those minor kingdoms, it was likely superior.

Entering through the doors, Li Chi quickened his pace into a rapid, mincing gait — the short hurried steps of someone nervous and deferential.

When it came to performance, there were few in this world who could match Li Chi.

Li Chi reached the center of the hall and, looking as though he dared not raise his eyes, dipped into a slight forward bow. “This foreign subject Li Xiaoxin pays respects to His Highness, and wishes His Highness boundless fortune and all success.”

Gan Daode smiled slightly. Those two lucky phrases sat rather well with him.

“You’re with the Mountain-Sea Army? Why have you come to see me?”

“In reply to His Highness — this foreign subject is Li Xiaoxin, a general in the service of the Sea-Surge King of the Mountain-Sea Army. By command of my sovereign… we have come to offer His Highness congratulations, and also to propose a match.”

Gan Daode was taken aback — then burst out laughing. “I have neither sons nor daughters, no heirs to speak of. The Sea-Surge King proposes a match with me? Even if I were to get started on producing one for you right now, I couldn’t get one ready in time. I appreciate the Sea-Surge King’s goodwill — feel free to spend a few days enjoying Wulai City, then head back.”

Li Chi said, “Your Highness misunderstands. My sovereign has a younger sister — said to have a beauty that causes fish to sink and wild geese to fall, that would outshine the moon and shame the flowers. She is gentle as water, considerate, and… composed. My sovereign wishes to offer this young lady in marriage to Your Highness.”

Gan Daode paused again — then broke into a broad, hearty laugh.

The Mountain-Sea Army had clearly been frightened by the Ning Army and feared Li Chi’s retaliation — so they had rushed here in desperation to seek an alliance. But approaching an alliance so abruptly would seem insincere, so they had cooked up this rather laughable scheme.

Li Chi said, “What is more — not only has the young lady herself made the journey, but my sovereign’s own father has come personally.”

Gan Daode laughed even louder, thinking: *you’ve really shown your sincerity.*

Not even a word exchanged beforehand, and they had simply brought the girl right to his doorstep — and the old father himself had made the trip to deliver her. A considerable hardship for the old patriarch.

Standing not far from Gan Daode was his trusted advisor, a man by the name of Xu Ru. The man had a sharp mind — formerly a private tutor, later recruited by Gan Daode. He had offered sound counsel on multiple occasions.

He leaned close to Gan Daode and said in a low voice, “This should be publicized widely. The court has just conferred a royal title on His Highness, and now the Sea-Surge King is coming to seek a marriage alliance — once this gets out, His Highness’s prestige and standing will only rise. And these people coming here may well be connected to the late Master Mu.”

Gan Daode asked, “What if the young lady turns out to be… well, ugly and old?”

Xu Ru said, “His Highness need only go through the motions of accepting. As for how the young lady is treated once she arrives — whether His Highness sees her or ignores her entirely — that’s entirely at His Highness’s discretion.”

Gan Daode thought it over. There was indeed something to be gained from this.

The Ning Army was powerful — sooner or later a confrontation was inevitable. If he could forge an alliance with the Mountain-Sea Army, who bore their own grievances against the Ning Army, that would give him a distinct advantage when the time came.

Xu Ru added, “Your Highness need not agree outright just yet. Keep them waiting a few days — good food and drink, proper hospitality — and say you’re giving it careful consideration.”

Gan Daode nodded. “As you advise.”

So he said to Li Chi, “I appreciate the Sea-Surge King’s goodwill. But this is all rather sudden — I need a little time to prepare. Besides, the enfeoffment ceremony is upon us. Better to see that properly through first.”

Li Chi said immediately, “No hurry at all, no hurry. We happen to have arrived just in time for Your Highness’s grand occasion — it is an honor to be here to offer our congratulations.”

And so the meeting concluded. Li Chi and his party had, through this approach, lulled Gan Daode into a false sense of security.

Gan Daode gave special orders to have a large compound arranged for Li Chi and his party, with troops stationed nearby as an escort — and also, of course, as surveillance.

The compound had four connected courtyards, with a lotus pool, a garden, and a small grove of ornamental trees. It had a quiet elegance.

Li Chi sat there with his tea and glanced at Young Zhang Zhenren — then couldn’t hold back a laugh. “You’re in luck. You’ve barely arrived and you’re about to become a proper princess consort.”

Young Zhang Zhenren sprayed a mouthful of tea.

Yu Jiuling said, “As your family — to see you settled so well — we are all greatly relieved.”

He looked at Old Zhang Zhenren. “And you, Old Zhenren?”

Old Zhang Zhenren said, “You may be relieved — but I cannot be. That is my own beloved disciple you’re casually marrying off. How could I possibly feel relieved?”

Yu Jiuling said, “Old Zhenren will surely receive a generous wedding gift.”

Old Zhang Zhenren said, “A generous gift will not do.”

Young Zhang Zhenren thought: *Master, you are finally behaving sensibly.*

Old Zhang Zhenren said, “It depends on how generous…”

Young Zhang Zhenren: “…”

Meanwhile, Dantai Yijing had been sitting in silence, quietly fuming. He was genuinely angry — at the court, at the Emperor, at Dachu as a whole. And rightly so.

He was different from Li Chi and the others. His upbringing meant he still harbored the faintest thread of feeling for the Dachu court — the faintest trace of reverence for the Dachu Emperor.

His family had defended Dachu’s borders for generations, faithfully and without complaint. He had always had no patience for the court’s corruption.

And now the Emperor had sunk to depths this shameless. The suffocating weight in Dantai Yijing’s chest was not difficult to understand.

“I want to kill someone.”

Dantai Yijing said it suddenly, out of nowhere, startling the others who had been sitting quietly over tea.

Those four words, spoken plainly like that, conveyed the full force of his fury.

But Li Chi immediately knew what he was thinking. Dantai Yijing was not an impulsive man — his sense of the larger picture surpassed the vast majority of people.

When he said he wanted to kill someone, it was certainly not Gan Daode — moving rashly would implicate everyone.

“You want to kill those court officials?”

Li Chi asked.

Dantai Yijing nodded. “They came to deliver the decree — that was not their choice. There is some excuse for that. But they voluntarily stayed behind to help Gan Daode plan his enfeoffment ceremony. People like that cannot be left alive.”

Li Chi furrowed his brow slightly, turning it over carefully in his mind.

Yu Jiuling said, “Those men are right in the midst of favor and usefulness. If they die under suspicious circumstances — and we’ve only just arrived — Gan Daode will certainly suspect us. Without any evidence, he’ll still suspect us. So if we’re going to act, it has to look like an accident.”

Li Chi gave a sound of agreement. “We’ll go out for a walk shortly — have a look and find an opportunity.”

He clapped Dantai Yijing on the shoulder. “If killing someone is the only thing that will give you relief, then we kill.”

Dantai Yijing let out a long, heavy breath. “Maybe… I’m simply too bitterly disappointed in the court.”

“Let’s go now.”

Li Chi rose. “We’ll go scout the lay of the land.”

—

At the same moment, in a guest room of the royal residence.

Gui Yuanshu’s expression was quite unpleasant. He looked genuinely furious — more so than he’d been even in Gan Daode’s presence.

“I’ve just heard that people from the Mountain-Sea Army have come. They want to form an alliance with Gan Daode. The Mountain-Sea Army — while the Ning Army gave everything it had to resist the Black Warrior Tribes, those people snuck up and attacked Dragon’s Head Pass, trying to collude with the Black Warriors from within and without. They are a thousand times more despicable than Gan Daode — ten thousand times more!”

They had picked up considerable intelligence about the Jizhou campaign during their time in Wulai City, and they had already learned something of the Mountain-Sea Army’s attack on Dragon’s Head Pass.

Zheng Shunshun said, “Should we… get rid of them?”

Ding Man said, “Easier said than done.”

Zhang Youdong said, “Try it and see.”

Gui Yuanshu nodded. “They’ve only just arrived. Gan Daode’s people won’t make a move yet — the moment they die, suspicion falls on all of us. So it has to look like an accident…”

He rose. “Come with me for a walk. We’ll find an opportunity — work out how to put those animals out of commission.”

His four subordinates responded in unison. When it came to their lord’s orders, they had always executed them without question.

“If it comes to it, we kill them and run.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “But they absolutely cannot be allowed to leave here alive.”

—