“The ghosts have come to claim lives! The ghosts have come to claim lives!”
The military police pursuing from behind were about to mock this absurdity when they looked up and saw, under the hazy moonlight with sandy mist rising, beneath the unextinguished smoke in the moonlight, a group of people bouncing along the horizon.
Not many in number, sparse and scattered, but their gait was too strange, their clothing and appearance too familiar.
They were exactly the soldiers from both sides who had died on the battlefield earlier—both Da Qian and Liaodong!
These corpses moved with the same rhythm, bouncing and hopping, crossing the desolate moon-shrouded mist, bouncing toward them.
This scene was so eerie that everyone was stunned into silence. The Five-Color Plain suddenly fell quiet, and faintly they could hear extremely subtle bell sounds—ding-dong, ding-dong.
Ringing out in this great battle’s blood moon and smoke, faint and distant, yet making everyone’s whole body tremble.
Some Liaodong soldiers were fearless rascals. At first glance they lost their souls, but then immediately felt this must be Da Qian soldiers playing supernatural tricks to deceive people. Furiously enraged, they charged forward shouting: “Let me show you for pretending! Let me show you for pretending!”
However, as he charged wildly, raising his blade, sand flying three feet under his feet, those “people” still unhurriedly bounced forward.
With a “crack,” the Liaodong soldier’s long blade chopped off the foremost soldier’s arm and half shoulder. A string of things fell to the ground, but only a shallow trace of blood appeared. That soldier still kept his eyes closed, bouncing and hopping, hopping past the blade-wielding soldier’s side.
That Liaodong soldier stood dazed holding his blade, watching the people passing by his side, bouncing and hopping, bouncing and hopping. Each “person” had a gray-blue complexion, eyes tightly closed, fresh blood dotted at the center of their foreheads, blood stains all over their bodies. Some had holes in their chests, some had their intestines pierced and bellies torn—all fatal wounds.
He began to tremble, trembling more and more, then suddenly threw down his blade and screamed heart-rendingly: “The corpses are walking!” He turned and ran.
This cry was like a retreat signal. The Liaodong soldiers, who feared spirits more than gods, suddenly rolled back, running like wolves and pigs, not even caring about those in front who were caught in the pincer attack of the Scorpion Battalion and Blood Cavalry.
Standing on the hillside, Di Yiwei finally showed a faint smile.
The Sanxiang Provincial Administration had legends of “corpse driving.” If someone from the countryside died far from home and their family wanted them to return to their roots, they would hire a corpse driver. At midnight, the corpse driver would ring bells, and the newly dead—those whose hearts still held a breath of warm air—would rise. The corpse driver would drip fresh blood into their foreheads, and they would follow the bell sounds, hopping step by step, following the corpse driver on the thousand-mile journey home.
The obsession with returning home was that breath of warm air lingering in the heart, driving a walking corpse to forever face toward home.
The Scorpion Battalion also recruited talented individuals—not many, perhaps only two or three who knew corpse driving.
Originally Di Yiwei wouldn’t use such methods. After all, this wasn’t real corpse driving, and disturbing the dead was also a great taboo in Da Qian customs.
But Liaodong had been too greedy and vicious this time. If the hand they extended wasn’t severely severed, there would never be peace afterward.
Conveniently, the Liaodong people had even prepared the bells.
You use bells as poison triggers, I’ll use bells to send you home.
In the distance, Xia Houchun, searching for the Imperial Crown Princess, looked back and saw the strange sight on the Five-Color Plain, sighing in his heart.
Di Yiwei’s tactics were like herself—both orthodox and unorthodox. Upright military prowess and cunning military strategy complemented each other. Her vision was far-reaching and her perception meticulous, and she also possessed the strongest heart—steady as a rock, unmoved by wind and rain.
The Five-Color Plain battle’s life-and-death reversal would surely be recorded in military history, becoming a classic battle that generations of military officers could never avoid.
How fortunate for Da Qian to have her, how fortunate for the Crown Princess to have her.
The Liaodong army was defeated like a landslide.
Liaodong General Jin Wande had been trying hard to command, continuously cutting down fleeing soldiers, when his deputy general decapitated him with one stroke.
The deputy general then held up the head and led soldiers to surrender to Di Yiwei.
The Scorpion Battalion hadn’t killed enough yet, licking their lips with lingering desire as they turned to look at their commander.
Fighting alongside the commander was always satisfying, but if they had to stop halfway and couldn’t thoroughly beat these fellows who had gained advantage through shameless means earlier, that wouldn’t be very satisfying.
Blades still hung over the Liaodong soldiers’ heads, thick fresh blood dripping down the Abyss Iron blade bodies, drop by drop falling on the Liaodong soldiers’ faces.
Hearing the shouting from the other side, Di Yiwei smiled and said: “Good.”
The Scorpion Battalion collectively smacked their lips, making the prisoners’ hearts race with terror.
“Then put down your weapons.”
With clanging sounds, the Scorpion Battalion swept away their weapons. Ordinary soldiers came to collect them, people laughing: “Scrap metal, much worse than our weapons.”
“They just coveted our weapons, thinking that once they captured us, the Abyss Iron would be theirs. Bah! Dream on!”
Di Yiwei watched their weapons being taken away, then slightly raised her chin.
The Scorpion Battalion grinned menacingly and raised their blades again.
“We’ll give you a chance to run while we count to ten. I’m starting to count now: one, two, three…”
The Liaodong soldiers were greatly alarmed.
“We’ve already surrendered!”
“You’re breaking your word!”
“Killing prisoners brings misfortune!”
Di Yiwei didn’t even glance at them, calmly smoking her pipe.
The officers beside her were used to her style and said nothing. Liu Chen called out loudly: “This isn’t about us releasing you after you surrendered—if you can’t escape, how is that our fault?”
“…seven, eight, nine, ten, done!”
The Scorpion Battalion, impatient to finish counting, brought their great blades down without hesitation.
Only now did the Liaodong soldiers realize Di Yiwei truly intended to risk universal condemnation to kill prisoners.
They had no choice but to cry out and flee wildly again. But this was the Five-Color Plain with treacherous terrain. Having lost their weapons and armor, how could they outrun the Scorpion Battalion, skilled in all terrains and still wielding Abyss Iron weapons?
People continuously cried out as they fell into the icy streams, tumbled down sand mounds. Heads fell to the ground like chopped radishes, rolling chaotically, slowly filling up the sunken areas.
The Liaodong deputy general who had ordered surrender shouted before dying: “Di Yiwei, you’ve lost all conscience! You shamelessly kill prisoners! You’ll surely face the fiercest revenge from the Liaodong officers and soldiers at Cang Tian Pass!”
This wasn’t wrong. The battle wasn’t over yet, and killing prisoners would indeed cause enemies to fight to the death rather than surrender when they had no retreat, adding obstacles to the offensive.
Except for the Scorpion Battalion, who loved killing and remained indifferent as they continued their work, everyone looked back at Di Yiwei. Under the night sky, the female commander lightly exhaled a smoke ring, like a contemptuous white eye.
“As if you’re not fierce now.”
Everyone thought about it and agreed.
Today’s situation had been extremely dangerous—they had nearly been completely annihilated. Without avenging this grudge, their hearts couldn’t rest.
“I’m not afraid of your Liaodong revenge. I’m only afraid that you Liaodong aren’t afraid of my revenge.”
“I want you to know that the Yongping Army is here, Di Yiwei is here. At Da Qian’s borders, you can come, but you cannot leave!”
A cluster of fireworks lit up at the ice waterfall at the western top of the Five-Color Plain. Xia Houchun and others suddenly ran wildly with their people.
A moment later, faint cheering could be heard from there.
Di Yiwei gazed toward that direction and let out a long breath.
…
At the end of winter and beginning of spring in the twenty-second year of Shun’an, the northern ice rivers were still frozen, the peach blossoms on branches had not yet bloomed, but the Battle of Five-Color Plain was already destined to be written in the history books.
Under the Imperial Crown Princess’s support, the Yongping Guard Commander killed Xiao Chang and Huang Ming, forcefully reclaimed military authority, then divided the army into three routes to attack Cang Tian. The Imperial Crown Princess used herself as bait to lure Prince Da’an of Liaodong to personally lead troops in ambush. Finally, three Liaodong generals were killed in formation, thirty thousand Liaodong troops were annihilated, the Liaodong Prince was not seen in the formation and reportedly escaped with severe injuries. Di Yiwei ordered the entire territory sealed and dispatched Blood Cavalry for a thousand-li pursuit.
In the military report Yongping transmitted to the court, all killings were glossed over—all Liaodong soldiers died in battle. But according to a secret report from the Kaiping Guard Commander, the Liaodong army finally surrendered but was ordered completely executed by Di Yiwei.
The court and public were shocked.
Impeachment memorials flew to the Cabinet like snowflakes, impeaching Di Yiwei for commanding troops with personal authority, brutal behavior, defying imperial edicts and deceiving the emperor—crimes worthy of death.
Among these were some neutral ministers who had no faction but simply felt that a commander like Di Yiwei had too rebellious a nature. If allowed to grow stronger, she would surely become a serious future threat.
Even if Xiao Chang and others had wronged her, the imperial edict for questioning in the capital had been issued. Di Yiwei’s delay in returning showed contempt for the emperor, and her subsequent forceful seizure of power further revealed disloyal intentions. Such ambitious wolves, even if they achieved great victory against Liaodong, could not redeem their crimes.
Others pointed their spears directly at the Imperial Crown Princess. The polite ones said the Imperial Crown Princess was young and ignorant, deceived by others, helping tyrants commit evil, and brutally killing important ministers. The impolite ones directly impeached the Crown Princess for not focusing on training, coveting military authority, bewitching generals, and colluding with important frontier ministers in wrongdoing.
The Empress Dowager held court, smashing countless cups and bottles. Assistant Minister Xiao wept openly in court, kneeling long before the palace gates and refusing to rise.
But the military officers in court and the civil officials led by the Grand Tutor, along with scholars in the capital, reacted strongly against these statements.
The military officers rolled up their sleeves and cursed that eunuchs had ruined the country—the military supervisor system was the greatest harm to frontier officers and soldiers! The court officials were confused, letting a eunuch who understood nothing about military affairs interfere with military secrets. Xiao Chang had received great favor and trust from the court and carried guilt, yet instead of atoning through merit, he actually colluded with this eunuch to harm loyal subjects and destroy the Great Wall! If Commander Di hadn’t understood righteousness deeply, promptly reclaimed military authority, and immediately counterattacked Liaodong regardless of past grievances, more than just Cang Tian Pass would have fallen now. Those white bears from Liaodong would probably be at the capital gates by now. Where would you old turtles have the chance to nitpick with your sleeves held high!
Grand Tutor He adopted the scholarly style—silent sitting. Since he came to the capital, the capital’s students had become skilled at this activity. The Imperial Academy, academies at all levels, and over ten thousand students who had come for the spring examinations very orderly organized themselves, bringing their own dry food, mats, umbrellas, water, etc. They left in the morning and returned at dusk, sitting silently before Shunde Gate. Xiao Chang and Huang Ming’s various deeds were written in the students’ petitions, storytellers’ tales in teahouses, and courtesans’ ballads—spreading everywhere, so much that you’d hear it three times a day even with your ears plugged.
He Zi also arranged for people to write scripts about the Imperial Crown Princess’s training journey—a serial drama currently serialized to the sixth part. Part One: “The Little Coroner of Liyang,” Part Two: “The New School Bully,” Part Three: “Fighting Local Snakes,” Part Four: “Ghost Island Terror,” Part Five: “Desert Crisis,” Part Six: “Frontier Twin Beauties.”
Who knows what master scriptwriter they hired—the entire plot was full of ups and downs, combining the most fashionable, fresh, and melodramatic elements of detective work, adventure, mystery, campus life, disaster relief, horror, wealthy families, exotic lands, political intrigue, warfare, etc. It broke away from the current pattern of romantic scripts set in flower gardens and back courtyards. Sometimes magnificent, sometimes full of twists, sometimes profound and mysterious, sometimes thrilling, sometimes hilariously funny, sometimes righteously indignant, sometimes making people’s blood boil… Readers’ emotions rose and fell with the Imperial Crown Princess’s training journey through various hardships and dangers. Who knows how many boudoir ladies this made cry, or how many young men’s blood it heated. Recently embroidery shops ran out of handkerchiefs—because countless handkerchiefs were bitten to pieces in boudoirs. Recently countless tables in teahouses were scrapped—smashed by passionate young men in their fervent discussions.
For a time, the six-part series was as precious as gold in Luoyang. In the capital, from royalty above to commoners below, if you hadn’t read the six-part series, you weren’t fit for social interaction.
The sixth part wasn’t even complete yet. The previous volume ended at Di Yiwei being framed, and teahouse cups suffered again. Now many teahouses had switched to iron cups.
The latest volume where Di Yiwei personally killed Lou Xi nearly flooded the inner courtyards of various mansions. Young ladies held their little handkerchiefs and wept inconsolably, shedding all their tears for this pair of lovers who didn’t know each other yet met such a tragic end.
In the capital, opinions on “whether Di Yiwei and Lou Xi truly had feelings” quickly split into two opposing camps, arguing endlessly, causing such grief that they nearly came to blows.
The sequel was about to be released, and preview copies were already circulating. The plot was said to be absolutely brilliant—counterattack, killing villains, reclaiming military authority, frontier emergency, the great Battle of Five-Color Plain, the Imperial Crown Princess defeating famous generals, venturing alone into ten thousand cavalry, explosive carts set in Liaodong formations, the Imperial Crown Princess escaping death, Di Yiwei driving corpses on the battlefield, the Scorpion Battalion exploding from sand at midnight, the Yongping Army turning the tide.
Just hearing about it made people nearly suffocate with tension. In the capital’s various printing houses, people queued all night, camping at bookstore entrances.
The Xiao family had tried to confiscate the six-part series, but before the capital prefectural office clerks even left their doors, the people had already noticed and spread the word. The bookstores quickly packed up their books, changed locations and covers to continue selling, like guerrilla warfare, impossible to prevent.
The faster the Xiao family confiscated, the more fiercely they were cursed. Incidents had already occurred of Xiao family members being injured by thrown stones when going out. Empress Dowager Xiao was so enraged she nearly went mad, once again smashing all the furnishings in Ciren Palace.
She couldn’t understand how that little puppet who had seemed unremarkable in the palace could stir up such a storm once she left! If she had known, she would have confined her to death in Ruixiang Hall, not allowing her one step outside, or poisoned her early and been done with it! But regret was too late now. Empress Dowager Xiao had to order the confiscation of the six-part series to stop temporarily, and under the overwhelming questioning and sit-in pressure from the Imperial Academy, she temporarily retreated to the rear palace claiming illness. Yet she still didn’t forget to remotely control the Xiao faction ministers from the rear palace, making them jump up and down even more fiercely.
Currently in court, those cursing Di Yiwei, attacking the Imperial Crown Princess, protecting Di Yiwei, feeling indignant for Di Yiwei, greatly admiring the Imperial Crown Princess’s various performances in the Yongping incident, and expressing that the Imperial Crown Princess’s wild behavior was unworthy of the Crown Princess position… were all arguing in chaos.
But among the people, thanks to He Zi’s powerful scholarly influence and long-term grassroots preparation and spreading, support for Di Yiwei and the Imperial Crown Princess was overwhelming. Especially for the Imperial Crown Princess—whether they had finished reading or listening to the six parts, the people of the capital were all very excited and joyful, feeling that having such an heir was truly fortunate for Da Qian. That there were still people in court attacking the Imperial Crown Princess—they must have had their brains squeezed by doors, or rather, not squeezed but flattened by the power and money of the Su family.
Here it should be mentioned that because it involved important contemporary figures, naturally identities had to be concealed for the sake of respect. So the protagonist of the six-part series was disguised as the youngest legitimate son of a third-rank court official going out for training, called Chi Shiba. Other characters and locations all had obvious slight modifications that even fools could see. The Xiao family became the Su family. It’s said Assistant Minister Xiao nearly vomited blood when he saw this, cursing scholars as vicious—the Xiao family with its head cut off, wasn’t that just the Su family?
The people naturally knew who Chi Shiba was. It’s said that when the Crown Princess trained in various places, her initial false name was indeed Ye Shiba. The origin of the nickname “Eighteen” spread throughout the capital.
Currently, the place all the capital’s noble ladies most wanted to visit was Ruixiang Hall, and what they most wanted to touch were the eighteen copper nails on Ruixiang Hall’s door.
During palace banquets, daughters of high officials and nobles really did band together to sneak to Ruixiang Hall, personally witnessing the copper nails on Ruixiang Hall’s door that always had things hanging on them. Currently hanging on the nails were no longer the Crown Princess’s various handkerchiefs and undergarments, but koi sachets popular in the capital for expressing longing and blessings for travelers. Various colored sachets filled the copper nails, glittering in the sunlight.
Ruixiang Hall’s great doors were tightly closed. It’s said that after the Princess left the palace, Ruixiang Hall sealed its palace gates. To avoid certain unnecessary troubles, the people inside barely left except for the Crown Princess’s cats.
The young ladies could only check in before Ruixiang Hall’s gates, hearing the women inside talking, laughing, and singing through the doors. Though confined to a small space, they remained carefree and happy, making people feel that as rumored, His Highness truly treated people very, very well.
The only one from Ruixiang Hall who still often went out was Xue Tuan’er. Because there were too many people checking in, and seeing Xue Tuan’er they couldn’t help wanting to pet the Crown Princess’s cat, Xue Tuan’er’s fur was once nearly petted bald.
The capital’s storms never ceased. Countless people feared those two women, and countless people anticipated them. But everyone knew that whether anticipation or fear, after the Imperial Crown Princess’s year of training and countless preparations, once she returned, the capital would surely change.
Under such tense circumstances, a letter from Yongping was like a lid suddenly placed on a boiling pot, abruptly suppressing all voices.
The court and public fell silent. Everyone’s hearts hung high, awaiting an unknown but destined tumultuous future.
Di Yiwei sent an urgent report: great victory at Cang Tian Pass, successfully driving out Liaodong forces, the Liaodong Prince heavily wounded and fled back. Because the Imperial Crown Princess was injured in the Battle of Five-Color Plain, to ensure the Crown Prince’s safety, the Yongping Army was dispatching the Scorpion Battalion and Blood Cavalry to escort the Imperial Crown Princess back to the capital.
…