The young Prince Liu Yi took about twenty guards and ran out of the city. After leaving Pingyang City, he headed straight south, making directly for Zhao Hanzhang’s main camp.

The Emperor and court ministers in Pingyang City were all busy and didn’t notice at all that their young prince had gone to the enemy’s main camp. It wasn’t until evening, when it was time for dinner, that Empress Dan, after serving Liu Yuan his meal and medicine, remembered she hadn’t seen her son all day. When she inquired, she discovered her son was missing.

Learning that her son had left the palace, Empress Dan wasn’t anxious, assuming her son had gone out to play because he found the palace boring. So she sent people out to call him back for dinner and calmly waited.

It wasn’t until the sun set on the horizon and the last trace of sunset glow faded, with her son still not found, that she finally became somewhat anxious.

In the first month in the north, the sky still darkened very early. Once night fell, the entire city would quiet down, all the shops closed, with only the pleasure quarters still lit with lanterns.

By this time, people who had gone out had basically returned home. Those who hadn’t returned yet…

Empress Dan didn’t think her son would encounter danger within Pingyang City. She just assumed he had learned bad habits from his father and brothers and had, at such a young age, run off to those kinds of places to misbehave.

So she sat fuming without moving and had someone fetch a whip, sitting in the hall waiting for her son to return.

At this time, the young Prince Liu Yi had been galloping frantically and finally, just before it got completely dark, saw the Zhao family army’s main camp.

Scouts hidden in the darkness quietly watched them approach their camp without any concealment. One scout had already run back ahead to report.

But… Liu Yi’s riding speed wasn’t slow either, and he arrived almost at the same time as the scout, front and back. A trail of smoke rose in the dim sky, then another connected in the distance…

Because the sky was so dim, one would miss it if not paying close attention.

Shi Hongtu, the guard captain following Fu Tinghan, looked up and saw it, couldn’t help but be alarmed, “Minister, look quickly!”

Fu Tinghan turned his head to look and saw the smoke in the dim twilight. His brows furrowed slightly, “So faint – when it gets a bit darker, it won’t be visible at all. It seems the warning tools also need improvement – they need to be more conspicuous.”

Shi Hongtu was speechless.

Was now the time to discuss this?

Shi Hongtu and guard Lu Daxuan exchanged glances, then together stepped forward, lifted Fu Tinghan by the arms and started running back…

They didn’t have many guards with them, and they were currently some distance from the main camp. If only they hadn’t let the Minister come out looking for water.

Fu Tinghan was being carried along by them but kept his face toward the Pingyang direction, saying, “Stop running – people are right in front of us. The scouts should have already gone back to report, and the main camp must have seen the smoke signal. Ah, making fire takes time – the warning tools need to be more convenient and faster.”

He thought they could try signal flares. This shouldn’t be too difficult to make.

He couldn’t make bombs, but couldn’t he make fireworks?

There were firecrackers in this era, but no fireworks yet. Signal flares were just an alternative type of firework. He could even install flammable materials in the device that would ignite upon sufficient contact with air, triggering the signal flare…

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, the young Prince Liu Yi had already galloped close on horseback. He too had seen Fu Tinghan and his group, and immediately shouted as he approached, “I am the Han Kingdom’s Prince of Beihai! I want to see your general!”

People couldn’t outrun horses. Shi Hongtu immediately released Fu Tinghan, and he and the guards drew their swords, standing in front of Fu Tinghan, watching them warily.

Fu An jogged to position himself behind them, using their imposing physiques to shield himself, then pulled Fu Tinghan back behind him, timidly watching Liu Yi.

The twilight was dim, but Fu Tinghan still made out the approaching Liu Yi clearly – he was just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child, his youthful features not yet mature, looking like a middle school student.

He pushed Fu An aside and asked Liu Yi across from Shi Hongtu, “You’re Liu Yuan’s seventh prince?”

Liu Yi, displeased at hearing him call his father by name, still nodded, “That’s right, this prince indeed.”

He looked past Shi Hongtu and the others at Fu Tinghan. Seeing his tall, slender figure and distinguished bearing, and that he was being protected behind the others, he knew his status was unusual and therefore asked, “Who are you?”

Fu Tinghan said, “I am Fu Tinghan.”

Liu Yi’s eyes lit up, “You’re Zhao Hanzhang’s fiancé Fu Tinghan?”

Fu Tinghan nodded.

Liu Yi was delighted, “Then you can definitely take me to see Zhao Hanzhang.”

Fu Tinghan nodded. This wasn’t particularly difficult, he was just curious, “What do you want to see her for?”

“I want to negotiate peace with her!”

Fu Tinghan was speechless.

He looked the young man on horseback up and down, and after a long moment said, “You… shouldn’t peace negotiations involve sending a state document first? Where are your Han Kingdom’s envoys?”

“I am one.”

Fu Tinghan looked at the confident young man and, well, it seemed troublesome children existed in every era. He kindly reminded him, “Seventh Prince, for you to come negotiate peace, does your father know?”

Liu Yi, believing he had already reported to his father, nodded directly, “Of course he knows. I came on his orders.”

He was so confident that Fu Tinghan believed him.

Though the person looked young, wasn’t Zhao Erlang already on the battlefield at this age?

People of this era all matured early – ten-year-olds fighting on battlefields and in politics were everywhere.

So Fu Tinghan had Shi Hongtu and the others sheathe their swords and invited Liu Yi to dismount and return to the main camp with him.

“This is Zhao family army’s camp. The Prince of Beihai isn’t stupid – if you meant me harm, you also couldn’t leave alive. Why bother?”

Liu Yi glanced at him, then swept his gaze over Shi Hongtu and the other guards, saying proudly, “How could I be such a faithless and treacherous person?”

Only then did Shi Hongtu and the others sheathe their swords, standing guard on Fu Tinghan’s left and right.

On the contrary, Liu Yi’s guards were quite at ease, not minding that their young prince was approaching Fu Tinghan. They simply dismounted and followed behind.

After all, they had already reached the gates of the Zhao family army camp – even if they turned to flee, they couldn’t escape. Why make trouble?

The twenty or so guards, like their master, boldly followed Liu Yi as he charged straight ahead toward the Zhao family army camp.

The group had only walked about ten steps when Zhao Hanzhang received the news and rushed over, followed by a panting scout.

Zhao Hanzhang reined in her horse, looking down from her elevated position at the young man standing beside Fu Tinghan, her face full of confusion as she looked toward Fu Tinghan.

Fu Tinghan then made introductions for them, “Hanzhang, this is the Han Kingdom’s seventh prince, the Prince of Beihai.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “Liu Yi?”

Liu Yi immediately said, “This prince indeed.”

He lifted his head to look at Zhao Hanzhang, examining her curiously, “You’re Zhao Hanzhang?”

She differed quite a bit from the image in his mind. Was she the one who killed Liu Jing?

Liu Yi remembered Liu Jing. He was one of his father’s trusted confidants and also of the Five Xiongnu tribes. His father had once said that Liu Jing could be his general – if he hadn’t died at Zhao Hanzhang’s hands, after the founding of the nation, he should have been made Right Worthy Prince.

Liu Yi still remembered when Liu Jing escaped back to Pingyang and lay in the military tent giving his final words to his father. He had said they must kill Zhao Hanzhang, or she would become a great threat to the Han Kingdom.

Indeed, she had now become a great threat.

He had thought that a woman who could kill a great hero like Liu Jing would also be an imposing woman, but while she lacked feminine weakness, she wasn’t mighty either. Rather, she had a slender waist and seemed thin, though her spirits appeared good – her complexion was rosy, and she looked heroic and spirited.

While he was examining Zhao Hanzhang, Zhao Hanzhang was also examining him, occasionally glancing at Fu Tinghan. Though the two didn’t speak, they understood each other perfectly.

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but smile with narrowed eyes. She dismounted, tossed the horse to Zeng Yue behind her, and said with a smile, “That’s right, I am Zhao Hanzhang. I very much welcome the Prince of Beihai to visit my Zhao family army camp. Please—”

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