Zhao Hanzhang said, “I am naturally willing, but can your father agree?”

Liu Yi replied, “I can persuade my father, as long as Regional Inspector Zhao is willing to withdraw troops.”

Zhao Hanzhang then said, “Then you must also promise not to send troops against Jinyang again. Otherwise, Liu Kun and I are as close as lips and teeth, and I cannot just sit by and watch.”

Liu Yi thought: …There’s our entire Han Kingdom between you two, where does this lips and teeth relationship come from?

However, Liu Yi thought about it and still nodded, planning to agree first.

“I will try my best to persuade Father.” As for whether he would succeed or not was uncertain.

Zhao Hanzhang happily agreed and continued pouring wine for him. The two drank quite merrily. “Little Prince, when your Fourth Brother returns, you must stop him. I’ve already given ground. If you don’t keep faith and attack me, people throughout the realm will despise your Han Kingdom.”

Liu Yi felt a chill and earnestly agreed.

Zhao Hanzhang supported herself on Fu Tinghan’s hand and swayed unsteadily back to the main tent. Ji Yuan escorted Little Prince Liu Yi to rest in a tent on the other side.

As soon as she entered the main tent, Zhao Hanzhang stood up straight, her hand still resting in Fu Tinghan’s palm. She sat expressionlessly on the wooden plank, staring blankly.

Ting He followed behind, holding a bowl of sobering soup.

She handed it to Fu Tinghan, who fed it to her in sips.

Zhao Hanzhang drank the sobering soup that was sour to the point of making her skull tingle. Coming back to her senses, she lifted her head and asked, “Send Liu Yi a bowl of sobering soup and see whether he’s truly drunk or pretending.”

Ting He acknowledged and immediately withdrew to make arrangements.

Wang Siniang and Fan Ying came over. Zeng Yue and the various commanders also arrived one after another. Everyone planned to hold a debriefing meeting.

When everyone had arrived, no one spoke for a moment. Everyone was waiting for Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan dawdled for two quarters of an hour before arriving. Looking at the still-clear-headed Zhao Hanzhang, he said, “Liu Yi was also faking drunkenness.”

Zhao Hanzhang sighed, “The Xiongnu really can hold their liquor.”

She had almost gotten drunk herself.

Ji Yuan looked at her and asked, “From the sound of it, Liu Cong will arrive at Pingyang City tomorrow. Are we withdrawing?”

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “Originally we were going to withdraw, but the Prince of the North Sea is staying as a guest with me. I think we can remain a few more days.”

Zhao Hanzhang wanted to buy Liu Kun more time, so she was thinking of holding this position. If Liu Cong attacked, she would use delaying tactics, inevitably having to run around everywhere.

But now…

With Liu Yi here, would Liu Yuan still let Liu Cong send troops to attack her?

Zhao Hanzhang’s gaze swept over the commanders and said, “Zeng Yue.”

“This subordinate is here.”

“Take men to Pingyang City and deliver a letter for me to Liu Yuan. Tell him that the Prince of the North Sea is staying as a guest with me and is quite enjoying himself.”

Zeng Yue acknowledged.

“Cheng Da.”

A burly man stepped forward and bowed, saying, “This humble servant is here.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Select two thousand men and go to Monkey Valley. Wait there. If Pingyang City sends troops, I’ll need you.”

Fu Tinghan on the side asked, “When will Cheng Da depart?”

Zhao Hanzhang was slightly stunned. Such military orders were generally executed immediately. Now that it was dark, Cheng Da would need tonight to decide whom to select, then tomorrow after selecting the men and taking provisions, he would leave.

She asked doubtfully, “What’s the matter?”

“Should I make some fireworks for him to take along?”

Zhao Hanzhang’s spirits lifted as she asked, “Are they easy to make?”

Fu Tinghan said, “Not too difficult. The military logistics pharmacy has sulfur and saltpeter. I can find a way to make some small metal beads to add, fill in the fuses, and when they explode, they’ll have color.”

Sulfur and saltpeter were both medicines. The gunpowder made this simply wouldn’t be very powerful, just loud.

Using it for fireworks should be sufficient.

Zhao Hanzhang then said to Cheng Da, “Wait until Minister Fu has made the signal flares for you before you leave.”

Cheng Da replied, “Ah?”

The Commander and Minister Fu were speaking in words that only they could understand again.

Ji Yuan knew this must be something new Fu Tinghan had thought up. He said, “Liu Cong won’t return that quickly. My lady should think about how to write the letter to Liu Yuan. Right now, the palace in Pingyang is probably already in chaos.”

The imperial palace in Pingyang City wasn’t in chaos—only Liu Yuan and Empress Dowager Dan were.

After discovering that her son couldn’t be found in the pleasure house, Empress Dowager Dan finally couldn’t help but run to find the bedridden Liu Yuan.

Liu Yuan felt like he had just lain down to sleep when he was suddenly shaken awake. He couldn’t help but fly into a rage. Finally, looking at Empress Dowager Dan’s beautiful face, he suppressed his anger, forced a smile, and asked gently, “What matter has you so panicked? Did someone bully you? Tell me, and I’ll seek justice for you.”

Tears immediately fell from Empress Dowager Dan’s eyes as she grasped his hand and said, “Your Majesty, Little Seven is missing.”

“What?” Liu Yuan sat up from the dragon bed in one movement, completely shocked.

Liu Yuan personally dispatched people to search. Fearing that Liu Yi might have fallen into villainous hands and that making a fuss would alert the enemy, he suppressed the news and only had his trusted confidants search.

After searching all night and practically turning Pingyang City upside down, Liu Yuan learned that today—no, yesterday at midday, a group of people had left the city, and the leader seemed to be Liu Yi.

Because of the curfew, Liu Yuan didn’t dare open the city gates late at night for fear of alarming the people in the city. He endured until the hour of mao when the city gates opened before sending people out.

By the hour of chen, those who had left the city returned to report, “From the tracks, they headed in the direction of Monkey Valley.”

“What are they doing going to Monkey Valley?” Liu Yuan asked.

The official who had gone to search lowered his head and said quietly, “Your Majesty, the Zhao Family Army camp is also in the direction of Monkey Valley, about fifty li past there.”

Liu Yuan: …

In Liu Yuan’s mind echoed the words his youngest son had said yesterday about going to negotiate peace.

His lips trembled, and for a long while he couldn’t speak.

Liu Yuan swallowed and finally found his voice. “Take a contingent of troops and quietly go search. Don’t make a fuss.”

“Yes.”

Liu Yuan didn’t want to make a fuss because he couldn’t let his youngest son appear so foolish as to fall into enemy hands. Moreover, the matter of peace negotiations was something he had agreed to casually, and not many in the court approved.

He didn’t want to make a fuss, but at noon, Zeng Yue brought men to deliver a letter.

When two countries are at war, envoys are not killed.

Zeng Yue wasn’t afraid of them. Even if the Xiongnu didn’t follow this iron rule, their little prince was still lying in their main camp. Killing him would only enrage Zhao Hanzhang.

Sure enough, he smoothly entered the Pingyang City imperial palace and met Liu Yuan.

Zeng Yue presented Zhao Hanzhang’s letter and said to Liu Yuan sitting above, “The Prince of the North Sea is currently staying as a guest with the Zhao Family Army. Our commander is treating him with great courtesy. The Grand Marshal can rest assured.”

What Zeng Yue said both angered and shocked the Han ministers. When had their little prince fallen into Zhao Hanzhang’s hands?

“What Grand Marshal? This is our Emperor and Majesty.”

Zeng Yue said with a stern expression, “The Grand Marshal is a minister of Jin. The title of Han—our Great Jin has not recognized it.”

Zhao Hanzhang even called Liu Yuan by name directly. Naturally, she couldn’t acknowledge him as emperor. In Great Jin, Liu Yuan was a traitorous minister and rebel. Calling him Grand Marshal was already giving him face.

Oh, Grand Marshal was an official position Great Jin had once given him—he was the Grand Marshal of the Five Xiongnu Tribes, appointed when Emperor Wu of Jin was still alive.

In terms of official rank, he was the same as Zhao Hanzhang, the Regional Inspector, so Zhao Hanzhang was reminding Liu Yuan that they were equals, and neither should try to dominate the other.

—