The four brothers met inside the Snow Grotto Palace. Chen Liang looked like a man receiving rain after a long drought. Wang Qian finally relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on Jin Wuniang’s face.
There was no time for greetings. Wang Qian hurriedly said, “Tenth Lady, you are the white jade pillar that holds up our sky and the purple-gold beam that spans our sea. You must decide what we do.”
Zhang Hua knelt beside Princess Fang. He gently lifted her robe to examine her abdomen. A little blood had begun to seep into the Fire-Cleansed Cloth, but between the cloth and her soft armor, he could see smooth, firm skin and a faint dark-red stretch mark left by womanhood.
He spoke in a low voice. “Everything before our departure from the capital has been arranged. I will explain the details on the road. And stop calling me Tenth Lady!”
Wang Qian watched him hopefully. “How do we leave the city? How many people did you bring?”
“Twelve hundred men divided among six banners, each carrying out its own task. We do not need to disguise Her Highness until we are outside the city.” Zhang Hua glanced at his brothers. “What exactly happened?”
Chen Liang forced down his anger.
“After Mother returned from the palace, she came here to discuss official business with the grand chancellor. He was alone, waiting for her inside the Snow Grotto Palace, while I remained outside. A short time later, I heard a terrible cry. When I rushed in, Mother lay on the floor, neither moving nor responding. A hidden mechanism was turning, and the grand chancellor had escaped. The blade entered three and a half inches, and it carried poison. I lit the smoke signal. Second Brother arrived first, then arranged the defenses and summoned you two.”
Zhang Hua gently placed a hand over Princess Fang’s abdomen. For a moment, he wanted to stroke that warm, sorrowful place, but he restrained himself and sighed.
“A wound there was meant to kill. The poison proves it. Since Mother held the Spirit-Stabilizing Pearl in her mouth, there was no need for the attacker to strike again. Her Highness has a mighty reputation, so the grand chancellor will not dare make any obvious move for at least half a day. Still, if we mean to leave the capital, the sooner the better.”
Jin Wuniang asked the most important question. “Fine. Where do we go?”
He was simple and reckless. He cared only about the beginning and the result, and his methods were always direct.
Chen Liang lowered his head while helping Zhang Hua test how safely they could lift Princess Fang. “Should we cross the sea to our island kingdom?”
Wang Qian helped move her gently, watching her face for any sign of pain. “The Kingdom of Jin and the Jurchen lands are both enemies, but either would shelter us well enough.”
Jin Wuniang supported her shoulders. “We should hide in some remote, easily defended mountain until Mother’s wound heals. Then she can decide.”
“Third Brother is right,” Zhang Hua said. “Come. I saw the carriages waiting outside. Let us carry Mother over.”
The grand chancellor’s residence was silent and lifeless, like a beast hiding in the dark. Painted beams, carved pillars, rising eaves, and stone roof-beasts filled the deep estate with power and wealth. Under the dim evening sky, its magnificence had become frightening.
Zhang Hua touched Princess Fang’s pulse. It was weak but still carried life.
“Eldest Brother, look for lights anywhere in the estate.”
Chen Liang possessed the best lightness skill among the four brothers. He pushed off the ground, shot upward, and came to a stop atop a high white wall. He studied the courtyards below. Shadows of trees swayed, and rare flowers bloomed, but he saw no person. Even after gathering his strength and straining his eyes, he found no lit room.
He jumped down. “Brother, I may not have seen everything, but there are no lights on the surface.”
“Just as I expected.” Zhang Hua leaped onto his horse. “The grand chancellor does not want Her Highness to die inside his residence. He needs to avoid suspicion of murdering his wife. If my guess is correct, he is either drinking in the imperial palace or enjoying music and dancing with a group of senior officials. We must hurry.”
Everything happened as Zhang Hua predicted. They passed through both southern gates without obstruction, and the grand chancellor made no move against them.
Outside the city, the force waiting in ambush received them. Everyone hid among the trees, formed temporary defensive lines, and awaited Zhang Hua’s instructions.
“Master Yang, please disguise Her Highness and these six women at once.”
Zhang Hua had worked out the plan during the journey and explained it smoothly.
“Disguise each woman as a gravely wounded version of Her Highness. Place them in six carriages traveling in six directions. Give each carriage twenty guards dressed as merchants. All six are decoys. If the grand chancellor’s soldiers surround you, surrender immediately. We need one hundred and twenty people. Each of the twelve centurions will choose ten.”
Chen Liang asked, “Which road will Mother take?”
Zhang Hua lowered his voice. “She will also travel in disguise, escorted by us four brothers and our men.”
“What will her disguise be?”
Zhang Hua considered the question. “A monk.”
All three brothers widened their eyes.
Wang Qian whispered, “A monk? You must be joking. How could we hide her chest?”
Mother was very full-chested. Whenever she removed her soft armor, the shape remained obvious beneath her clothes. Wang Qian had even seen her nursing her eldest daughter. He remembered pale, full curves, round and soft.
Zhang Hua rolled his eyes. “Brother, you did not study properly. Three close-fitting layers of sharkskin diving cloth can flatten a woman’s chest until she looks like a man. Now hurry and prepare yourselves. Remove anything that might hang loose, catch, or tear when you move. You three young lords may look impressive, but none of that finery is useful now.”
The three immediately stripped away every unnecessary item. Purses, braided cords, jade pendants, and red pom-poms all came off.
Jin Wuniang changed into an ordinary warrior’s dark red clothing. Then he suddenly said, “Zhang Hua, we did not bring Eldest Sister or the two little young masters.”
“Of course not. They are safe in the capital. Only Mother is in danger.”
Wang Qian stared at him. “Do you truly believe that?”
“Every additional person is another burden,” Zhang Hua replied calmly. “We may not be able to protect Her Highness from the grand chancellor’s full power. We should not add more trouble.”
“That old traitor could kill his wife, so he could kill his children!” Jin Wuniang shouted. “You have never believed that even a tiger will spare its cubs. Neither have I!”
He breathed hard, his expression turning fierce. “That old traitor caused everything. If I kill him, Mother will not need to hide!”
“Stop!” Zhang Hua ordered. “The grand chancellor may deserve death, but Her Highness is gravely wounded. If the two young masters also lose their father, are the four of us supposed to raise them? While the grand chancellor lives and Her Highness is injured, this remains a private family matter. If he says nothing, outsiders will not dare interfere. If he dies, people’s ambitions will change. Who will hold the wider situation together? Who will control the court, the army, and the martial world?”
“How do you know the old traitor will not issue arrest notices and calls for every hero in the martial world to hunt us?”
“Because he cannot let the emperor, the court, or our uncle learn what happened. Everything he did must remain hidden. He must even conceal our kidnapping of those young lords.”
Zhang Hua turned to his followers. “Have you drugged all the young lords and ladies? Good. Hidden Army Banner, move them to a farm outside the city. Wake them once a day and feed each one a bowl of rice porridge. Release them after six days. Until then, ignore every message and order. Do not obey even if it comes from Her Highness or me.”
Jin Wuniang grabbed Zhang Hua’s sleeve angrily. “I could kill the grand chancellor at the cost of my life. Then no one could hurt Mother. Even if I had to die for it, the trade would be worth it.”
“You would certainly die for it,” Zhang Hua said. “Mother survived this long for two reasons. First, she has her own strength. Second, she, the grand chancellor, and our uncle supported one another through every danger. The grand chancellor is not as useless as you think. He organized disaster relief, ended rebellions, stopped epidemics, won victories at the borders, and survived every storm at court. Many companions who began the journey with him died, but he reached this point unharmed. Her Highness deserves part of the credit, yet he also trusted her and worked with her without the slightest gap between them.”
Sadness touched Zhang Hua’s face. He looked away.
“I hope that one day we learn why the grand chancellor did this.”
Jin Wuniang hesitated. “Then… then we should find the emperor and the Empress Dowager. We can hide inside the palace and demand an explanation.”
“Her Highness is important, but she is not imperial by blood. The grand chancellor is a powerful and irreplaceable minister in the court’s reforms. He is strong and necessary. She is weak and, in their eyes, replaceable. The emperor must consider the danger of driving away such an important official. If he delays even briefly before agreeing to shelter Her Highness in the palace, the grand chancellor will react, and everything will be over.
“Even if Mother recovers inside the palace, could the grand chancellor not visit his own wife? With his skillful words, turning the entire matter into a misunderstanding would be easy.”
The other three had no answer.
Zhang Hua issued orders to the centurions.
“Flying Phoenix Banner, go to the harbor and arrange passage by sea. Flying Tiger Banner, go to the frontier and prepare a secret crossing. Flying Leopard Banner, occupy Cang Mountain and ready everything there. Flying Striped Tiger Banner, travel to the Taihang Mountains and order the chief of the Thirteenth Ridge stronghold to prepare for Her Highness’s arrival. Flying Dragon Banner will travel with us in disguise as our escort.”
All six carriages set out.
The Flying Dragon unit dressed as a merchant caravan. Chen Liang and Wang Qian became its leaders. Jin Wuniang dirtied his face and hands, tangled his hair, and used glue to make one eye look larger than the other. He put on old but sturdy clothing.
Zhang Hua stared into a mirror and spoke through clenched teeth. “Dress me as a young woman.”
In truth, that was the only convincing disguise for him.
His oval face was pale and tender, smoother than any cosmetic powder, with a natural touch of pink across the cheeks. His long, curved brows resembled delicate willow leaves. Beneath them were curled lashes and bright almond-shaped eyes full of feeling. When his cherry-red lips smiled, two sweet dimples appeared.
He was tall and slender, with supple bones, graceful movements, and a waist that remained narrow no matter how much he ate or drank. Though he practiced excellent swordsmanship, he soaked his hands so carefully that few calluses remained.
He might not be the greatest beauty under heaven, but among the capital’s countless lovely women, he could easily take one of the highest places. Grace seemed born into his body.
Princess Fang often squeezed her own round, muscular arms, then looked at her eldest daughter, who was taller and sturdier than most girls her age.
“If my daughter possessed even one-tenth of Zhang Hua’s beauty, I would never worry about finding her a husband. You truly are perfect in all ten ways.”
That joke was why she gave Zhang Hua the nickname Tenth Lady.
Wang Qian often teased him as well. “Tenth Lady, oh, Tenth Lady. Even the famous beauty Han Zigao could not match you.”
Zhang Hua hardly needed help dressing as a woman. Even in men’s clothes, strangers often assumed he was a woman pretending to be a man. For years, whenever he looked into a mirror, he had needed to touch himself between the legs afterward to feel certain that his chest would not begin growing.
Now his hair was arranged in a fine coiled style from Hangzhou, decorated with two or three silver pins and a silk flower. He wore a pale yellow blouse beneath a short rose-silver gauze jacket. A white pleated skirt embroidered with plum blossoms fell around his legs, and small red embroidered shoes covered his feet. A golden lock pendant hung at his throat, while a silver ring set with amber decorated one finger.
He ordered two carts prepared. Princess Fang, disguised as a monk, was placed in one. Zhang Hua occupied the other alone as her wealthy daughter.
He called to Jin Wuniang, “Third Brother! Do not forget: I am escorting my father back to his homeland for burial. You are the servant who attended him.”
Jin Wuniang looked every bit a rough household servant. He lifted an iron pole onto his shoulder and waved one hand. In a thick country accent, he answered, “I got it.”