Chapter 27: Can Strategists Ascend the Throne?
With a clang, the kn*fe in Zhang Liang’s hand fell to the ground.
Despite his best efforts to control his emotional turbulence, the siege of Quzhou by the Han army was something he could only just accept. After all, it was primarily a miscalculation regarding the relations involving Lu Zhi. But the situation at hand had far exceeded his expectations.
He had never seen the Han’s left general, Huangfu Song, in this chaotic situation, yet he could at least recognize that commander’s banner, and the reinforcements were definitely no made-up forces.
Eight or nine out of ten, these were Huangfu Song and his troops!
He even spotted Lu Zhi among the lowly ranks below the city walls.
From the calm demeanor of the other side, it was evident that they were not as powerless as he had speculated two days prior; it was evidenced they were in a better position, not forced to reappear.
What’s worse, Zhang Jiao was right here!
Brothers for decades, there was no way Zhang Liang could mistake anyone for Zhang Jiao.
Especially since this elder brother had his own groundbreaking thoughts, even founding a sect like the Way of Great Peace; he was distinctly different from ordinary folk.
Even in the prisoner cart, he still wore a composed expression, giving Zhang Liang the confidence to identify him from either end of the city.
However, whether Zhang Jiao was panicking or not didn’t change the fact that, upon learning of his capture, the Great Virtuous Teacher could easily disrupt everything inside Quzhou.
Once summoned from the countryside, Zhang Jiao had now fallen into the hands of the Han, leaving it clear that heaven had forsaken the Way of Great Peace. What was this nonsense about “Heaven has died, Yellow Heaven shall rise”?
“General, we…”
Just as Zhang Liang’s subordinate began speaking, he snapped, “What’s there to panic about! We still have Quzhou City to protect.”
Yet, there was little confidence in Zhang Liang’s words.
Sure, they had Quzhou, but did the Han army not possess siege tactics?
All the siege equipment Lu Zhi had painstakingly constructed was hiding back in his camp while he steadily occupied smaller fortifications around.
If it weren’t for Qiao Yan creating a misunderstanding that led Zhang Liang astray, he would have been thinking of ways to restrict Lu Zhi’s movements or sabotage those siege tools long ago.
Before, when the Han army’s numbers barely allowed for a siege, now with reinforcements, they had more than enough.
“Lu Gong and General Huangfu’s forces suffered many losses in the Battle of Guangzong, yet their morale seems even stronger than before,” Qiao Yan observed to Cheng Li.
Perhaps it was because the Han were better suited for assaulting Quzhou than the Yellow Turbans were for defense, aside from some unavoidable range damage while breaching Guangzong’s gates, their overall losses were rather minimal compared to that victory.
More importantly, after witnessing the Yellow Turban forces in Guangzong with practically unknown casualties, the victorious Han army came with a renewed vigor.
So when the Han army assembled, despite their siege equipment slowly being dragged out from the camp, just relying on sheer momentum was enough to invoke fear in Zhang Liang.
“This ebb and flow is the way to victory,” Cheng Li replied.
In Cheng Li’s perspective, the weakening of the Yellow Turban’s spirit was far more apparent compared to the Han army’s growing might.
With Zhang Jiao captured, even if Zhang Liang remained in Quzhou, it couldn’t change the fact that the city’s morale had been effectively stripped.
Moreover, the Han army now had enough troops to surround the city—they could hold out in Quzhou for now, but one essential problem remained—
The food within the city was limited.
And even if we set aside the food issue, the Han army had refrained from fully attacking before because the Yellow Turbans could strike from Guangzong at any moment, but now that they had lost that backup, they could only watch as the Han took action, with fewer restraints, even bolstering their numbers.
This was simply a matter of when he would d*e—whether early or late.
The arrival of Huangfu Song also officially indicated that their reinforcements were down a few routes.
The provinces of Yan and Yu must have already been subdued!
Even without a single shout from the Han army, their advantage had effectively been laid bare.
Zhang Liang had once thought that after breaking away from his brother’s support, he could barely pass off as worthy of that “General” title.
However, facing the current situation, he could only think: “I can’t do this! I really can’t!”
Without announcing the assault, the Han army decimated Zhang Jiao’s head as a sacrifice without attacking just as his hopes were wavering, then slowly retreated to their encampment. Zhang Liang felt dazed navigating back to his resting spot within the city.
He had only slept for half a day when terrible news reached him; the Han army had launched an attack, albeit not overly forceful, but—
“All four city walls received a letter attached to arrows,” a subordinate grimaced while handing him the crumpled paper. “We only managed to collect part of them, but who knows how many more are still hidden?”
Zhang Liang gasped as he looked at the letter.
It essentially said that Zhang Jiao had been captured, Zhang Bao was dead at Guangzong, and that the court only wished to prosecute the first evildoer, and, considering you were tricked by the Zhang brothers, there was a chance for leniency—anyone who could bring Zhang Liang’s head could spare the city from siege, and k*ll Zhang Liang would be granted peerage.
Peerage?
Who wouldn’t want that?
Zhang Liang gripped the letter, feeling anxious.
It’s worth noting that those moved by the brothers’ speeches to revolt weren’t just motivated by the Han’s unjust land grabbing, a portion merely sought the glory of rising with a dragon.
But now that the elder brother Zhang Jiao was caught, the Yellow Turbans had been thwarted before the imperial troops, and that glory had turned into a distant illusion. Instead, securing Zhang Liang’s head seemed like an achievable ticket to promotion.
He glanced at his subordinate; although they were worried, he could sense greed for his head in their eyes.
No… he couldn’t think like that.
Zhang Liang shivered involuntarily.
But once a thought arose, control began to slip from his grasp.
He hastily instructed his subordinates to discreetly investigate whether there were any more of those letters around and if anything odd was gathering, to report back immediately.
Then he shut the door, barricading it with a bookshelf, yet still felt that, compared to the Han army surrounding them, the city wasn’t any safer.
“I don’t quite understand—bringing this message inside, does anyone truly think someone will deliver Zhang Liang’s head?” Dian Wei curiously asked.
“It sounds strange for you to ask.” Qiao Yan mumbled, glancing at Lu Yuan, suggesting she explain it to Dian Wei.
Lu Yuan replied, “Dian Wei misunderstood, this message isn’t for the defenders inside the city, but for Zhang Liang. The young lady and the two generals devised this plan not to encourage the soldiers to collect Zhang Liang’s head for tribute but to tempt Zhang Liang to surrender himself.”
“Huh? But the letter clearly states…” Dian Wei scratched his head, utterly confused by these clever folks.
It was clear and straightforward, yet they claimed otherwise.
“Dian Wei, have you forgotten something?” Lu Yuan said, “Among the common people, how many can actually read?”
Most commoners couldn’t read!
And the imperial examination system didn’t exist either!
Dian Wei might receive guidance from Qiao Yan, but others didn’t have that luxury.
This letter, shot into Quzhou City with arrows, had very few who could decipher it, likely just Zhang Liang and a select few of his trusted subordinates.
In such a situation, expecting those who saw the message to believe and choose this route was nearly impossible. Instead, there was a higher chance Zhang Liang would confuse himself upon reading it.
Lu Yuan’s reply provided an incredibly harsh reality in these times.
But without her insight, Dian Wei truly wouldn’t have noticed this line of thought. Pondering, he asked, “So Zhang Liang is as foolish as I am?”
With such candor about his own foolishness, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “He isn’t foolish, but in a matter where his survival is at stake, and with Zhang Jiao already in our hands, he has no choice but to act foolish.”
Zhang Liang, as Qiao Yan remarked, had indeed fallen into a convoluted thought process, oddly unaware that the literacy rates during the late Han were quite low, meaning there were very few who could read that message.
It was akin to being fearful of every rustle in the grass and every shadow on the wall, not to mention he had long held a notion—
How many of those who followed him were based on his brother’s reputation, and how many truly supported him?
With Zhang Jiao now in enemy hands, he couldn’t pose that question.
Thus, he went deeper into a corner.
Even when devout followers of the Way of Great Peace suggested a desperate last stand under the cover of night to try to retrieve their Great Virtuous Teacher, he suspected they were scheming against him, luring him into a trap.
No, things cannot continue this way!
He recalled the outcomes of previous rebel leaders, and couldn’t find a single good ending, yet noticed those who clung onto that last shred of hope still didn’t directly surrender.
What if he opened the city gates to surrender?
Zhang Liang was closer to the origins of this religion than most others, understanding better than anyone the instrumental theories Zhang Jiao fashioned while founding it.
With such clarity of recognition, he found it hard to fully digest the notion that “Yellow Heaven will rise according to heavenly mandate.”
This Talisman Water wouldn’t save him from this dire strait.
Now, the power of the Han was at such a level that if one of the rebel leaders surrendered, it might actually be viewed favorably!
After all, staying inside the city meant only d*ath when it fell; surrendering might just afford him a sliver of hope. Why not take a chance?
With that thought, he looked outside, seeing his subordinate carrying something outward.
In a flurry, he dismissed the thought of letting them roam freely on his turf, concerned they might set their sights on him.
Since he had decided to surrender, he had to finish it before someone else put a kn*fe to his neck!
Under this pressure, before Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi even returned three days later, he opened the gates of Quzhou City one night and ran right into the Han’s encampment, where he was promptly caught by Zhang Fei on patrol.
If Zhang Liang hadn’t been parading around Quzhou, Zhang Fei, who had a solid grasp of faces, might have mistaken him for a spy lurking in the dark, impaling him with a spear.
As he bound Zhang Liang and brought him before Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song, Zhang Fei was still caught in disbelief, muttering, “What led him to come here willingly?”
Liu Bei could only explain, “Because the Yellow Turbans are at their wits’ end, and that letter shot into the city acted as the final straw.”
As he spoke, he instinctively glanced at Qiao Yan.
If earlier her misdirection on Zhang Liang felt somewhat incidental, now that this arrowed communication approach had surfaced, Liu Bei could affirm it seemed to be Qiao Yan’s masterful play of manipulation.
Typically, such psychological warfare would be played by someone seasoned, but oddly, with Qiao Yan employed, Liu Bei didn’t find it strange at all.
Among the myriad types of genius in this world, having one who adeptly handles such maneuvers felt far more acceptable than merely adding another schemer to his ranks.
Just as he thought that, he realized Qiao Yan had also noticed his gaze and returned it; he saw no displeasure in her eyes. Instead, she smiled at him.
Before he could delve deeper into her expression, Zhang Liang’s crisp surrender and his plea for survival captured his focus once more.
Zhang Liang couldn’t be more different from Zhang Jiao.
Having been captured from Guangzong City and locked in a prisoner cart, Zhang Jiao radiated a martyr’s aura.
But Zhang Liang? Well, he was simply a common man eager to save his own skin.
“Though I was coerced by the Yellow Turban Commander to gather the masses, I felt strangely complicated at the pacification of the Guangzong and Quyang battles.”
As the Han army marched right through the gates Zhang Liang opened, Qiao Yan spoke to the system.
【Is it human nature? I don’t get it.】 The system, acting as a diligent alarm clock recently, replied candidly.
“What I wonder is: if the greatest strategist of the realm could ensure that the common folks have enough to eat, wouldn’t that prevent these ridiculously ambiguous situations?”
【That’s only natural.】
The system sensed Qiao Yan still had more to say, but she didn’t pursue it further.
She had already spurred her horse into Quzhou City.
For the Yellow Turban soldiers within the city, seeing their own commander open the gates for the enemy at such an hour was nothing short of incomprehensible; even more so than the capture of Zhang Jiao, which had struck a harder blow to morale.
Had they not witnessed Zhang Liang walking alongside the Han forces, they would have believed this defection was merely a trick the Han had concocted.
These soldiers, quick to respond, got up to face the suspicious noise, encountering the Han forces, in disbelief.
They really didn’t know whether they should just follow their commander and switch sides, or hold on to their dreams of supporting the Yellow Heaven.
But facing the Han army, which had the numbers advantage, they didn’t really have a choice.
Fortunately, there weren’t as many fervent followers in Quzhou City as there were in Guangzong City. As the day broke once more over Ji Province, the sounds of clashing swords had ceased in the city.
However, what followed was a particularly serious problem.
The number of Yellow Turban captives had grown to a concerning level.
On one hand, it was a good thing that the Yellow Turbans could be quelled, but on the other hand…
“What will we do if these people support another leader and ignite a rebellion again once we return to court?” Lu Zhi inquired.
Zhu Jun’s idea of “Those who benefit will be bandits, those with no benefit will surrender; where does the law of the land lie?” seemed a bit too harsh to Lu Zhi, but the idea of not killing them left too many risks.
The current Han Dynasty was already teetering on the brink of collapse due to years of disasters, yet the Son of Heaven, the officials, the noble families, the eunuchs, and the relatives still focused on power struggles.
Lu Zhi saw this, feeling melancholic, and understood that if such incidents only happened once, there would still be room for recovery. But if it happened repeatedly, it would likely push the Han Dynasty toward total disintegration.
“So we must let the Way of Great Peace come down from its pedestal; it can’t be something people hold up high.”
Lu Zhi turned to see Qiao Yan and Huangfu Song walking towards him, with Qiao Yan being the one speaking.
Seeing Lu Zhi show interest in her words, Qiao Yan continued, “I previously mentioned to General Huangfu that a deceased Zhang Jiao will always serve as a spiritual benchmark in the hearts of the remaining Yellow Turbans; a living Zhang Jiao still has some potential to manipulate. We must shatter his image of a celestial being. Fortunately, General Huangfu didn’t see my words as childish, and we successfully captured the living Zhang Jiao.”
“If anyone takes you for a mere child, that’s truly being ignorant,” Lu Zhi lamented, “Please, share your thoughts.”
Qiao Yan clasped her hands, “I hope you can accompany me to meet Zhang Jiao and witness a wager.”
Lu Zhi didn’t object to Qiao Yan’s suggestion.
After all, the battle situation in Ji Province needed to be reported to the Son of Heaven, and settling the chaotic circumstances would take some time, requiring officials sent from the court.
With the Yellow Turban captives temporarily subsisting on Ji Province’s grain supplies, why not take a gamble and see what methods Qiao Yan had?
Especially given that after achieving such victories, she showed no signs of arrogance or complacency, rather, she frequently visited Zhang Liang and chatted with the Yellow Turbans in Quzhou, perhaps hoping to find a way to manage them through understanding.
The three descended into the dungeon of Quzhou City.
To prevent an insufficient defense, after taking Quzhou, aside from leaving half their forces at the encampment outside, the rest were stationed in Quzhou City. Zhang Jiao had also been moved from his prisoner cart to here.
This Great Virtuous Teacher retained his aloof demeanor even in captivity, radiating what could perhaps be referred to as the poise of a cultured gentleman.
Qiao Yan raised her hand to signal Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song not to approach, as she walked toward Zhang Jiao herself.
She made no effort to conceal her footsteps, allowing Zhang Jiao to hear her approach clearly.
Upon looking up to see who approached, there was no surprise in Zhang Jiao’s eyes.
Although his brother Zhang Liang had surrendered and contributed to the fall of Quzhou, his identity meant he was still unable to have freedom of action, so he was also imprisoned in the dungeon, right next to Zhang Jiao.
A few days earlier, when Qiao Yan visited Zhang Liang for a chat, Zhang Jiao had slightly overheard while resting his eyes.
He found this child to be somewhat curious.
This time, however, she was not there to speak with Zhang Liang, but rather to seek him out.
She passed by Zhang Liang’s cell and continued until stopping in front of Zhang Jiao.
Zhang Jiao didn’t inquire why she had come, and Qiao Yan didn’t speak immediately, causing a moment of silence in the prison.
As Zhang Liang wondered what the current situation was, he heard Qiao Yan address her elder brother, “My father died at the hands of Bo Cai, my mother was harmed by Bu Ji’s military operations, and I barely survived. I vowed to eliminate the two Yellow Turban thieves. What I see today, however, does not fulfill my wish.”
Zhang Jiao showed no reaction, but Zhang Liang couldn’t help but shudder.
The way this child calmly spoke of her parents’ deaths and her own actions, especially in such a chilling dungeon, sent shivers down one’s spine.
Understanding the deeper implications of her words made Zhang Liang feel even more uneasy.
Two rebel leaders wouldn’t satisfy her desire for revenge; was she actually planning to eliminate both brothers as sacrifices for her parents?
After discovering that it was Qiao Yan’s scheme that led him to mistakenly think there were eunuchs coming to their camp, along with the chaos of the three factions, Zhang Liang felt his worldview needed to be reshaped. What’s more, it was this precocious child uttering such words.
He soon heard his brother ask, “What do you mean?”
Qiao Yan replied, “I believe the actions of the Yellow Turbans are misguided. Without breaking their flaws and shortcomings, my hate will not be appeased.”
Zhang Jiao nearly thought he was hearing things.
But as he looked at Qiao Yan standing outside the jail cell, the candlelight clearly illuminated her serious expression.
This didn’t seem like a hallucination; she genuinely seemed to have deeply considered her words.
Then he heard Qiao Yan say, “I want to debate with you three times to reach a conclusion.”
“……” If the last sentence was already surreal enough for Zhang Jiao, this one was even more bizarre.
This was the strangest challenge he had faced in years, ever since he began spreading the Way of Great Peace under the guise of treating ailments!
But thinking of how this child’s meddling had led to the ruin of his lifelong efforts, even as he had grown indifferent to victory or defeat, he suddenly felt a stirring of emotions.
Zhang Jiao could d*e, the Yellow Turban Rebellion could fail, but he absolutely couldn’t tolerate the essence of the Way of Great Peace being refuted by a ten-year-old!
His previously dreamy gaze suddenly sharpened, focusing intensely on Qiao Yan’s face, “When shall we debate?”
After considering for a moment, Qiao Yan replied, “In half a month.”
Zhang Jiao glanced at her one more time, then withdrew his gaze, resuming his meditative demeanor, “Alright.”
In half a month, a battle of wits!
Zhang Liang, hearing this was a wager rather than a d*ath warrant for the others, let out a sigh of relief. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that, considering this child’s abilities, there was simply no way she could surpass her elder brother in such matters.
After all, had it not been for Zhang Jiao’s years of dedication to this ideology, it would have been hard for him to achieve such results, much less gain such extraordinary charisma.
Who knew what this kid was thinking?
Of course, he wasn’t the only one thinking this; even Lu Zhi—who had heard Qiao Yan speak about breaking Zhang Jiao’s deification—was somewhat prepared for this—felt that purely relying on eloquence to defeat Zhang Jiao would likely not be an easy task.
“If he takes the opportunity to promote the Way of Great Peace, it might cause even bigger problems.”
Lu Zhi’s unspoken concerns were clear in his worried gaze.
If Qiao Yan failed to achieve this, it might not only mean she wouldn’t reach her goal but could also obliterate her prior achievements and victories.
Lu Zhi understood that talented young people like Qiao Yan often had their own ideas; he just hoped those ideas didn’t lead her to taste bitter consequences.
That would be no good for the growth of a genius.
Qiao Yan noticed his hidden worries and replied, “There’s no need for you to worry so much, although I said I would debate him three times, I know what my strengths are. I’ve invited three people to help, and General Huangfu is in the loop.”
Lu Zhi looked at Huangfu Song and saw a more relaxed expression on his face, allowing him to temporarily shelve his worries.
Of course, he still had to slightly worry about whether those invited could come, especially if they could honor their promise in the chaos of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Yanzhou all the way.
Qingzhou all the way.
Ji Province all the way.
This was the force Qiao Yan was relying on.
However, what none of the three anticipated was that the first to arrive in Quzhou City wasn’t any of the groups Qiao Yan had sent out, but rather Zhang Rang and others, who came with Liu Hong’s decree of reward.
To avoid being once more linked to the roots of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Zhang Rang and Zuo Feng immediately rushed towards Ji Province after receiving Liu Hong’s appointment.
But as soon as he left Hulao Pass, Zhang Rang couldn’t help but feel regret.
He was just an envoy from the palace, not some mighty warrior!
Previously, while sheltered within the safety of the royal palace in Luoyang, no matter how rampant the Yellow Turbans were outside, there was no way for him to be in danger. But now that he was out…
Even if Liu Hong had only sent him with the decree of reward, and not any military supplies, their caravan didn’t look like an ordinary one.
And accompanying him was the cavalry commander Chunyu Qiong, who, although ranked among the capital’s notable generals, Zhang Rang could see through how capable he truly was.
This raised a question mark over whether he could fulfill the duty of protection.
Besides, Zhang Rang wasn’t unaware of certain unspoken rules; rather than sending Chunyu Qiong to act as a guard for the decree, it would be more accurate to say he came as a representative of the Yuan Clan from Runan.
News of the Son of Heaven’s intentions to heavily reward those who subdued the bandits must have made its way to the Yuan Clan, but he had no clue what message had reached them from Yu Province to prompt them to send Chunyu Qiong over.
Fortunately, as they reached Yanzhou, nothing troublesome happened, and once they arrived there, after pushing through the territory gradually left behind by Huangfu Song’s forces, Zhang Rang felt a sense of security.
“General Huangfu truly is the pillar of our nation,” Zhang Rang remarked.
Even though Huangfu Song wasn’t on the best of terms with the eunuchs, who else could know if Liu Hong wouldn’t change his mind about making him a scapegoat after initially agreeing to him?
Now seeing Yanzhou was indeed in a stable state as reported by Huangfu Song’s intelligence sent to the capital, Zhang Rang felt a little relief.
What made him even happier was that after day and night of worrying, he had successfully reached Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi’s camp.
But as soon as he entered the camp, he couldn’t help but inquire in surprise: “Why are there three banners in this camp?”
Huangfu, Lu, Qiao, these were the names on the three commanders’ banners.
Of course, Qiao Yan hadn’t forgotten to have Dian Wei find a thinner flagpole, lest her banner overshadow Lord Lu’s in size.
The initial setup had been to trick Zhang Liang, but if such actions were taken now that Quzhou had fallen, it would truly be somewhat out of line.
But no matter how thin the flagpole, it remained a distinguishing feature of the camp, leaving Zhang Rang utterly astonished.
The one heralded as the “Qilin child” of the Qiao family, Qiao Xuan, was not officially appointed. Erecting a commander’s banner here was truly an overstepping of bounds.
Yet it appeared that neither Lu Zhi nor Huangfu Song imposed any restrictions or condemnations on her actions.
Zhang Rang even heard the soldier who led him into the camp speak with admiration, “The young general temporarily took over Lord Lu’s position, and managed to trick Zhang Liang into staying here. Lord Lu took a large portion of troops out with General Huangfu to capture Guangzong, then returned to seize Quzhou. How could such a capable person not be allowed to raise a banner?”
“Besides, the young general has achievements on the fronts of Xiaquyang, Guangzong, and Quzhou, and even if she doesn’t hail from the Yanzhou Qiao family, her merits should certainly place her at the top in terms of rewards.”
Realizing he may have spoken inappropriately to the messenger from the capital, he quickly apologized, “Of course, these aren’t matters for us to comment on. It’s just that the young general truly is remarkable, and we all hold great respect for her.”
No matter what, Zhang Rang couldn’t hide his astonishment. “General Huangfu and General Lu are so swift; they’ve already taken Guangzong, but what of Zhang Jiao, that scoundrel…”
“He has naturally been captured,” the soldier replied.
“Good… good! General Huangfu is truly a gifted general bestowed upon us by the heavens!” Zhang Rang couldn’t contain his joy.
With Zhang Jiao captured, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was no longer a problem, and once the rebellions in various places were quelled, who would still dare to suggest to the court that the chaos stemmed from them?
The soldier’s words significantly raised Zhang Rang’s evaluation of Qiao Yan.
The Son of Heaven was already keen on this potential talent in Qiao Yan; otherwise, he wouldn’t have granted her the title of Marquis of Leping, which could be promoted at any time.
Now this child had indeed lived up to the Son of Heaven’s expectations, showing exemplary performance in the battle of Ji Province. Wasn’t this just a stepping stone to further rewards?
Qiao Yan hailed from Yanzhou, and had no connections to the powerful families in the capital. Even if Chunyu Qiong brought news from the Yuan family, it likely wouldn’t win him much goodwill here.
This… this presented Zhang Rang with an opportunity to build rapport ahead of time!
With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Rang entered the main tent of this camp.
He instinctively scanned the faces of those present.
Aside from the familiar faces of Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi, the remaining figure should be that so-called Qilin… child?
Once he clearly saw Qiao Yan’s appearance, his expression froze on the spot.
If he weren’t blind, he wouldn’t miss the fact that the one sitting under Lu Zhi right now was indeed Qiao Yan.
But she… she wasn’t a boy!
Zhang Rang suddenly felt the edict for the marquisate he held in his hands becoming scorching hot.
