Chapter Fifty: Acting Ahead of Schedule

At this moment, after listening quietly, Zhao Xinglong smiled and said, “Very well, Zhang Desen. Let us speak of other matters another time. For now, why don’t you accompany General Feng for a tour of the army…”

But Zhang Desen once more declared, “I wish to take the young lady of the Liu family as my wife…”

Zhao Xinglong burst into hearty laughter. “Zhang Desen, oh Zhang Desen, why are you so eager? Are you not afraid you might regret this once your memory returns? Never mind the past, when Prime Minister Zhang was involved. Even with your current reputation and accomplishments, you could choose from the daughters of many high officials—how could the daughter of a merchant possibly compare?”

Yet Zhang Desen, steadfast as ever, replied, “I wish to take the young lady of the Liu family as my wife…”

At this, the Crown Prince of the Great Xing Empire, Zhao Degou, standing nearby, chuckled and said, “What a joke, the fellow from before…”

But the Second Prince, Zhao Guangzhou, who had previously addressed Zhang Desen as ‘Brother Desen,’ cut him off sharply, “Brother, mind your words…”

Then Zhao Guangzhou turned to Zhao Xinglong and said, “Father, your son has long maintained that Brother Desen is not as the rumors say. Now that he has lost his memory, his true nature is all the more apparent. If he insists on marrying the Liu family’s daughter, there is no harm in it. Father, why not grant his wish?”

Zhao Xinglong raised his hand to silence Zhao Guangzhou, then said, “Here is what we shall do. Zhang Desen, you may return and settle any affairs from your past. Since you have lost your memory, I will have Guangzhou speak with you, and Prime Minister Zhang will assist you as well. We can discuss the rest later, agreed?”

Before Zhang Desen could respond, Wan Lü Wudi interjected, his voice cold with derision. “So this is the imperial promise of the Great Xing Emperor? Well, I see now how little it means…”

He turned to Zhang Desen. “Hero Zhang, you see for yourself. The emperor’s promises are worthless. Why not come to my Liao Ancient Kingdom? As our new foremost champion, you will receive rewards beyond your imagination.”

At these words, Feng Yucai immediately shouted at Wan Lü Wudi, “How dare you slander our emperor! Don’t pass judgment on what you know nothing about.”

Zhao Xinglong suddenly recalled that he had never formally bestowed a marriage upon the prime minister’s son. He promptly said, “Very well. Later today, I shall issue an imperial decree. I grant you this marriage. From today forward, Zhang Desen, you are the honored son-in-law of the Liu family. After General Feng has shown you his barracks, a further appointment awaits you: the post of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. You will be notified in due course—until then, you may return and await the imperial edict.”

Zhang Desen was inwardly dismayed, for he was planning to make a journey to Yunnan in this universe. The clues left by Tang Shijie included the precise location of the Kongren’s mountain base there. Zhang Desen intended to wipe out the base, hoping to acquire some advanced technology in the process.

At the same time, this would draw the Kongren’s attention away from Xidu, giving him cover for his own actions. If he were tied down as Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, would he not be constrained? But there was nothing he could say at the moment, so he simply expressed his gratitude.

Soon after, Zhang Desen took the opportunity to excuse himself, claiming urgent business. Liu Yuanwai likewise began preparations for the marriage, leading Liu Yuting away with him.

As they stepped outside the palace gates, someone suddenly called after them, “Please wait!”

They turned to see the head retainer of the Prime Minister’s residence, Li Longfang. At the sight of Li Longfang, Liu Yuting’s previously bright expression darkened. She knew that the one originally betrothed to her was Zhang Desen’s counterpart from this universe, and she worried about Prime Minister Zhang’s reaction. The anxiety she had just set aside now returned.

Zhang Desen offered her a few words of comfort, then stepped forward to greet Li Longfang. “Greetings, Brother Longfang. What brings you here?”

Li Longfang, somewhat flustered, said, “Forgive me. Last time, I failed to recognize you, young master…”

Zhang Desen interrupted, “Come now, you didn’t mistake me for someone else. I’m not him.”

Li Longfang replied earnestly, “No, young master, the Prime Minister said that perhaps you have experienced many things this past year. He asks your forgiveness for not fulfilling his duties as a father. Regardless, he will always support you. If you truly wish to marry the Liu family’s daughter, he will do all he can to resolve the past engagement and see it fulfilled.”

Hearing this, Zhang Desen felt a pang of guilt. After all, he was a counterpart from another universe. “Perhaps you don’t fully understand the situation. I must tell you, you are half mistaken in your recognition.”

Li Longfang grew anxious. “Is it because the Prime Minister did not come forward to acknowledge you just now? He thought you might be suffering from memory loss, and in view of the tense situation, he refrained so as not to make things more chaotic. Only now has he sent me to invite you to meet him. All this past year, the Prime Minister has thought only of avenging you. To find you alive is a blessing…”

Zhang Desen found himself at a loss for words, so he simply said, “Some things cannot be explained all at once. I don’t know how to put it now…”

At that moment, Liu Yuanwai stepped forward and said, “Steward Li, indeed, there are matters that cannot be clarified in haste. Why not have the Prime Minister visit our humble residence later? That would be a better occasion to explain.”

Li Longfang thought for a moment, then agreed, “Very well, I shall inform the Prime Minister and we will discuss this later.”

With that, Zhang Desen and Liu Yuanwai returned together to the Liu residence.

Meanwhile, as the banquet was coming to an end, Wan Lü Wudi sought out Minister Qian. He said he was willing to take Qian’s son to the Gangduo tribe to seek medical treatment, but in exchange, he wished to discover Zhang Desen’s opinion of the Liao Ancient Kingdom and to persuade the enigmatic hero to serve them. After all, Wan Lü Wudi aimed to cripple the other nations economically, and if Zhang Desen joined Liao, he could help accomplish this plan. Minister Qian, eager for his son’s recovery, readily agreed, so it was settled that his son would soon accompany Wan Lü Wudi to the Gangduo tribe.

Elsewhere, Prime Minister Zhang Chengwei was surrounded by well-wishers. The second prince, Zhao Guangzhou, was especially pleased, for he had long been at odds with his elder brother, the Crown Prince, and now, with Zhang Desen’s performance, he felt he had gained a powerful ally. Though he did not know this Zhang Desen was a counterpart from another universe, he was already devising ways to help him recover his memory.

…

At the same time, on Ceres, an unidentified spacecraft from the direction of Sirius suddenly activated. After a period of preparation, it lifted off from Ceres, heading toward the sun.

Simultaneously, the surveillance instruments of the Kongren’s Ormei Empire transmitted this news back to their headquarters, which received it immediately.

Soon, the Ormei Empire’s Director of Intelligence, Kaba Duer, rushed into the office of their leader, Yuri Gottne, and reported, “My Leader, something unexpected has occurred. The unidentified spacecraft from the Sirius direction has suddenly launched, and is now heading toward Mars’ orbit.”

Yuri Gottne was taken aback. “What is going on? In the past, haven’t they usually lingered on Ceres for months? Why are they now proceeding sunward so soon?”

Sitting beside Yuri Gottne, the Ormei Empire’s Chief of Staff, Damor Jin, considered for a moment and said, “My Leader, it is possible their homeworld is facing even greater resource shortages, prompting them to increase the number of supply runs. I suspect, before long, their visits may become more frequent.”

Kaba Duer added, “My Leader, if their visits become more frequent, it could pose a real threat to our grassland base. Should we not strike first and catch them off guard?”

Yuri Gottne pondered this. “Regardless, Duer, go and issue orders to the grassland base for heightened surveillance. They must monitor all movements of the human Gangduo tribe without fail.”

“Yes, sir!” Kaba Duer replied.

But Damor Jin stopped him and said, “My Leader, I believe we cannot rely solely on our own people to watch the human Gangduo tribe. We are about to move our capital to the grassland base and abandon the coastal base. If the grassland base’s security is compromised, it would be catastrophic.”

Yuri Gottne asked, “Then what do you suggest, my friend?”

Damor Jin answered, “Simple. We must not only use our own agents to monitor those humans connected to Sirius, but also use humans to monitor other humans.”

Yuri Gottne asked, “Are you suggesting we begin a new campaign of abductions?”

“Exactly. In my view, we should attempt to capture some members of the human Gangduo tribe to serve us. Only then will it work,” said Damor Jin.

But Kaba Duer objected, “No, we have no way of knowing which Gangduo humans are carrying Siriusian weapons and which are not. If our agents are captured by those humans, it would be disastrous!”

Damor Jin smiled, “My esteemed Director of Intelligence, are there not any children among the Gangduo tribe who wander off on their own?”