She Who Became the Sun

After Zhu’s success at Lu, her standing at Anfeng improves. She establishes a Buddhist temple and invites a monk to train her troops. Chang Yuchun finds his calling as a warrior. One day, Chen visits Zhu to call her to a war meeting. At the meeting, Little Guo and the Prime Minister disagree over the Red Turbans’ next target. Little Guo votes for the city of Jiankang, because it’s a more strategic location; the Prime Minister, however, wants to capture Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song dynasty. Chen, manipulating the situation to his advantage, suggests the Red Turbans take both. The Prime Minister agrees. After the meeting, Little Guo glories at his perceived victory and crows about his ambitions, but Zhu is wary of Chen’s plots. Ma, also concerned, tries to warn Little Guo about Chen, but Little Guo ignores her.

As the Red Turbans once again prepare for battle, Zhu goes to the Guo mansion for another war meeting. She encounters Ma sacrificing her beloved books to pad Little Guo’s armor. Zhu is angry on Ma’s behalf. Still concerned about Chen’s machinations, Ma pleads with Zhu to protect Little Guo. Zhu reluctantly agrees to try.

On the way to Jiankang, Zhu and Xu Da unsuccessfully attempt to puzzle out Chen’s plan for Little Guo. Xu Da teases Zhu about her feelings for Ma. After their victory, they accompany Little Guo into the city to take stock of their winnings, during which Little Guo is almost killed. Enraged, Little Guo is calmed only by Sun Meng calling him the new Duke/King of Wu. Little Guo renames the city, while Zhu begins to suspect Chen’s real plot.

The Red Turbans return to Anfeng expecting fanfare but find only a messenger, Yi Jinkai, who declares that the Prime Minister has summoned Little Guo and that Yi has been sent to escort them. Little Guo finally becomes apprehensive. Zhu realizes Chen’s plot, but she is too late. By the time they reach Anfeng, Little Guo’s fate has been sealed. Chen’s plot is revealed—he has played on the Prime Minister’s paranoia and Little Guo’s arrogance. The Prime Minister calls Little Guo a traitor and accuses him of capturing Jiankang to seize power. Minister Guo attempts to save his son but fails. Little Guo is publicly executed, and Ma witnesses his death.

Ma confronts Zhu, who truthfully denies any knowledge of Chen’s plot. Ma is disgusted by the in-fighting and feels trapped by her status as a woman in a patriarchal society. Zhu, seeking to balance her ruthless ambitions with Ma’s kindness and empathy, offers her an alternative and asks Ma to join her, emphasizing that her side is not Chen’s side. Ma realizes the implied marriage proposal and intends to reject it until Zhu reveals her sex. Ma accepts Zhu’s proposal.

Esen, now Prince of Henan, has returned to Anyang. He struggles with his grief for his father, his anger at his brother, and his new status as head of the household. He bans Wang from the family temple, blaming him for Chaghan’s death, and increasingly relies on Ouyang’s support. Esen decides to honor his father by defeating the Red Turbans, no matter what. However, he chafes at the administrative responsibilities that require him to stay at Anyang, rather than joining Ouyang in battle. Esen only knows Mongolian, so he struggles with the multilingual documents and business affairs. He summons Wang, demanding that documents be presented to him in Mongolian and that Wang furnish extra supplies for the campaign against the Red Turbans. The meeting devolves into an argument about Wang’s role in Chaghan’s death, and the complication that, although Chaghan disowned Wang before he died, his formal adoption of Wang and Wang’s noble titles can only be overturned by the Great Khan (265). Angrily, Esen mirrors Chaghan’s attitude toward Wang, damaging their relationship.

Ouyang, meanwhile, struggles with his own conflicts. He is aware of the Red Turbans’ internal conflicts and their intended target but guards the information in the interest of his revenge quest. However, he is torn because of his feelings toward Esen. Esen seeks him out for comfort after the argument with Wang, but like Esen and Wang, Esen and Ouyang also have cultural and ideological differences. They drink together and share a moment of intimacy that is broken when Esen compares Ouyang to a woman, hurting his feelings. Later, Ouyang meets with Shao to discuss their plot.

As Chen accrues more power and the Prime Minister becomes more paranoid, everyone is afraid to publicly mourn Little Guo. Instead, Zhu’s allies focus on her upcoming wedding. Chen congratulates her during the ceremony and orders Xu Da to be sent to Yi Jinkai (now commander), effectively taking him hostage. At home, Ma attempts to persuade Zhu not to side with Chen against Minister Guo and Sun Meng, but Zhu is wary of Chen’s power; Ma then advises Zhu to find another way to maintain the loyalty of her men. Zhu’s solution is to secretly set aside part of the wedding feast for the ghosts, then feed it to her guests. As she waits for the ghosts to finish eating, they speak to her for the first time: “Who are you?” (281). She flees.

In the days following the wedding banquet, Zhu’s men, including Chang Yuchun, fall ill. Chen’s men, fearing contagion, return Xu Da to Zhu’s army. Ma also gets sick. Zhu nurses her back to health and guards her against ghosts. Though many of Zhu’s men die from the plague, they miss Guo’s coup against Chen. The coup fails; Sun Meng and Minister Guo are publicly executed. Chen greets her after the gory spectacle and reminds her of his power. Zhu tries again to find her own Mandate of Heaven but fails.

After the failed coup, Chen begins calling himself the Chancellor of the State. At the next war meeting, Chen and the Prime Minister discuss the strategy for Bianliang. They decide to split the Red Turban forces: Chen and his follower, Commander Wu, will attack Bianliang while Zhu takes her army to distract Ouyang at the Grand Canal. It’s Zhu’s most dangerous mission yet. She must simultaneously prove her worth to Chen while depending on his success for her survival. When Ma learns of Zhu’s next mission, she fears for Zhu; their relationship grows more intimate, and they share their first kiss.

At the Grand Canal, Jiao Yu shows Zhu an advantageous feature of the landscape: flammable gas from the abandoned coal mines leaks into the air. He also promises that the artillery unit he has been developing for her will be ready for battle. Zhu and Xu Da discuss battle strategy. Though their forces are no match for the Mongol army, they must buy enough time for Chen’s army to capture Bianliang. They once again plan to use geography to their advantage.

Ouyang and Shao, who have already predicted the Red Turbans’ strategy, play along, as this also benefits their plan. Ouyang blames Zhu as the catalyst who set his fate in motion. Zhu surprises him once again when she uses a grenade to ignite the gas in the air, dealing serious damage to Ouyang’s forces. The battle continues in a similar pattern over several days, resulting in Ouyang’s growing grudge against Zhu.

Zhu eventually grows suspicious as Ouyang makes no move to retreat to Bianliang. She decides to meet Ouyang face-to-face in single combat. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun volunteer to fight Ouyang instead, as Zhu is not a skilled fighter, but Zhu refuses. At their duel, Zhu tells Ouyang the Red Turbans’ plan and that her force is just a decoy. He reveals he knew all along, and if he was taking this campaign seriously, they would never have taken Bianliang at all. Zhu has no choice but to fight him and tells him her name for the future. Ouyang is the more skilled warrior. He stabs her in the abdomen and exacts his revenge by cutting off her right hand, as he believes that mutilation is a fate worse than death.