THE EMPEROR OF TIME

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Beggar Outside Chang’an

The road to Chang’an had never seemed so terrifying.

Chen Tianyu sat inside a wooden carriage, his wrists bound with rope, while four armed soldiers watched him from the corners. Outside, hundreds of soldiers marched beneath red banners, their boots splashing through the mud.

He had been transported into ancient China, accused of being a mysterious man from beyond the heavens, and addressed as a prince by a stranger who claimed that people had waited three hundred years for his arrival.

And he had absolutely no idea what was happening.

Tianyu leaned against the carriage wall and closed his eyes.

Think, Tianyu. Think.

He was a historian. He understood the political structure of the Sui Dynasty, the conflicts that had weakened the imperial court, and the rebellions threatening to tear the empire apart.

But none of his books had mentioned a prophecy about a man from the future.

None had mentioned a prince named Chen Tianyu.

And certainly none had explained why soldiers were waiting for him.

He opened his eyes and examined the rope around his wrists.

“Excuse me,” he said to the soldier opposite him.

The soldier ignored him.

“I need to ask you something.”

“You need to remain silent.”

“Who is the current emperor?”

The soldier looked up.

“Have you lost your memory?”

“Something like that.”

The man snorted.

“His Majesty Yang Guang rules the Great Sui Empire. Everyone knows that.”

Emperor Yang Guang.

Tianyu’s stomach tightened.

He remembered the emperor from his university lectures. Yang Guang was an ambitious ruler whose expensive construction projects, military campaigns, and oppressive policies had contributed to widespread rebellion.

According to the history Tianyu knew, the dynasty was approaching its end.

But he was still unsure of the exact date.

“How long until the imperial spring festival?” he asked.

The soldier frowned.

“Why?”

“I am trying to understand how much time has passed.”

The soldier studied him suspiciously before answering.

“Three months.”

Tianyu slowly nodded.

That placed his arrival at a critical moment.

The empire was weakening, but the final collapse had not yet occurred. If he could avoid being executed, he might have enough time to understand the political situation.

Unfortunately, his immediate problem was surviving long enough to reach the capital.

The carriage suddenly stopped.

A voice shouted outside.

“Open the carriage!”

The soldiers exchanged glances.

The door swung open, revealing a tall man in dark armor. He wore a black cloak secured with a silver dragon clasp, and a long scar ran from his left eyebrow to his cheek.

Unlike the other soldiers, he carried no visible weapon.

Yet the men inside the carriage immediately lowered their heads.

“Commander Zhao!” one of them exclaimed.

Tianyu recognized the name from the historical records he had studied.

Zhao Wuchen.

The undefeated general.

Except that no surviving historical account mentioned a general named Zhao Wuchen serving the Sui Dynasty.

Another historical discrepancy.

Wonderful.

Just wonderful.

The general stepped into the carriage and studied Tianyu.

“So this is the man who claims my army will betray the emperor?”

Tianyu remained silent.

Zhao crouched in front of him.

“I have executed men for less than what you said on the road.”

“I didn’t claim your army would betray the emperor.”

The general raised an eyebrow.

“You told my soldiers that their general intended to attack Chang’an.”

“I said the man leading the approaching army intended to attack the city.”

“And how would a beggar know that?”

Tianyu looked at him carefully.

“Because I know what is written on the dispatch hanging from your belt.”

Zhao’s expression changed.

He slowly removed a folded document from his belt.

“You have never seen this document.”

“I saw the seal.”

“And what does the seal mean?”

Tianyu hesitated.

He could not explain that he recognized it from an imperial military archive he had studied in the twenty-first century.

Instead, he chose his words carefully.

“It means the army approaching Chang’an is not under the governor’s control.”

Zhao stared at him.

“Continue.”

“The governor has probably received orders to reinforce the northern frontier. But the commander leading the approaching force intends to use those troops to seize the capital. He will claim that the emperor has lost the Mandate of Heaven and that a new ruler must be chosen.”

The general did not move.

Tianyu continued.

“If you open the gates, his soldiers will enter peacefully. Once inside, they will seize the armory, kill the city officials, and take control of the granaries. By the time anyone realizes what has happened, the city will be surrounded.”

For several seconds, the only sound was the wind blowing against the carriage.

Then Zhao stood.

“Take him to my command tent.”

One of the soldiers hesitated.

“Commander, the governor ordered us to deliver him directly to the palace.”

Zhao turned his head.

“Did I ask what the governor ordered?”

“No, Commander!”

“Then move.”

The soldier bowed immediately.

Tianyu was pulled from the carriage.

As he stumbled onto the muddy road, he noticed something strange.

Every soldier he passed was wearing a small piece of red cloth tied around his left wrist.

Every soldier except Zhao.

Tianyu recognized the pattern embroidered on the cloth.

It was a symbol used by a rebel faction that, according to the historical records, would not become powerful until later.

His heart sank.

The rebellion had already begun.

And the general who had just ordered his protection might be connected to it.

The command tent stood on a hill overlooking the military camp.

Inside, maps covered a large wooden table. Candles flickered beside stacks of military documents, and a brazier filled the room with the smell of burning charcoal.

Zhao dismissed his guards and motioned for Tianyu to sit.

“Now,” the general said, “tell me who you really are.”

Tianyu sat opposite him.

“My name is Chen Tianyu.”

“I know that.”

“I come from Beijing.”

Zhao frowned.

“Where is that?”

“Far to the east.”

“Which province?”

Tianyu hesitated.

“One that does not exist yet.”

The general stared at him.

Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.

It was not a friendly laugh.

“You are either the greatest liar I have ever encountered or the most foolish man alive.”

“Perhaps both.”

Zhao’s laughter stopped.

Tianyu regretted the answer immediately.

But instead of striking him, the general leaned forward.

“You predicted the attack on Chang’an. You identified the military seal without touching it. And the governor has issued an order claiming that a stranger matching your appearance has been described in a royal document.”

He placed a second document on the table.

It was an old sheet of yellowed silk covered in black ink.

Tianyu stared at it.

The characters were ancient, but he could read them.

When the dragon sleeps beneath the earth and the river flows backward, a stranger shall cross the boundary of heaven.

Below the inscription was a drawing.

A man wearing modern clothing stood beneath a circular doorway.

The man’s face resembled Tianyu’s.

His hands began to tremble.

“Where did you get this?”

Zhao watched him carefully.

“It was discovered in the tomb of an imperial astrologer three hundred years ago.”

Tianyu swallowed.

“Who wrote it?”

“Nobody knows. The astrologer died before the document was discovered.”

“And why do you believe it refers to me?”

Zhao pointed to the bottom of the silk.

There, beneath the drawing, were several characters.

Chen Tianyu.

His name.

Written centuries before he was born.

Tianyu rose so abruptly that his chair scraped across the floor.

“This is impossible.”

“That is what I said when I first saw it.”

“Someone could have added the name later.”

“We thought so too.”

Zhao opened a wooden box and removed a small bronze tablet.

“The name was engraved beneath a layer of mineral deposits. The tablet was sealed inside the tomb. No one could have accessed it without breaking the burial chamber.”

Tianyu stared at the artifact.

The same symbol from the jade pendant was carved into its surface.

Nine lines.

One circle.

A dragon.

Suddenly, the pendant beneath his robe became warm.

A faint vibration passed through his chest.

Zhao noticed his reaction.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Show me.”

Tianyu shook his head.

The general rose slowly.

“I have been patient with you, Chen Tianyu. Do not mistake that patience for kindness.”

Tianyu considered his options.

He could continue lying.

Or he could reveal the pendant and risk being treated as a supernatural object rather than a human being.

Before he could decide, a horn sounded outside.

Once.

Twice.

Then three times.

Zhao’s face darkened.

A soldier rushed into the tent and dropped to one knee.

“Commander! Riders approaching from the eastern road!”

“How many?”

“At least fifty. They carry the governor’s banners.”

Zhao moved toward the entrance.

“Have they sent a message?”

The soldier swallowed.

“Yes, Commander.”

“What does it say?”

The soldier glanced nervously at Tianyu.

“They demand that the man from beyond the heavens be handed over immediately.”

Zhao’s eyes narrowed.

“And if we refuse?”

The soldier’s voice dropped.

“They have orders to attack the camp.”

Silence filled the tent.

Tianyu slowly stood.

“How many soldiers do you have here?”

“Five thousand,” Zhao replied.

“And how many are approaching?”

“We have not confirmed their full strength.”

Tianyu walked toward the map.

“Then we should not wait for confirmation.”

Zhao caught his arm.

“You are not a military commander.”

“No. But I know what happens if you let the enemy choose the battlefield.”

He pointed to a narrow stretch of land east of the camp.

“This road passes between two hills. If the approaching soldiers intend to capture me, they will probably rush toward your camp before nightfall. Put a small force here, conceal archers along the slopes, and leave the main road apparently undefended.”

Zhao studied the map.

“You want me to lure them into an ambush?”

“Yes.”

“And if they discover the trap?”

“Then we will have learned something about their intentions before they reach the camp.”

The general remained silent.

Finally, he called for his officers.

“Prepare the troops.”

Tianyu watched him leave.

He had just helped an ancient Chinese general prepare for a battle that might not have existed in the history he remembered.

He had no idea whether his advice would save lives or condemn them.

But he knew one thing.

Someone had written his name into the past.

And that someone had arranged for him to be found.

Night fell over the military camp.

Tianyu stood beside the command tent, watching soldiers move through the darkness.

He had been given clean clothes, food, and a guarded room. His wrists were no longer bound, but two armed men remained outside his door.

He was a prisoner.

A valuable prisoner, perhaps.

But a prisoner nonetheless.

He touched the jade pendant beneath his robe.

“Why did you bring me here?” he whispered.

The pendant remained cold.

Then he heard footsteps.

A young woman emerged from the shadows.

She wore a dark blue robe, and a veil concealed the lower half of her face. Her hair was tied beneath a simple headpiece, and a narrow sword hung at her waist.

She moved with the confidence of someone accustomed to danger.

Tianyu glanced toward the guards.

Neither man seemed to notice her.

“Who are you?” he asked.

The woman stopped in front of him.

“You ask too many questions.”

“That is usually how people obtain information.”

“And sometimes it is how they lose their heads.”

Tianyu sighed.

“Everyone in this place threatens to kill me. Is that a local custom?”

For a moment, he thought she might smile.

Instead, she reached into her sleeve and produced a folded piece of silk.

“Read this.”

Tianyu unfolded it.

His expression changed.

The document contained a list of names.

Generals.

Officials.

Royal family members.

And at the bottom was a name that made his blood run cold.

Chen Tianyu — The False Heir.

He looked up.

“What is this?”

“A list of people the imperial court intends to eliminate.”

“Why is my name on it?”

“Because someone believes you will destroy the empire.”

“Who?”

The woman stepped closer.

“That is what I intend to discover.”

Tianyu studied her eyes.

There was something familiar about them.

Something he could not place.

“Why are you helping me?”

“I’m not helping you.”

She took back the document.

“I’m investigating you.”

“That sounds remarkably similar.”

“Then you should learn the difference before it gets you killed.”

She turned to leave.

“Wait.”

She stopped.

“What is your name?”

For several seconds, she remained silent.

Then she answered.

“Li Xueyan.”

The name struck Tianyu like a thunderclap.

Princess Li Xueyan.

The woman whose name appeared in the prophecy.

The woman destined to die beneath the Dragon Throne.

But in the history Tianyu remembered, no such princess existed.

He stared at her.

“You’re a princess?”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Who told you that?”

Tianyu realized his mistake.

“No one.”

She drew her sword half an inch from its sheath.

“You’re lying.”

Before he could answer, a tremendous explosion shook the camp.

Shouts erupted from every direction.

The guards rushed toward the sound.

Li Xueyan spun around.

“What’s happening?”

A soldier came running through the darkness.

“Commander Zhao! We’ve been betrayed!”

Another explosion lit up the eastern sky.

Then the alarm bells began ringing.

Tianyu rushed toward the hill overlooking the road.

Below, the enemy had breached the outer defenses.

But the attack was not coming from the direction they had expected.

The enemy soldiers were already inside the camp.

They wore the same armor as Zhao’s troops.

They carried the same banners.

And they knew exactly where the command tent stood.

Tianyu felt the blood drain from his face.

The enemy had not simply discovered their plans.

They had known about the ambush before it was prepared.

Someone had betrayed them.

A familiar voice came from behind him.

“Chen Tianyu.”

He turned.

A man in black armor stood beside the command tent, holding a bloodstained sword.

Behind him lay two dead guards.

The man smiled.

“At last, we meet.”

Tianyu recognized him from the historical records.

Prince Li Chenghao.

The man who, according to the official histories, had died years before the collapse of the Sui Dynasty.

Yet here he stood, very much alive.

Chenghao raised his sword.

“My father has been waiting a long time for you.”

Tianyu stared at him.

“Your father?”

The prince’s smile widened.

“The emperor, of course.”

He stepped closer.

“And before you ask another foolish question, allow me to explain something.”

Chenghao leaned toward Tianyu and whispered:

“You were never supposed to arrive in this year.”

The jade pendant suddenly burned against Tianyu’s chest.

Chenghao’s smile disappeared.

For the first time, genuine fear crossed the prince’s face.

He stepped backward.

“No,” he whispered.

Then he stared at Tianyu as though he were looking at a ghost.

“That pendant should have been destroyed.”