“This old lady, Wa Shi, pays her respects to Lord Zhu. I failed to welcome you from afar upon your arrival, Lord Zhu. Please forgive me,” said a woman in her fifties, dressed in military attire, striding quickly toward Zhu Ping’an, surrounded by a group of wolf soldiers. She clasped her fists and bowed deeply.
Her hair was streaked with white, her face bore faint wrinkles, yet her eyes sparkled with vigor. Her steps were brisk, and her every movement exuded a commanding presence.
Upon hearing her introduce herself as Wa Shi, Zhu Ping’an immediately thought of the historical figure, Madam Wa Shi. This must be the renowned female general before him.
Madam Wa Shi, the anti-Japanese pirate heroine.
Another encounter with a historical figure.
Setting aside her status as a revered anti-Japanese heroine, her age alone demanded respect. Zhu Ping’an couldn’t accept such a grand gesture. He hurriedly stepped forward, his tone filled with reverence, “So it’s the renowned Madam Wa Shi. Please rise, you’re overwhelming this junior. I cannot accept such a courtesy from you.”
“Oh? Has the famed Lord Zhu heard of this old woman’s humble name?”
Madam Wa Shi’s face lit up with delight at Zhu Ping’an’s words. *Even the celebrated top scholar has heard of an old woman from the barbaric lands of the southwest?* But soon, suspicion crept in as she looked at Zhu Ping’an. *Are these just polite words from a Central Plains man? Aren’t they known for their flowery speech?*
“Central Plains people are full of hypocrisy,” muttered a youthful, burly young man behind Madam Wa Shi, his voice dripping with disdain.
“Da Lu! Mind your manners! Apologize to Lord Zhu at once!” Madam Wa Shi turned and scolded the boy, then addressed Zhu Ping’an apologetically, “Lord Zhu, please forgive him. My grandson is young and ignorant. I’ll discipline him properly later.”
The young man was Madam Wa Shi’s grandson, Cen Da Lu, the current native official of Tianzhou.
“Sorry, hypocritical Central Plains Lord…” Cen Da Lu, clearly obedient to Madam Wa Shi, reluctantly apologized to Zhu Ping’an. But the rebellious youth’s apology was laced with defiance and dissatisfaction.
“Da Lu!” Madam Wa Shi shot him another glare at his half-hearted apology. “Can’t you act more mature? Look at yourself, then look at Lord Zhu. He’s about your age, yet he’s a renowned top scholar in letters and has slain forty to fifty thousand Japanese pirates in battle! And you? Still an immature child!”
Her words only fueled Cen Da Lu’s resentment. He huffed repeatedly, his defiance growing.
*The neighbor’s kid!*
Here it was again!
What kid could stand their elder constantly praising someone else’s child?
*He’s a good student, right? Respects his elders, right? A model for me to follow, right?*
This was boosting someone else’s morale while crushing his own!
*Just wait. I’ll show this bastard what’s what! I’ll beat him black and blue, teach him why flowers are so red! Let’s see you show off! Let’s see you steal the spotlight!*
“Heh, the young chieftain is also a young hero,” Zhu Ping’an said courteously.
Cen Da Lu puffed out his chest proudly at being called a young hero, but it only reinforced his belief. *Hmph, hypocritical Central Plains official. You can flatter me all you want, but I won’t owe you anything because you’re fake!*
“Lord Zhu, you’re too kind. He’s still immature, impulsive, and emotional. I brought him out to see the world, to grow and mature, so he can shoulder his responsibilities. I’m getting older and don’t know how many more years I can carry the burden for him. Eventually, it’ll all fall on his shoulders. Only then can I rest easy in the afterlife,” Madam Wa Shi said with a wry smile, shaking her head.
“Hmph, so being as hypocritical as him means I’m mature, Grandmother?” Cen Da Lu sneered, his eyes and nose twitching in disdain.
“Where do you see Lord Zhu being hypocritical?” Madam Wa Shi asked, half-reprimanding her grandson, half-probing Zhu Ping’an. When Zhu Ping’an had called her the “renowned Madam Wa Shi,” she’d already harbored doubts.
*I’m just an old woman from the barbaric southwest. Has he really heard of me?*
*Isn’t this just polite talk, not sincere?*
Having lived over fifty years, Madam Wa Shi was too seasoned to voice her doubts openly, but she could use her grandson’s words to test Zhu Ping’an.
“Just now! He said Grandmother is the renowned Madam Wa Shi. Hmph, I don’t believe he knows anything about her!” Cen Da Lu lived up to her expectations, immediately voicing her doubts without hesitation.
“Not only have I heard of Madam Wa Shi’s great name, but I can recount her deeds in detail,” Zhu Ping’an replied with a confident smile.
*Heh, this is my specialty!*
In the modern internet age, Zhu Ping’an had scoured countless sources about the Ming Dynasty—official histories, unofficial accounts, novels, and reports, including *The Ming Dynasty Affairs*. He had specifically researched Madam Wa Shi, this historical figure.
When studying the Japanese pirate crisis during the Jiajing era, he’d noticed her name. In a feudal society, for a woman to leave her mark in history—not just in the *Biographies of Virtuous Women*—was far harder than for a man.
So, Zhu Ping’an had dug deeper into this remarkable woman.
The search revealed her extraordinary story.
According to historical records, Madam Wa Shi, of the Zhuang ethnic group, was the eldest daughter of Cen Zhang, the native chieftain of Guishun Prefecture. From a young age, she loved wielding swords and spears. Her given name was Cen Hua, her childhood nickname Wa Shi. Yes, her surname was Cen, not Wa, and she wasn’t named Cen Wa Shi.
When Zhu Ping’an first read this, he was puzzled. *Why would someone use a childhood nickname as a title?*
It was as odd as if his own childhood nickname, Xiao Zhi, were used to call him “Lord Xiao Zhi” or if he referred to himself as “this old man Xiao Zhi.”
But as he read on, the confusion cleared.
It turned out that when Cen Hua came of age, she married Cen Meng, the native chieftain of Tianzhou, as a concubine—not even a principal wife. In a feudal society obsessed with hierarchy and legitimacy, for a concubine to achieve historical renown was extraordinarily difficult.
The reason for her name was local custom: marrying within the same clan or surname was taboo, so Cen Hua adopted her childhood nickname, Wa Shi, as her surname, hence becoming Madam Wa Shi.
Not long after marrying Cen Meng, he frequently led troops to harass neighboring chieftains and counties, outwardly complying with the court while secretly defying it. Some records claimed he rebelled; others said he was framed. But his defiance was undeniable. The Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yao Mo, led an army against him, killing Cen Meng’s son, Cen Bang, in battle. Cen Meng fled to Guishun Prefecture.
Yes, he sought refuge with his father-in-law.
His father-in-law sheltered him—by poisoning him and sending him to the underworld.
Madam Wa Shi raised Cen Meng’s orphaned descendants across generations. Her grandson Cen Zhi, great-grandson Da Shou, and great-grandson Da Lu inherited the chieftainship. As they were young, she managed Tianzhou’s affairs, “planning meticulously, commanding respect inside and out,” effectively ruling as a chieftain.
A chieftain was like a local emperor, making Madam Wa Shi akin to Tianzhou’s Wu Zetian or Empress Dowager Cixi.
This was already remarkable.
Later, her resistance against Japanese pirates cemented her place in history.
Zhu Ping’an knew her story well.
