The Chenqiao Mutiny: I Stole the Spotlight from the Court

The most terrifying person at the Song court isn’t the chancellor or the general. It’s Shen An, a little spy who serves tea and water at the Imperial City Division. Everyone thinks he’s a toadying court jester. But then: He only went to deliver some water, and the Chenqiao Mutiny succeeded, putting Zhao Kuangyin on the throne. He only went to court, and Zhao Guangyi’s grand plan to seize power fell apart, with his military authority taken away. He only went to inspect the border, and the Khitan army retreated without a fight, then offered tribute and pledged allegiance. While everyone else is still trying to guess the emperor’s wishes, he just copies the answers straight from the key. While everyone else is still poring over military strategy, he can hear the enemy commander’s thoughts. Zhao Guangyi: “I spent twenty years planning everything, and I still lost to a man who listens at doors?” Zhao Pu: “I’ve studied the sages my whole life, yet I’m no match for Shen An just glancing at what’s in people’s hearts?” Shen An, shrugging: “I can’t help it.” “I’m just an utterly ordinary mind reader.” “And I only changed the course of Song history by, well, a tiny little bit.”