Great China

  Liu Ying was amused by her, "Mischievous." He unexpectedly tapped Zhang Yan's head.

  "Uncle," Zhang Yan called out, suddenly stretching out her hand to hug the young man's waist, "I like Uncle the most." She said softly, gently rubbing against his chest.

  "Eh?" The young man's face turned red, obviously not good at dealing with this kind of coquetry, and he was somewhat at a loss for words. "Is that so?" he stuttered.

  Zhang Yan burst out laughing, this young man's body had a soothing scent that made her feel at ease. It was the same breath she smelled when he carried her back yesterday.

  A warm and peaceful breath is the breath of home.

  No matter what, I will always remember that you are the first person to extend a helping hand to me in this strange world.

  There is just one thing.

  Her eyes blinked dangerously and then closed shut.

  I'd rather not marry you and become a pitiful virgin empress in history.

  The moment she stepped into the temple, Zhang Yan felt that the light was a bit dazzling, so she slightly narrowed her eyes to adapt, and when she opened them again, she saw the middle-aged man on the seat.

  Zhang Wang Zhang Ao.

  He had come out of the Western Temple, bathed and dressed in a deep blue robe, wearing a Jin Xian crown. His complexion was more spirited than when he first saw him, holding a newborn baby in his arms, gently coaxing him, the baby in his arms had cried for a long time and had fallen asleep, with long eyelashes and skin as white as snow.

  "Ah Yan," he turned his head, saw his daughter, and a complex expression flashed across his face before being quickly replaced by the standard smile of a father, "You've had a tough time these days."

  "Yes," said Empress Lü with a smile, "A'Yan is very sensible and has brought me much joy in these days."

  Zhang Ao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "A Yan has grown up."

  Every child grows up stumbling and tumbling in the ups and downs of life, the more miserable they fall, the faster they grow.

  "It's heart-wrenching just looking at it." Lü Wei pulled her over, rolled up her sleeves to examine the bruises and pinch marks on her hands, gently massaging them, and asked sympathetically, "A Yan, does it hurt?"

  "It doesn't hurt." Zhang Yan took a deep breath and smiled, "At that time, there was no time to feel the pain, now it can't be felt anymore."

  "Good girl." Lv Liu stroked her hair and said lovingly, "Sleep with Grandma tonight."

  Zhang Yan was taken aback and happily said, "Good."

  She sat down under Lü Zhi's hand, covering her face with a wide sleeve, and peeked at this nominal father from behind.

  He was indeed a handsome man, although he had been imprisoned for unknown reasons and looked haggard, but still couldn't hide his elegant demeanor. It's no wonder that Lu Yuan fell in love with him at first sight. The only flaw is that Zhang Yan thought to himself, he seemed a bit effeminate. Cough, let's put it this way, Little Zhang Yan's appearance was 99% similar to this Lord Zhao.

  Got it.

  It's just like what history books say, a beauty as lovely as a woman.

  Zhang Yan has some resentment towards this kind of man, you say that a man is even more beautiful than a woman by three points, how can all the women in the world survive? However, there are indeed women who like this type, such as her virtuous mother Lady Lu Yuan.

  But now Zhang Yan is grateful for this.

  Yes, although Emperor Gao of Han Liu Bang is now the emperor who owns the vast territory of the Great Han, you must understand that he is the founding monarch.

  His empress was Lü Zhi, whom he had married before his rise to prominence while they were still in their hometown of Fengpei.

  What? You still don't understand.

  Alright, alright, let me make it clear to you.

  Gentlemen, Liu Bang did not inherit the throne from his ancestors. He rose from among the common people and after experiencing 81 hardships finally became a true monarch. Cough, cough, I made a mistake, this is not Journey to the West, but rather he experienced 81 hardships and finally became a king who ruled with his face towards the south. This was destined, we cannot demand that he be handsome because after all there were no good genes passed down from previous generations.

  Similarly, although history evaluates Lü Zhi as strong-willed, cunning, calm, and ruthless, not one historical book, including unofficial ones, praises her beauty. When she married Liu Bang initially, in terms of family background and upbringing, she was superior to him by more than a notch, but I estimate that even among the upper class in Feng and Pei, she wouldn't be considered particularly advantageous if compared to beauties from all over the world.

  This destined that, in their daughter Lu Yuan's body, apart from her good upbringing and temperament, the elegant demeanor cultivated through later education was only slightly above average in terms of appearance.

  When Liu Bang led the Feng Pei army to kill a bloody road in the late Qin Dynasty and finally became the emperor of the Han Dynasty, creating a prosperous era for four hundred years, he began to pay attention to the optimization of his descendants' bloodline. Therefore, not only did he no longer look at his wife who had lost her beauty, but also took in a group of beautiful concubines to raise in his harem. He also chose a husband with elegant manners and a calm demeanor for his eldest daughter, Princess Ru Yuan - Zhang Ao, the crown prince of Zhao Kingdom.

  This is how our heroine Zhang Yan was born.

  If Zhang Yan's appearance followed her mother, then think about the emperor and empress of Chang Le Palace today. At most, she is just a delicate little beauty. Fortunately, Zhang Yan's father's genes are very strong in terms of appearance, so there will be a "country-toppling" young Master Zhang in the future.

  Alright, let's stop the idle chatter and get back on track.

  Lv Lian reached out and pulled open Zhang Yan's sleeve, laughing and saying, "A Yan, what are you doing? Are you still shy in front of your father the king?"

  After putting down her sleeves, Zhang Yan covered her mouth and yawned, "Auntie, I'm sleepy."

  It was already the fourth watch outside, "Ah," Lü Zhi sighed, "it's not early anymore. ——However," since men were not allowed to stay overnight in the palace, and Zhao Wang Zhang Yi had a criminal record, if he left her protection, she worried that Wei Jun would re-arrest him and put him back in prison.

  Zhang Ao drained the wine in front of him, threw the wine vessel to the ground in the temple, stood up and laughed loudly. "Your Majesty need not worry about me, I may not be talented, but I still have a residence in Chang'an. Now that I'm leaving, whether to kill, imprison, demote or execute me is entirely up to Your Majesty's will." His words were filled with sadness and indignation.

  He has been granted the title of Shang Ru Yuan, with a status above others. Why should he be like other foreign surname kings who are always uneasy and plotting rebellion? All along, he has been hiding his light and biding his time, loyal to the emperor, yet in the end, he ends up like this, a tragic and bleak conclusion. How can he not feel hatred and resentment?

  "King Zhao doesn't have to be like this." Lü Zhi also spoke sorrowfully.

  "Wouldn't it be better if Mother were not like this?" Liu Ying smiled and said, "In the letter, there is a place outside the mansion where I rarely stay. Father and the leaders of the two armies in Chang'an are all aware of it. I'll let Zhang Cheng take my brother-in-law to live there for a few days. Even if someone wants to harm my brother-in-law, they will have to go through me first. Unless it's Father, others will have to think twice."

  "Ying'er has thought it through." Lü Yu pondered for a moment and nodded, "Let's do it this way then."

  The eunuchs withdrew with candles and incense holders, and the ladies-in-waiting filed out. Empress Lü took Zhang Yan's hand and walked into the inner chamber.

  The gate opened, and the hall was spacious. The legendary Queen Mother of the Han Dynasty's imperial palace unfolded before Zhang Yan. It wasn't the luxurious and beautiful scene she had imagined, but rather a surprisingly simple one. The main color was a slightly dark cyan black, with a cyan black bed, yellow green curtains, and thick yellow silk lining. In each corner hung sachets of the same color, emitting a subtle fragrance that seemed elusive.

  A dark greenish-brown woven rug, embroidered with swirling cloud patterns, felt coarse underfoot but not uncomfortable. Zhang Yan walked barefoot on it, walking up to the paulownia wood dressing table.

  "What's this, Little Ah Yan is interested in cosmetics?" Lü Yu walked in from the side curtain, changed into a plain white dress, and let down her hair. Only at this moment did she look like a simple grandmother, rather than the dignified empress of the Pepper Chamber.

  "Where is it? I want to see if the powder used by Auntie is the same as mine." Zhang Yan smiled and turned back, "I don't like those white powdery things, I think they look awkward on my face, but Liuxu insists that I must use them. I think Auntie is a great Han empress, so her powder must be the best?" She twisted open the double-layered nine-son round lacquer box on the table, inside which were white powder, red powder, lead powder and various colored lip balms. She picked up some white powder with her fingernail, looked at it under the lamp, applied it to the back of her hand, raised an eyebrow, and saw that the powder was indeed very fine, but the color seemed a bit dull.

  Zhang Yan sighed. In fact, even if it was smooth and delicate, how could she appreciate such an old-fashioned rouge with her skin accustomed to the face cream and lotion of later generations?

  On the side, Lü Cuī had been smiling with a curved lip for a long time. "Auntie is already old," she said suddenly, her face showing sadness. "These cosmetics are good-looking, but they won't be of much use." Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and said, "I heard that the Qiū Jiè from the Temple of Gods, every day when she washes her makeup, the water in the copper basin is dyed red. She's really a seductress. Ah Rán is still young now, wait until you grow up some more, Auntie will collect the best cosmetics from all over the world for you. When Ah Rán uses them, she'll definitely be as beautiful as the celestial maiden in heaven. Who knows which family's son will have the good fortune to marry a celestial maiden?"

  "Ah Po," Zhang Yan's face slightly flushed, and she lowered her head again to examine the rouge and lipstick. The rouge was light and subtle, while the lipstick was rich and thick, each having its own strengths and weaknesses.

  "Why don't you use face powder?" Lü Cuī asked curiously.

  "Rouge?" Zhang Yan asked in puzzlement, then reacted and said, "I don't like that stuff. Although it looks good, using it for a long time hurts the skin."

  "Is that so?" Lü Cuì said in doubt, "I've never heard of it before." She picked up Little Zhang Yan and rubbed her forehead gently, "Ah Yan is really a little demon, so young and already loves beauty, when she grows up she will surely captivate people to death."

  "It's not like that." Zhang Yan's face turned red, "I don't care if it's beautiful or not, the most important thing is that it feels comfortable to use. With a powdered face all day, how can you live?"

  As they spoke, Su Mo brought in the ointment and handed it to Lv Lian, who smiled and said, "A Yan should still apply some medicine, lest the bruise doesn't come out and looks all green and purple, which is distressing."

  She applied medicine to Zhang Yan, her face calm and gentle. Zhang Yan's mind was elsewhere, his eyes wandering around the room. Unintentionally, he caught a glimpse of Lv Wei's hands under the dim candlelight, where her slender fingers were visible, with faint scars on them.

  "Has grandma had frostbite on her hands before?" She was taken aback for a moment.

  "Huh?" Lü Zhi also paused for a moment, looked at his own hands, and smiled bitterly. "Don't they look good? Those years in the Western Chu military camp, it was cold in winter, and I had to serve the Emperor, so my hands were frozen. Later, although things got better, every winter they would still get some."

  These hands, were they not once delicate and untouched by the warmth of spring? Yet, through years of toil, they gradually became dull and coarse. Wrapped in fine clothes and fine food, even she herself didn't want to take a look, how can she blame the man beside her for his wandering eyes, delighting in new things and tiring of old ones?

  Zhang Yan savored the flavor, feeling uncomfortable in her heart. "Hasn't the imperial physician ever treated you?"

  Lv Wei smiled, "How could I not? It's much better now. The year you were born was even more severe than this. It just can't be completely cured. Every year when it's the coldest, I feel a bit itchy."

  "I know..." She was about to blurt out "I know of a prescription that can cure," but hesitated and changed her words, "I know some famous folk doctors have some secret prescriptions for certain symptoms. I'll definitely pay attention and help Grandma ask around later, okay?"

  Lü Cuī smiled and pulled over the brocade quilt, covering half of her body. She closed her eyes, hugged her, and said warmly, "Little girl, go to sleep."

  "Oh no, Auntie," Zhang Yan struggled like a rubber candy, "don't hold me like this, it's too hot."

  "Stop talking and go to sleep."

  There is still half a day before the PK in February, and it's starting to get anxious.

  Looking for February's pink tickets, I found that many authors in the author group didn't even understand the pink ticket policy themselves, let alone readers.

  Then I posted a pink ticket in the relevant works and contacted the full strategy.

  Those who don't understand pink ticket operations can go take a look.

  Everyone must pay special attention to two points: pink tickets are only valid for the current month and will expire after the month. Therefore, single subscribers please subscribe after 0:00 on February 1st.

  Second, the pink tickets obtained from single subscriptions are only valid within the female frequency range, that is, works with "Female Frequency Channel Single Subscription Bookstore" and "Female Frequency Channel Monthly Subscription Bookstore" written under the cover can get pink tickets by spending starting coins.

  Then, this book will have two updates on the thirty-first day. The first update should be around noon at twelve o'clock, when the monthly PK ranking ends.

  The second update is at a little before midnight and also rushes to the weekly chart.

  Looking for pink ticket collection recommendations.

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