The Great Han Dynasty's elegant and magnificent thirty-first imperial concubine

  In the midst of the surging crowd in and out of the Pepper Chamber, Liu Bang stood woodenly in the middle, as if only a moment had passed, yet also as if it had been an eternity. He sighed, his face seeming to age instantly. He gently brushed aside his wife's hand, turned around, and walked out of the Pepper Chamber.

  Liu Bang walked very slowly, as if he had finally found some memories of his idle days wandering around Feng and Pei from his daughter's passionate accusations.

  "Your Majesty," the imperial physician hastily arrived with his medicine box on his back and saw the emperor stepping down from the stairs, and he quickly knelt down.

  "Go." Liu Bang waved his hand and said, "No need to bow."

  He continued on his way.

  Since he ascended to the throne and became the Son of Heaven, he actually rarely thought about past events anymore. Although that period of youth and middle age had actually occupied two-thirds of his entire life. When people already have a better life, they will not be willing to look back at their bleak past selves.

  "Your Majesty." Liu Jing, who was standing under the Pepper Chamber, saw him approaching and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Has Your Majesty persuaded the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess?"

  Liu Bang silently shook his head.

  Liu Jing felt a wave of disappointment and forced a smile, saying, "It's also possible for women to be ignorant of reason. But Your Majesty must firmly maintain your wisdom and not be swayed by the palace ladies..."

  "Liu Jing," Liu Bang sighed and interrupted him, "you don't have to say anything more."

  Liu Jing was taken aback for a moment, and then calmly raised his lacquered crown. "Are you saying that Your Majesty..."

  "Liu Jing," Emperor Gao walked ahead with his hands behind his back and ordered, "Follow me."

  A hundred feet of white jade railings winding, under which is a flying ditch from the Wei River through Changle and Weiyang Palaces. The water in the ditch is clear, with several groups of red ornamental carp swimming in it, happily swirling around the whirlpools.

  "Liu Jing, does your family have a daughter?"

  Liu Jing was taken aback for a moment, and his demeanor in front of the emperor slowed down. His eyes also became distant in an instant. "I have a son and a daughter at home."

  Liu Bang stopped in his tracks and turned around, leaning against the white jade railing, and smiled, "Is that just like the Empress?"

  "It is."

  "Liu Jing, ah——" Liu Bang smiled faintly, "I have eight sons, but for some reason, only one daughter, Lu Yuan. Originally, I didn't particularly dote on her either. A girl, after all, is a money-losing goods, not worth paying special attention to. Liu Jing, do you think so too?"

  "Your Majesty, I... this." Liu Jing had always been good with words, but at this moment, he didn't know how to respond.

  "Anyway, that's what I think." The Emperor stretched out his arm and slightly flicked the hem of his robe in front of him. "That year when Empress gave birth to Ruyuan, I was drinking with Cao Jie. Hearing it was a daughter, I wasn't particularly delighted either. At that time, I already had Fei'er, but Cao Jie wasn't my concubine, so Fei'er couldn't openly call me Father."

  He slightly raised his head, gazing into the distant horizon. The Longle Palace was filled with majestic buildings and pavilions, its attendants solemn and quiet, yet amidst the grandeur, a hint of desolation crept in. His life had always been one of joy and abandon, rarely entangled in domestic affairs. Yet, when memories arose, he recalled that year when he and his brothers and friends gathered at Fan Kuai's home for drinks, and little Manhua, three or four years old, jumped out from the house, shouting in her clear voice, "Father, Mother is calling you back home for dinner."

  At that moment, he swept up Xiaomanhua in his arms, feeling relieved and delighted.

  Life has reached a prosperous place, with honor and beauty, wealth and treasure are abundant, but surprises have become scarce. Only in the countryside can we still find some truth, which is the bright color of memory.

  He buried them.

  Then, some sand was washed away by Lu Yuan's blood on the floor of the Pepper House.

  "Indeed." Liu Bang rolled up his sleeves and sighed bitterly, "I've always disliked those women who are so sentimental and emotional, but today I ended up being one myself."

  "Liu Qing," he said solemnly, "the strategy you proposed for allying with the Xiongnu is one that I agree with in my heart. As the ruler of Great Han, I naturally hope that the Xiongnu will not come to harass our borders and give us a chance at peace. After so many years of war, Great Han truly cannot afford to fight another battle with the Xiongnu. But as a father, although I do not love this daughter dearly, I also cannot bear to push her into the fiery pit of the north."

  "Liu Qing, you are also a father, can't you understand this personal feeling of mine?"

  "Your Majesty," Liu Jing bowed his hands and hastily advised, "I know it's hard for you to marry off the eldest princess to form an alliance with the Xiongnu. Your Majesty truly values familial relationships, but you should also consider that all the people in the world are your subjects. Only by marrying off a true princess born of your first wife can the Xiongnu's Modu respect this Han princess, otherwise this alliance is just empty words on paper."

  "Liu Jing," Emperor Gao looked up at the sky and laughed loudly, slapping his hand on the white jade railing behind him. "Your insight is good, but it's still a bit far-fetched. If I'm willing to give up this princess as a peace offering, why would Modu really give up attacking Great Han for just a woman?"

  "This..." Liu Jing opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was momentarily speechless.

  "The real princess is more valuable than the fake one, and sending her to Xiongnu might be able to delay their harassment of our great Han for a little while. But the conflict between two countries is just that, it won't change because of a single woman." Liu Bang said with a stern face, "Manhua is my daughter, don't I know? She's not particularly beautiful or charming, she relies on me and her mother to make Zhang Yi show respect and tolerance at home. If she really went to Xiongnu, she'd be dead in a few months. I originally planned to send her, just hoping to gain some time, but now that I think about it, why should I sacrifice a daughter for Xiongnu? It's better to choose a beautiful woman from the imperial family, maybe Modu would like her more."

  "But Your Majesty," Liu Jing couldn't think of a rebuttal, but still felt that this was an overstatement, and followed Liu Bang in quick strides, "I still feel that—"

  "Alright," Liu Bang said displeased, waving his sleeve, "it's settled then, Liu Qing doesn't need to say anything more." He walked away with a wide stride, his dark robe fluttering around the corner of the corridor towards the direction of the immortal, without looking back.

  Liu Jing stood in the wind for a moment, clicked his tongue, shook his head and sighed as he turned back. Since things didn't go well, as a subject, he couldn't continue to interfere with the royal family's affairs, so he had no choice but to obey the emperor's orders and headed towards the palace gate.

  In the midst of the chaos, from the empress to the palace maids, everyone was in a flurry as they fetched hot water and stirred medicinal pads to stop the bleeding from Princess Ruyuan's neck wound. After applying medicine, the imperial physician re-bandaged the wound and turned around to report, "Although the princess's sword wound is not shallow, she is now out of danger. However..."

  "What's going on?" Lü Wei asked in a low voice.

  "It's just that my throat and voice are hurt, I'm afraid that for the next few months, I won't be able to eat solid food or speak."

  Lü Zhi's heart slowly returned to its original position, thinking of her daughter's unjust suffering, she couldn't help but gnash her teeth in anger at Liu Jing, who had come up with the marriage plan, and furiously said, "It's all that scoundrel's fault. Which emperor in this palace is in charge? I'll have him killed a thousand times over."

  "My dear," Su Mo took Zhang Yan's hand and smiled gently, "Does it hurt from the fall just now? I'll get you some medicine."

  Zhang Yan was stunned, only to feel the burning pain in her elbow and knee. Su Mo's hand gestures were already very gentle, but she still shrank back a little. If she was like this, how much more painful would it be for Lu Yuan, who had cut his own throat with a sword?

  Zhang Yan was both shocked and regretful, hating her own carelessness. Relying on her knowledge of historical context, she had not taken the marriage to heart. Only now did she realize that although she understood the outcome, she was unclear about the process. The outcome was just a few dry sentences in history books, but the process was the thrilling and stirring experiences of those around her.

  If I had known this earlier, if I had known this earlier, why would she take it so lightly?

  Mom.

  Zhang Yan's eyes scanned the hall, searching for something, and finally landed on the bronze long sword that Lu Yuan had just dropped to the ground. The gleaming long sword was stained with blood and abandoned in a corner, temporarily ignored by everyone. Zhang Yan gritted her teeth, bent down, and picked it up.

  It's unknown if you don't try, but after trying, it's a bit scary. The bronze sword is extremely heavy in hand, and Zhang Yan is weak and has little strength. She can only hold it with both hands embracing it, swaying back and forth as she comes out of the Pepper Chamber Hall, dragging it along the Long乐复道 path. In the Western Han Dynasty, all palace paths were paved with hollow bricks and stones, and the bronze sword dragged on them, leaving a shallow mark.

  "Jiao Wei, what is this little girl doing?" The soldiers patrolling the Longevity Palace asked their leader, Lü Bu, curiously after catching a glimpse of her from afar.

  "I don't know." Lü Yu shook his head.

  "Should we stop her?" In the palace, it was a rule that no one except the emperor, princes and guards were allowed to carry swords, in case they harbored intentions of harming His Majesty.

  "Aren't you ashamed?" Lü Bi rebuked, "This little girl is only five or six years old, she can't even lift that sword, are you still afraid she'll assassinate the king in front of us?"

  "Yes." The soldiers rubbed their noses and replied in a low voice.

  She gazed at the small figure in the distance with narrowed eyes for a while, still unable to fathom what this clever little girl had planned this time. She summoned a subordinate and instructed, "Follow Zhang's wife, but don't intervene unless she intends to harm someone."

  Also help her out a bit when she bumps into things, so that the little girl won't cry again.

  "Agreed."

  I missed the vote. However, it wasn't intentional. Last night, the electrical meter box behind my house was burned down.

  It's said that when the flames were about one or two feet high, I was still in the front store trying on clothes. When I came back home, everything was pitch black and my heart felt chilled to the bone.

  These days, without electricity at home, how can you survive?

  No TV, no computer, can't even read a book, so I had to go to bed early.

  Because it's not just one household that had their electricity meter burned, today there were several groups of people running to the power supply bureau.

  This afternoon, the electrician just came to repair it, and as soon as the power was turned on, I rushed over to update.

  Theoretically, in order to make up for everyone, I was planning on updating twice today.

  But I no longer dare to predict when I'll update again, I'm afraid of accidents.

  By the way, I'd like to remind everyone to be careful with fire and candles when the weather is dry.

  This morning, having nothing to do, I took out the newly arrived "Zizhi Tongjian" and was delighted to find that my views on Liu Jing's policy of allying with the Xiongnu were surprisingly identical to those of Sima Guang.

  Chen Guang said: "The Marquis of Jianxin said that Modu was a cruel and evil man, and it is not possible to persuade him with benevolence and righteousness. Yet he wants to form an alliance with him through marriage - what a contradiction! The affection between flesh and blood, the order of superior and inferior, only those who possess benevolence and righteousness can understand; how can we expect to subdue Modu with this? In the past, emperors and kings dealt with barbarians by embracing them with virtue when they submitted, and intimidating them with might when they rebelled - never has it been heard of forming marriage alliances with them. Moreover, Modu views his own father as a beast to be hunted, what does he care about his father-in-law? The Marquis of Jianxin's plan is already flawed; besides, Ruyuan has already become the queen of Zhao, can she be taken away?"

  Simag Guang's "Zizhi Tongjian"