Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, the sky cleared up, its gloomy clouds fading into a rare, sunny day. It was indeed a carefully chosen auspicious day. On this day, the grand ceremony for enthroning the empress took place as scheduled, and Lu Wan, soon to be crowned empress, would also begin her new role as the mother of the country during this solemn ceremony.

The palace, both inside and out, had been adorned with a fresh, festive atmosphere. The path leading to the main hall, where the ceremony would take place, was swept spotlessly clean. Palace lanterns hung high on both sides of the path, their shades painted with intricate auspicious designs. The sunlight shone a dazzling brilliance.

The interior of the hall was adorned with magnificent splendor. Vermilion pillars were wrapped in rich brocade, embroidered with auspicious dragons and phoenixes. Gold and silver threads shimmered dazzlingly under the refracting light, as if to showcase the ultimate in imperial luxury. The floor, paved from a single block of white marble, was as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting everyone's reflection.

As the auspicious time arrived, melodious palace music slowly sounded, and the graceful tunes flowed in the palace like a gurgling stream, instantly adding a solemn and mysterious atmosphere to the ceremony.

The palace maids, dressed in gorgeous palace attire, their sleeves fluttering as they filed in with graceful steps. In their hands, they carried various ceremonial instruments, including a tray bearing the phoenix coronet and bridal robe. The coronet, with its gold base, was inlaid with countless dazzling jewels: red coral, sapphires, and cat's-eye jewels. Under the candlelight, it shone with a dreamlike radiance. The bridal robe was made of the finest silk, also embroidered with exquisite patterns. Every stitch and thread embodied the royal nobility and luxury.

Lu Wan, dressed in a magnificent gown, slowly entered the hall. Her dress, predominantly red, symbolized good fortune and prosperity. Made of top-quality silk carefully sourced from Jiangnan, it felt soft and smooth to the touch. The phoenix embroidered on it was lifelike, as if ready to take flight. Her hair was meticulously combed into a regal bun, adorned with a variety of precious hairpins. The most striking of these was a golden phoenix-shaped hairpin, meticulously carved to such detail that every feather was clearly visible, gleaming with golden brilliance in the sunlight.

Lu Wan looked normal, with no joy in her eyes. Supported by the palace maids, she walked step by step towards the high platform that symbolized the queen's position.

By this time, the court officials had already lined up neatly on either side of the hall, arranged according to rank, ready to watch the ceremony. They wore court robes of varying colors, all solemn and appropriate. The ornaments on their official hats shimmered in the sunlight. Their faces wore a variety of expressions: some genuinely delighted by the grand ceremony, while others remained calm, silently observing the unfolding events.

The emperor, dressed in a dragon robe, sat upright on the dragon throne, his expression solemn and majestic. As he watched Lu Wan approach step by step, a subtle emotion flashed in his eyes, perhaps emotion, perhaps helplessness.

After Lu Wan walked onto the platform and stood still, the eunuch in charge of ceremonies held the imperial edict and read it aloud in his shrill voice. The sound echoed in the hall, and every word seemed to carry a thousand pounds of force, announcing that Lu Wan would become the queen mother of the country from then on.

After the announcement, the palace maids stepped forward and carefully placed the magnificent phoenix crown and shawl on Lu Wan's head. At that moment, Lu Wan felt as if she were blessed with supreme honor. She bowed slightly and performed a dignified salute to the emperor in gratitude. That day, Lu Wan officially became the empress of the Han Dynasty.

Ma Chao, the chief military officer among the courtiers, closely followed Lu Wan, clad in her magnificent gown, watching his beloved stride gracefully towards the pinnacle of status attainable by a Han Dynasty woman. He felt as if a long-held wish had been fulfilled, and the corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, a subtle smile. In his eyes, his Wan'er was truly wonderful, no matter her circumstances. Now, crowned empress, she remained calm and composed, perhaps only her exalted status as the Mother of the Nation truly matched her. Ma Chao breathed a sigh of relief, silently thinking: Well, this is a farewell to all the past entanglements. From now on, she will be the one and only and most noble queen in the Han Dynasty, and she should put aside her sentimental thoughts and serve the court wholeheartedly, striving to realize her master's expectations as soon as possible, restore the glory of the Han Dynasty, and make Wan'er's position in the court more stable and worry-free.

Gongsun Zan, standing beside him, had a slightly stiff expression. He had come here at the head of a vast army, fully expecting his daughter to ascend the throne of empress. But who could have foreseen that, due to the powerful influence of the Western Liang forces behind Ma Chao, he would be forced to compromise with him, unable to do anything but watch Lu Wan don the phoenix crown symbolizing empresshood. The resentment and loss he felt were beyond words.

Gongsun Zan scowled at Ma Chao again, gnashing his teeth as he thought to himself, "Hmph, Ma, oh Ma, I'll let you be so arrogant for now! Once your Ma family sends all its troops abroad for the imperial court, you'll be of no further use. Hmph, when you're trampled upon, you'll regret your arrogance."

Gongsun Zan was still thinking about the blueprint that the emperor had drawn for him. It was simply an extremely grand, wonderful and attractive dream, so much so that Gongsun Zan was deeply intoxicated by it and didn't want to extricate himself from it at all, as if he had already seen the extremely beautiful future waving at him.

Seeing that the enthronement ceremony had been successfully completed, the emperor's face was gentle, and he said softly to Lu Wan, who was now the queen, "Today's enthronement ceremony is very complicated. The many rituals are very complicated. Queen, you have been working hard on this matter all day. It is really hard. Now that there is nothing else to do, you should return to the palace early and have a good rest."

Upon hearing this, Lu Wan hurriedly bowed deeply to the emperor, and then, with the help of the palace maids, she slowly returned to the harem in a dignified manner.

Everyone in the court bowed respectfully and shouted in unison: "Farewell, Her Majesty!" The voice echoed in the hall, full of respect, until Lu Wan's figure disappeared from everyone's sight, and the shouting gradually stopped.

The emperor waved his hand gently and said solemnly, "My lords, now that the enthronement ceremony has concluded successfully, it's time for us to discuss business as usual. I have several important matters to discuss today. One of them is that soldiers from Xiliang have appeared in Wudu County in Hanzhong. Marquis Wei, please explain why this is happening. Hanzhong is part of Yizhou, so why are your soldiers from Xiliang appearing here? I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation."

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, everyone turned their eyes to Ma Chao. Ma Chao had actually already established contact with the Xiliang troops, so he was naturally well aware of the whole process. He took a step forward without being servile or arrogant, stepped out of the line, and said calmly, "Your Majesty, although Hanzhong is indeed within the territory of Yizhou of the Han Dynasty and is a vassal state of the Han Dynasty, Your Majesty also knows that Liu Zhang, the governor of Yizhou, is a foolish and incompetent man who is completely unable to properly control his subordinates. Furthermore, Zhang Lu in Hanzhong has been using the Five Pecks of Rice Sect to deceive the people, and now Hanzhong is almost out of the jurisdiction of Yizhou. Xiliang's military deployment this time is simply to help the Han court, to prevent Zhang Lu from developing rebellious ideas and being unable to be effectively controlled."

The emperor frowned slightly and continued, "Liu Zhang of Yizhou is a descendant of my Han royal family. Although his talents are somewhat mediocre, he is not as foolish and incompetent as you, Marquis Wei, claim. I will issue an order for him to strictly control Zhang Lu in Hanzhong. If he is truly unable to punish Zhang Lu, I will also dispatch troops to punish him according to the actual situation."

However, Marquis Wei, you have secretly dispatched troops without consulting the court. This is truly inappropriate. However, I do not intend to pursue this matter, but you should evacuate the Xiliang troops within the territory as soon as possible. Zhang Lu and his ilk may have been secretly using the Five Pecks of Rice Sect to incite the people, but so far they have not shown any intention of rebellion. Sending troops to suppress them without authorization is truly inappropriate."

Ma Chao's expression remained calm. He clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully, saying, "If Your Majesty can successfully get Liu Zhang to effectively restrain Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, that would be a great success. This would also save many of our Xiliang warriors from unnecessary sacrifice in Wudu."

The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, his eyes seemingly casual, yet revealing a sharp, all-seeing gaze. He spoke slowly, knowingly asking, "Recently, we received reports that another 20,000 to 30,000 Western Liang cavalry have been stationed in Tianshui County. I remember that you, Marquis Wei, single-handedly captured Tianshui County, right? There's no fighting going on in the surrounding area right now, so why are you stationing another 30,000 troops there? What's the purpose?"

Ma Chao, standing below, stood tall and straight, his bearing extraordinary. He bowed slightly and spoke calmly, "Your Majesty, although Tianshui County has been recently pacified, it's still a short time, and the situation is not yet completely stable. Now is the time to station a large number of troops to maintain stability within the territory and allow the people to live and work in peace. We must prevent any more trouble from occurring within the territory."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's lips curled up slightly, and he continued sarcastically, "Marquis Wei, I remember that it took more than half a year to pacify Tianshui County. However, I'm not sure whether Dong Zhuo's remaining troops have been completely eliminated. To this day, you haven't brought Dong Huang's head to me. Although I don't understand military matters, I still have this question in my mind: have the remnants of Dong Zhuo been completely eliminated?"

Ma Chao's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and said, "Your Majesty, even a cunning rabbit has three burrows. How can their remnants be wiped out so easily? That's why I've specially dispatched troops to garrison Tianshui County, just in case."

As soon as Ma Chao uttered these words, anyone could hear the obvious perfunctory tone in them. How could the Emperor, seated on the Dragon Throne, not know this? Yet, in the court, a drama unfolded between the two men. The Emperor, knowing full well the motive behind Ma Chao's actions, wanted Ma Chao to reveal his true intentions in person, thus forcing him to submit. And so, Ma Chao and the other two engaged in a back-and-forth, each deliberately asking questions, speaking seemingly righteous words in the court, yet concealing hidden meanings.