Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

There was a moment of dead silence in the hall, and suddenly Xu Huang's eyes widened: "I am willing to follow the King of Liang and fight for a peaceful world in Western Liang!" Ma Dai, Zhang Ren and others echoed him, and the sound of armor colliding made the remaining paint on the Panlong Pillar fall off.

Li Ru smiled and said, "Since the young master is the new king, you are the old prince. Please take the main seat so that the generals can stand up and receive orders." Before he finished speaking, sporadic sounds of armor moving were heard in the hall. Xu Huang, Ma Dai and others looked up at Ma Teng, with both expectation and uneasiness in their eyes.

Ma Teng waved his hand violently, his brocade robe sweeping across the cold armrests of the dragon throne, causing a string of tiny jade beads to tinkle softly. "Teng was a rough-mannered man from the borderlands of Western Liang, never harboring ambitions to conquer the world!" He suddenly pulled off his helmet, his frosty hair spreading out like dry grass, fluttering in the draft. "I'm over forty, an age that should be spent on the battlefield, but the world is so different now..." The old man's cloudy eyes were bloodshot, and he gestured tremblingly at the ruined palace outside the hall. "Chang'an has been shaken. They say Chao'er has died there. Although I've raised an army to avenge Chao'er, I'm completely lost. The Western Liang cavalry has been trapped in Chang'an for months, unable to move a single step! If it weren't for Meng Qi's resurrection..."

His voice suddenly choked as he recalled the cold tablet in the mourning hall, the despair he felt as he cursed his fate to the heavens. Taking a deep breath, Ma Teng turned and looked at Ma Chao, who knelt on one knee. The lingering blood on his silver armor shone dark red in the candlelight. "When I learned of Chao'er's 'death,' my hair turned white overnight. I was in a state of panic. Only then did I realize that I could defend the city of Xiliang, but I couldn't support the Ma family!"

"Everyone!" Ma Teng's roar shook the bronze bells on the beams. He kicked away the white marble paperweight that had rolled down at his feet. "Look at the mess on the ground! Without Meng Qi, we wouldn't even be able to enter Chang'an! In the future, we must fight for supremacy and expand our territory..." The old man slammed his palm heavily on the armrest of the dragon throne, shaking off a few pieces of flaking gold paint. "I, Ma Teng, don't have the ability to do this!"

The hall was as still as a grave, the only sound being Ma Teng's heavy breathing echoing off the beams. After a long pause, he suddenly straightened his clothes and stood solemnly, pointing a finger at Ma Chao: "From today, my son shall be the King of Liang! I am willing to take on the throne of my old king, and to enjoy the company of my grandchildren is my true desire!" He turned abruptly, his aged gaze sweeping across the hall like a knife. "Listen up, everyone! From now on, this chariot of Western Liang will only obey the orders of the King of Liang! Anyone who dares to disobey..." Before he finished speaking, the sword at his waist had already been unsheathed, its cold light chilling everyone's necks.

Ma Chao quickly stepped forward to support his father, his voice trembling with a new intensity: "I will live up to your trust!" He raised his hand to signal the generals, and the hilt of his sword struck the armrest of the dragon throne with a resonant sound. "From this day forward, Chang'an will be our foundation, and Xiliang will be our backing! All the princes of the world, whoever dares to invade our territory..."

"Even though he is far away, he must be killed!" Xu Huang, Ma Dai and others shouted in unison. The sound waves broke through the broken roof of the palace and startled countless crows outside the palace wall.

Ma Chao placed the gilded dragon-patterned chair below the throne to the left. Holding his father's withered arm as he sat down, his fingertips touched the raised calluses on the old man's palm—marks left by a lifetime of gripping horse reins. The newly placed chair to the right was still dusty. He turned and sat down, his expression aloof and unwavering.

"Long live the King of Liang!" The generals knelt with a thud, the clash of armor resembling thunder rolling through the palace. Ma Chao raised his hand in a gesture, his eyes sweeping over Li Ru, who stood solemnly below. "Mr. Wenyou is a man of great resourcefulness, and he remains the chief military advisor. Yuanzhi, Zijing, and Wenhe, please quickly draft a list of honors and rewards for the generals. The ceremony of crowning and bestowing seals will be held in the Weiyang Palace three days from now."

Xu Shu, Lu Su, and Jia Xu bowed and accepted the order: "We obey your command." Before he finished speaking, Li Ru's dark blue robe brushed past the toppled bronze lampstand: "My lord, there is still one matter that remains unresolved."

Ma Chao was startled, his brows furrowed slightly. Li Ru turned to face Ma Teng, his tactician's sharp edge shedding, his tone now carrying the earnestness of an elder: "Old lord, since hearing the young master's tragic news, Bai'er, unmarried, has worn plain mourning clothes, plotting revenge day and night. She refuses to be a daughter of the Dong family, swearing to be a wife only of the Ma family—this devotion is attested to by every soldier in the camp."

The hall was suddenly so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Dong Bai stood in the shadow of the pillars, her head bowed. Her face flushed instantly, and the hem of her skirt, embroidered with twin lotus flowers, trembled slightly.

"That's right!" Ma Teng slapped his knees suddenly, shaking the gilded animal head on the chair slightly. "Mengqi, you have escaped death and returned to the throne of King of Liang. If this marriage is delayed any longer, it will chill people's hearts!" A smile appeared in the old man's turbid eyes. In a trance, he recalled the joy of holding his baby son in his arms under the starry sky of Xiliang twenty years ago.

Dong Bai bit her lower lip and looked up, seeing Ma Chao's jawline stretched straight. At this moment, the snow-like light like broken jade in the sky seemed to fall into her eyes again, burning her eye sockets.

Ma Chao had a solemn expression, his fists clenched, he looked at everyone with embarrassment and said: "Father, Mr. Wenhe, it's not that I am a heartless person. Bai'er and I are in love with each other. Bai'er has been running around for me all these years, and she even remained unmarried to observe mourning and avenge me. I am deeply grateful for this deep affection and will never dare to forget it." Having said that, he bowed slightly and saluted in the direction of Dong Bai.

However, Ma Chao's tone turned sad as he changed the subject. "Although Chang'an has been captured, my sworn brother Sun Ce, upon hearing that I was in danger, immediately led an army to Chang'an to avenge me, but unfortunately, he died in Jingzhou. As sworn brothers, if I don't avenge him and instead discuss marriage here, wouldn't that chill the hearts of all brothers? How can I be worthy of the oath we made when we became sworn brothers? Every time I think of this, I feel truly guilty."

Everyone in the hall was filled with emotion upon hearing this. Ma Teng stroked his beard and nodded slightly, his eyes filled with both relief and worry.

Li Ru stepped forward, his wide black sleeves sweeping across the bloodstains on the dragon-patterned table. "Young Master, you have lost your brother, and we share your grief." He paused, gesturing toward the dusk outside the hall. "However, General Sun Ce's death in Jingzhou raises numerous questions. General Sun Ce was a master of the realm, a valiant and invincible. Liu Biao's Huang Zu was certainly capable, so how could he have successfully set up an ambush? Even if General Sun Ce perished in the ambush, he still has a son, your third brother Zhou Gongjin. How could Sun Quan have succeeded to the throne?" He rapped his fan bone against the table, shaking off a few flakes of flaking gold lacquer. "Perhaps someone else was involved. Rashly launching an attack could lead to a conspiracy."

Ma Chao frowned, "Sir, do you mean to sit back and do nothing?"

"Not at all!" Li Ru unfolded the yellowed map from his sleeve, his fingertips tracing the red mark marking the border between Jingzhou and Jiangdong. "Jingzhou's walls are high and its moats deep. Liu Biao has been managing it for decades. A forced attack would only lead to heavy casualties. Furthermore, our army has just captured Chang'an, and its foundation is not yet stable. If we get bogged down in the quagmire of the Jianghan region..." He abruptly stopped talking and turned his gaze to Ma Teng. "The old lord once said that Xiliang is our foundation. If we send our troops south now, wouldn't that be a loss of the greater for the less?"

Jia Xu paced out and said, "Mr. Wenyou is absolutely right. The young master is only twenty-one, and starting a family and seeking revenge can go hand in hand. A grand wedding will reassure the army and demonstrate the power of the King of Liang. Secretly sending spies to thoroughly investigate the cause of Sun Ce's death, and only after the truth is uncovered and his strength is restored, can we attack Jingzhou. This would be the most foolproof strategy."

Ma Chao's Adam's apple rolled, his knuckles turning slightly white as he gripped the broken blade. "One more thing... When Bofu, Gongjin, and I conquered Jiangdong, we were protected by the Shanyue leader. With his sister, Shali'er..." Before he finished speaking, the hall suddenly fell silent, only the cold wind whipping the remaining snow across the Panlong Pillar. He took a deep breath, his voice unusually difficult beneath his mask. "We've secretly agreed to marry and already have a son. If we marry now in Chang'an, how can we leave her and her child without a name or status?"

In the dead silence, Ma Dai suddenly burst into laughter, causing Xu Huang to scratch his head and chuckle. Li Ru clapped his hands, Jia Xu stroked his beard and nodded, and even the usually stern Zhang Ren's lips twitched slightly. Ma Teng stared at his son's stiff back and suddenly remembered his own childhood, when he had hidden the wolf cub, and had looked just as awkward and stubborn.

"Hahaha!" Li Ru doubled over with laughter, his wide black sleeves brushing the corners of his eyes. "My lord is now the Prince of Liang, so what does having three wives and four concubines mean?" He stood up abruptly, pointing his folding fan toward the sky. "Send a horse as fast as possible to bring the young master and Lady Sally to Chang'an! On the wedding day, the three newlyweds will worship heaven and earth together. Wouldn't that be a wonderful story?"

"That's right!" Ma Dai jumped forward, the red tassel on his spear dazzling people, "Suddenly we have a sister-in-law and a nephew, and our Xiliang Iron Cavalry are all happy to share in the joy!" The hall erupted in laughter, the sound of armor clashing and the laughter mixed together, startling the crows on the beams so that they fluttered and flew around.

"If that's the case..." Ma Chao turned away, but a fleeting glance darted in Dong Bai's direction. She stood with her head bowed beside the Panlong Pillar, her gold-embroidered skirt swaying slightly. A faint blush crept across her face, and she bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth. Her eyes were filled with shyness, devoid of any trace of anger or jealousy. His heart settled, his Adam's apple rolling against the cold, hard armor. "As you say, sir. After I ascend the throne and reward the generals, Gan Ning will bring him and his son back."

The moment he turned, the vast snowy plains outside the Weiyang Palace came into view. The Xiliang wind, swirling with fine snow, swept across the crumbling palace walls, carrying the rough laughter of the soldiers. Ma Chao gazed at the falling snow and felt a sudden heat in his palms—it turned out that perfection in this chaotic world could be achieved so stumblingly.

"Wait!" Ma Chao suddenly raised his hand, slamming the hilt of his sword against the armrest of a chair. The clanging sound of metal and stone hushed the laughter in the hall. He glanced at the laughing generals, his masked gaze flickering over Xu Huang's bloodied wristband and the unhealed arrow wound on Ma Dai's shoulder. A bitter taste welled up in his throat. "Gentlemen, Chang'an may be broken, but the devastation spread across the ground..." He turned and pointed at the pile of biers outside the hall, the bodies wrapped in white cloth swaying slightly in the cold wind. "All this was paid for with the lives of my Xiliang men!"

The hall was as silent as a grave. The joy on the soldiers' faces was frozen, and only the suppressed breathing of the crowd echoed between the beams and pillars.

"I will build a high platform and engrave the names of every soldier who died!" Ma Chao's voice seemed to burst from the depths of his chest, shaking the gilded lacquer on the Panlong Pillar. "Let future generations know how many loyal souls are buried beneath the gates of Chang'an!" He turned abruptly, pointing his broken blade at Lu Su: "Zijing, this matter is up to you! Within three days, I want to see this platform erected on Suzaku Street, directly opposite the imperial palace!"

Lu Su sank to his knees, his dark official uniform brushing against the cool blue bricks. "I...I will live up to your trust!" He looked up, meeting Ma Chao's crimson eyes—a swirling mass of fury or unshed tears, it was unclear. Outside the hall, a sudden gust of wind swept up, sweeping paper money across the ground like the sobs of countless widows.

"Pan Feng, Wu Anguo, Jiang Jiong..." Ma Chao muttered three names, his voice as light as ashes drifting in the wind.

Everyone in the hall looked at Ma Chao's slightly trembling jaw. "They... should have watched the Xiliang flag fly high in Chang'an." Ma Chao's voice suddenly became clear, with a rusty edge. "Zijing! Not a single name on the altar can be left out!"