Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The vermilion lacquer gate of the Lu Mansion shimmered in the moonlight, its bronze rings holding a half-roll of faded red silk. Ma Chao raised his hand and knocked, his knuckles colliding with the bronze ring, making a crisp sound. Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from within, mixed with the rustling of armor. Then, the cold gleam of an unsheathed blade shone through the crack of the door, and a hoarse voice, shrouded in alarm, called out, "Who's there?"

Although Ma Chao had never seen him in person, he instantly recognized the voice. Once upon a time, Li Tong had traveled to Western Liang as an envoy of the Emperor. On his return, Ma Chao treated him with the hospitality of a Western Liang guest. Little did he know that this friendship would lead to his lifelong protection. On the day of the Chang'an Incident, this man had led his troops in a bloody battle, sacrificing his life and blood. Thinking of this, Ma Chao's voice took on a touch of warmth: "But Li Tong? I am Ma Chao."

There was a dead silence inside the door at first, followed by the clanging sound of weapons hitting the ground. "It's the Lord!" Li Tong's voice suddenly rose, with a trembling sound that broke through the air, as if to let out all the emotions that had been suppressed for a long time. Then there was the sound of someone frantically pulling on the door bolt. The heavy vermilion lacquer door burst open, and he stumbled out. The bandages under his crooked armor were stained with dark red blood, but his face was filled with ecstatic smile: "I... I thought I would never see the Lord again in this life!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already knelt heavily on one knee, his forehead almost knocking into the dust, his voice choked with sobs: "That day when Chang'an City was broken, I wanted to protect you with my own death. Even if I can fight for you with my last breath, it will be considered as repaying your kindness!" Ma Chao's heart trembled suddenly, and he hurried forward to help him up, holding the injured body tightly with his iron arms: "Don't call me your majesty! Although you haven't officially joined my army, you are willing to fight for me, Ma Chao, and risk your life. How could I forget this friendship? Seeing you are still alive, it is really..." His throat felt sour, and he patted Li Tong's back hard, his eyes moist.

Li Tong struggled to stand up, pulled a carriage over to the side and led him into the mansion, saying in a hoarse voice: "I'm lucky. I was seriously injured and dying that day, but fortunately, my uncle Liu Bei saved me. I stayed in his mansion for half a month before I was able to survive." Ma Chao's steps suddenly stopped, and his voice became a little slow: "Oh... it was my brother who saved you."

"That's right!" Li Tong wiped the blood off his face and said with a complicated expression, "But a few days ago, the emperor died suddenly. For some reason, Uncle Liu had a fight with Lu Bu's Bingzhou army and disappeared overnight. The Bingzhou army burned, killed and looted in the city. Brother Dian and I were worried about the safety of the Lu Mansion, so we rushed back to protect it at the risk of our lives!" Ma Chao's knuckles, which were gripping his arm, suddenly turned white. He asked with a trembling voice: "Has the Lu Mansion been disturbed?"

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Li Tong breathed a sigh of relief. "Thankfully, Brother Dian and I held fast. At the critical moment, General Cao's son, Cao Ang, led his troops to our aid, saving the Lu residence." Ma Chao's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he murmured, eyes narrowed, "Cao Zixiu... my little brother back in Luoyang, even at this critical moment, he still remembered Master Lu's kindness..." The night wind rippled the tassels on his silver armor, and he was transported back to his youth at Lu Zhi's residence, those leisurely and carefree days. Now, they were the most heartwarming memories he could recall.

Outside the backyard door, the towering figure suddenly tensed, the twin halberds at his waist making a cold iron sound as he moved: "Brother Li Tong, what's going on outside?" Before he finished speaking, Li Tong rushed over in two steps, grabbed the other's armor and roared: "Brother Dian! It's the Marquis! It's really the Marquis!"

The shadowy figure spun around, the moonlight illuminating the astonishment beneath his bearded face—it was Dian Wei. His eyes, as big as copper bells, nearly popped out of their sockets: "Asshole... asshole! Don't try to trick me!" It wasn't until he saw the familiar dragon pattern on Ma Chao's silver armor that this usually stoic man suddenly roared, shaking the roof tiles.

"Pretty boy!" Dian Wei opened his palm as big as a palm leaf fan and pulled Ma Chao into his arms. The collision of armors made a deafening thud. "I knew you were a tough nut!" He slapped Ma Chao's back hard, his rough palm almost crushing him. "You still think of coming to see me!" Ma Chao's face flushed instantly. The severe pain from the arrow wound made him groan: "It hurts...it hurts! Let go!"

Dong Bai's face suddenly changed. He stepped forward quickly and pulled Dian Wei's arm away. His gilded armor barely brushed against his tiger back: "You reckless man! You are so rude!" Dian Wei realized that he had lost his composure. When he stepped back, he knocked down a stone pillar half a man's height. He scratched his messy hair and laughed foolishly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I... I'm so happy!" He suddenly approached Ma Chao, and his cloudy eyes looked back and forth at the arrow wound: "How did you get hurt?"

Ma Chao pressed the aching wound and forced a smile: "During the Chang'an Incident, Lü Bu's continuous arrows..." Before he finished speaking, Dian Wei suddenly flew into a rage, and his double halberds suddenly shook and cracked: "That bastard Lü Bu! I will tear him into eight pieces!" He stared at Ma Chao's pale face, his rough palm suspended in the air and then put it down awkwardly: "Is the injury...serious? Do you want me to find a doctor?"

Dong Bai rolled her eyes at him and gently pressed her fingertips on Ma Chao's old wound: "Although the arrow wound has healed, the hidden injury needs to be slowly nursed back to health." She suddenly turned to look at Li Tong: "Why are you still standing there? Go get some blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing medicine!" The lights in the courtyard flickered, reflecting Dian Wei's bewildered look. This man who could lift a tripod with one hand now looked like a child who had done something wrong, scratching his head and muttering: "I... I really didn't know you were injured..."

Ma Chao gently pinched Dong Bai's flushed cheeks with his fingertips, a smile on his lips: "Why are you so nervous? It's just some old injuries, but Dian Wei is scared like this." As he spoke, he raised his hand to tidy up the pearl tassels on Dong Bai's temples, his eyes so gentle that tears could drip out. Seeing Dian Wei clutching the corner of his clothes and looking uneasy, he turned his head and said softly: "Don't blame yourself, I'm in good health."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped smiling, adjusted the coiled dragon pattern on his silver armor, and bowed solemnly to Dian Wei and Li Tong: "You two risked your lives during the Chang'an Incident. This kindness, Ma Chao, will never forget." In the halo of the bronze lamp, his straight back stretched out a firm arc, less majestic than usual, and more sincere.

Li Tong was horrified and knelt on one knee in haste. The iron armor collided with the blue bricks and made a crisp sound: "Your Excellency, you are too kind! This life of mine was given by you. It is a great honor to die for you!" Before he finished speaking, Dian Wei waved his hand carelessly, and the double halberds at his waist made a clattering sound with the movement: "Little pretty boy, why are you being polite to us? As long as you have enough wine jars in the future, you can use my strength!"

"The jars are yours, but don't let your greed ruin your work." Ma Chao smiled and shook their hands, the warmth of his palms radiating through the armor. "When I crown you kings and reward you for your merits in two days, I will definitely drink three hundred cups with you two!" His eyes blazed with such intensity that the dragon pattern on the silver armor seemed to soar into the air.

Li Tong was shocked when he heard this, and his eyes flashed with ecstasy: "My Lord... are you really going to be king?" After receiving a positive answer, he was so excited that he trembled all over and kowtowed heavily to the ground: "Li Tong greets the prince!" On the other hand, Dian Wei sneered nonchalantly and patted Li Tong on the back of the head: "Look at your lack of ambition! Even if the pretty boy becomes the king, in my eyes, he is still that kid who loves to play with guns!"

"Brother Dian! This is an act of usurpation!" Li Tong was so anxious that veins popped up on his forehead, and he hurriedly stood up to correct him. But Ma Chao raised his hand to stop him, laughing loudly: "A true brother is someone who doesn't care about trivial matters like this! Li Tong, you gave up your future for me and risked your life. From now on, our friendship is a life-long one!"

At this moment, the carved wooden door of the backyard creaked softly, and a clear voice was heard: "Brother Dian, who is talking outside?" Moonlight streamed in through the crack in the door, casting tiny silver spots on the blue brick floor, and faintly visible behind the door was the swaying hem of a plain skirt.

Dian Wei's towering figure leaned forward, shaking the ground slightly. His voice was like a bell: "Miss! It's the pretty boy—no, it's General Ma!" Before he finished speaking, the door to the back house blew open in the wind, and Lu Wan, dressed in a plain skirt, stepped out. Her dark hair was loose, with only a silver hairpin slanting in her temples. Her pale cheeks flushed with excitement, and her eyes, looking at Ma Chao, instantly filled with tears.

Just as she was about to step forward, she caught a glimpse of Dong Bai standing there, smiling. Her gilded armor caught the moonlight, and the silver butterflies adorning her wide sleeves seemed ready to take flight. Lu Wan's steps froze in place, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the hem of her skirt, the silk thread embroidered with twin lotus leaves leaving red marks on her palms. Finally, she bowed, her voice so soft it seemed to float on the wind: "Brother Mengqi..."

Ma Chao, however, acted as if he didn't notice the others. He strode forward and lifted her trembling body into his arms. The silver armor pricked painfully, but it couldn't withstand the warmth of his palm. "Wan'er, I see you again." His chin rested against the crown of her head, and his voice was low enough for only the two of them to hear. Images of the Chang'an Incident surged through his mind—Lu Wan's cold face as she was publicly humiliated by the emperor, and the sight of her shouting his name at the top of her lungs amidst the chaos—all strangely intertwined.

The night wind blew the smoke from the lingering gunpowder tower across the courtyard. Ma Chao suddenly realized that since the day of the Chang'an Incident, his armor had become stained with blood. He had once aspired to be a loyal minister and general supporting the Han Dynasty, but now, looking at the trembling woman in his arms, ambition ignited in his eyes. He gently stroked Lu Wan's back, reflecting the dark tide in his eyes—he was determined to hold this world in his palm.

Lu Wan trembled and struggled in his arms, her fingertips tightly grasping the dragon pattern on his silver armor, her voice choked with sobs: "Brother Mengqi, I am already a deposed person, an ominous disaster that will kill the emperor..." She turned her face away abruptly, the silver hairpin in her hair gleaming coldly in the moonlight. "Please don't ruin your reputation because of me. As long as you can let my sister and I live in this house..."

Dong Bai stepped forward, her slender hand tightly grasping Lu Wan's cold fingertips, her eyes filled with sincerity: "Sister Wan'er, what are you talking about? How could you be so miserable with your husband here?" Ever since hearing the tragic news of Ma Chao's "death in Chang'an," Dong Bai has considered herself the widow of the Ma family. In those days, she stayed in front of the empty general's tent, polishing her bloodstained silver armor to a shine, and telling everyone, "The general will definitely return." Even though they were not yet married, she did not hide this confidence. Instead, she brought Lu Wan to her side, and with a flutter of her wide sleeves, the hem of her skirt embroidered with lotus flowers brushed Ma Chao's combat boots: "From now on, we sisters will support each other and will surely find peace in this troubled world."