Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Zhang Lu walked around on the city wall, rubbing his sweaty cuffs. His crown was tilted and about to fall off. Suddenly he grabbed Yang Song's sleeve and said, "Yang Beijia! If that vicious scholar Li Ru knew that we received the Yizhou delegation first, he would probably burn Hanzhong to ashes!" He stared at the smoke rising in the distance, his Adam's apple rolled as if he had swallowed an egg, and his fingers twisted wrinkles on his Taoist robe.

Just as Yang Song was about to say, "My lord, please be at ease," Zhang Lu suddenly jumped up and slapped his thigh, "Got it! Fu Bao said that Li Ru has some connections with her!" He grabbed Yang Bai, who was passing by, and pushed him, making him stumble. "Quick! Go to Miss Zhen Mi and ask Fu Bao and Qi Ying to come over! Oh, and get Zhang Fu and Zhang Gui to help out as well!"

Yang Bai hurried away, and Zhang Fubao reluctantly arrived at the tower, her cheeks puffed out like walnuts. "Dad! I'm learning the yaoqin with Sister Zhen Mi, why are you rushing me over here?" She glanced at the white sweat on Zhang Lu's forehead and curled her lips and rolled her eyes. Zhang Qiying gently supported her father's trembling arm, her sleeve brushing across the back of his cold hand. "Father, are you worried about the Xiliang envoy?"

Zhang Lu pulled Fu Bao in front of him, his nails almost digging into his daughter's arm. "Fu Bao! You've dealt with Li Ru before. Tell me, what does that old fox like?" Fu Bao grimaced in pain, shook off his hand, and muttered, "Daddy, what are you doing? You're hurting me!"

Before he could finish his words, the sound of gongs and drums rang out from outside the city walls. Zhang Lu suddenly clung to the parapet and looked down. The black banner with the Chinese character "Li" on it pierced his eyes, and the hem of his Taoist robe rustled in the wind, making him look like a frightened crane.

Zhang Lu grabbed Fu Bao's sleeve and rushed out of the city gate. The jade beads on his crown clattered like a quail burned by charcoal. He stumbled, straightening his askew robe, and shouted to the civil and military officials behind him, "Everyone, stand in line! When we meet Mr. Li Ru later, if anyone dares to droop their eyes, I'll skin them!"

The musicians were thrown into a panic by his glare, their chimes vibrating off-key. Zhang Lu stamped his foot and shouted, "Play court music! Play court music!" His sleeve swept over the incense table held by a nearby clerk, scattering sandalwood all over the floor. He himself hunched over the city gate, peering into the distance like a turtle. He straightened his back when he saw the smoke and dust—only to discover it was his own scouts and crouch down in frustration.

Fu Bao rubbed his painfully pulled arm and exchanged a look with Zhang Qiying. Zhang Lu suddenly grabbed his son Zhang Gui by the belt and pushed him to the front of the team: "Stand here! Yes, back straight! Don't lose your composure in front of Mr. Li Ru." Zhang Gui was so frightened that he swallowed his saliva, and the hem of his Taoist robe trembled.

Finally, a dark banner, swirling in a cloud of dust, approached. Zhang Lu bowed respectfully, his hips raised, his voice trembling like a broken gong in the wind: "Han... Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, respectfully welcomes Mr. Li Ru of Xiliang—!" The musicians behind him finally awoke, their chimes and zithers clashing in a chaotic cacophony, like a mournful melody for this absurd welcome.

Hua Xiong's hooves clattered like thunder on the bluestone slabs, and he didn't pull the reins until he was five steps away from Zhang Lu. The steed reared up, its iron hooves slamming down hard, sending up splashes of mud that clung to his Taoist robes. He chuckled muffledly, his eyes sweeping over the kneeling crowd. "I am Hua Xiong, the vanguard general of the Western Liang army! Master Li Ru has sent a message to ask Zhang Tianshi—do you know the reason for our visit?"

Zhang Lu's fingers scratched at the hem of his robe, speckled with mud and grime, making him feel ashamed. He stole a glance at the Nine-Ring Knife hanging from Hua Xiong's waist. The blade's reflection reflected his own trembling, and his Adam's apple rolled through his voice. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please understand! I have long known... Miss Zhen Mi is doing well in Hanzhong. She is being fed delicacies daily, and she is also well-equipped with instruments of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting!"

Hua Xiong suddenly raised his sword. "Oh? Master Zhang is well-informed!" He yanked it back and turned his horse. The cloud of dust kicked up made Zhang Lu cough repeatedly. "I'll report this to you, sir," Hua Xiong said without turning back. The sound of his horse's hooves shook the city walls. "If there's even the slightest mistake, this jar of fine wine in Hanzhong will be turned into blood!"

Zhang Lu froze in place, not daring to raise his head until the dust cleared. Zhang Qiying wanted to help him, but saw that the white sweat on the back of her father's neck had soaked through his Taoist robe, making him look like a quail pulled out of the water.

Zhang Fubao watched Hua Xiong walk away in a cloud of dust, her almond-shaped eyes wide. She stomped her brocade shoes, embroidered with five pecks of rice, heavily on the bluestone slabs. "This Xiliang brute! He thinks I'm alone in Hanzhong? Why should my father put on a smile for a rough man brandishing a sword and a gun?" She was so angry that her chest heaved violently, and her hairpins jingled against the wall. "That Li Ru is full of evil intentions too, sending such a wretch to humiliate us!"

Zhang Lu hurriedly reached out to cover his daughter's mouth, but Fu Bao deftly dodged it. Veins throbbing in his forehead, he said in a low voice, "Shush! The envoys are arriving soon. Don't cause any trouble!"

The sun was high in the sky at noon, and a cloud of dust suddenly rose from the northwest.

First, twelve dark black banners pierced the waves, each embroidered with a gigantic "Li" character. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry galloped aloft, their rustling black banners rustling like thunder across the earth. Following closely behind were three hundred heavily armored cavalrymen, their horses' heads adorned with bronze ghost masks, their hooves wrapped in raw cowhide. Their footsteps on the bluestone slabs were silent, leaving only the subtle clatter of metal armor plates colliding.

Zhang Lu's hand, clutching the jade tablet, broke into a cold sweat as he suddenly saw a cloud-patterned chariot, pulled by two white horses, slowly emerge from the center of the procession. The chariot curtains were woven from ice silk, a tribute from the Western Regions. Through the translucent curtains, a figure could be vaguely seen seated on a table. The hem of a dark cloak draped over the shafts, its dark gold embroidered Bagua pattern gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

"Squeak—" The moment the wheels stopped, the chimes in the hands of the musicians suddenly vibrated together, emitting a long sound like a dragon's roar.

Zhang Lu bent his body like a crescent moon, almost touching the ground, his dark Taoist robe motionless in the midday breeze. Li Ru slowly stepped out of the carriage, holding onto the armrests. The icy silk curtain brushed against his trembling fingertips, bringing with it a wisp of Western ambergris.

"Master Zhang's ceremony is strange." Li Ru's voice was tinged with laughter, but it felt like icicles scratching his eardrums. He raised his hand, his fingertips hovering three inches above Zhang Lu's head. "When we welcomed the Yizhou delegation the other day, was it also this grand?"

The sun was blazing, and the white sweat on the back of Zhang Lu's neck trickled down the collar of his Taoist robe. He stole a glance at the bronze abacus faintly visible in Li Ru's sleeve—they were the tools Dong Zhuo had used to plan his strategy in his own time, but now they felt like a guillotine hanging over his head.

"Sir, you're joking!" He forced himself to stand up, the jade beads on his crown making a slight sound. "Yizhou, that's... that's a misunderstanding!" Before he finished speaking, three hundred heavily armored cavalry suddenly pressed their swords at the same time. The sound of metal friction startled the sparrows on the city wall and made them flutter in panic.

Li Ru's smile deepened, but a frost formed in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He strolled over to Zhang Lu's side, the hem of his dark cloak brushing against the scraps of Shu brocade that hadn't been cleaned off the blue bricks. "Misunderstanding?" he trailed off, startling Zhang Lu so much that the jade pendant at his waist dropped to the ground.

Li Ru's fingertips hovered just three inches above Zhang Lu's head, leaving him hunched and frozen in place. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zhang Fubao clutching his handkerchief, his almond-shaped eyes staring at him, more eye-catching than the fluttering black flags on the city walls.

"Come, come, little Fubao." He suddenly raised his eyebrows and smiled softly, waving his wide sleeves and sending up jade beads all over the floor. "You came to greet me in person, I am so honored!"

Fu Bao stomped her feet forward, her brocade shoes crushing the scraps of Shu brocade at her feet: "You old man are so rude!" She stood in front of her father, her hair jingling as she walked. "Hanzhong and Xiliang have always been friends on equal terms. Why do you want to embarrass my father?"

Zhang Lu froze in a half-straightened position, a dry laugh escaping his throat. Li Ru, however, clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his bronze abacus slipping from his sleeve and clattering against the blue bricks. "Ha, the little girl is angry," he said, softly helping Zhang Lu to his feet.

Zhang Lu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his wide sleeves. Looking up, he saw Li Ru, his back to him, pacing toward Zhang Fubao. His dark cloak brushed against his daughter's skirt, startling her and causing her to step back.

"Little girl, what you said is a little wrong." Li Ru tapped the bronze ornament on the shaft with his fingertips, and the sunlight passed over the abacus hidden in his sleeve. "My king was appointed as the King of Liang by the emperor, and he governs the three prefectures of Western Liang." He suddenly leaned over, startling the talisman and knocking over the incense table behind him. "Your father is only the prefect of Hanzhong. I came here with the ceremonial axe of the King of Liang, and you treat me as if I were the King of Liang. Is this etiquette considered presumptuous?"

Fu Bao stared at the black banner floating in the carriage. The nine strands of yak tails on it brushed against the back of Li Ru's hand in the wind. She bit her lower lip and dodged, but her embroidered shoes caught on scattered jade beads and she nearly fell into her father's arms.

"Hmph, you old man are not a good person anyway!" She suddenly stamped her foot and turned around, not even bothering to pick up the jade hairpin that fell from her hair. Li Ru looked at the girl's back as she ran away, bent down to pick up the jade hairpin, and his fingertips stroked the grain of the hairpin, his smile deepening.

Zhang Lu froze in place, watching Li Ru playing with his daughter's hairpin. The white sweat on the back of his neck broke out again. The black flags on the city wall fluttered, tearing Li Ru's laughter into pieces. Mixed with the distant chimes, they hummed in the scorching sun.

Zhang Lu stepped forward, his robe still stained with dust from his earlier haste. "Your Excellency has traveled a long way. General Ma Chao has been conferred the title of King of Liang. We haven't sent an envoy to offer congratulations yet, but your Excellency arrived first and has already prepared a banquet at the Tianshi Mansion..." Before he finished speaking, Li Ru was already playing with Zhang Fubao's jade hairpin and chuckling.

"The Heavenly Master gave birth to a good daughter." Li Ru suddenly put the jade hairpin back into his sleeve, and his wide black sleeves swept across the back of Zhang Lu's stiff hand. "That's all, let's go to the inn and rest first. As for the banquet..." He dragged out the last word, his eyes sweeping over the remaining red Shu brocade on the top of the city wall. "When to attend the banquet depends on the Heavenly Master's sincerity."

The veins on Zhang Lu's forehead throbbed, and he forced a smile and said, "Forgive Zhang Lu's stupidity, but please explain..."

"Explicit?" Li Ru's face suddenly darkened, and the bronze abacus made a crisp sound in his sleeve. "Let's not talk about the fact that you mistook the Yizhou delegation for my Xiliang people the other day and welcomed them with great fanfare—" He took a half step closer, his black boots rolling over the red silk that had not yet been cleared. "For example, right now, are Fei Yi and Qiao Zhou still in Hanzhong City? Are you planning to let them sit at the table with me?"

Zhang Lu felt cold sweat oozing from his back, and even his Taoist robe was sticking to his back: "Your Excellency, please calm down! I will send someone to send the Yizhou delegation away..."

"Send away?" Li Ru snorted coldly, and the bronze abacus in his sleeve made a crisp sound. "Zhang Ren, Hua Xiong!"

Two generals stepped forward, their black armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Li Ru tapped the shaft of the chariot with his knuckles: "Select a number of troops and horses, and kill all the Yizhou envoys."

"No, no!" Zhang Lu staggered half a step, and the jade tablet fell to the ground with a clang. "Fei Yi and Qiao Zhou are famous scholars in Shu. If we rashly harm them, it may damage the reputation of the King of Liang!"

Li Ru stroked Zhang Fubao's jade hairpin in his sleeve, his lips curled up in a playful arc: "Oh? Is it bad for the reputation of King Liang?" He suddenly raised his eyebrows and chuckled, startling the guards on the city wall and trembling. "Forget it, spare these two lives. As for the rest of the followers, kill them all."

Zhang Lu watched the two generals mount their horses, a bitter taste welling up in his throat. Under the scorching sun, the dark gold Bagua pattern on Li Ru's dark cloak shone faintly, like a net tightening ever tighter.