Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The scorching June sun melted Suzaku Street into a flowing golden river. The leaves of the locust trees lining the road curled to scorch, and the chirping of cicadas poured down like boiling water from the cracks between the palace tiles, shattering into tiny specks as they struck the bamboo hats of passersby. Over half a year had passed since Ma Chao led the Western Liang cavalry into Chang'an. The bronze Qilin in front of the Xuanzheng Hall was scorched by the sun, its tail still bearing the white marks of arrows from the siege. Now, it trembled in the warm breeze alongside a new patchouli sachet hung from the eaves. The silk thread embroidered with the word "peace" had wrinkled slightly from the heat.

Military reports piled up like a small mountain on Ma Chao's desk. The candlelight illuminated the tiny holes in the top layer of parchment. The secret letter delivered by Li Ru on a fast horse had been redolently marked with cinnabar ink. Next to the words "Zhang Lu is returning home" on the wax seal, bubbles appeared in the Huizhou ink in the inkstone, just like the rumors quietly spreading on the streets of Chang'an: storytellers knocked on the wake-up stick to tell stories of "the appearance of the Qilin"; in the teahouse, the yellow-capped disciples of the Tianshi Dao held talismans and whispered "the destiny returns to the cold"; even the sound of the bronze bells played by the Hu merchants in the wine shop could faintly reveal the rhythm of "the king of Liang fulfilling the prophecy."

The secret of the unspoken letter lay hidden eight hundred miles away, on the ancient Hanzhong Road, where Li Ru's envoys were marching. The 5000 cavalrymen who had accompanied him on the previous mission to Hua Xiong and Zhang Ren had been left in Hanzhong by Li Ru to take over military duties and strengthen the city's defenses. In his place, Zhang Lu's younger brother, Zhang Wei, rode a majestic horse, its saddle inlaid with fine Nanzheng jade blazing in the blazing sun. Behind him, two hundred chariots creaked and creaked, the twin lotus embroidered on the carriage curtains discolored from sweat.

The most eye-catching thing is the three gilded calf-drawn carriages in the middle of the team. When the shark silk gauze covering the windows was blown by the wind, the figures sitting inside the carriages could be vaguely seen: in the left carriage was the handsome Zhang Qiying, who was silently thinking about his own things; in the right carriage, the cold light of the kingfisher feather headdress appeared through the gap in the curtain, and Zhang Fubao was fiddling with the Taoist talisman on his waist and chatting with his second brother Zhang Gui who was guarding him beside him; the calf-drawn carriage with a Shu brocade roof in the middle was the most luxurious. On the shaft of the carriage was carved a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water, and hanging was the embroidery frame that Zhen Mi had not yet put away. The coral beads hanging at the end of the silk thread made a light sound in the same frequency as that of the more than 10,000 elite Hanzhong soldiers in armor following behind the carriage.

As the procession, laden with dowry, reached the banks of the Bashui River, the bronze bell in a side hall of the Chang'an Imperial Palace struck three quarters past the hour of Chen. This side hall had long since been converted into a meeting room. Ma Chao stroked the unopened list of betrothal gifts on his desk, his fingertips running over the red seal "Respectfully presented by Zhang Lu" on the cover. Suddenly, he heard the captain at the steps announce that Li Ru's convoy had arrived outside the city. He gazed out the window at the curling leaves of trees in the scorching sun, completely unaware of the omission in Li Ru's secret letter: Zhang Lu had delivered not only Zhen Mi but also, amidst the sweltering heat of the Hanzhong Basin, the two biological daughters of Zhang Lu, the prefect of Hanzhong and the Celestial Master of the Celestial Masters.

Ma Chao was deeply moved by the report. He stood up abruptly, his robe sleeves rustling the military reports on his desk. "Quick, pass on my orders," his voice brimming with excitement. "All civil and military officials, follow me out of the city to welcome Mr. Li Ru!" Thinking of Li Ru's hard work and contributions during his mission to Hanzhong, and how he had persuaded Zhang Lu, the Heavenly Master, to sincerely surrender, Ma Chao was filled with admiration. "Mr. Li Ru is truly a prodigy. Even Zhang Lu worked so hard to build up my reputation. You're a true genius!"

He turned around and ordered his guards: "Go, call Bai'er." Ma Chao thought to himself, "Zhen Mi is in the team, let Dong Bai come and meet her first, it will be easier for them to get along in the future."

Speaking of Dong Bai, she's been quite busy lately, constantly focusing on the expansion of the Prince of Liang's mansion. The original mansion has now become a prince's palace, and first they had to make room for Ma Chao's mother and sister, and now they have to make room for Zhen Mi, and Sally and her son, so they have to expand it over and over again. Upon hearing the news, Dong Bai quickly put down the blueprints in her hand, feeling curious and a little dissatisfied: "Huh, looking at his anxious look, I wonder how beautiful the person he's thinking about so much is?"

Soon, Ma Chao, along with his Xiliang officials, arrived outside Chang'an City to await their arrival. Under the sunlight, the troops lined up neatly. Ma Chao gazed at the rising dust clouds in the distance, thinking of Li Ru's contributions and the upcoming meeting with Zhen Mi. A look of anticipation crossed his face. Dong Bai, standing nearby, observed Ma Chao's eager gaze, curled her lips slightly, then chuckled to herself, wondering what was wrong with her.

The Ba Bridge in June was scorching hot under the blazing sun. A dense crowd of people crowded the bridge, the clatter of horses' hooves and the creak of carriage wheels stirring up clouds of dust. Li Ru, leading the way, lifted the curtain of his carriage, his graying beard still matted with the dust of Hanzhong's travels. Beside him, Zhang Lu's younger brother, Zhang Wei, held a red-lacquered wooden box in his hands, the copper lock on the lid gleaming in the sunlight.

As soon as the team stopped, Li Ru came forward with Zhang Wei and others to pay their respects. Ma Chao quickly walked down the stone steps, stretched out his hand to help Li Ru up, his tone full of gratitude: "Sir, you have been running all the way, it is really hard! This time, I was able to persuade Zhang Lu to surrender, all thanks to your hard work!" Li Ru's eyes flickered when he heard this. He first glanced at Ma Chao secretly, then turned his head to look at Dong Bai standing beside him - he saw that she was looking at the people in the team with curious eyes. He quickly lowered his head, rubbed his hands and smiled: "Your Majesty, you are too polite. I am just talking, it is not hard work."

As he spoke, he quickly pushed Zhang Wei beside him forward and said to Ma Chao: "Your Majesty, this is Zhang Wei, the younger brother of Zhang Lu, the prefect of Hanzhong." Zhang Wei immediately bowed and presented the wooden box, saying respectfully: "I am Zhang Wei, the guardian of the Tianshi Dao, and I am here to see Your Majesty. This is the seal of the Tianshi Dao. My brother specially ordered me to deliver it to you as a token of my allegiance." Ma Chao took the wooden box with a smile, gently supported Zhang Wei's arm, and said in a warm voice: "Zhang Wei, you have worked hard on the way. Please thank Zhang Tianshi for his kindness when you return."

At that moment, a breeze blew across the bridge, lifting Dong Bai's sleeve. She took the opportunity to glance behind the group, wondering where the woman named Zhen Mi was. Li Ru noticed her little movement, his mouth twitching imperceptibly. He quickly changed the subject to talk about Hanzhong's customs, but his eyes would occasionally glance at Dong Bai, as if hiding something. The gurgling water under the Ba Bridge reflected the shadows of the people on the bridgehead, making the June heat seem a little heavy.

The Ba Bridge in June was scorching hot under the blazing sun, the steam rising from the bridge distorting the figures. As Zhang Wei, hunched over, lifted the red lacquered wooden box, the scent of incense and wax mingled with dust, oozing from the cracks in the lid, causing Ma Chao to squint subconsciously. "Your Majesty, please look," he said, his hand trembling slightly as he lifted the lid. Amidst a small mountain of pearls and jade, a Shu brocade handkerchief held Zhang Lu's handwritten gift list. "This is the small gift prepared by the Tianshi Dao for the bride's arrival."

As Ma Chao accepted the wooden box, his fingertips brushed the gold embroidery along the edge of the handkerchief, and he thought to himself, "Master Zhang is truly a master of the art." He gazed at the twelve gilded camphorwood chests carried by attendants. Inside, talismans carved from fine Nanzheng jade shone faintly blue in the sunlight. He suddenly remembered that Zhen Mi's family lived far away in Jizhou, and amidst the turmoil and chaos, it would be difficult for her to prepare a dowry. "Master Zhang is overly polite," he smiled, stroking the red-inked inscription "a thousand taels of gold" on the gift list, thinking Zhang Lu was being considerate of Zhen Mi, even considering this thoughtful gesture for him.

"The Heavenly Master said the journey to Jizhou is long," Zhang Wei bowed, and a string of coral court beads slipped from his sleeve. "I have specially ordered Hanzhong to prepare the princess's dowry." He pointed to the hundred carriages parked by the bridge. A carnelian necklace rolled out from the ruts left by the wheels. "They say this pair of Hetian jade lotus flowers took the craftsmen in Shu three months to polish." Ma Chao looked in the direction he pointed and saw the South China Sea pearls inlaid throughout the carriage gleaming in the scorching sun. He felt even more that Zhang Lu was "on the right track"—even the carriage's decorations were tailored to Zhen Mi's preferences. He was truly thoughtful.

As they spoke, three gilded Shao carriages suddenly rolled across the stone bridge. The gauze curtains of the leading carriage were lifted by the wind, revealing a figure applying her makeup by the window, her gold-foiled Luoshen hairpins swaying gently. Zhang Wei hurriedly bowed, "Your Majesty, the future princess has arrived." Everyone's eyes turned to the Shao carriages.

Ma Chao gazed at the three gilded Shao chariots parked side by side at the bridgehead, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the jade pendant at his waist. He wondered why there were three Shao chariots. The curtain of the middle chariot was embroidered with a painting of the Goddess of the Luo River, and when the wind lifted the corner of the curtain, it revealed a startling dragon outlined in silver thread. A bronze bell with an eight-trigram pattern hung on the right shaft, secretly matching the Heavenly Master seal presented by Zhang Lu. The left chariot was draped with a Shu brocade curtain, also extremely luxurious. Without time to ponder, Ma Chao stepped forward.

"Mi'er..." Ma Chao opened his mouth when he felt his tongue dry, so he raised his voice and said, "It's been a dusty journey, let's get off the carriage and rest." The gauze curtain of the Shao carriage in the middle trembled slightly at the sound, and the moment the jade finger lifted the curtain, the copper bells on the eaves suddenly rang out, drowning out the chirping of cicadas on the bridge.

The moment Zhen Mi leaned forward, the Ba River suddenly surged. The gold-foiled Luoshen hairpins on her temples dangled pearls, each reflecting the light and shadow of the locust leaves by the bridge, as if someone had crushed the Milky Way and pinned it in her hair. When the wind lifted her lilac-colored shawl, the cloud patterns embroidered on the hem merged with the pattern on the carriage curtains, giving the impression of a fairy stepping on the waves. Civil and military officials all stole a glance, and one veteran, rubbing his eyes, muttered, "Could it be the Queen Mother of the Nine Heavens descending upon the earth?"

What was even more strange was that when she looked back, her eyes moved and her gaze trembled with her eyelashes, turning the June heat into frost.

As Dong Bai leaned forward, the edge of the blueprint of Prince Liang's mansion in her sleeve brushed against the mossy bridge railing. The moment Zhen Mi lifted the carriage curtain, her fingers tightened around the cinnabar brush—the gold-foiled hairpins on the woman's temples dangled with oriental pearls, each reflecting the shimmer of the Ba River, eclipsing the red gold hairpin in Dong Bai's bun.

She watched as Zhen Mi's lavender shawl brushed against the shaft of the carriage, the cloud patterns embroidered on the hem swaying like flowing water. The teardrop mole at the corner of her left eye trembled with the gentle movement of her eyelashes, making the scorching June sun seem like a soft touch. Dong Bai subconsciously pursed her lips, suddenly feeling that the slanting red makeup she had applied so carefully that morning seemed clumsy in the other woman's bright eyes, like half-dried ink.

When the breeze from the bridge blew Zhen Mi's silk handkerchief, Dong Bai saw the silver thread embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief, the word "Zhen" gleaming in the sunlight. She quietly clutched the unfinished lotus handkerchief in her sleeve and had to admit: This woman's appearance was truly that of an immortal stepped out of a painting. Even the hint of a half-smile on her eyebrows shattered the radiance she had boasted about when she was supervising the construction of the palace, like locust petals scattered by horse hooves on the bridge.

As Zhen Mi lowered her eyes and chuckled softly, the silk handkerchief in her sleeve brushed against the bronze ornaments on the shaft of the carriage, startling a butterfly perched on the corner of the curtain and sending it fluttering into Ma Chao's sleeve. "Your Majesty is now the Prince of Liang," she squinted at Ma Chao's dazed expression, the oriental pearls dangling from her gold-foiled hairpins casting tiny shadows on her cheeks. "Did you forget to help me get out of the carriage?" Before she could finish her words, locust leaves by the bridge suddenly rustled down all over her sleeves, just like Ma Chao's pounding heartbeat.

As if awakening from a dream, he stepped forward to support her. His fingertips touched the warm jade bracelet beneath her lilac shawl. The cold touch suddenly reminded him of the wolf fang that Shalier clutched before his death. "Bai'er," Ma Chao said as he turned sideways and waved. Seeing Dong Bai's knuckles turning white, he gently led Zhen Mi aside. "This is Zhen Mi."

"My younger sister Zhen Mi greets Sister Bai'er." The woman bowed with her skirt lowered. Dong Bai saw her humble demeanor and thorough manners, so he suppressed the bitterness in his throat and raised his hand to support her: "My younger sister, you have come so far and worked hard. Come with the king into the city and rest."