The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

"Mother..." Four-year-old Mi Zhen skipped over to her mother and asked curiously, "Mother, why does Zhen'er have so many concubines?"

"..." Mi Zhen's mother looked somewhat sad, and gently stroked little Mi Zhen's hair.

……

"Mother, Mother!" Little Mi Zhen ran to her mother's side with a book in her hands and said, "Mother, look, when Zhen'er grows up, she wants to be a general! Just like the people in the book, if Father doesn't protect Mother, Zhen'er will protect Mother..."

"Silly child...a girl is not fit to be a great general...your two brothers, on the other hand, might be more suitable..."

"Why can't a girl be a general?" Xiao Mizhen looked at her mother in surprise.

"...Why?" Mother paused, "...How can a girl become a general?"

……

Six-year-old Mi Zhen put down her needlework, walked to the window, and watched with some envy as her two older brothers practiced martial arts and swordsmanship together. A hint of sadness crossed her face; it seemed that girls really couldn't become generals... That's what everyone said...

……

Eight-year-old Mi Zhen looked at her mother shyly and said, "Zhen'er doesn't want to get married! Zhen'er wants to stay with Mother forever!"

"Silly child!" Mother patted little Mi Zhen's head with a smile and said, "I think, my Zhen'er is so beautiful, the number of suitors will probably break down the door in the future..."

"No! No, no, no!" Xiao Mizhen said, covering her ears.

"But remember... Zhen'er, a marriage is a matter of a woman's entire life... If you meet a good husband, that's fine... but if... sigh... I suppose you can't really make your own decisions..."

……

"Mother!" Little Mi Zhen cried, kneeling before her mother's bedside. "Don't go, Mother..."

"Silly...silly child..." The mother struggled to reach out and stroke her daughter. "Don't...don't cry...look...your face is all...stained...Zhen'er...when Mother isn't here anymore, you must...take good care of yourself..."

Xiao Mizhen wiped her face with her hand, biting her lip as she looked at her mother.

After glancing at the people in the room, the mother beckoned to Xiao Mizhen.

Seeing that her mother had something to say to her, Xiao Mizhen immediately got up and went to her.

"Zhen'er... If I may be so bold as to say something... a daughter's... marriage... is about... about... her whole life... Mother doesn't... want her daughter to suffer... Don't worry about... social status... social standing and identity, as long as... as long as he treats you well... has the ability to support you... and doesn't make you worry... then... then Zhen'er will... will marry..."

"Mother..."

Mi Zhen covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. For some reason, she suddenly remembered things from her childhood.

At this moment, Jiang Zhe came out with the dishes and saw Mi Zhen crying. He was stunned.

Mi Zhen glanced at Jiang Zhe, then immediately lowered her head and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face.

"Miss...?"

"I'm fine..." Mi Zhen turned her head away.

"Oh..." Jiang Zhe, somewhat puzzled, put down the dishes and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Jiang Zhe turned his head in surprise.

"Can't a woman really be a general? Why not?"

"..." Jiang Zhe opened his mouth, quite shocked. My God, could it be that there was a Mulan in the Three Kingdoms period? This girl's thinking is incredibly far-fetched!

Seeing that Mi Zhen was waiting for his answer, Jiang Zhe scratched his head and stammered, "It's not that it's impossible... it's just that society now... cough, this era... this court doesn't allow it..."

Mi Zhen glanced at Jiang Zhe and said with immediate disappointment, "Are women destined to be appendages of men?"

"That's not how it works!" Jiang Zhe quickly reassured him. "Reading more books and learning more things is never a bad thing. When two people are together, there's no such thing as being subservient to each other... Isn't it said that people should support each other on the path of life?"

Mi Zhen stared blankly at Jiang Zhe and said sarcastically, "Read more books... Hmph, isn't it enough for a woman to just know the Three Obediences and Four Virtues (don't scold me ^^)? And what man would let his wife have more..." Suddenly she stopped speaking and stared blankly at Jiang Zhe.

"W-what are you doing?"

Mi Zhen didn't know what she was thinking, but she seemed to have a strange sense of anticipation.

She smiled slightly, her red lips pursed, and said, "You wicked man! You say such nice things! Unlike others who think women are useless..."

Nonsense! I was born and raised in this new society! How could I possibly think women are useless? Speaking of which, our old class monitor was amazing... He forced me to hand in assignments every day, it was tough...

Mi Zhen looked at Jiang Zhe with a smile, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye. She bit her lip and immediately said, "You villain, don't you know my name? It's quite a character."

"Oh, right!" Jiang Zhe muttered. "So what's your name again... cough, may I ask... what is your name, young lady?"

Giving Jiang Zhe a sidelong glance, Mi Zhen slowly rose and gave a graceful curtsy, "This humble servant, Zhen'er, is a young girl from the Mi family. I greet Mr. Jiang..."

I wondered why that girl was so angry just now. She even found out that those two names were fake. I'm afraid Xiu'er exposed her. No wonder Mi Zhen was so... Mi Zhen?

"Mi Zhen?" Jiang Zhe exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes wide. "So...so you're Mi Zhen?"

"Wh...what's wrong?" Xiu'er came out, looking at the two people in the room with a puzzled expression.

Mi Zhen was also completely bewildered, but seeing Jiang Zhe's wide-open mouth, she secretly found it amusing; this villain was quite interesting...

Mi Zhen? Liu Bei's concubine... the heroine who jumped into the well at Changban Slope? Jiang Zhe stared blankly at the young girl before him, his heart pounding with excitement. Mi Zhen was a rare beauty in the Three Kingdoms period! To actually see her today... Alas! What a mistake! He never imagined this girl was Mi Zhen...

Seeing her husband staring straight at Mi Zhen, Xiu'er felt a surge of anger, not only because it was extremely rude, but also because she felt a little angry. She gently pushed Jiang Zhe.

"Huh?" Jiang Zhe finally came to his senses.

"Does the master know me?" Mi Zhen's voice was softer and gentler than before, whether because Xiu'er was present or something else.

"This..." Jiang Zhe broke out in a cold sweat, then suddenly had a bright idea and asked, "Mi Zhu is your older brother, right?"

"Hmm..." Mi Zhen nodded and said, "Sir is right, that is my eldest brother... I also have a second brother, named Mi Fang..."

"See, I told you so..." Jiang Zhe said awkwardly to Xiu'er, "I met him at Yuan Long's house last time, and I heard him say that he has a younger sister named Zhen'er... so..."

Upon hearing Jiang Zhe utter the words "Zhen'er," Mi Zhen's breathing suddenly became heavy, her face flushed, and her heart pounded wildly. She was momentarily confused as to what was happening to her.

Xiuer glanced at Mi Zhen in surprise, then nodded in agreement with Jiang Zhe's explanation. It made sense; a young woman's name was not to be shared with outsiders, only close relatives knew it. Her husband must have heard it from Mi Zhu...

However, Xiuer always felt that her husband's gaze towards Mi Zhen was strange. It wasn't just lust at her beauty, but also a hint of admiration. She was completely confused. Oh well, she decided not to think about it anymore. Her husband was very mysterious!

I never expected Mi Zhen to be like this... Jiang Zhe muttered to himself, placing two wine glasses on the table. Xiu'er naturally set out the bowls and chopsticks, enough for three people.

"Huh?" Mi Zhen opened her eyes and saw Jiang Zhe pour Xiu'er a glass of wine. She was immediately shocked. This person...

Upon seeing Mi Zhen's expression, Xiu'er immediately understood what she was thinking. She smiled and said, "My husband is different from ordinary people. There are no such rules in our home...hehe..."

Are there really husbands in the world who would pour wine for their wives? And in front of the guests, no less? Mi Zhen looked on in disbelief.

Seeing that Mi Zhen was looking at him somewhat uneasily, Jiang Zhe made conversation, asking, "Would you like some?"

Xiuer gave Jiang Zhe a reproachful look, wondering to herself why he spoke to a young woman like that.

"...Okay!" Mi Zhen said, biting her lip. Looking at the cup in Jiang Zhe's hand, she wondered, what does wine taste like?

"..." Jiang Zhe opened his mouth, picked up the wine bag and put it down again, glancing at Xiu'er.

Xiuer rolled her eyes at Jiang Zhe, got up, took a cup, and poured some water for Mi Zhen.

Mi Zhen carefully held the cup, took a small sip, and felt a warmth in her mouth, followed by a warmth in her heart...

Staring blankly at the villain and his wife laughing and joking, Mi Zhen's imagined future husband slowly overlapped with Jiang Zhe...

(That's about enough about the initial attraction phase. I'll write about the adjustment phase later; romance is such a hassle!)

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