2. Luoyang

No... she was at a loss for what to do, suddenly turning her face away, intentionally or unintentionally casting her gaze towards me, "I do not want to go back!"

However ... ...

I carefully recalled the scene just now; although it was merely a fleeting glance, I felt that the young girl was still quite young and somewhat slender, yet I have a very clear impression of her appearance. Zhao Ji's beauty is undoubtedly superior to that of Liu Boji, and given time, she will surely become an exceptionally charming beauty.

The city of Luoyang is located south of the Luo River and north of the Mang Mountain, with an overall length of six to seven li from east to west and nine to ten li from north to south, roughly in a rectangular shape. Although I am not very familiar with geography, I understand that this ancient city has turned into a pile of ruins in the 21st century, buried underground and no longer exists. Furthermore, the Luoyang City of two thousand years later differs geographically from the Luoyang City I see now; even without the differences in time and space, the land it occupies is not the same.

She smiled and said, "Of course I recognize you; otherwise, how could I dare to stop you? My heart is not made of iron or stone; could it really be so cold as to see someone in danger and deliberately refuse to lend a hand?" This remark was half self-deprecating and half joking, which made me feel a bit embarrassed. "Those people are the servants of the Zhao family, and that woman is Zhao Ji."

Meanwhile, Liu Xiu was progressing smoothly in Luoyang, appointing officials, drafting documents, and wholeheartedly dedicating himself to restoring the old systems of the Han Dynasty and renovating the palace. Everything he did was neither beyond his authority nor derelict in duty, so perfect that it left no room for criticism

If I were not sitting right next to her and seeing her lips move, it would truly be difficult to hear what she was saying

In the first year of the Gengshi era, in the winter of October, General Liu Xin of the Fenwei commanded forces to kill Liu Wang in Runan, and executed Yan You and Chen Mao, leading to the surrender of all the counties and prefectures

Liu Huang was also frightened by the madness before him: "We should quickly find Uncle Wen to settle down."

Liu Huang asked with a smile, "What does my younger sister think of Zhao Ji's appearance?"

Most of the soldiers of the Han army came from the ranks of green forest farmers. They were accustomed to dealing with the land, spending their lives engaged in agriculture and farming. It was out of hunger that they took up their tools as weapons and revolted. Now, having entered such a large city, it requires immense self-restraint to avoid being dazzled by the allure of urban life

Liu Huang helped me up from the ground while complaining that the girl was not paying attention as she walked. The girl knelt on the ground, her thin shoulders trembling slightly, evoking a sense of pity. I asked Amber to help her up, and she trembled as she spoke in a quivering voice, like a mosquito whispering: "I'm sorry"

I gazed at the frantic flow of people on the street and nodded blankly, the innocent cries of the people of Luoyang striking my heart like lashes.

I heard that Chang'an is larger than Luoyang, and the palaces and towers are even more magnificent... Liu Huang forcibly pulled me back into the car, shaking his head with a smile, "If you go to Chang'an looking like this, won't you have to gouge out your own eyes?"

Wonderful! Ignoring Liu Huang's tugging, I strode boldly to the front of the carriage, standing beside the driver, arms outstretched, gazing up in admiration.

Indeed. If you have not heard of her, you should have heard of her father, Zhao Meng

The cart tilted, one wheel lifted high off the ground, while the wheel continued to spin. Meanwhile, the bundles of bamboo slips loaded on the cart slid off the board like an avalanche from a snow-capped mountain.

Do you know who that woman is

I stared blankly at her receding figure

The ancient architectural complex, grand and magnificent, exudes a profound and majestic aura, evoking a sense of admiration and reverence in those who behold it

Does the sister recognize her

Their feelings, akin to Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, quickly manifested externally. Many rough men, like Ma Wu, who were unrefined and unconcerned with trivialities, began to shout and rush into the city... The sounds of cheers, neighing of horses, and shrill screams... created a chaotic scene.

Liu Xuan ultimately issued an edict to relocate the capital to Luoyang

You do not even know who she is, how can you dare to casually provoke those people?" She sighed, "You need to think more about Uncle Wen.

Thus, when I leaned out of the carriage and gazed up at the four towering city gates in the southern part of Luoyang, my entire heart trembled with excitement

My sensitivity regarding the competition for favor in the harem is evidently not on par with Liu Huang. I have devoted most of my attention to political activities related to Liu Xiu, and analyzing the entire situation and its trajectory has left me utterly exhausted. How could I possibly have the energy to concern myself with the melodramatic antics of harem rivalries?

Having lived in this era for six years, the farthest places I have traveled to are Kunyang, Dingling, and Yancheng in Yingchuan County, and that was in search of reinforcements amidst the chaos of war. Most of my time has been spent in Xinye, or at most, visiting relatives within Nanyang County. At that time, what excited me the most was receiving permission from Yin Shi to visit Wancheng. Since Wancheng is the capital of Nanyang County, it already seemed to me, a country bumpkin, to be a large city.

Thousands of vehicles streamed in, and there are a total of twelve city gates in Luoyang, with four located on the southern side alone. Liu Xuan's carriage passed through the Pingcheng Gate, while we entered through the Jinxian Gate on the western side

Yes, I am a country bumpkin! A country bumpkin who has never seen the grand world!

The situation turned out as Liu Xiu had initially anticipated, and Liu Wang became the emperor who perished the fastest, reigning for merely a brief two months.

Miss! I originally thought that the newcomers were not well-intentioned, but to my surprise, when they approached, they behaved unusually, bowing politely behind me, saying, "Miss, please go back, do not make it difficult for the petty people."

Just as I was about to say something to her, a large crowd surged out from the street corner, shouting: "Here it is!" and then walked straight towards us

I was completely bewildered; although I couldn't figure out which play this was, the girl's sorrowful expression truly evoked a sense of compassion in me. In a moment of impulsiveness, I was about to disregard everything and stand up for her, when suddenly, Liu Huang beside me pinched my arm hard.

I cannot express the feelings in my heart, and I silently lowered my head. At this moment, Hu Po and the coachman had already picked up the scrolls and returned them to the carriage. Liu Huang, seeing that I was gloomy, reached out and patted my shoulder: "Don't be so downcast. If you knew who she was, you wouldn't be so unhappy."

The girl trembled even more violently, and her hands instinctively clutched my sleeve as she hid behind me. I turned to take a look and saw that the newcomers were all strong men in their twenties or thirties. Although they were not holding any weapons, each one had bulging muscles, clearly indicating that they were all trained fighters.

Imagine that in the past, Lü Buwei promised a thousand gold pieces for each character while compiling the "Lüshi Chunqiu", which illustrates the immense value of classical texts

A loud crash startled me from behind, and I crawled out of the vehicle. Indeed, I saw that one of the two carts had lost control and crashed into the base of a lookout tower due to the driver’s startled ox.

Liu Huang is more perceptive than I am; upon seeing this situation, he discreetly pulled me aside. The young girl had nowhere to hide and, looking pitiful, took a step back: "I don't..."

After being dismissed from the position of Prime Minister by King Ying Zheng of Qin, Lü Buwei was granted the title of Marquis of Wenxin and received a fief of 100,000 households in Henan and Luoyang. Within his fief, Lü Buwei undertook the expansion and restoration of Luoyang City. The Wenxin Marquis residence was divided into two gates, north and south, which, when viewed from above, resembled the character "吕" with its north-south intersection. During the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang initially established his capital in Luoyang and, after renovating the southern palace, used it as his temporary residence.

The fierce and greedy expressions were unmistakably evident on the faces of the soldiers who rampaged and plundered. I widened my eyes in trepidation; these individuals were originally the exploited lower-class citizens, who had no choice but to rebel in order to secure a meal. However, after they no longer had to worry about their basic needs, they had long forgotten the original intention of their uprising. The greed and selfishness inherent in human nature were laid bare. They only knew how to seize wealth, completely disregarding the survival interests of the citizens of Luoyang. They believed that taking a little was better than nothing, that what they could seize was theirs, while what they could not seize would forever belong to others. Yet, after they no longer had to worry about their basic needs, they had long forgotten the original intention of their uprising. The greed and selfishness inherent in human nature were laid bare. They only knew how to seize wealth, completely disregarding the survival interests of the citizens of Luoyang. They believed that taking a little was better than nothing, that what they could seize was theirs, while what they could not seize would forever belong to others.

Zhao Ji

I gasped in pain, and in that brief pause, the girl was taken away by that group of people, both coerced and frightened. As she left, she glanced back at me, tears welling in her eyes

Sister-in-law, Zhao Ji should have a good impression of you. You should visit the palace more often when you have the time... Although we women cannot interfere much in court affairs, we can always have some influence in the inner palace. If you can build a friendship with Zhao Ji and gain her favor, it will be beneficial for both you and Wen Shu

I squatted by the roadside, picking up the bamboo slips one by one. Liu Huang also came over to help, taking the bamboo slips from my hands and rearranging them back onto the cart. At that moment, a sudden force struck my back, and before I could react, I was knocked down onto the pile of bamboo slips.

Zhao Meng! My eyes lit up; Zhao Meng is one of Liu Xuan's trusted confidants, who, along with Shen Tu Jian, stormed into the Chang Le Palace and executed Wang Xian

The person who knocked me down was a young girl. She fell to the ground right after me, her long hair covering half of her face. Through the cascading strands, one could vaguely discern her skin, which was as fair as snow.

Miss, please return

Liu Huang instructed the coachman to drive the cart to the side of the road, making every effort to clear a path for the frenzied crowd. I was somewhat concerned that the two carts loaded with documents behind us might be scattered, occasionally peering back to look.

However, the two carts being pulled are not the ancient texts of the Five Classics or military strategies, but rather my own work, "The Search for Han." It took me nearly a year to barely write down two carts full of manuscripts. Despite the considerable space these manuscripts occupy, in total, my "The Search for Han" amounts to only about ten thousand characters.

I shook my head

I had no time to think carefully, so I hurriedly jumped off the carriage and ran backward in a hurried manner. The green ox was a bit restless, and the driver kept whipping it. I anxiously said, "Hurry up and pick up these books and documents, that is the priority."

My heart skipped a beat: "Are you saying that Zhao Ji is the one chosen by Your Majesty?"

During the Han Dynasty, there were not many literate scholars, and those skilled in martial arts were not necessarily able to read and write. Conversely, most who were literate could also wield a sword. However, it was indeed rare to find a Confucian scholar who excelled in both literature and martial arts, which explains why Deng Yu took great pride in being a student of the Imperial Academy. Classical texts, the Five Classics, military strategies, and other written works were recorded on clumsy and primitive bamboo slips, which were not something every household possessed. To own such slips represented a certain social status to some extent

I do not feel ashamed of this, pointing to the Han army soldiers outside the car and saying: "Look at them, which one is better off than I am?"

Hehe, Madam Han is certainly going to lose a great deal of favor this time

Although I did not answer directly, Liu Huang must have anticipated my response. She cast a meaningful glance at me and said, "How could we dare to obstruct what Your Majesty desires?"

Younger siblings, do not meddle in trivial matters