The Great Han Dynasty's 42nd year of reign, Female Phoenix Cries

  In the eastern part of Chang'an, Zhang Yan wore a crimson robe with peach blossom patterns, walking alongside Liu Ying and another boy. The embroidery on their clothes was exquisite but not showy, made from high-quality materials that ordinary families couldn't afford.

  "Want some freshly roasted sugar-coated chestnuts?" Liu Ying handed him a handful.

  "Want." Zhang Yan wrinkled her nose and forced her thoughts to come back from the surrounding lively streets, familiar flavors, and city charm.

  "Little brother," Liu Ying asked another boy on her right side, "what have you set your eyes on? Brother will buy it for you."

  This boy is none other than Liu Heng, the fifth son of Emperor Gaozu of Han, born to Consort Bo.

  "Thank you, Second Brother." Liu Heng replied stiffly, "I don't have anything I particularly like, younger brother."

  Emperor Gao had eight sons in his lifetime. The eldest son, Liu Fei, was appointed as the King of Qi at a young age. The second son, Liu Ying, was the heir apparent of the Han Dynasty. The third son, Liu Ru Yi, was the most favored by Emperor Gao. Under their glory, the other five younger sons were overshadowed. Liu Heng's mother, Empress Bo, did not receive favor either. Her promotion to serve the emperor was only due to Emperor Gao's temporary pity. Afterwards, she spent decades in the Han palace, almost never receiving imperial grace again.

  Her son also grew up in such an environment and became a honest and down-to-earth child.

  But it was this introverted and honest child who later became a great name in the history of the Han Dynasty, he is the creator of the Wenjingzhizhi, Emperor Wen of Han.

  If there was no Zhang Yan, the former Emperor Wen of Han would have been affirmative. He was renowned for his benevolence and filial piety, and his more than 20 years of rule brought clarity and purity to the land, accumulating strength for the Han dynasty that ultimately led to the glorious military achievements of Emperor Wu's reign. However, from Zhang Yan's perspective, this person took away her close uncle's rightful heir, falsely accused and slaughtered the descendants of Emperor Hui under the guise of legitimacy, and forced Emperor Hui's widow into solitary confinement in the North Palace, where she died in despair.

  At that time, did he still remember the brother who had been so kind and sincere to him in Dongshi all those years ago?

  So, people really can't fight against their stance.

  The world is changing like the ebb and flow of the tides.

  "Little brother," Liu Ying said with a smile, "do you want to eat sugar-roasted chestnuts or wind-dried chicken?"

  Liu Heng thought for a moment and said, "Wind Chicken."

  "Good." Liu Ying nodded, just about to instruct someone to buy, Zhang Yan suddenly said loudly, "What's so good about wind chicken? I want to eat sugar-fried chestnuts instead."

  Liu Heng was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well, let's just have sugar-roasted chestnuts. I'm not particularly fussy about what I eat."

  Liu Ying ordered the servant to buy a portion of sugar-fried chestnuts and wind chicken, smiled and said, "It's not like we can't afford it, why humiliate ourselves?" Then she sternly faced Zhang Yan and said, "Do you usually talk to your uncle like that? Apologize to him quickly."

  Zhang Yan hid behind him and poked her head out, "I only have one uncle, who's so bored that they're recognizing relatives everywhere?"

  Liu Ying was stunned for a moment, grabbed her out and scolded, "Nonsense. Uncle is uncle, what reason do you have to recognize or not?"

  "Tai——Second Brother, don't bully A Yan anymore." Yu Yi, who was walking in front, turned around and smiled, "She's been calling me 'Yu Yi' for half a day now, saying that I'm only a few years older than her and won't let her call me 'Uncle'. It's not specifically targeting Fifth Brother either. To be honest, Fifth Brother is the same age as her, it's hard for her to say something like that. Fifth Brother won't mind, right?" The last sentence was directed at Liu Heng.

  Liu Heng smiled and said, "It's just a title, if you don't call me that, then so be it."

  "But Ah Yan," Ruyi winked at her, "when our big brother comes back, will you be calling him uncle or not?"

  "Don't call."

  Zhang Yan was determined in her heart.

  "Second Brother," Ruyi said to Liu Ying, "My little brother is hungry, let's find a restaurant and go in to eat something?"

  Liu Yingqi said, "Didn't you just eat at noon?"

  "But I'm hungry again." Ruyi said innocently.

  Liu Ying reluctantly found a clean restaurant nearby, went upstairs and heard the guests at the corner table excitedly talking to their companions, "Speaking of this fortune teller Xu Fu, he was actually the one who calculated the fate for today's emperor. At that time, the emperor had not yet obtained the position of King of Han, Xu Fu wisely saw the heroic air and persuaded his father and brother to be loyal to His Majesty, wasn't his calculation like a god?"

  "Second Brother," Ruyi asked curiously, "who is this Xu Fu? I've never heard of him?"

  "When Xu Fu was famous, you were still young," Liu Ying ordered food for Xiao Er, chose a elegant seat by the window, and smiled as she knelt down. Except for the three brothers, Zhang Yan, and themselves, the other attendants sat at another table.

  "So I don't know. In those days, Father cherished her very much and chose a husband for her to marry down to, and granted her the title of Marquis of Ming Ji Ting, which was the first female marquis in the Han dynasty."

  Zhang Yan's heart moved, and she thought to herself: If this Xu Fu really has the power of divination, it wouldn't be bad to find her to calculate her own fate, and resolve the doubts in her mind.

  "Really?" Ruyi's eyes lit up, "Second Brother, tell me, is her fortune-telling really that accurate?"

  "Uh-huh." Liu Ying peeled a glutinous rice ball and smiled, "It's said that she was born with a jade block in her hand, able to speak at 100 days old. When she grew up, a wise man gave her the 'Heart Equipment Secret', which says: The heavenly way is dark, don't wrong anyone. Those who judge people must have wise eyes. Heroes rise, the world is chaotic. Be cautious of judgment, assist your lord with virtue. After that, she changed her name from Mo Bu to just Bu. One day, her brother and his friend made an appointment to shoot birds in the forest. When Bu saw this person, she said, 'Your mother is very ill at home, you should hurry back to see her.' Her brother's friend was half-believing, but still rushed back, and indeed saw his mother lying on the bed with a fever, sweating profusely. Thanks to timely treatment, his mother eventually recovered." As he spoke, his hands moved slightly hesitantly.

  In fact, his mother had also asked Xu Fu to see her fortune before.

  That year, the Empress Dowager returned from Chu's camp, her sister was married far away, she was young, and Emperor Xian had another concubine with a child in her womb. The wandering and helpless Empress Dowager asked Xu Fu to divine her fortune. Xu Fu spoke cautiously and carefully, after finishing, he said, "Your Majesty is heaven, the Empress is earth, although the Empress is fifteen years younger than Your Majesty, she can live as long as heaven."

  Hearing the song of the zither, I understand the elegant meaning. Knowing that after Mother Empress's passing, there will be fifteen years of longevity. After parting with Mother Empress, I don't know whether it is joy or sorrow, and my expression is bewildered. And what about him?

  He had never associated death with his own parents. Although he was good at divination, it made him touch the breath of eternal parting.

  "Wow," said Ruyi, her eyes sparkling with mischief, "now that you mention it, this Xuzhen is indeed a bit unusual. Second Brother, why don't we ask Father Emperor to invite her into the palace in a couple of days, and let us brothers meet her, what do you say?"

  Liu Ying came back to her senses and smiled, saying, "It's not that easy to summon a transcendent being..."

  "Actually, Brother Like-minded, why ask about other anecdotes of the Hou of Ming Que Ting?" Liu Heng suddenly said with a smile, "We have someone here who has met Xu Fu in person."

  "Hey, who is it?" Ruo Yi's interest was piqued, she looked her brother up and down, then suspiciously glanced at Liu Heng, finally everyone's eyes landed on Zhang Yan together.

  "Me?" Zhang Yan pointed at herself in surprise.

  "Hmm," Liu Heng nodded with a smile, "In the past, when Zhao Guo's master was famous, I had heard of it even in the depths of the palace. When Zhang's daughter was born, she happened to meet the Marquis of Mingsheng on the road to Handan, saw the Wangfu above the clouds and mist, and had a strange vision. He came to the door to ask for an audience, saw the little girl in Xuanping Hou's arms, and praised her highly, saying, 'The young master's fate is extremely noble, she will definitely be a superior person in the future.'"

  Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment, took a sip of water, and muttered, "It's her."

  The woman who held herself in the dream and prophesied, and the old woman with a strange expression met in the cemetery, were all her, Da Han Ming Ji Ting Hou, fortune teller Xu Fu.

  Ru Yi stared at Zhang Yan's eyes shining brightly, and shouted, "Ah Yan, you are really too unkind, such a fun thing didn't even tell me. Ignore you." Turned her head to sulk.

  "Don't be ridiculous," Liu Ying scolded with a mixture of laughter and tears, "How old was Ah Yan at that time? How could she have known about these things?"

  "There's some truth to that." Ruyi smiled and turned around, "Alright, I forgive you. However, Ah Yan, your so-called noble fate, how noble can it be? The most noble woman in the world is the Empress, are you going to become one in the future?" As he said this, even he himself couldn't help but laugh. The current princes of the Han Dynasty were all a generation older than Zhang Yan, and it was completely impossible for her to marry any of them.

  Zhang Yan looked up and smiled, "You're being so loud, do you want everyone in the restaurant to know our identities? I'm my grandfather's granddaughter, my uncle's niece. Isn't this identity already very valuable?"

  "It's also possible." Ruo Yi murmured, "But in that case, what's the point of having her meet with him?"

  The first lady of the Great Han, Hou Yanniang, lived in the mansion of General Xun Wuji, which was located in the northern part of Chang'an City. It was already a long way from the bustling center of Chang'an. Generally, the residences of the nobles of Chang'an were always close to the Changle and Weiyang palaces, but only this isolated mansion of Hou Yanniang was nestled among the humble alleys.

  Zhang Yan stood in front of the Hou Mansion, looking up at the high gate with a black lacquered plaque hanging above it, inscribed with "Ming Ji Ting Hou Fu" in iron-painted silver hook script.

  "Jiǎo miǎo," she instructed, "go and knock on the door for me." She was wearing a dark blue men's outfit today, with a hairband of the same color tied around her head, making her look even more elegant and refined.

  The servant answered, stepped up and knocked on the door, saw a white-haired old man opened the door, hurriedly smiled sweetly and said, "Sir, I am from the Xuanping Marquis's mansion, our young master wants to see the Lord of Ming Ji Pavilion."

  "My young lady is not at home." The old man replied habitually.

  "Uh——" speechless.

  It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her enthusiasm, Zhang Yan's breath weakened, and she said faintly, "Sorry to disturb you, Chu Mei, let's go back."

  As he walked to the street corner, he suddenly heard someone calling out behind him, "Young master, please stop." He turned around in surprise and saw that it was the old servant from the Hou Mansion at Xiang Pavilion, who was running towards him panting heavily.

  "My fifth young master invites you to enter the mansion for a meeting." Seeing Zhang Yan's strange expression, he added another sentence, "The female marquis and her husband went out to tour the mountains and rivers, they have not been in Chang'an for a long time. The fifth young master is the younger brother of the female marquis, now the only master living in the Hou Mansion."

  Zhang Yan entered the Ming Ji Ting Hou Fu, saw a forest of bamboo shadows swaying, under the swaying, in the main hall, a man in white clothes held a volume of bamboo slips, looking back. Although his demeanor was not as good as Xuanping Hou Zhang Ao and Liu Hou's youngest son He, he was also a rare bookish and elegant person.

  "My elder sister is traveling far away, and I'm using a simple tea set to entertain guests. I hope the young master won't mind the humble service." Xiang said calmly.

  "It's all right." Zhang Yan sat opposite, pushing the tea porridge away without a trace, and curiously asked, "Why did the fifth young master invite me to the mansion?" The owner of the Hou Mansion was not present, and the old steward had not shown any intention of inviting guests in when they first met. Why did he change his mind after a moment?

  "Others wouldn't naturally know." Xuxiang smiled slightly, "But you're different, young master. I've heard my sister mention it before at the Xuanping Marquis's residence."

  Zhang Yan's eyes lit up, "What did Lord Hou of Ming Ji Pavilion say?"

  "It's just a matter of being born with wealth and nobility," Xǔ Xiāng said evasively, "although there may be some small setbacks, you will ultimately have great opportunities."

  These words sound empty, and saying them is equivalent to not saying them. Zhang Yan felt embarrassed, hesitated for a moment, and asked with a small expectation, "Did the fifth master learn divination?"

  If it's his family tradition, you can ask him yourself.

  However, she soon became disappointed. Xu Xiang suddenly shook his head with a look of disdain on his face. "The art of physiognomy may occasionally have divine assistance, but it is ultimately trivial and minor. A great man should strive for success in the imperial court or gain merit on the battlefield."

  When saying goodbye, Xu Xiang nodded and asked his family to send the guest off. Zhang Yan slightly turned her head and clearly saw the inquiring light cast from the eyes of the young man in white clothes.

  She shook her head.

  "Master Wu," the old steward closed the door, his voice trembling with emotion, "this young master of the Xuanping Marquis's manor is truly born to be loved at first sight."

  "Little gentleman?" Xǔ Xiāng shook his head, re-rolled the scroll, and after a long while, said, "It's a little lady, I suppose?"

  Originally planned to update at noon, but apparently overslept.

  Today, when I got up, I finally found that the swelling in my feet had subsided. It seems that since Grandpa passed away during the summer vacation of the year I wrote "Golden House", every time I took a train ride, my feet would swell. So next time, I'll still take the sleeper berth.

  One more vote for pink ticket.