The mountain has trees, and the trees have branches. One hundred and nine cicadas flutter about.

  June 6th, Xin Chou

  The fish and wild geese come from Chang'an.

  After Lu Yuanzhan left, worry was written all over his face. He discussed with Tu Tu for a long time, but didn't know what to do. He could only shed tears and say, "My poor Ah Yan, such a good child, why is her fate so bitter?"

  After nightfall, Zhang Yan came to her mother's main courtyard and asked a maid outside the second gate, "Mother is not feeling well today, why didn't she come out to have dinner with us?"

  "Zhang's wife is good." The little maid knelt down and said, "The maid doesn't know the details either. Last night, Princess Chang talked with Aunt Tu for a long time, just fell asleep, and Aunt Tu went to the kitchen to get her dinner."

  She nodded and slowed down her pace, rolling up the curtain and entering the house.

  In the room, the daylight was dim, Lu Yuan lay on his side on the couch, still frowning in a light sleep.

  On the low table in front of the couch, an old bamboo flute lay upside down.

  Zhang Yan bent down to pick it up and examined the words written on it by the dim candlelight.

  That was sent by Empress Lü of the Longle Palace. It says that Han's envoy returned from Xiongnu and described the day of the great ceremony of Heqin, on which Modu spoke with a tone that seemed to be thinking of himself, as if he had not died yet.

  The candlelight flickered once and swayed slightly.

  She looked at the book, but in fact she had no joy or sorrow in her heart.

  From head to toe, what she worried about was not the Huns thousands of miles away. Whether the Huns were old or young, cruel or reckless, had nothing to do with her at all.

  She just wants to be with the person in her heart, until old age. Ah Yan.

  Lu Yuan called out from behind him.

  She didn't know when she woke up, gazing at her daughter's profile, focused and gentle.

  "Mom." Zhang Yan turned around and smiled, "Did I disturb you?"

  The candlelight in the room cast a warm glow on her face, making her look even paler. The gentle smile on her face made Ruyuan's heart ache with pity, and he smiled wryly, "These days, Ah Yan has lost weight." His eyes tenderly stroked her cheeks.

  "It's okay." Zhang Yan blinked and smiled, "You'll look even prettier if you lose some weight."

  "I'd rather you be ugly then."

  "Have you seen your grandmother's letter?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "These years," Lu Yuan said with a bitter tone. "The Han and Xiongnu have been fighting and making peace, although they did abduct some people in the past. But even if we remain peaceful for a few more years, I'm afraid the Xiongnu will provoke us again. And Luo Xu came from the Xiongnu, mentioning that Modu Chanyu punished the previous Xiongnu envoy who came to Han during the Heqin ceremony, and humiliated him greatly. Between his words, he still resents Ayao."

  She held her daughter tightly in her arms, "In the ninth year of the previous emperor, Han and Xiongnu had also intermarried. Until now, Princess of Chu has gone out of the pass for only six years. Six years later, you will be only eighteen years old, and your beauty will be at its peak. Just as you said that day, if Modu were to propose marriage to the Great Han again, even deploying troops on the border, Empress Dowager and Your Majesty would still not necessarily reject it, no matter how much they love us mother and daughter."

  Lu Yuan's tears fell, one drop landed on Zhang Yan's neck, scalding and sour. It was a mother's bewildered heart, "That day, your aunt mentioned that the emperor would marry you as the empress of the Great Han, your father was very enthusiastic and agreed immediately. But I couldn't bear to part with you, the emperor is a good child, but he and you are uncle and niece after all. How can they be together? So in the ten years since I married your father, we had our first quarrel, and I took you and Ah Yan back to Xuanping in a huff."

  "But compared to you becoming the queen, I'd rather not have you go to Xiongnu. I've heard that the Xiongnu people are all barbarians, their chanyu is even older than your father, with three arms and six heads. Ah Yan, you were raised in my hands, so delicate, how can you endure their torture?"

  "But A Yan, what do you think yourself?"

  "I know you've had your own decisions since you were young, and you want to decide how to live your life. As a mother, I will always help you achieve it no matter what."

  She leaned over from her mother's arms and gazed at the candle flame on the three-foot-high case. The flame jumped a little, continuing to burn brightly.

  It was like this all along, it was like this all along.

  These years, Zhang Yan has been thinking, why did Empress Lü have such a ridiculous idea, and yet so many people followed her. Until now she finally understood, it turned out that there was another name involved, called Xiongnu.

  But what about me? What should I do?

  The wick has half of its length submerged in oil, burning brightly and cheerfully, without knowing that once it's burned out, it will cease to exist. A few gray moths, swift as lightning, flit towards the lamp light. The first one crashes into the flame, making a crackling sound, and instantly turns into a small cluster of sparks, which then disintegrates into ash. The remaining moths, however, are unaware of fear and sorrow, and continue to fly forward in succession.

  She asked herself, are you going to be a moth or a lamp?

  If it's a lamp, then it will burn peacefully for a long time. Life has a certain length, but the process is smooth, without surprises or disasters.

  If it's a moth, then use all of life and courage to pursue a brilliant burn once.

  "Mother," Zhang Yan suddenly said, "can you bring me the lamp?"

  Lu Yuan didn't understand, but followed her words and brought the lamp in front of her.

  The wick crackled and burned, leaving bright tears. Zhang Yan pulled out the hairpin from her head and tweaked the wick. Suddenly, the lamp light burst into a blaze, attracting more moths to flutter around it.

  "Good."

  She suddenly said, her voice as sharp as cutting gold and jade.

  And her cheeks were bright and dark in the jumping lamp light, charmingly beautiful.

  "I promised to marry him. Mother," she said with a faint smile, in a soft voice, "you're going to be the empress dowager, aren't you excited?"

  "It's just a pity for Auntie, in the future when meeting Uncle, it will be very awkward."

  Lu Yuan gazed at her daughter Linglong, whose expression in the candlelight was a maturity she had never seen before. Her daughter had grown up gradually in the midst of stumbling and struggling with worldly affairs, and this process was filled with the sorrow that belonged to being a mother. Lu Yuan hugged her daughter tightly and said tremulously, "It's not worth it for you, Ah Yan, from now on, I hope you won't regret this life."

  Gui Mao day, Lu Yuan returned to Chang'an.

  Weiyang Palace

  Liu Ying dropped the memorial in her hand. In a fit of rage, she said, "No matter what, I will never be so absurd as to marry my niece as my wife."

  "Your Majesty's intention is clear to me, only..." Chang Yu hesitated behind his back, "Until now, the Empress Dowager, Xuanping Hou, and Princess Zhang have all agreed to this marriage. The court officials are also being suppressed by the Empress Dowager. And then there's the matter of the Xiongnu, Your Majesty, you and Zhang...this is also an unavoidable thing."

  Even if one is an emperor, when it comes to family matters, he must also listen to his mother. Marriage is one of the three major life events and is a very important family matter.

  "That's not entirely true," Liu said, tapping his hand on the table and sinking into thought. "There is someone who can change the empress dowager's mind."

  "Who?" Chang Jing asked curiously.

  "Chang Ji," Liu Ying did not answer him, got up and ordered, "You quickly go to the palace of Li. Declare that Su Douwei Xu Xiang enter the palace for an audience."

  "Your Majesty," Chang Xi was puzzled and didn't understand, "Even if Xu Duwei is a genius, what can he do in this matter?"

  "Nonsense," Liu Ying scolded with a smile, "I'm not after him, but his elder sister."

  "Xu Duwei's elder sister. Ah," Zhang Ji's eyes lit up, "it's Ming Qinting Hou." Yes," he clapped his hands and said, "How could the slave not have thought of it? The Empress Dowager is resolute in character but extremely respectful of ghosts and gods. Xu Fu, the Marquis of Ming Qinting, is a famous female matchmaker in the world. If she says this marriage is not suitable, the Empress Dowager can only withdraw her decree."

  On June 1st, Sui Youwei Xiang set out to visit his sister who had been living in seclusion on Mount Xiying, a day's journey west of the outskirts of Chang'an.

  On the day of Bingchen, he returned to Chang'an.

  "My sister has a message. She has long since stopped asking about worldly affairs and refused to re-enter the mundane world. However, she divined an oracle for Your Majesty and Princess Ping of Xuan. Let me bring back the oracle's words." In the Shuangsui Hall, he bowed his hands to report to the Emperor. The candle flames danced on his face. His reporting voice was hushed.

  "What does the divination symbol look like?"

  "Good luck."

  "How is this possible?" The Emperor in Black suddenly stood up, his wide sleeves stirring up a fierce gust of wind.

  "I and Ayue are related by marriage. Such a union, how can it still be an auspicious omen?" Liu Ying suddenly had doubts, "Could it be that the Marquis of Mingyitai has already received the Empress Dowager's instructions?"

  "Your Majesty," Pei Xiang's face showed a hint of anger, and he forced himself to say, "Your Majesty's words are an insult to my sister. I have also asked my mother about this, and my sister said that she is only a diviner, not a court official of Your Majesty or the Empress Dowager. She only acknowledges Heaven's will, not the ruler's orders. The Empress Dowager cannot order her to say auspicious words, and you, Your Majesty, also cannot force her to speak against her heart about the great calamity of marriage. The divination is clear, and Heaven's will cannot be changed."

  Liu Ying sat down weakly and waved her hand, saying, "You can go now." Standing under the majestic and solemn North Sima Gate of Weiyang Palace, Xu Xiang covered his eyes with his hands, looking at the dense and low-hanging clouds on the horizon, which seemed to be a sign of impending rain, just like his confused mind. He thought of his elder sister's repeated warnings on Mount Xiying, and also thought of the weak girl he had caught a glimpse of six years ago in a restaurant, who seemed to many people to be just an ignorant child, but few people knew that she was actually clever and cunning, outsmarting even the most experienced men. Such a girl would not be controlled by the Xiongnu, and yet she remained silent in this marriage arrangement. He wouldn't believe it even if he died. So, she must have agreed to this marriage willingly.

  He turned back willingly, looking at the vast expanse of twilight, where it lay coiled like a sleeping tiger and dragon, silent as a giant beast in the desolate wilderness.

  Xu Xiang sneered and smiled, it's going to rain, he wanted to get home before the rain.

  In the Xuan Shi Hall.

  The young Emperor Hui moved his feet and sat, with his hair disheveled and scattered.

  "Chang Yu," he said, slightly raising his head in the darkness, with a hint of redness in his eyes. "You say," he said dejectedly, "even the divination of Zhen Hou's tortoise shell is saying this, am I really not supposed to persist anymore?"

  "Your Majesty," Chang Ji, who had been by his side all along, thought for a moment and said, "I don't know how you should choose either. But I think that ethics cannot be violated, the mother's order cannot be violated, and heaven's will cannot be violated. If today heaven's will and ethics cancel each other out, then Your Majesty might as well not think too much about it and just follow the Empress Dowager's words."

  "Besides," a faint smile appeared on his lips, "Zhang's wife is clever and lovely, it wouldn't be bad if she were the empress."

  "I know Ah Yan is very good, but..." Emperor Hui covered his face with both hands and stopped speaking, a sound like crying and laughing escaping from his throat.

  On a Xin You day, he ordered Chancellor Chen, Taiwei Bu, and Zongzheng Liu Li to go to the Chang'an Shangguanli Xuanpinghou Fu to pay respects for the Emperor's marriage.

  I handed in my paper ahead of time today.

  Sorry, Liu Ying comrade, you've really got the wrong person. Xu Fu is absolutely the mastermind behind this grand wedding (the ultimate boss?), and it's impossible to get her to speak up for you.

  Then, continue to knock on the pink ticket for the grand wedding ceremony.

  The update time should be back to normal tomorrow.