I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1095 Presenting Captives to the Imperial Ancestral Temple
"May I ask, Your Majesty, who is this woman?"

Wan Nian and his ministers all stared at the foreign girl on the griffin's back.

Actually, everyone had already seen Safia on the back of the divine beast, but since neither the Tang King nor His Majesty spoke up, no one wanted to make a scene. They simply assumed that Safia was a concubine that His Highness the Tang King had taken in during the journey.

Seeing that Su Yao had brought it up seriously, Xun Yu stepped forward to take over the conversation.

Su Yao raised his hand to signal, and Griffin obediently knelt down. Then, Safia blushed and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, tried her best to maintain a dignified demeanor, took Su Yao's hand, and lightly leaped from the back of the griffin, landing on the white marble-paved palace square.

"This is Safia from Parthia."

Su Yao released the girl's hand, looked around at everyone, and said, "She is my concubine, the daughter of the famous Parthian general Bahram. Not only is she skilled in animal taming and helped me tame the sacred beast Griffin, but her father also made outstanding contributions in the war to pacify the Parthian capital of Nisa."

"General Bahram?" Xun Yu's eyes flashed, and he took half a step forward to ask, "Is that the Parthian general known as the Lion of Armenia?"

Su Yao raised an eyebrow and nodded, his tone carrying a hint of approval: "Wenruo is well-informed. That's right, it's him. After General Bahram surrendered, he led 30,000 Green Standard Army soldiers to defeat 20,000 elite Parthian troops, not only capturing Nisa, the birthplace of Parthia, but also intimidating the eastern provinces into surrendering without a fight. For such achievements, I have appointed him as General of the Parthian Guard, granted him the title of Marquis of Guannei, and bestowed upon him a gold seal and purple ribbon. He will guard Parthia together with General Wenyuan and prepare for the war after the spring."

These words immediately caused an uproar among the officials outside the hall. Although the title of Marquis of Guannei was not a top-ranking noble title, it was a prestigious position among the twenty ranks of nobility in the Han Dynasty, akin to a "quasi-marquis," and also held the powerful position of "General of the Parthian Guard," meaning that Bahram could command an army independently. As his daughter, Safia was both a concubine of the Tang King and capable of taming sacred beasts. This was clearly a clever tactic by the Holy Emperor to firmly bind the Parthian generals who had surrendered to the Han Dynasty through marriage and bestowal of titles.

Wang Yun paused slightly as he stroked his beard. His previous worries about "a woman from another ethnic group entering the palace" vanished instantly. If she were just an ordinary concubine, he might have to worry about the opinions of etiquette and law. But with Bahram, who held a large army behind her, and the practical use of her beast taming skills in battle, it was reasonable for her to be included in the harem. It could even be considered a model of "strategic marriage".

Just then, at Su Yao's urging, Safia hurriedly stepped forward and, following the Han etiquette Su Yao had taught her beforehand, gracefully bowed to the Empress Wannian, saying in slightly broken Chinese, "Your Majesty, I, Safia, pay my respects. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

The Empress of Ten Thousand Years was incredibly intelligent, and she naturally saw through the situation. She stepped forward, her gaze falling on Safia. She noticed that although Safia had an exotic air about her, she was dressed in a Han-style brocade dress, with gentle features and dignified manners. She then made up her mind.

"Since she is the woman chosen by the Tang Emperor and has rendered meritorious service to the country, she naturally deserves to be treated with courtesy."

The Empress stepped forward and personally helped Safia up, gently patting the back of her hand with her fingertips: "Sister, please get up quickly, no need for formalities. You must have had a long and arduous journey from Parthia to Luoyang. If you feel unwell in the palace in the future, just tell me."

The seemingly ordinary address of "sister" carried a profound meaning—it acknowledged Safia's status as a "concubine" and also sent a signal to the entire court: this woman was not only the Tang Emperor's person but also a member of the Luoyang Palace, and should be treated with respect. Although Safia couldn't fully understand Wan Nian's Chinese, the tone and smile were enough to make her feel flattered, and she repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

After everyone had exchanged pleasantries and shared heartwarming reunions, which will not be elaborated upon here. Soon after, Wan Nian ordered lanterns to be hung throughout Luoyang to celebrate His Highness the Tang King's triumphant return and to welcome the grand ceremony of presenting captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple three days later.

At the end of February in the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, at the Imperial Ancestral Temple in Luoyang.

Before the morning mist had fully dissipated, the bluestone square in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple was already filled with kneeling civil and military officials, as well as members of the imperial family and nobles. Beneath the vermilion palace walls, Han soldiers stood in formation, their black armor gleaming coldly in the rising sun. Twelve crimson dragon banners fluttered in the wind, the characters for "Han" on them as red as blood, a stark contrast to the bronze chariot in the center of the square, pulled by four white horses, carrying the captive—bound hand and foot, was none other than Vologasis V, the Parthian king who had once dominated Central Asia.

"The auspicious time has arrived—"

With a long chant from the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, bells and drums resounded, and ceremonial music pierced the morning mist, soaring into the sky. Su Yao, dressed in a robe embroidered with twelve imperial symbols and with the Shangfang sword at his waist, walked side by side with the Empress to the steps of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. His steps were steady, each one seemingly treading on the hearts of everyone present. The Empress beside him wore a faint smile, but her eyes concealed an undisguised pride—since her ascension to the throne, the Han Dynasty's territory had expanded by leaps and bounds. Not only had powerful foreign nations like the Kushan Empire submitted to her, but even the King of Parthia, thousands of miles away, had been captured and brought to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This achievement was comparable to that of the ancient sage kings.

Safia followed behind the two, dressed in a Han-style palace dress embroidered with phoenix patterns, her black hair adorned with pearl hairpins from the Western Regions. Although she was still somewhat uneasy, she tightly grasped the etiquette procedures that Su Yao had taught her beforehand. Her gaze swept over the kneeling officials on both sides, and her awe for the word "Great Han" deepened even further—this was the country protected by the Holy Lord, where even the etiquette was so solemn and dignified.

As Su Yao and Wan Nian arrived at the main gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Temple Master, who had been waiting there, stepped forward with the sacrificial text and read it aloud in a loud voice: "In the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, the year of Jia Chen, the Han Emperor, together with King Su Yao of Tang, presented the captured Parthian King Vologasis V to the Imperial Ancestral Temple... In the past, our great Han expanded its territory west of the Yellow River and established diplomatic relations with the Western Regions; now, our King of Tang has attacked the Kushan in the west, defeated Parthia in the north, captured the enemy chieftain alive, and expanded our territory by ten thousand miles..."

As the eulogy was being recited, two Imperial Guards escorted Vologasis V forward. The Parthian king, who had struggled the day before, now wore only numbness and humiliation on his face. He had learned in his cell the previous night that his capital, Ctesiphon, was in chaos. Although the crown prince had ascended the throne in a time of crisis, Su Yao's army in the Western Regions was already eyeing the capital and would launch a western expedition in the spring.

Based on what he had seen and heard on the griffins along the way, the national strength of the Han Dynasty far exceeded his imagination.

He had a vague feeling that he had offended someone he absolutely dared not offend, and that his empire was probably truly doomed.
“Vologassi V,” Su Yao stepped forward, his voice as cold as iron, “you led an army of 100,000 to invade my vassal state and kill my border people. Today you have been captured before the ancestral temple. Do you know your crime?”

Vologasis V raised his head, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes, but ultimately he slumped down and said, "I... I accept it. Do with me as you please."

"Kill you?" Su Yao chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the ancestral tablets in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. "If I were to kill you, it would be too easy for you. I want you to live, to watch my Han cavalry trample Taixi Feng, to watch the former Parthian lands be incorporated into the Han territory, to watch your former subjects learn to write Chinese characters, wear Han clothing, and become subjects of my Han!"

(End of this chapter)