Jinting Han people

The gathering of friends Zu Ti had mentioned was scheduled for the fifth day after Liu Xian's return. But before that, Liu Xian had to go to the palace. Firstly, he had to receive his new official seal, and secondly, he had to pay his respects to his new superior, thus completing the formalities for his change of position.

Liu Xian was not a person who would procrastinate. As soon as he woke up the next day, he prepared to go to the palace to deal with the matter.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but waking up on the couch in my Luoyang home always feels incredibly sweet, as if all the fatigue of the past has melted away. Ah Luo had already prepared a brand new set of casual clothes. As soon as Liu Xian woke up, she pulled them out of the closet and personally put them on, tying the cross collar, sash, and military cap. It turned out to be a black, white, and red wood-grained cross-collared skirt.

"I made this myself. What do you think of it?" After dressing him up, Luo reached out and touched the scar on his left cheek, asking with some anticipation.

"It's very beautiful, I like it very much." In fact, because it had not been seen for many years, the dress made by his wife was still a little big, and the hem of the skirt almost dragged on the ground.

But how could A'Luo not see it? She glared at Liu Xian, then took out a set of clothes of similar color from the closet and asked Liu Xian to change into them. Now it was exactly the same and fit perfectly.

Then the family had breakfast together, which was actually just a simple soup noodle. But maybe it was because of his own hometown mentality, Liu Xian felt that the soup noodles in Luoyang were chewier and the soup was sweeter, so his appetite was greatly increased and he ate two more bowls.

But Zhuge Yan was not used to it. He said to Liu Xian, "It doesn't taste as good as Geng Bo's roasted venison."

Liu Xian ignored him and looked around. Not seeing his father Liu Xun, he asked Liu Xun's concubine, "Where's my master? He hasn't gotten up yet?"

The girl was a little embarrassed and replied, "Sir, you know that the master is still the same and usually doesn't eat breakfast."

Although he'd long been accustomed to it, Liu Xian still felt a little displeased when he heard this. Ever since he was little, his father had loved to indulge in nighttime extravagances with maids and even singing girls, often reveling every night, often sleeping until noon and never having breakfast with the family. Liu Xian had thought that after all these years, with so many people having changed, perhaps his father would have improved a bit. He didn't expect to find him still like this when he returned home.

However, it cannot be said that his father's efforts were ineffective. At least eight years have passed, and now there are three more younger brothers and two younger sisters in the family who dine with Liu Xian.

Seeing the admiring looks from his younger siblings, Liu Xian sighed inwardly. He had originally wanted to have a good chat with Liu Xun, to see if he could learn more about the past. But when he returned home yesterday, Liu Xun's attitude was very cold. Although he was at the banquet, he didn't even say a word to him, making the two of them seem like enemies. And now it was like this again. Liu Xian didn't want to speak anymore, thinking that he should wait until Chen Shou's condition improved before asking the teacher.

But seeing these children, Ah Luo thought of Liu Lang and Lu Zhu. She quietly approached Liu Xian and asked in a low voice, "Where did you place Sister Lu Zhu?"

Liu Xian said, "Luoyang is full of troubles and accidents are likely to happen. I can't bring them back, so I asked a friend to place them in Pingyang."

The friend Liu Xian was referring to was actually his sworn brother, Li Ju. Before returning to Luoyang, Liu Xian carefully considered this issue. Bringing Lu Zhu back to Luoyang, where the crowds were thick with gossip, would likely expose her true identity, a serious threat. However, leaving her in Xiayang, Hedong, or Beidi, where he was unaware of the situation, could also lead to Sun Xiu's tactical intervention.

After much deliberation, Liu Xian decided that Li Ju was the most suitable person to entrust the matter to. Firstly, Li Ju planned to retire, so he would be free to move about and not attract attention. Even if he were discovered, he could still escape. Secondly, Li Ju was courageous and possessed both talent and integrity, and Liu Xian trusted him. After discussing the matter, Li Ju did not refuse, and Liu Xian sent Lu Zhu and her son to Pingyang within a few days.

After learning of Lu Zhu's whereabouts, Ah Luo felt a little relieved, but she quickly concealed it. After breakfast, the couple went to see Chen Shou's condition. Liu Xian said goodbye to his family and went to the Luoyang Palace to perform his duties, taking only Zhuge Yan as his guard.

It was still early at this time. Liu Xian rode in Zhu Fu's ox cart, observing the scenery on the street while chatting with Zhu Fu about the changes in Luoyang over the years.

Zhu Fu said, "Sir, if we talk about changes, although nothing else in Luoyang has changed, the biggest change is in women's clothing."

"Clothing? What changes?"

"You'll know it at a glance."

Liu Xian was stunned when he heard this. If Zhu Fu hadn't said it, he wouldn't have noticed it yesterday. Now he observed the clothes of the women walking on the street and immediately found some differences.

This is obvious. First, some women's skirts were particularly distinctive, featuring a double crotch. Double crotch, two long pieces of cloth connected by two thin strings, can be considered an ancient vest, originally worn as underwear. However, during the late Han Dynasty, to save material, armor with only two sides, front and back, emerged. Similar in style to double crotch armor, it was also called double crotch armor.

I had never expected that some women would wear their crotchcloths outside. Their attire was clearly modeled after the crotchcloths of two-crotch armor, with the crotchcloths with red flower patterns wrapped around the front. This didn't reveal the graceful beauty of a woman's figure, but it made her look smart and neat, and gave off a heroic air.

Looking at the ornaments on the women's waists and hair buns, Liu Xian was surprised to find that there had been huge changes.

Traditionally, accessories such as hairpins, jade pendants, and earrings were often carved with phoenix or cloud motifs, or featured strings of pearls or floral designs like peonies and hibiscus, emphasizing a woman's grace and beauty. The eighteen green jade phoenix-shaped silver hairpins with linked pearls that Shi Chong gave to Lu Zhu when Liu Xian first met her are truly iconic.

But now, looking at the shapes of these pendants and ornaments, they are not any other shapes, but imitations of weapons such as axes, halberds, spears and halberds!
These small weapons made of gold and jade gleamed slightly in the sunlight, and combined with the double-crotch skirts worn by the women, they gave off a truly awe-inspiring feeling.

Liu Xian consulted Zhu Fu about his observations, and he replied:
"It seems the Empress invented this dress. The palace maids started wearing it first, and then it spread throughout Luoyang. Everyone said the Empress wanted to prove that women weren't necessarily inferior to men. This dress was very popular with the ladies of high-ranking families, and it became a trend."

So that's how it was, Liu Xian suddenly understood. It had to be said that although in his heart, the Empress's party was a monster that had to be eliminated. But the Empress, as a woman, was able to plot against the Three Yangs and the Two Kings, and her methods were so decisive and ruthless that Liu Xian deeply admired her. Empress Lü was already a recognized strong woman in history, but in terms of methods and ruthlessness, the current Empress was even more powerful than Empress Lü.

Looking at the clothing she invented, Liu Xian couldn't help but think in his heart: Although the queen has no sense of responsibility towards the country, her courage to look down on all men in the world is enough to make her a heroine.

When he thought about the upcoming confrontation with the Queen, Liu Xian couldn't help but continue to ponder. The Prince had been keeping a low profile for so long, what exactly was he planning?

While he was silent, Zhuge Yan started chatting with Zhu Fu. He called himself Zhu Yan and spoke naturally and freely, which made Zhu Fu like him very much.

Zhuge Yan asked, "I heard that this queen is very ugly. Is that true?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Fu looked around and then whispered, "Shh, don't say this loudly. If others hear it, it will be a disaster. The School Affairs Office has been closed for more than ten years. If they were still there, you would definitely be imprisoned for three years."

Zhuge Yan lowered his voice and asked, "Is it true?"

As a coachman, Zhu Fu had naturally heard the most rumors. Seeing that there were fewer people around, he replied in an unquestionable tone:
"I heard from the people at Zhiyanting that it should be true."

"Oh? How did you know that?"

"Ha, let me tell you, there was a thief in Zhijian Pavilion. He was handsome, with red lips and white teeth, and was a well-known handsome man. But last March, he suddenly disappeared overnight, and his colleagues thought he had been robbed by some bandits. Unexpectedly, four days later, this thief suddenly returned, wearing a jade belt and brocade clothes, which looked priceless. Can you guess how he got there?"

Zhuge Yan thought for a moment and replied, "He disappeared for a few days and suddenly became rich. He's a thief and often comes into contact with thieves. Could this be stolen?"

"That's right! Everyone thought so too, so they tied up this thief and sent him to the Luoyang magistrate to report him to the officials, to find out from whom the theft had been made. But what this thief said in court really shocked everyone."

"What?"

"He said he was walking down the street that night when he met an old woman. The woman said someone in her family was sick, and she needed a young man from the south of the city to ward off evil. If he went, he would be rewarded handsomely. The woman saw she was wealthy, so she agreed. But after he got off the car, they stuffed him into a bamboo box and carried him for over ten miles. Then they passed through seven or eight thresholds, and when they opened the box, guess what happened?"

"what happened?"

"The thief found a palace with towers and pavilions. Many beautiful palace maids surrounded him, saying that this was heaven on earth. Then they gave him a fragrant bath and treated him to fine wine and delicious food! Then, a woman in her thirties, dressed in luxurious clothes, arrived and offered to have sex with him!"

"Ah! There's such a thing?" Zhuge Yan understood what was going on and quickly asked, "What does that woman look like?"

"Hey, the thief said, the woman was short, less than seven feet tall, with dark skin and a bluish complexion. Most importantly, she had a prominent black mole behind her right eyebrow, and her triangular eyes made her look as fierce as a venomous snake. She and him had sex for several days, and she was so delighted that she gave him a set of clothes and then used the same method to release him."

"and after?"

"Qiu Dao has said so much, how could everyone not understand? That woman is the Queen! County Lord Wang dared not intervene in this matter and released Qiu Dao in court. Everyone stared at each other for a while, then ran away with a wry smile, as if nothing had happened."

Zhuge Yan was surprised and asked, "How could this happen without any problems?"

"What else can we do?" Zhu Fu glanced around again and spoke mysteriously, "Over the years in Luoyang City, every now and then, a beautiful young man would disappear, for no reason, no clues. His family searched for the better part of a month, but had no clue. Finally, one day, they found him by the canal, a healthy child, reduced to a corpse. We reported him to the authorities, but there was no follow-up, leaving the people of Luoyang in a state of panic."

Zhuge Yan suddenly understood and said, "You mean, the Queen did this."

"It's pretty close," Zhu Fu said. "At first, everyone was a little hesitant to believe it, but a few days later, the thief who was begging for money hanged himself again. Then his neighbor said that it was someone sent by the Duke of Lu who hanged him. And then a few days later, his neighbor hanged himself too. Tell me, how could this be true?"

Zhuge Yan couldn't help but gasp, "This is too much of a joke! Are you people in Luoyang so barbaric?"

Liu Xian sighed, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back. He thought: Although the Queen used violence back then, her combination of gentleness and violence made her difficult to guard against. Now she's become so unscrupulous. Has she been in power for too long? Or has she simply gone mad?

It seems that her power control skills are far less effective than before. However, the more this is the case, the more prepared she must be for her followers to use their power to intimidate her.

As they chatted, Liu Xian finally arrived at the Luoyang Palace. After verifying his identity with the palace guards, he first went to the Shaofu to replace his official seal and confirm his new office.

Liu Xian was currently a fourth-rank bandit-suppressing general. Although the court had no immediate intention of assigning him military command, he still had to maintain his status. As a fourth-rank official, Liu Xian was not part of the palace guards, but rather a member of the Northern Army. He was nominally under the command of Wang Yan, the Northern Army's Lieutenant General. He received a salary of 2,000 dan (approximately 2,000 dan), was eligible to select a plot of land in Luoyang, establish his own office, and was granted the right to recommend appointments.

Although not a top official, Liu Xian was able to establish an office within the city. However, he knew he had little power, and building a mansion in the city would be a mere show of vanity and serve no purpose. After inquiring, he learned of an abandoned old government office in the east of the city, just two blocks away from his home. He chose this plot of land for the simple reason that it would allow him to go directly home when he had nothing to do.

Then he went to Yunlongmen to meet his boss Wang Yan as usual.

As a nationally renowned leader of witty conversation, it was difficult to imagine that Wang Yan would be the current supreme leader of the Imperial Guards. However, having experienced the Rebellion of the Two Princes, Liu Xian knew that he was not only a man of eloquence, but also the backbone of the Hou Party.

Liu Xian originally thought that he would be harassed by Wang Yan, but unexpectedly, after they met, Wang Yan was quite kind to Liu Xian. Although the topics of their conversation were general, nothing more than the hardships in the war and the future plans, there was no depth, but at least it was not as tense as he had imagined.

When they parted, Wang Yan knew that Liu Xian was a member of the prince's party, but he still held his hand and encouraged him, saying: "Oh, if the country had more talents like Huai Chong, we would be able to rest assured." Then he personally sent Liu Xian out of Yunlong Gate.

Liu Xian was slightly surprised by this. He was a little unsure of Wang Yan's attitude. The Hou Party was so radical in power, so why was he so cheerful and cheerful towards his real opponents? Was he really just pretending, or did he have other plans in mind?

After completing the formalities, Liu Xian reunited with Zhu Fu and Zhuge Yan and set out on his journey home again. He gazed at the people walking through the streets, pondering for a long time before laughing. This was nothing more than leniency from above and cruelty from below. The Hou Party only exerted pressure on the people, yet dared not confront the imperial clan and the aristocracy. From this perspective, the Hou Party was indeed treading on thin ice!
Luoyang is still peaceful at the moment, but what kind of undercurrents are hidden beneath this peace? Perhaps my friends will tell me. (End of this chapter)