Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Inside the bedchamber, Sun Quan, dressed in plain nightgown and wearing a tiger-skin cloak, remained silent, gazing at Hu Zong's face.

The flickering lights inside the hall made Sun Quan's eyes gleam.

"Wei Ze," Sun Quan's voice was somewhat hoarse, "I know you mean well. Back when Liu Bei came to Jingkou to see me and ask for Nan Commandery, Gong Jin and Zi Heng repeatedly urged me to imprison him, but I still let him go. More than twenty years have passed, and now that I am emperor, how can I harm a mere envoy again?"

"His Majesty!"

Hu Zong raised his head, his eyes filled with determination, and spoke loudly: "Your Majesty, as a wise ruler, should be magnanimous, but times have changed! Chen Zhi may not know, but how could Your Majesty not know? Lu Boyan privately mobilized 10,000 troops to Baqiu. Although it is within his defense zone and he has the authority to do so, this is the first time he has mobilized 10,000 troops without informing Your Majesty beforehand!"

"Rebellions are frequent throughout the country. Pan Chengming (Pan Jun) is currently suppressing the Wuxi barbarians in Wuling. This month, there was news that the bandit Luo Li rebelled in the South China Sea, the bandit Sui Chun rebelled in Dongye, and the bandit Li Huan rebelled in Luling. Last year and this year, the levies were too heavy and the taxes too burdensome, leading to rebellions in several places. In addition, Zhuge Ke is also suppressing the Shanyue. Where will the court find the strength to attack Huainan in the next few years?"

"From Chen Zhi's words today, it is clear that he wants Great Wu to march north and attack Wei. If our dynasty postpones the attack on Wei, the Han state will be dissatisfied. If someone leaks this information and it reaches Gu and Lu, the country will be filled with suspicion and fear, and there will be discord between the rulers and the people. What should we do then?"

"Your Majesty, I am deeply concerned!"

Having said that, Hu Zong bowed deeply to the ground.

Sun Quan slowly stepped forward, helped Hu Zong up, and patted Hu Zong's arm: "Today, listening to Chen Zhi's words, I felt as if I were seeing Lu Zijing in the past. If the Han Kingdom could have another Zhuge Kongming, I would have no worries in Jiangdong."

"But..." Hu Zong still hesitated.

Sun Quan forced a smile: "Wei Ze's words are loyal, and I know that. Go and do something for me: draft a private letter for Boyan, asking him to come to Jianye. Tell him I miss him dearly. Send it out tomorrow morning. Go!"

"As you command." Hu Zong sighed, then bowed and left.

Sun Quan strolled into the hall, looked up at the sky, and saw the waning moon like a fully drawn bow, ready to be released.

"Boyan..." Sun Quan murmured.

……

Generally, envoys sent to the State of Wu would first have an audience with Sun Quan, and then wait for Sun Quan to formally summon them at a Wu court assembly. These two meetings would usually be several days apart.

Having arrived in a foreign land, Zong Yu and Chen Zhi, accompanied by Wu officials, briefly toured the scenery inside and outside Jianye.

Normally, when going on a diplomatic mission abroad, one should pay attention to etiquette. In the past, Fei Yi, Deng Zhi, Chen Zhen and others only attended some official events and were very cautious.

However, Chen Zhi felt different from them. Trusted by Liu Shan, he didn't need to be bothered with trivial matters. Furthermore, he had brought a large amount of his own gold with him on this trip. Therefore, he personally hosted a banquet in Jianye for Zong Yu and a dozen accompanying officials, where they sampled Wu-style delicacies such as wild rice, raw fish, and roasted fish. If it weren't for the inappropriate season, he would have also tried Songjiang perch and water shield. In addition, he purchased some coral and pearls at the city market to bring back to Chengdu as gifts.

Zong Yu had initially intended to offer some advice, but considering Chen Zhi's age and status as a confidant, he ultimately refrained from intervening. Instead, he accepted the two small bags of pearls Chen Zhi gifted him. After all, Chen Zhi wasn't spending public funds, but his own private wealth. Of course, the largest gift was intended for Emperor Liu Shan…

Two days later, Chen Zhi and Zong Yu finally met Hu Zong at the guesthouse. According to Hu Zong, Sun Quan had decreed that the Han envoys Zong Yu and Chen Zhi were permitted to offer sacrifices to Lady Sun with the Lesser Sacrificial Offering.

Chen Zhi was somewhat surprised.

After all, Sun Quan's original words were to choose an auspicious day. Chen Zhi had thought he would have to wait a few more days, but unexpectedly, the auspicious day was just two days away. In other words, if the Emperor of Wu declared a day auspicious, then that day would be an auspicious day within the territory of Wu…

Hu Zong had already prepared the pigs and sheep needed for the sacrificial offering. Although these were not a problem, it was Liu Shan who had proposed the sacrifice to Lady Sun. How could he let someone else pay for the sacrifice? Zong Yu still insisted on giving money equal to the value of the offering. Hu Zong declined several times, but seeing Zong Yu's insistence, he finally had someone accept it.

Madam Sun's burial site is not far away, located on Jiangshan Mountain in the east of the city.

Zong Yu was more reserved, while Chen Zhi was more talkative, so on the way out of the city, Chen Zhi and Hu Zong rode their horses side by side in front.

Hu Zong was quite amiable and introduced the mountain to Chen Zhi with a smile: "The so-called Jiangshan was actually formerly called Zhongshan. It was changed to Jiangshan to avoid the name of His Majesty's grandfather."

Zhongshan... Jianye... Jinling...

This Jiangshan must be the Zhongshan mentioned in the poem "Zhongshan rises and falls amidst wind and rain"!

Chen Zhi smiled and asked, "Master Hu, does the character 'Jiang' perhaps have a story behind it?"

Hu Zong shook his head repeatedly: "Captain Chen, please don't address me like that. Just call me Hu Shizhong. Officials in Jianye usually only call Prime Minister Gu (Gu Yong) 'Lord Gu' and Zhang Zibu (Zhang Zhao) 'Lord Zhang.' Few others use the title 'Lord'."

"In the early years of Jian'an, Jianye was still called Moling. There was a county magistrate of Moling named Jiang Ziwen who died in battle while chasing bandits in this place."

"Four years ago, Jiang Ziwen's former subordinates saw this person appear on the road, riding a white horse and holding a white feather fan, with the same attendants as before. Those who saw him were all afraid. Jiang Ziwen also said that the court should build a shrine for him and offer sacrifices, otherwise there would be an epidemic. Then, that year, an epidemic did indeed break out."

"Back then, King Huan of Changsha (Sun Ce) did not believe that Yu Ji had brought down disasters, and Your Majesty also did not believe in this claim of disasters. However, Jiang Ziwen later manifested his power twice more, first causing an insect plague and then a great fire. Your Majesty, out of compassion for the people, built a temple on Zhongshan Mountain, which was then renamed 'Jiangshan Mountain,' and thereafter there were no more disasters."

"Does Your Majesty believe in these things?" Chen Zhi asked curiously. "I've heard that your country reveres Taoist priests as 'Celestial Masters' and even builds palaces and temples for them. Is this true?"

Hu Zong nodded: "That's right, our country not only reveres Taoist priests, but also monks from the Western Regions..."

The two chatted as they led the group behind them to Lady Sun's tomb.

After performing the sacrificial rites and presenting a pair of jade tablets given by Liu Shan himself, the chief envoy Zong Yu burned a short eulogy he had written on the way to the tomb, and together with Chen Zhi shouted "May you enjoy this feast!", and the task was considered complete.

On the way back, just as they entered the city, a eunuch was already waiting at the east gate of Jianye, saying that Sun Quan had issued an imperial edict that a banquet would be held in the palace that night, inviting the Han envoys General Zong and Colonel Chen to attend.

Zong Yu and Chen Zhi could not refuse such an invitation, so they expressed their gratitude and returned to their lodgings to make preparations.

As the time approached Shenshi (3-5 PM), and it was time to enter the palace, the carriage from the Wu Palace was already waiting at the entrance of the post station.

Chen Zhi and Zong Yu had already tidied their clothes. As they approached the stairs, Zong Yu whispered, "Feng Zong, you need to be careful later. Try not to get drunk, and even if you do, be dignified."

"Understood, General. Please observe my response," Chen Zhi replied calmly.

"Okay." Zong Yu nodded.