Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

"Indeed." Xu You carefully examined the gifts and exclaimed, "How could I possibly give a bad gift to His Majesty? These crossbows and Boshan incense burners are inlaid with gold and silver! They are truly exquisite!"

Chen Zhi sighed softly: "It is quite valuable. It is said that the craftsman who made this item lived in Luoyang for generations. After Dong Zhuo's chaos, he fled to Yangzhou and the craft has been passed down for two generations. There are no such skilled craftsmen in Chengdu."

Xu You nodded, then smiled and turned to look at Chen Zhi: "Brother, do you have a gift for me?"

Chen Zhi teased, "Do you think so?"

"I don't know," Xu You chuckled.

Chen Zhi casually pointed: "The next box contains a Fish Intestine Sword, with a scabbard made of shark skin from the sea, and coral beads inlaid on the copper ornaments."

Xu You opened the box and took out the Fish Intestine Sword. He carefully stroked the black sharkskin covering the scabbard. After a moment, he drew the short sword. A cold light flashed across the blade, and he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:

"Brother, this can't possibly be the Fish Gut Sword that Zhuan Zhu used to assassinate King Liao of Wu, can it?"

"You're overthinking it," Chen Zhi chuckled. "It's just a new sword made by a merchant using his name, specifically to sell the 'Fish Intestine Sword' brand. How could Zhuan Zhu's original sword possibly have survived? How could it possibly be available on the market?"

Xu You pondered, "That's true. Did you bring anything else, brother?"

Chen Zhi said, "There are pearls for your aunt; please take them to your mother later. There are also some books from Jiangdong, and a gift for the Fei family's daughter; please take those to her later tonight as well."

Xu You smiled slightly and teased, "Brother is indeed considerate; you're already thinking about your future sister-in-law even before you're married!"

Chen Zhi just smiled and shook his head without saying a word: "I have to go to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices later. I heard that the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is in charge of the wedding. I will go to Hanzhong after the New Year. The wedding date needs to be determined as soon as possible."

"Oh, right." Xu You remembered something: "If you want to see the Grand Master of Ceremonies, brother, why don't you go to the palace to pay your respects to Empress Dowager Wu first?"

"Empress Wu arranged the betrothal for my family. During the betrothal ceremony, we sent the Fei family a sheep, a carved wooden goose, a box of glue, and a box of lacquer. The Fei family reciprocated with a bundle of reeds. The naming and auspicious date selections were completed. Once the betrothal gifts were presented, the wedding date could be set, and everything else would proceed smoothly."

"Ayou, I have something to tell you." Chen Zhi stood with his hands clasped, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Brother." Seeing Chen Zhi's expression, Xu You also stood up straight.

Chen Zhi slowly said, "Since I am going to get married, the betrothal gifts should be more substantial. Although my family has a lot of wealth, I am going to offer one hundred catties of gold and two hundred bolts of Shu brocade as betrothal gifts. This is no small amount. Ayou, do you agree? If you think it's too much, I will reduce it. You should also talk to your aunt properly, so that she doesn't think I'm wasting the family's wealth."

Xu You frowned: "What are you saying, brother?"

"In these chaotic times, my Xu family migrated from Runan to Yizhou several times, and then experienced all sorts of turmoil. My grandfather is long gone, and now there are only the two of us men left in the family. I am not yet an adult, and although my elder brother does not have the surname Xu, we are like brothers, so it is only right that he should take charge!"

"Brother, though I am young, I understand the principles I should. You have a very good personal relationship with His Majesty, and now you hold a high position with a promising future. Minister Fei is of high rank and great power, so a larger dowry is not a problem. Compared to your future, what is wealth? I understand the principle of a child carrying gold through a bustling market. Although our grandfather was one of the Three Dukes, without you to support our family, we might have lost all our wealth at some point!"

"Therefore," Xu You bowed slightly to Chen Zhi, "if you have any legitimate use for the family's wealth, brother, you may take it all without question. I will also stand up for my mother; everything can be decided between the two of us without consulting her!"

Chen Zhi nodded: "Ayou, I am relieved that you have such insight today. After lunch, go to the Fei family to deliver my gift, and I will go to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

"Don't worry, brother," Xu You said with a mischievous grin, "I will definitely deliver the gift to my sister-in-law properly!"

Chen Zhi shoved Xu You irritably: "You're so nosy!"

……

Normally, Empress Dowager Wu, residing deep within the palace, should not and should not have contact with officials from outside the court. However, the matter of Empress Dowager Wu acting as matchmaker for Chen Zhi was personally decided by Emperor Liu Shan, which gave Chen Zhi a reason to request an audience.

After presenting his petition at the palace gate and having his official seal and credentials verified, Chen Zhi waited for about half an hour before the Grand Chamberlain came to greet him. After entering the palace and navigating numerous alleyways, they finally reached Empress Dowager Wu's palace.

For Empress Dowager Wu, who had long resided deep within the palace, the rare opportunity for a subject to have a proper audience was undoubtedly a novelty. Moreover, Chen Zhi was a learned and eloquent man who had just returned from a diplomatic mission to the State of Wu, so there were even more topics to discuss. Thus, Empress Dowager Wu talked on and on.

The two began by discussing Chen Zhi's marriage, going over all the necessary etiquette and requirements in detail. Empress Dowager Wu then inquired about Chen Zhi's experiences during his trip to Wu, and asked about the current official positions of the Wu officials she knew.

Of course, Empress Dowager Wu also inquired about Chen Zhi's trip to offer sacrifices to Lady Sun.

Clearly, Empress Dowager Wu was very eager for information from the outside world. As a court official, Chen Zhi could not remain silent, nor could he go into too much detail. He could only select some things he could say and introduce them. Empress Dowager Wu was deeply moved.

Having chatted for an hour and gradually grown quieter, Chen Zhi, with Empress Dowager Wu's permission, took his leave.

"I will visit the Grand Master of Ceremonies later to express my gratitude in person."

Empress Dowager Wu smiled and said, "Fengzong doesn't need to go on a special trip. I was the matchmaker for your marriage, and the Emperor and I invited the Grand Master of Ceremonies to preside over it. There's no need to worry about favors."

"I understand, then I will not go." Chen Zhi bowed and said, "I take my leave."

Empress Dowager Wu nodded, and then two palace maids accompanied Chen Zhi out, one on each side, and they left the palace.

After a busy half-day, Chen Zhi finally had time to rest a little.

On his way back to the manor on horseback, Chen Zhi gradually realized that something was wrong.

You're about to get married, why are you still planning to see the Grand Master of Ceremonies? Shouldn't you be going to see Liu Shan and Fei Yi as soon as possible?

Li Fu only said that there was no need to go, and that they could wait for the emperor to return to Chengdu; he didn't say that Chen Zhi couldn't go! Moreover, as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Li Fu had no power to prevent Chen Zhi from seeing the emperor!

Thinking of all this, Chen Zhi quickly drove his horse back home, rested for half an hour, and then led his four horse servants out of the city on horseback, heading south along the official road of Chengdu.

Wuyang County is only 140 li away. If we find a post station along the way to rest for a while, we can meet the emperor the next morning.

As a close advisor, one must be mindful of one's role and stay close to the emperor; this is the most important thing!