The Great Han Dynasty Volume 2: The mountain has trees, and the trees have branches; ninety-seven dreams are heard.

  In the third spring, 146,000 men and women within 600 li of Chang'an were mobilized to build the walls of Chang'an. The project was completed in thirty days.

  In Chang'an City, where the winds and rains were turbulent and unrelenting, Zhang Yan was unusually quiet, staying in the Hou Mansion.

  It's not that she didn't want to go out, but rather she simply couldn't.

  She is breaking out in acne.

  From the beginning of the first month, she felt tired and weak all over her body, lacking energy to do anything, and slowly losing her appetite. She had a low-grade fever that wouldn't go away. Lu Yuan thought it was just because she was worried about the Huns and her family, and that her heart was troubled by illness. He told her to take good care of herself, but the fever only got worse day by day. Half a month later, when Zhang Yan was helping her bathe, she suddenly let out a loud cry.

  "What's wrong?" asked Zhang Yan, who was drowsy from the warm steam.

  "Daughter," said the mother, pointing at her back, "there are many red rashes on your back."

  "May I ask, madam, is this rash itchy or not?"

  "Originally didn't feel anything, but when I mention it, I still feel a bit itchy."

  "I understand," the imperial physician said, withdrawing his hand from behind the curtain and turning to Lu Yuan. "Mrs. Zhang has contracted an external pathogen that has affected her lungs and spleen, causing dampness and heat to rise to the surface of her skin. With proper care and rest, she will recover soon and there is no need for concern."

  "That's good." Lu Yuan let out a sigh of relief and hesitantly asked, "Will it leave a scar later on?"

  The old doctor smiled and said, "In principle, it won't leave a scar. As long as the young lady is careful not to scratch the rash, it will heal without leaving any marks."

  He continued to instruct, "Later, the rash will get even worse and spread to the face and limbs. Princess Chang doesn't need to panic, oh, right, pay special attention, don't let Zhang's wife catch a cold."

  Zhang Yan woke up from her deep sleep. She saw a figure standing in front of the bed, slightly startled, and then recognized it as Lu Yuan.

  "Mother." She sat up with a smile, "What are you doing here? Yan'er is now ill and lazy about combing her hair, the rash will soon spread to her face, it's really ugly."

  Lu Yuan hugged her tightly, "Nonsense, my Ah Yan is always beautiful, where's the ugliness?" Yu'er choked back a sob. "Even if she really was ugly, she's still my precious treasure."

  "Daughter," Lu Yuan's hug was a bit too tight. Zhang Yan felt slightly uncomfortable and awkwardly said, "Don't do that, what if I infect you too, that would be terrible."

  Lu Yuan raised her head. "Don't worry, Mother." She rested her chin on Zhang Yan's small shoulder and said firmly, "Yan, rest assured, Mother will never let you go to the Xiongnu."

  In an instant, Zhang Yan's heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

  As for the matter of marrying into the family, she didn't worry too much about it.

  If Zhang Yan was destined to become Empress Xiaohui, then she could not have married into the Xiongnu at this time.

  History books cannot record everything about this era.

  History books have only a few cold lines of words, but what she is in now is a vivid and real era.

  For example, no historical book has ever mentioned that Liu Jing had proposed to the Xiongnu people the granddaughter of Emperor Gao, Zhang Yan. Nor has any historical book ever mentioned that in the third year of Emperor Hui's reign, Modu sent envoys twice to Chang'an to ask for the daughter of Princess Yuan of Lu, Zhang Yan.

  Actually. All these are just minor matters, what really makes her feel like a fishbone stuck in her throat is that when the third year of Emperor Hui's reign arrived as scheduled, the grand imperial wedding seemed imminent.

  She had also been guessing and rehearsing the motives of this marriage, possibly avoiding it, with enough confidence to refuse it before it began. In fact, until things reached this point, she hadn't discovered any clues related to this marriage. Liu Ying and she had always been in a simple uncle-niece relationship, and Empress Lü's intended empress was Lü Zhi, except for the crazy fangshi they met on their way back to Chang'an at Bashang, there was no one who could link her and Liu Ying together as husband and wife.

  Even if someone mentions the shocking idea, she is not Zhang Yan in history who only nodded and did not utter a word. If she insists on not agreeing, can Lü Hou think of tying her up to get married?

  The arrival of the Xiongnu envoys disrupted her plans.

  She had a faint premonition that something was happening in a way she didn't want to see.

  "Mother," she said vaguely, "I'm a little scared."

  "Don't be afraid." Lu Yuan didn't understand her complicated emotions, but instinctively comforted her, "Mother is here."

  "Mother will protect you from all storms."

  "Good baby, go to sleep."

  In a daze, she heard some noisy and disordered sounds. A slightly cool hand reached out and stroked her forehead.

  She could feel the thick and hard cocoon on top of it, and the faint green veins.

  "Ah Yan, is she alright?"

  The light and clear sound of Qingjian is like a person speaking, with layers of tough and tenacious bones visible under the skin.

  "It's okay, Mother will be at ease." Lu Yuan's voice was calm, "The imperial physician said it's nothing serious."

  "I have seen the Empress Dowager." Zhang Ao hastily came and bowed outside the room, "The Empress Dowager has come to visit Ah Yan in person, it is her good fortune."

  "Ah," Lü Hou smiled and said, "This time I came to visit Ayao is just a coincidence, there's another thing I want to discuss with you both."

  Zhang Ao and Lu Yuan exchanged a glance, puzzled, and asked, "What's going on?"

  "Come out with me."

  Her heart was racing with anxiety, wanting to scream out loud, but her chest felt like it was being pressed down by a massive boulder, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her eyes.

  "Huh." Tong Hua stood by and asked in surprise, "Jie You, look, why is the young lady suddenly sweating on her forehead?"

  "It's probably just a dream." Xie You said lightly, "This room is stuffy and hot, and the doctor has also instructed us not to blow air on her." She picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped Zhang Yan's sweat away. Suddenly, she saw a faint blush rising to the girl's face, and she was taken aback.

  "The Empress Dowager's great kindness to my daughter, Zhang Ao is deeply grateful. I thank the Empress Dowager for her grace on behalf of my daughter." Suddenly, in the outer chamber, Xuanping Marquis Zhang Ao knelt down and said loudly.

  "Brother Ao, have you gone mad?" Lu Yuan exclaimed in shock, looking at her husband in disbelief. "A Yan and the Emperor, that's...nephew and uncle."

  She seemed to be drowning in the sea, with waves crashing against the shore, everything in the background was blurred, only a thin veil separated her from the words her parents said. Every word, every sentence, without missing a single word, was etched into her eardrum.

  "What does it matter?" Zhang Ao's voice was filled with eagerness, "Princess, do you still remember when Ah Yan was born? Hou Xufu, the Marquis of Mingji, passed by Handan and saw the auspicious cloud over our mansion. He came to visit us and gave a reading for Ah Yan, saying 'This girl's fate is extremely noble, she will become a person of high status in the future.'"

  "Nonsense." Lu Yuan shook his head and said, "Being a superior person doesn't necessarily mean becoming an empress. From ancient times to the present, there's no reason for an uncle to marry his niece. Ah Yan is my daughter, no matter who she marries in the future, no one will dare to neglect her this lifetime. Except for Your Majesty. You only see the honor of being an empress, but once Ah Yan marries into the palace, her whole life will be ruined. Ao Ge, have you ever thought about it?"

  "Manhua," Zhang Qiao gazed at his wife, his eyes filled with pain and tenderness. "This way, Ayan can at least live a good life. Live in a place where we can take care of her. Rather than letting her marry into the Xiongnu, I'd rather it be this way. Haven't you seen? The tomb of the Princess Shuping who replaced you to go to the Xiongnu...the grass on her grave should already be as tall as a person."

  With a thud, Lu Yuan fell heavily onto the couch.

  In the inner chamber, two maidservants exchanged a glance, their faces as still as cicadas in winter.

  His gaze involuntarily fell on the girl who was sleeping soundly on the bed. Suddenly he froze.

  "Comfort her," she muttered. "Look, the daughter is crying."

  Two lines of clear tears slowly flowed out from under her eyelids, down her smooth cheeks and fell.

  Zhang Yan woke up again, and it was already late at night.

  "Daughter," Tong Hua helped her up, saying in surprise, "your undergarments are a bit wet."

  "Uh-huh." Her face still had a faint flush of illness, and she instructed, "I'm hot, go open the window."

  "No," said the servant hastily, "the doctor has given orders that you are not to be exposed to the wind while the rash is out."

  "Go ahead." Zhang Yan said calmly, "I have a plan in mind."

  "What? You want me to take action myself?"

  Before long, Lu Yuan rushed over and slammed the window shut with a bang. "A Yan, what are you doing? Don't you care about your own body?" He picked up her face to take a look, "See, originally there weren't that many pimples on your face, now..."

  "Mother, it's all right." Zhang Yan smiled and said, "I just want it to be a bit longer."

  "Mother, I have a plan to make that Xiongnu envoy give up his idea of wanting me and Chiri."

  On the day of the spring equinox, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor held a banquet in the Weiyang Palace and invited the Xiongnu envoys to attend.

  The beef and mutton cooked in the Chinese way had a fresh flavor that was beyond the understanding of the grassland men. The Xiongnu envoy indulged in it with great relish, wiped his mouth, and said, "It's a pity it's not more satisfying. If we were Xiongnu men, we would drink wine by the bowlful and eat meat by the chunk, unlike this dainty way."

  "Your Imperial Majesty of Han, I have also been lingering in Chang'an for a long time. When will you finally agree to marry off Lady Zhang to our Xiongnu chanyu?"

  Liu Ying and Empress Lü exchanged a glance, forcing a smile. "It's not that I won't agree, but... isn't it really inappropriate for Zhang's daughter to get married at this time?"

  "What's suitable or not?" the envoy sneered, "All women in the world have a day when they must marry, be cruel for a moment, cry for a moment. It will pass. What's with all this fuss?"

  Liu Ying's forehead slightly twitched, and she suppressed it with great effort. She took a deep breath, beckoned to the attendant beside her, and instructed, "Let Zhang Niangzi come over."

  The envoy of the Xiongnu was taken aback for a moment.

  Although it has been said that the beautiful name of this princess's daughter has spread to Xiongnu, making the Chanyu have a "admiration", but in fact, before this, the rulers and ministers of Xiongnu had not seen this girl at all.

  He couldn't help but look up and gaze at her.

  Following behind his servant, he first saw a side view.

  She was a girl in dark clothes, about twelve or thirteen years old, slender figure, with black hair like a waterfall, and a beautiful bun on her head, elegant and refined.

  The girl in a dark dress raised her head and said, "Yan has seen the empress dowager, Your Majesty."

  I've grown up to this age and still haven't had chickenpox yet.

  Sweat drips down.

  This chapter is simmered over low heat.

  Afternoon and evening classes, wanting to rush out this chapter in a relatively short period of time, is really a bit challenging. Fortunately, it's finally done.

  I don't like having classes at night.

  Fortunately, tonight's class should be the last one of this semester for this course.

  Long live.

  Tears request pink votes.

  Pink ticket, give me one.