Chapter 20

Princess Xijun's residence.

Inside the palace, candlelight flickered, and shadows swayed on the walls.

Because she was to be married far away to Wusun in a marriage alliance, Liu Xijun, who had just been made princess, sat quietly before her dressing table.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror—her face slightly waned yet still lovely—and tears swelled in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Princess, the time is almost here; you should finish your makeup," the maid whispered beside her.

Today was the day Princess Xijun of Han would be married off to Wusun in an alliance; she too felt sorrowful, for the princess's distant marriage meant she must go as part of the dowry to that remote, bitter land, which seemed to hint at their fate.

"Elder brother, do you really want me to go to that faraway Wusun? But I understand you! Who says women are inferior to men? Those are the words you've constantly encouraged me with; I, Xijun, keep them ever in mind."

"You also said women can hold up half the sky; now Han needs me at this moment, and though I am merely a lowly woman, the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every commoner—I, Xijun, cannot shirk my duty!"

Liu Xijun recalled those carefree days in Xianyang, and also thought of the refined, humorous Liu Ju who had broadened her horizons; she couldn't help feeling melancholy, yet even more so was her stubborn resolve to fight fate.

Only, as the saying goes, the royal family is the most heartless; the elder brother who once was like a spring breeze became emperor, and those carefree days are gone forever.

The maid whispered softly: "Princess, do not speak rashly; now you must address him as Your Majesty."

As the two were talking, footsteps sounded outside the door; Lady Yu, wife of King Jiangdu Liu Jian, came shuffling in, widowed early and now seeing her daughter off to a distant marriage, which made her look even more wan and aged.

"Oh my child, my ill‑fated child!"

As soon as Lady Yu stepped inside, she burst into loud wails, and her sorrowful cries instantly filled the princess's residence with a bleak atmosphere.

Liu Xijun hurriedly composed herself; the once frail daughter had become a dignified Han princess. She helped her mother up and said gently: "Mother, Father's crimes were clear back then; that we have today is already the emperor's mercy."

"If I can sacrifice myself to bring peace to Han, it is both a chance to redeem my guilt through service and a duty I, as a daughter of the Liu imperial clan, must fulfill."

"Moreover, I was never an ordinary girl; I have my own destiny. I, Liu Xijun, prefer martial attire to finery, and even if I go to Wusun I will live a different life."

Seeing Liu Xijun so sensible, Lady Yu grew even more grief‑stricken.

The maid also joined in, weeping without cease.

Liu Xijun slowly turned, clutching the hairpin Liu Ju had once given her, gazing toward Weiyang Palace, and murmured: "Before I set out, I do not know if I will see my elder brother one last time; even that would be enough for a lifetime."

"Your Majesty's sacred person—how could a household of sinful ministers like ours hope to see it?"

Lady Yu felt sorrow in her heart.

"But didn't my elder brother say all people are equal? Oh well!"

Liu Xijun turned, looked at the aged Lady Yu, fell to her knees with a thud, knocked her head heavily to the ground, and said: "Mother, since ancient times loyalty and filial piety cannot both be fulfilled; for Han's sake, I cannot attend to you in filial duty while I am away."

Though Liu Xijun's face was streaked with tears, her lovely countenance was full of resolve and determination; she then knelt toward the Imperial Palace and knocked her head three times in loud prostrations.

The sound of her forehead striking the ground, in this quiet palace, seemed especially heavy—as if it were her final struggle against fate.

As she rose, her eyes gained an added measure of decisiveness.

She knew she could not change this predetermined fate; all she could do was carry Han's mission and dignity forward onto this unknown marriage‑alliance road.

He knew he could only go on alone, burying this endless sorrow deep in his heart, to face the strange and challenging life beyond the frontier.

"Let's go!"

She turned and strode resolutely out of the hall; outside the doors, the Han Minister of Ceremonies and the Wusun envoy had long been waiting.

Chang'an City, dawn just breaking.

The city gates slowly opened, and a mighty procession marched out from within.

At the front of the procession, the Wusun envoy's delegation wore splendid garb and led the way on horseback; behind them followed a vigorous band of Wusun warriors clad in leather armor, wielding sharp weapons whose cold gleam inspired awe.

In the center of the procession, Liu Xijun sat in an ornately decorated carriage; the cold wind blew, lifting the curtain, and she looked back toward Chang'an with a face of reluctance mixed with sorrow, full of longing.

The wedding procession traveled along the straight road outside the city, where people came and went; the Wusun warriors galloped side‑by‑side, shouting loudly, their whip cracking "pa‑pa" in the air.

They gave no thought to whether they would frighten the nearby folk; passersby hurriedly made way.

The lead envoy laughed and said to his attendant beside him: "Han's former emperor has died, the new emperor has taken the throne, the court is still unstable, the Xiongnu are probing the borders—thus we must send the princess far away to the king to seek peace; it seems Han's fortune is about to run out."

"Hmph! Back in the day, we Wusun also dominated these plains; although we are now allied by marriage with Han, who can predict the shifting tides of the world? This Han princess, once she arrives in our Wusun lands, will have to act according to the king's wishes."

Having spoken, the envoy threw back his head and laughed loudly, his laughter brimming with conceit and arrogance, looking down on Han with contempt.

"Sir, you are absolutely right; Han is now preoccupied with its own survival—how could it dare to hold any grudge against us Wusun?"

"The princess's marriage to them is their blessing; allying with our mighty Wusun will merely secure them a temporary peace." After hearing the attendant's words, the envoy pointed at the civilians shoved aside by the warriors on the straight road, his face full of scorn.

"Look at these Han commoners—so cowardly, they scatter at the sound of our horses' hooves; is this really the vaunted 'Celestial Empire'?"

The attendant also said: "I think it's no better than that! When I return I will surely tell the king all I have seen today, so he knows Han's true strengths and weaknesses; if we could ally with the Xiongnu, perhaps we could gain even more benefits."

At that moment the crowd ahead of the procession swelled, and the straight road became congested.

Yet the Wusun warriors showed no sign of slowing; they continued to spur their horses forward.

In an instant the people on the road were panic‑stricken—some were knocked down, others had their goods scattered across the ground.

A warrior shoved an old man who wanted to argue to the ground, then lashed him heavily with his whip; the old man's blood gushed forth at once.

Seeing this, the envoy not only failed to stop it but laughed even louder: "These Han folk are nothing but weaklings ripe for bullying—they can't even protect their own belongings, yet they prate about country and family."

"Wherever our Wusun cavalry rides, who dares to block us? After this princess marries in, Han's borders will be whatever we say they are!"

The people on the road who witnessed this felt anger and humiliation rise in their hearts, but being unarmed they could do nothing.

"At that moment a woman's infant in swaddling clothes began to cry on the road, and a Wusun warrior bellowed: "You wretched brat, why are you crying? You're disturbing the envoy's refined mood!""

His whip was about to fall.

"Stop!"

"Then Liu Xijun's clear voice rang out: "Do you think bullying Han's subjects means this palace doesn't exist?""

"The envoy and the warriors burst into scornful laughter, saying: "She's merely a Han woman married off to Wusun—she'll still be a Wusun woman in the end.""

The warrior swung his whip again; then came a bang, and he instantly fell from his horse.

In an instant, where dust rose, a troop clad in black armor, imposing and formidable, came charging down like heavenly soldiers, exactly the 張湯-led 羽林衛.

張湯's face was stern as frost, his eyes revealing a fierce killing intent.

"You insolent! How dare you act so arrogantly within my Han borders, disturbing the people of my dynasty; you deserve death!"

Zhang Tang's voice was low and imposing, like a great bell ringing all around, each word carrying undeniable power.

"I pay my respects, Princess." Zhang Tang immediately clasped his hands.

Then he gave the order.

"Surround them, don't let a single one escape!"

Before the Wusun envoys and warriors could react, the Feathered Forest Guard swiftly surrounded them.

The soldiers pointed their short guns at them, cold light flashing; their uniform movements shocked the Wusun people.

Zhang Tang rode forward slowly, came before the Wusun warrior who had fallen from his horse, and looked down on him from above.

"How dare you behave barbarically on Han soil!" Zhang Tang snorted coldly, lashing the warrior with his horsewhip; each strike left a bloody welt, and the warrior rolled on the ground, wailing.

This was the chief envoy stepping forward and shouting: "Who goes there? How dare you offend the Wusun envoy!"

Zhang Tang snorted coldly, his eyes full of contempt and anger: "Your conduct is wicked; you openly provoke the Han—do you not know the Han's dignity cannot be violated?"

Having said that, Zhang Tang waved his hand; the Feathered Forest Guard sprang into action, with some soldiers subduing the Wusun warriors and seizing their weapons.

The envoy said: "You are obstructing Han-Wusun friendship, an unforgivable crime—do you not fear I will report this to the Han Son of Heaven?"

Zhang Tang said in a deep voice: "The Han does not deign to associate with barbarians like you—take him, bind him!"

Immediately, the Feathered Forest Guard stepped forward and detained the envoy.

Zhang Tang produced the imperial edict and solemnly proclaimed: "As if I myself were present: I, the Son of Heaven, resolve to cancel this marriage alliance. My Han has myriad brave generals and a million-strong mighty army—who would dare insult us?"

Zhang Tang then handed the edict to the detained envoy, sneering: "You wish to ally with the Han through marriage? Let your Wusun king come beg on his knees."

Having said that, he approached Princess Xijun and announced loudly: "Princess, Zhang Tang, acting on the Emperor's order, will escort you home."

At that moment, Princess Xijun, standing to the side, tears streaming, knelt toward Chang'an and exclaimed: "Thank you, Imperial Elder Brother, for your grace!"

"You go back on your word—are you not afraid that the Wusun and Xiongnu will unite and attack Chang'an?"

Zhang Tang glanced contemptuously at the envoy, leading a detachment of the Feathered Forest Guard to escort Princess Xijun away slowly.