Chapter 92: Battle of Dragon City

In Weiyang Palace, Liu Che heard that Wei Qing was to marry a lady of the Shen family from Hanzhong Commandery, so he specially had Chen Ajiao send him a congratulatory gift in the Emperor's name, and also permitted Wei Zifu to leave the palace to attend Wei Qing's wedding.

Wei Zifu also carefully prepared a congratulatory gift for her younger brother, and was directing the palace staff to carefully load it onto a carriage.

When everything was ready, Wei Zifu turned to look at Xia Ling, who was standing nearby with her head lowered, smiled and said, "Today I'm unable to bring Ju'er to attend Zhongqing's wedding, so Xia Ling, stay here and take good care of Ju'er for me."

After Wei Zifu finished speaking, Xia Ling gave no response; she suddenly thought that Xia Ling seemed to have always liked Qing Di, and now that it was Qing Di's wedding day, Xia Ling must be feeling upset.

"Xia Ling." Wei Zifu lowered her voice, finally bringing Xia Ling back to her senses.

She looked at Wei Zifu with a frantic expression: "Madam, I—"

Wei Zifu waved her hand to signal the nearby palace maids to step back, then gently took Xia Ling's hand, and said softly, "Xia Ling, ever since I moved to Pi Xiang Hall, you have been by my side caring for me; I actually know your feelings."

Hearing Wei Zifu say she knew her feelings, Xia Ling's eyes widened instantly and she was about to kneel, but Wei Zifu stopped her.

"Don't be nervous." Wei Zifu smiled faintly and said, "I'm not trying to convey my own meaning; after all, Qing Di is so outstanding, it's natural for you to be fond of him."

Xia Ling shyly lowered her head.

"Rest assured, when the chance comes, I'll send you to Qing Di's side to look after him." Wei Zifu lightly patted her hand, a promise to Xia Ling.

In the previous life, that Shen family lady died of illness shortly after giving birth to Qing Di's eldest son, Wei Kanghou. At that time, as Wei Qing's elder sister and the Empress of Great Han, she assigned her personal maid Xia Ling to Qing Di's side to tend to his infant son still in swaddling.

Later Qing Di took Xia Ling as a concubine, and she bore him two sons, Wei Buyi and Wei Deng. So, according to that life's progression, by the second year of Yuan Shuo, Xia Ling could go to Qing Di's side.

Xia Ling choked, "I— may I?"

Wei Zifu nodded, "Then stay in the palace today and take good care of Ju'er for me."

Xia Ling quickly replied, "Agreed."

In an instant, midsummer returned; the Imperial Academy broke for summer in July and August. Because Jiao Fang Hall was sweltering, Liu Li followed Chen Ajiao to move into the Cool Hall of Weiyang Palace.

At this moment Liu Li was comfortably lying on the specially made jade bed in Cool Hall, eating the fruit‑flavored shaved ice the palace staff had just prepared for her.

The fruit included pears and plums that Great Han already had, as well as watermelons that Liu Li had had the palace staff plant in Shanglin Park last year, now ripe and ready to eat.

However, the watermelons she had grown weren't very sweet, perhaps due to improper cultivation methods.

The palace staff fetched ice from the ice cellar, crushed it according to Liu Li's instructions, added the pre‑cut fruit, then drizzled a layer of hawthorn jam on top, producing a bowl of sweet‑and‑tart shaved ice.

Because there was a lot of ice, after making three bowls there was plenty left. Thinking that Chen Ajiao and Liu Che were still holding a council in Xuanshi Hall, she blinked and immediately decided to have the staff make seventeen or eighteen bowls using the same ratio.

When the fruit shaved ice was ready, she ordered Zhuqing and Qiao, "Send people to deliver these shaved ice to Xuanshi Hall for the Emperor, Empress, and the ministers to cool off."

Crushed ice melts quickly, so Zhuqing and the others didn't dare to delay; they used an ice‑carrying carriage to bring the prepared shaved ice to the entrance of Xuanshi Hall.

Su Wen came out and asked, "What is this?"

Zhuqing hurriedly replied, "This is the princess's specially prepared cooling shaved ice for Your Majesty, the little lord, and all the ministers; please go in and report to the Emperor—if the shaved ice melts, it won't taste good."

Su Wen, after hearing this, quickly turned and ran into the council chamber of Xuanshi Hall, reporting to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Princess Jianling has sent shaved ice to cool you and the others."

Even with the windows open for ventilation, the council chamber remained stifling. Behind Chen Ajiao, a palace maid fanned her with a palm fan; the other ministers fared worse, their backs soaked with sweat.

Hearing there was something to cool them, the ministers instantly perked up. Chen Ajiao gave a slight nod, "Bring it in."

With the Emperor's approval, the inner court attendants carried bowl after bowl of shaved ice inside, giving each minister a bowl; Liu Li thoughtfully provided everyone with a small wooden spoon.

Chen Ajiao and Liu Che ate a slightly larger portion of shaved ice; a single bite chilled straight to the heart, and all irritation and heat vanished instantly.

Liu Che took a bite, raised an eyebrow, and said, "So fruit can be enjoyed like this; Liu Li always thinks of things others don't."

The ministers present, after tasting the icy, delicious shaved ice, all nodded in approval and then bowed to the Emperor, "We thank Princess Jianling for the cooling shaved ice."

Chen Ajiao smiled and waved, "All ministers, please enjoy this fruit shaved ice."

Liu Che kept taking several mouthfuls, and Chen Ajiao quickly raised her hand to stop him, "Eat a little less."

Liu Che: "?"

"Liu Li said that a woman's body should avoid too much cold food; this shaved ice is so chilling, you should eat less… And moreover—" Chen Ajiao elongated her words, "Don't forget, you just had a miscarriage not long ago, didn't you?"

Liu Che: "……" He had indeed forgotten that matter.

Earlier, to protect himself, he had falsely claimed he was already pregnant. As time passed, his belly showed no sign, and to keep the secret, Liu Che had to stage a "miscarriage" act himself, successfully deceiving everyone.

After a second try, Liu Che thought his performance was pretty good; at least everyone believed his "miscarriage" was real.

This time the ministers were still discussing the drought situation across Great Han; in May there had been signs of drought, and now in July–August they were manifesting.

Fortunately, in May the Emperor had already ordered Zheng to lead officials knowledgeable in hydraulics to dig canals, which alleviated water shortages in some drought‑stricken areas, though such work couldn't be finished in a day or two and required a large fiscal outlay.

Sang Hongyang stood and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured; the treasury is now abundant, and we will do everything we can to further enrich the treasury for you."

Chen Ajiao smiled and nodded, "Much obliged, Grand Minister of Agriculture."

Now the salt‑iron offices, together with Princess Jianling's various commercial ideas, mean the treasury holds more copper coins than during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, who saved frugally.

On the other side, the agriculture official stood and reported, "Earlier the Emperor had us trial the 'substitution field' method in Shanglin Park; now the millet is thriving and can be harvested in autumn. Also, the sweet‑potato seedlings Princess Jianling gave us have been planted using the same method; we observe their growth daily and they'll be ready for harvest in two months."

Chen Ajiao repeatedly nodded, "Thank you all for your hard work."

The ministers rose and bowed to the Emperor, "We serve Great Han, bring blessings to the people; how could we speak of hardship?"

With such diligent officials, Liu Che felt pleased. After the council ended and the Emperor and Empress returned to Cool Hall, Liu Che asked, "Will we still go to Ganquan Palace for summer retreat this year?"

Chen Ajiao couldn't help recalling last year's events at Ganquan Palace, raised an eyebrow slightly, "Are you sure you want to go?"

Liu Che, unconcerned, said, "What's stopping us? Do you think I'd be assassinated in the same place twice?"

"Fine, if Liu Li also wants to go to Ganquan Palace, then we'll go." Chen Ajiao nodded in agreement.

However, just as Liu Li said she could go to Ganquan Palace, a tragic news arrived from Hejian Kingdom: King Liu De had died of illness.

Upon receiving the news, Chen Ajiao and Liu Che were stunned for a long time; after the messenger who delivered the report was summoned, they learned that the King of Hejian had fallen ill after returning from presenting books in Chang'an last year and had been recuperating in his fief. Even while ill, he continued copying ancient texts for Great Han, fulfilling his mission.

He endured the cold winter, passed the early spring, and finally in this midsummer, exhausted to illness, he forever closed his eyes.

After hearing these deeds, Liu Che sincerely admired his elder brother; to honor Liu De's merits, he and Chen Ajiao proposed granting him the posthumous title "Xian," thereby recognizing Liu De's lifetime contributions to the moral and educational development of Great Han's people.

Liu Li, upon learning of Liu De's death, felt quite sad. She closed her eyes and looked at the affection interface; the progress bar for Liu De had turned gray, and the number behind it was forever stuck at 90 points.

Historically, Liu De also died in the fifth year of Yuan Guang.

"System, didn't I already slightly alter the outcome of Liu De's offering of books? This time the Emperor no longer suspects Liu De, so why did he still die of illness?" Liu Li felt depressed; she had previously really thought Liu De could live longer.

Clearly, I had already changed Dou Ying's fate before.

"Hejian King Liu De died of illness." The system gave a cold explanation, then revealed no further information.

Liu Li could only rely on her own understanding, repeatedly reciting the sentence—"Hejian King Liu De died of illness." After a long while, as if she had thought of something, she asked in her own interpretation: "Illness‑caused death and natural death are unchangeable, but if it is a human disaster, fate can be altered, is that so?"

"Yes." The system responded.

Liu Li, upon hearing this, felt a sudden deep sigh; she could change the fates of the beheaded Dou Ying and Chu Fu, yet could not alter Liu De's fate.

Though it felt somewhat sad, Liu Li thought it also quite reasonable. Finally, when Chen Ajiao remotely offered mourning for the Hejian King, Liu Li silently bowed to the land of Hejian Kingdom.

The death of the Hejian King, for Chen Ajiao, was not only the loss of a vassal king but also of a close brother. Moreover, Liu De's death was a loss for Great Han as well.

Because the Hejian King passed away, the Empress ultimately chose to stay in Chang Le Palace for the summer; Chen Ajiao broadcast the news throughout the realm, and perhaps the people who had benefited from Liu De's donations would also mourn his passing.

It is unclear whether it was heaven's jealousy of talent, but it is said that on the day the Hejian King was buried, a torrential rain fell over the night of Hejian Kingdom, washing away the day's stifling heat and bringing a hint of coolness.

Afterwards, the most oppressive midsummer gradually drew to a close; on the ninth day of the ninth month, Chen Ajiao performed a sacrifice to the Heavenly Deities in the Ming Tang, praying for a bountiful harvest this year.

October, the beginning of the sixth year of Yuan Guang.

This year, due to drought, the grain harvest was far less than in previous years, but fortunately many substitutes for staple grains now exist, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Liu Che looked at the now prosperous Great Han and felt it was no worse than when his father and grandfather reigned; he was quite pleased. He even wanted Chen Ajiao to perform another sacrifice in the Ming Tang, to inform the celestial beings of his achievements.

However, before this idea could be realized, the central court received news that tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalry had invaded Great Han's Shanggu Commandery (present‑day Zhangjiakou, Hebei).

When the news reached Chang'an from Shanggu Commandery, Liu Che was enraged; upon learning that the Xiongnu were burning, killing, and looting in Shanggu, nearly exterminating the ordinary civilians, his fury could not be contained, and he even flipped the table in anger.

The palace maids attending him were stunned, their eyes wide at the Empress's such fury.

In the adjoining room, Liu Li heard the commotion, startled, and ran barefoot over; seeing the hall strewn with chaos, she exclaimed in shock, "Mother Empress, what's wrong?" She was about to step forward but was stopped by a nearby palace maid.

"Princess, watch your step."

A teapot on the floor had been smashed by Liu Che, and Liu Li was barefoot.

Coming to his senses from his anger, Liu Che's gaze fell on Liu Li's pale bare feet, where a few sharp teapot shards lay nearby. He frowned, strode to his daughter's side, and lifted her into his arms, moving her away from the wreckage.

"Why did you come out without shoes?" Liu Che whispered a rebuke, then turned to the palace maids and said, "You all clean this up."

The maids promptly replied, "Yes."

Liu Che, carrying Liu Li, went out, about to hand his daughter to a waiting maid, then intended to find Chen Ajiao to convene the ministers and discuss the Xiongnu invasion of Shanggu Commandery.

Liu Li clung tightly to Liu Che's neck, voice trembling, "Mother Empress, I want Father Emperor." She showed a frightened expression, her phoenix‑like eyes resembling Chen Ajiao's watery and misty, pitiful.

At this moment she could not let Liu Che abandon her, for her system had already updated a new task—"Ding, witness the Battle of Longcheng."

Therefore she must stay glued to Liu Che; the more she participates in witnessing, the more points the system awards.

Liu Che stared at her delicate little face, hesitated briefly, and coaxed, "A Li, be good; Father Emperor will have very important matters to handle soon, you stay by yourself."

Liu Li tilted her head, nestled into Liu Che's embrace, and whispered, "A Li will be good, won't disturb Father Emperor or Mother Empress while they handle matters. Moreover… A Li can also help Father Emperor."

Liu Che was momentarily stunned, recalling that his daughter could communicate with the Heavenly Deities; after a brief hesitation he nodded, "Alright, we'll go together." His heart raced, wishing he could summon all Inner Court ministers at once to discuss the matter.

The Xiongnu were truly overstepping!

Liu Li quietly watched the distressed beauty before her, unconsciously pursing her lips.

Historical records state that in the sixth year of Emperor Wu's Yuan Guang era, autumn of 129 BC, the Xiongnu launched an invasion of Great Han's Shanggu Commandery. The Great Han court was outraged; Emperor Wu personally devised a strategic plan, dividing forces into four routes to counterattack. The commanding generals of these four armies were Wei Qing, Li Guang, Gongsun Ao, and Gongsun He.

This counteroffensive yielded modest results; only Wei Qing led cavalry to slay over seven hundred Xiongnu, stormed their Longcheng, and secured victory, known historically as the Battle of Longcheng. Wei Qing rose to fame through this campaign.

The other three generals: Gongsun He returned empty‑handed, while Li Guang and Gongsun Ao fell into an Xiongnu ambush, nearly annihilating their forces.

Liu Li thought that since she existed in this timeline, such tragic outcomes would not occur!

Now all Inner Court officials had been urgently summoned to the Xuanshi Hall; Chen Ajiao had Su Wen present the urgent report from Shanggu Commandery to the ministers, and everyone listened with extreme anger.

"These Xiongnu have utterly lost all virtue!"

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu's humiliation of Great Han is intolerable; I can no longer bear it, I request you dispatch troops immediately to punish the Xiongnu!"

"How innocent the people of Shanggu Commandery are! As long as the Xiongnu remain, Great Han will never be at peace!"

Sitting beside them, Liu Che clenched his fists tightly; the words of these Inner Court ministers struck his heart.

Now the Xiongnu dare to invade Shanggu Commandery; if Great Han continues to swallow its anger and pacify the situation with marriage alliances, the Xiongnu will eventually feel bold enough to invade Chang'an!

Liu Che said coldly, "This battle must be fought back!"

The ministers all responded, "Fight it back!" After shouting, they were startled, then realized it was the Empress who had spoken.

Chen Ajiao gently raised her arm, nudged Liu Che, signaling him to restrain himself; then she stood and said, "The Empress is right; this battle must be fought back. Our Great Han people will never tolerate the Xiongnu's trampling and insult! Yet how and when to fight requires the ministers and me to discuss together."

When the Great Han court received the news from Shanggu Commandery, the Xiongnu had already looted and departed, leaving the city desolate, awaiting a decision from the central court.

"I think the immediate priority is to settle the surviving citizens of Shanggu Commandery," Dongfang Shuo said. "We must first stabilize the people's hearts before we can devise a counter‑offensive."

Chen Ajiao nodded, "Makes sense."

Finally, the ministers debated how to appease the surviving people of Shanggu Commandery and how to counter the Xiongnu, among other plans; they dispersed only after dusk fell.

Su Wen, seeing the discussion end, hurried in and asked, "Your Majesty, shall we dine here?"

Chen Ajiao had been hungry for a while; seeing Liu Che's lingering anger, she thought and nodded, "Fine, we can dine in the Xuanshi Hall and then return."

Liu Li also waited until the discussion ended before emerging from the side hall, calling, "Mother, Father Emperor."

Chen Ajiao looked at her, suddenly noticing her daughter had come barefoot; she reached out and pulled Liu Li close, "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

Liu Li pursed her lips and said, "I was in such a hurry earlier that I forgot my shoes." She wiggled her toes, "It's fine, it's not cold now anyway."

She obediently sat beside Chen Ajiao, looked up at Liu Che, and said, "Father Emperor, I heard everything you discussed earlier, A Li."

Liu Che's expression darkened as he nodded, "Hmm."

Then he looked at Chen Ajiao and said, "Today's discussions involve only Inner Court ministers; tomorrow morning at the court, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers may not align with your wishes. Many old, stubborn officials in the court will likely advise you to adopt a marriage‑alliance policy to ensure border peace."

The reason Inner Court ministers can enter the Inner Court and directly contact the Son of Heaven is that they understand his thoughts.

"Still consider a marriage alliance?" Chen Ajiao, upon hearing the term, instinctively frowned, "A marriage alliance probably won't resolve this incident."

Liu Che snorted coldly, "Of course it can't."

"Back then, Emperor Gaozu was besieged at Baideng for seven days and sought aid from the Xiongnu's Modu Chanyu to escape. Since then, Great Han has annually sent the Xiongnu massive amounts of cloth, silk, grain, wine, and money, even sending a royal princess as a bride. Yet did Modu Chanyu become satisfied? The Xiongnu repeatedly broke the treaty, continuing to raid our borders. During Emperor Wen's reign, they even threatened Chang'an, nearly burning Ganquan Palace! This is a humiliation for Great Han!"

Liu Che's voice was cold, each word dripping with hatred for the Xiongnu. He clenched his fist and said, "In the previous Battle of Mayi, I was defeated. But this time, I will not allow Great Han to fail!"

The Great Han of today was long since no longer the Great Han of its early founding!

After the Battle of Mayi, Liu Che had made his stance clear to the Xiongnu: from then on, the Great Han would send no more princesses for marriage alliances. Four years later, the Xiongnu had not abandoned their treacherous designs and had actually invaded Shanggu Commandery—if such arrogant aggression was not crushed, the Great Han would perish!

Liu Che stared fixedly at Ajiao, his expression turning ruthless and fierce: "Tomorrow, whoever dares utter the words 'marriage alliance' in the court hall shall be stripped of office and beheaded on the spot!"

In the previous wars between the Great Han and the Xiongnu, the Great Han had never won. This was what had led to the Xiongnu acting so recklessly without fear, even moving their range of activity south of the Qin Great Wall.

One must remember that back then, Qin Shi Huang ordered the Great Wall built precisely to fend off the Xiongnu—and yet how much time had passed before the Qin Great Wall became effectively useless?

In the hearts of the people of the Great Han at this time, the Xiongnu were an invincible horde of devils. They would believe that sending a marriage-alliance princess could at least secure the common folk of the Great Han a few years of peace.

Liu Li looked at the Liu Che before her. She thought that in real history, if Emperor Wu of Han had not insisted on waging counteroffensives against the Xiongnu—thoroughly defeating them and winning back the dignity of the Han people—the future might truly have been hard to predict.

Later generations all say that Emperor Wu's wars against the Xiongnu were reckless militarism that not only depleted the nation's population but also emptied the imperial treasury. Yet they do not know that in every battle of the early Han against the Xiongnu, it was the Xiongnu who invaded and provoked first.

As someone who knew history, Liu Li knew that this counteroffensive was of vital importance to the Great Han. In history, only the cavalry forces led by Wei Qing had achieved victory—but in this timeline, she would ensure that all four commanding generals returned triumphant together!

Later generations always joke that Li Guang could never earn a marquisate because he never won a single battle. So in this timeline, she might as well help fulfill this veteran commander's long-cherished wish of being granted a marquisate after years of campaigning on the battlefield.