Though there was no extravagance or grand celebration, Tu River was still lively that day.
The Zhen Clan sent a hundred cartloads of dowry, rolling magnificently into Tu River.
As one of the earliest great clans to pledge themselves to Wang Yan, none had gained more than the Zhen Clan. Over the past three years, their business had expanded explosively. Books, salt and iron, furs, medicinal herbs, mountain goods, and more—they had become the largest distributors of them all, causing their clan to rapidly swell in scale. And that was only their lowly commercial trade.
Zhen Sheng, the highest-ranking among them, served as the General's Mansion's Internal Historian for Commerce. Quite a few other Zhen Clan members held civil administrative posts, while others worked in medicine and Wenchang Pavilion. Though none held particularly high rank, they had nevertheless formed a genuine force, deeply tied to General Wang.
Now, as the first woman to marry into the General's Mansion, it did not matter how the other great clans viewed it. The Zhen Clan intended to make sure everyone knew. If Wuji had not been the clan's ancestral homeland, too difficult to abandon, they would already have moved north in their entirety. In truth, they were already shifting northward, leaving only part of the clan behind in Wuji. Wang Yan had said more than once that the Han Dynasty would perish and the realm would descend into chaos, and they trusted his judgment completely.
No one had had more contact with Wang Yan than they had, and no one believed in him more deeply.
The long convoy entered Tu River City amid drums and gongs before the autumn sun could turn scorching, then proceeded all the way to the General's Mansion.
For once, Wang Yan wore festive red robes. He had even