However, Zhen Yan had always been in poor health. Madam Zhang handled the household affairs, while he devoted himself solely to his studies.
Zhen Yan coughed for a while, a sickly flush rising to his cheeks. Only after he had recovered somewhat did he say, "Summoning our youngest sister into the palace was not the Son of Heaven's idea, but Yuan Shao's."
"Yuan Shao originally intended to arrange a marriage between his second son, Yuan Xi, and our Zhen Clan. But because our youngest sister was once foretold to bear the destiny of a phoenix, rumors began circulating that Yuan Shao harbored disloyal ambitions."
"That is why Yuan Shao decided to offer our youngest sister to the Son of Heaven instead."
"Whether the Son of Heaven in Ye City is genuine or an impostor, we cannot refuse, because the one who truly wishes to summon our youngest sister into the palace is Yuan Shao."
Although Zhen Yan seldom left home, he was by no means cut off from the news.
Zhen Yan had already investigated what had happened in Ye City. When it came to Zhen Mi entering the palace, the Zhen family had no path open to them except cooperation.
Chapter 62: Fengxiao, It's Time for Your Medicine
Zhen Yan understood Yuan Shao's purpose perfectly.
He wanted to win over their Zhen Clan.
Offering Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven was merely a way to preserve his reputation.
But understanding that did not mean they had any way to resist.
Leaving aside whether they could refuse an imperial decree, even if they could, their Zhen Clan could not bear Yuan Shao's wrath.
"Second Brother, must we send our youngest sister into the palace?"
Zhen Yao asked, unwilling to accept it.
He truly could not bear to watch his youngest sister leap into a pit of unknown depth. Whether she would even be able to keep herself safe afterward was uncertain.
Even if the Son of Heaven in Ye City was genuine, the Han Dynasty was now in decline. What good would becoming an imperial consort do?
Zhen Yan remained silent, pondering possible countermeasures.
Just then, a young woman in a moon-white dress suddenly entered the hall and said to Madam Zhang and Zhen Yan, "Mother, Second Brother, there is no need to discuss this any further. I will go to Ye City."
Her voice was exceptionally sweet and clear, giving those who heard it an indescribable sense of comfort.
She looked about sixteen or seventeen, with a delicately tapered face full of classical beauty and a slender figure. Her eyes shone brightly, her brows were graceful, her nose finely shaped, and faint dimples appeared in her cheeks. She was exquisitely beautiful.
Although she still looked a little young, nothing could conceal her city-toppling beauty.
She was none other than the Zhen family's youngest daughter-Zhen Mi!
At the sight of Zhen Mi, Madam Zhang rose in surprise and could not help asking, "Mi? You... weren't you asleep?"
She had deliberately waited until Zhen Mi was asleep before gathering her other children to discuss this. She had never expected Zhen Mi to come over.
"Mother, you never urge me to go to bed early. When you suddenly did so today, how could I not take notice?"
Zhen Mi blinked and smiled as she spoke.
For a moment, Madam Zhang was speechless.
Then Zhen Mi turned to her second brother, Zhen Yan, and said earnestly, "Second Brother, the imperial decree has already arrived. If I refuse to go, I will bring disaster upon the entire Zhen Clan."
"I am a child of the Zhen Clan too. Devoting myself to the family's interests is my duty. How could I seek only to keep myself safe?"
"Besides, this is something we cannot escape."
Although Zhen Mi was young, she was already quite mature in her thinking.
That had much to do with her extensive reading of poetry and books since childhood.
She understood the Zhen Clan's current predicament very well. They could not contend with a colossus like the Yuan Clan. This decree reflected Yuan Shao's wishes more than anything else. Refusing to go would only anger him and give him grounds to condemn the Zhen Clan.
"But, little sister..."
With tears in her eyes, Zhen Jiang wanted to keep persuading her.
But Zhen Mi merely shook her head gently at her, then smiled radiantly. "Fourth Sister, there is no need to worry. The Son of Heaven in Ye City might not be an impostor, might he?"
"The person who read my face back then said I possessed an empress destiny. Being summoned into the palace now fulfills that prophecy perfectly. Fourth Sister, you ought to be happy for me."
Zhen Jiang's nose stung. She turned away and began to sob quietly.
Filled with guilt at those words, Madam Zhang said, "It is all my fault. I should never have sought out some face reader back then. If I hadn't, this calamity would never have happened."
A marriage alliance with the Yuan Clan would have been one thing. Entering the palace was fraught with unpredictable dangers.
And all of this stemmed from the face reader's eight-character prophecy: "A phoenix's destiny resides within her; her nobility is beyond words."
At that moment, Madam Zhang was consumed by regret.
"Enough."
Zhen Yan let out a long sigh and made the final decision. "In that case, we will begin preparations tomorrow and send our youngest sister to Ye City."
He had watched Zhen Mi grow up and knew her temperament.
Although she looked delicate, she was tenacious and had a mind of her own. She would not change it easily.
Since she had already decided to enter the Son of Heaven's harem,
no amount of persuasion from them would do any good.
Now they could only hope that the Son of Heaven was genuine.
Once the decision was made to send Zhen Mi to Ye City, everyone in the Zhen Clan began preparing for her entry into the palace.
First came all manner of money and valuables: gold, silver, jewels, fine silks, rouge, powder, assorted ornaments, gifts, and the like. These were all necessities.
Even in the palace, there would be no shortage of expenses.
After all, this Son of Heaven had fled alone from Xu County to Ye City. He now possessed nothing and depended entirely on the Yuan Clan's support. Under those circumstances, were they supposed to let the Yuan Clan cover Zhen Mi's expenses once she entered the palace too?
The Zhen Clan did not lack that little bit of money, nor did they want their cherished daughter to live on a tight budget in the palace, so they began making lavish preparations.
The money and valuables alone filled over a hundred carriages!
With assorted clothing, the books Zhen Mi enjoyed reading, everyday necessities, and everything else added in, the total reached nearly a hundred and fifty carriages.
They also assigned over a hundred servants, maidservants, and other attendants.
This was undoubtedly an extravagant undertaking, yet compared to the Zhen Clan's staggering wealth, it was insignificant-a single hair from nine oxen.
That was only because Ye City was not particularly far from Zhongshan, and the Zhen Clan's businesses spread throughout Ji Province, allowing them to provide Zhen Mi with money and goods at any time. Otherwise, given their extravagance, they would have prepared at least five hundred carriages of dowry goods to match the Zhen family's standing and status.
Thus, after three full days of preparation, Zhen Mi departed Wuji County in a grand procession, bearing a hundred and fifty carriages of possessions and accompanied by over a hundred servants. Her relatives saw her off as she set out for Ye City.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace in Ye City,
Liu Xie had finally found an opportunity to meet Guo Jia.
Inside a pavilion in the rear garden,
"Fengxiao, it has been quite some time since you last came to the palace to see me."
Liu Xie spoke to Guo Jia with considerable dissatisfaction. Without Guo Jia to chat with during this time, he had been bored to death.
Guo Jia cupped his hands. "I have truly been busy lately. Yuan Shang relies on me more and more and has taken me into his confidence. I have hardly had any opportunity to enter the palace and pay my respects to Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
"Busy as you are, you must still take care of your health."
Liu Xie spoke with earnest concern, then pushed a bowl of freshly prepared restorative ginseng soup toward Guo Jia with a kindly smile.
"I prepared this for you."
"It's time for your medicine, Fengxiao."
In history, Guo Jia had died young, at just thirty-eight.
Of course, that might have been because Boss Cao overworked his people and did not know how to cherish delicate flowers and precious jade. But Liu Xie considered himself a good boss. He did not want this model worker of an adviser to meet the same fate as he had in history, so he needed to nourish him properly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Guo Jia felt somewhat helpless, but warmth stirred in his heart. He took the bowl, drank a small sip, and could not help smacking his lips.
That taste was rather difficult to describe.
But since it was a gift from the Son of Heaven, Guo Jia steeled himself and drank it all.
Seeing Liu Xie about to pour him another bowl, Guo Jia's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly changed the subject. "Um... Your Majesty has heard about Zhen Mi, I assume?"
At those words, Liu Xie immediately perked up.
He had been wanting to ask Guo Jia about that very matter!
Chapter 63: The Whole World Against Me!
Once the conversation turned to Zhen Mi entering the palace, Liu Xie was no longer sleepy.
He had plenty of questions he wanted Guo Jia to answer.
"Fengxiao, did you arrange for Zhen Mi to enter the palace so that the Zhen Clan of Zhongshan would become another source of support for me?" Liu Xie asked directly.
In ancient times, marriage alliances between powerful families like these were all driven by interests.
He did not believe Guo Jia had merely wanted to send him a beautiful woman.
Guo Jia nodded. "Indeed. The Zhen Clan of Zhongshan is immensely wealthy in Ji Province. Winning them over would be of great assistance to Your Majesty."
"However, my main purpose this time was actually to drive a wedge between the brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang. Sending Zhen Mi into the palace and winning over the Zhen Clan were merely things I accomplished along the way. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me for acting on my own authority."
There was nothing wrong with driving a wedge between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang.
But deciding on his own to send Zhen Mi into the Son of Heaven's harem, without even seeking imperial approval, was disrespectful conduct for a subject.
"Oh, Fengxiao, what are you saying?"
Liu Xie swept his hand grandly and declared with righteous conviction, "As the saying goes, a general in the field need not obey every command from his sovereign. You were acting in my interests. Am I some pedantic, hidebound fool?"
"Go ahead and act boldly, without worry. I trust you!"
What a joke. The man was both winning over supporters for him and sending him history's greatest beauty as a wife. What on earth did he have to be angry about?
Unless he was Mai Shiranui's little brother, No Sense of Gratitude.
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