Wang Mang made his way toward Chang'an, sending letter after letter out in every direction as he went.
During Emperor Xiaoxuan's reign, Zhao City had thrown its gates wide open. People from the states in every direction could enter Duke Zhao's State to trade, study, travel, and make pilgrimages. Apart from the difficulty of obtaining an official post and a few restrictions, there was essentially no distinction anymore.
The opening of Duke Zhao's State went both ways. Not only could outsiders enter, but its subjects were also allowed to migrate freely, especially members of the Luo Clan, apart from a handful of people with special identities, such as Xiang Yu's descendants.
When Duke Zhao's State first opened, not many people migrated. But as exchanges increased, particularly with the growing number of scholars coming to study, people befriended one another, accepted invitations to enter official service, and even introduced their younger sisters and other women to members of the Luo Clan.
The Han Dynasty's social customs were also open. There was no notion that women should never step beyond either gate of their homes, and the Luo Clan turned no one away, so women naturally came to study as well. After more than a century of integration and exchange, there was little difference beyond household registration.
Zhao City was a haven for retirement and a sanctuary for those who enjoyed peace and quiet, but peace and quiet were not all that members of the Luo Clan enjoyed.
After all, even Luo Clan Scions bearing Sacred Marks had different personalities, let alone ordinary members of the Luo Clan.
Over a century, people naturally continued to move away. However, Duke Zhao's State had always kept its population in check, so if more people left, they simply had more children. Female clan members in