The road to Luoyang had become much smoother than before.
Several Hu Cavalry riders on swift horses cleared the official road, followed by several carriages, with dozens more horsemen bringing up the rear.
These Hu Cavalry riders dressed completely differently from the Xianbei, the Xiongnu, and the other powers.
They wore tall felt hats, somewhat like the Gaoshan Crowns of pre-Qin times, with cloth armor and belts made from animal pelts hanging at their waists, and surveyed their surroundings curiously.
Inside one carriage sat two people, one old and one young.
The elder truly looked advanced in years. His hair was snowy white, and even his beard and eyebrows had begun to whiten. He had a very kindly face.
He was looking outside through the carriage curtain, an indescribable loneliness in his eyes.
The younger one was just a child. He sat respectfully to one side, his head lowered, not daring to meet the elder's eyes.
"I haven't returned in decades... everywhere has changed, but not as much as I imagined."
Surveying the scenes outside, where prosperity met ruins, the elder could not help sighing.
The child hurriedly said, "Lord Cheng, since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has devoted himself to unification and had no time to attend to other matters. Unification has only just been accomplished; the various regions have only begun to flourish in these past few years."
At his words, the elder could not help laughing heartily.
"Do you think I'm belittling His Majesty? Do I need a little boy like you to defend him?"
The child smiled awkwardly. "It's just that you haven't visited the Central Plains in many years, Lord Cheng. I was afraid you might not know the situation here."
This elder was named Cheng Yi, and he was Great Wei's Chief Clerk