The first year of the Taihe era of Wei.
Luoyang.
In the pavilion of a residence, two men sat on the ground around a low table.
"Fengming, do you have any pretty girls in this residence of yours?" Cao Shuang asked with a wicked grin.
Watching Cao Shuang across from him wolf down meat, grease coating his mouth, Xiahou Xian shook his head helplessly.
"You know me, Brother Zhaobo. This residence of mine is a place of peace and quiet."
"How boring." Cao Shuang gulped down some wine, then asked, "I heard you wanted to command troops in a frontier commandery, Fengming?"
Xiahou Xian was quite frank. "To tell you the truth, Brother Zhaobo, that is indeed my intention."
Cao Shuang wiped his mouth. "Have you gone stupid? What could be better than holding a comfortable post in the Capital? Why put yourself through the hardship of going to that bitterly cold place?"
Xiahou Xian merely smiled without answering and poured Cao Shuang another cup of wine.
In fact, he had transmigrated here yesterday and had only just finished digesting his memories.
The man before him, Cao Shuang, was the eldest son of General-in-Chief Cao Zhen and currently served as a Gentleman Cavalier Attendant at the emperor's side.
He had heard, however, that Cao Shuang would soon be transferred to the post of Colonel of the City Gates.
In time, Cao Shuang would also be promoted to General of the Martial Guard, commanding the central army's palace guards. Later, through a strange twist of fate, he would become a regent-and then bring Great Wei down with him.
As for himself, he was the son of Grand Princess Qinghe and her husband, Xiahou Mao, which made him the grandson of Cao Cao, Emperor Wu, the Grand Progenitor.
In history, Xiahou Xian would rise to the position of General of the Central Army and was about to become one of Wei State's regents before Cao Rui entrusted his heir to their care.
But through a strange twist of fate, the edict was altered, he was dismissed from office, and he disappeared from the historical stage.
Everyone knew what happened afterward: three generations of the Sima clan held the reins of government and ultimately succeeded in usurping the throne.
Given a chance to start again, Xiahou Xian wanted to take a different path.
Perhaps he could replace Cao Shuang as regent.
Perhaps he could plan ahead and strangle the Sima family's scheme in its cradle.
Perhaps there was some other path...
In any case, he would not let Huaxia suffer the tragedy of the Five Barbarians' ravaging again.
The next day.
A rather luxurious carriage rolled slowly along a level road paved with blue stone, the imperial bells hanging at its front chiming crisply from time to time.
Inside the carriage, a handsome young man sat beside a beautiful young matron whose charms had not faded.
"Xian'er, have you memorized the etiquette Mother taught you?" the beautiful matron asked, her red lips parting slightly.
She wore sumptuous robes, her skin fair and her features strikingly beautiful. Had she not said so, no one would have guessed that she was already forty-one.
"I have memorized it all."
Xiahou Xian nodded in reply, but did not know what else to say.
Finding the atmosphere inside the carriage somewhat stifling, he could only lift the curtain and gaze idly out the window.
It was the depths of winter, and most of those on the streets of Luoyang, the Capital, were armored patrol soldiers.
Apart from the soldiers' heavy, measured footfalls, the only sound was the creaking and rattling of the carriage's wooden wheels against the blue stone pavement.
"Halt!" Suddenly, an armored patrol soldier blocked the carriage's path.
The soldier was just about to speak when the squad leader beside him grabbed him and yanked him behind his back.
The squad leader hurriedly lowered his head, held his hands respectfully before him, and bowed toward the carriage. "A new recruit who does not know the rules. I beg Your Ladyship to punish him!"
"Let it be." A woman's gentle voice came from within the carriage.
As though granted a great pardon, the squad leader promptly straightened and ordered his men to clear the road.
"Let them through at once!"
Once the carriage had slowly moved away, the soldier who had been disrespectful toward it lowered his head, turned toward the squad leader, and asked quietly, "Boss, whose carriage was that?"
Hearing this, the squad leader flew into a towering rage and grabbed the soldier by his collar. "Open those dog eyes of yours and take a good look for me! How many imperial bells were hanging on that carriage?"
"Six?" The soldier briefly thought back, then suddenly froze. "Could it be...?"
"When you're on duty in Luoyang, watch your words and your actions! If you'd said so much as one more word just now, you might have lost your head!"
After berating him with a stream of curses, the squad leader led his men off toward the next street.
In Great Wei, the imperial bells on a carriage were a symbol of status.
Even the emperor's carriage carried only eight such bells, so the carriage that had just passed clearly belonged to someone among Great Wei's highest nobility.
And that was indeed the case.
Xiahou Xian belonged to the third generation of Great Wei's imperial clan. He was the maternal grandson of Cao Cao, Emperor Wu, the Grand Progenitor, and the paternal grandson of the former General-in-Chief Xiahou Dun. Calling him one of the highest nobility was no exaggeration.
The carriage stopped outside the northern palace gate; the rest of the journey had to be made on foot.
The two walked slowly through the palace passageways and soon arrived at the main hall.
The Hall of the Supreme Ultimate before them had been built in Luoyang after Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, proclaimed himself emperor and founded Wei. Though it had been completed only a few years earlier, its grandeur was already enough to display Great Wei's imposing might.
Guided by a eunuch, Xiahou Xian supported Princess Qinghe by the hand as they climbed the steps toward the main chamber of the Hall of the Supreme Ultimate.
After entering the main hall, Xiahou Xian happened to glance up at the dragon throne above the jade steps and discovered that the reigning emperor, Cao Rui, had yet to arrive.
Xiahou Xian and his mother were seated at a low table.
"Elder Sister, you're here." Seeing the two sit down, a beautiful woman immediately approached them.
She was also Cao Cao's daughter, Princess Anyang. She had married Xun Yun, the son of Xun Yu.
Sadly, Xun Yun had died young, leaving Princess Anyang a widow at an early age. It had been five years by now, perhaps.
Princess Anyang was considerably younger than Princess Qinghe, only twenty-five or twenty-six now.
Her lovely eyes turned toward the lad beside Qinghe. "Xian'er has grown so much? What a fine-looking young man." As she spoke, the tip of her tongue casually moistened her red lips.
Xiahou Xian ignored her subtle gesture, merely holding his hands respectfully before him as he said courteously, "Greetings, Aunt."
"Come visit your aunt's residence when you have time." Princess Anyang suddenly took Xiahou Xian's hand, her gaze somewhat obscure and difficult to read.
She paused, then added, "Oh, Han'er and Yi'er have been hoping you would teach them military strategy."
Only then did Xiahou Xian notice the two children behind Princess Anyang: her eldest son, Xun Han, and her second son, Xun Yi.
Neither was very old, probably around ten, and they had yet to bind up their hair.
"I will certainly come trouble you when I have some free time. I hope you won't find me a nuisance, Aunt," Xiahou Xian replied with a perfunctory courtesy.
Just then, another beautiful woman entered the hall with a boy. She looked very dignified, her skin translucent and so delicate it seemed a breath or touch might break it.
Under a eunuch's guidance, she led the boy to the seat below Princess Anyang's and sat down.
At this, Anyang turned toward the beautiful woman.
"You're still so full of youthful vitality, Little Sister. Unlike me-old and yellowed like a faded pearl."
The little sister Anyang referred to was Princess Jinxiang, Cao Cao's youngest daughter. She had married Cao Cao's adopted son, He Yan.
It was worth mentioning that He Yan loved grandiose talk and was dissolute by nature. Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, detested him.
Only out of consideration for Jinxiang had Cao Pi given him an official post, and even then it was merely a redundant position with nothing to do.
"What are you saying, Elder Sister? You're still as enchanting and lovely as ever." Jinxiang's voice was very soft, and her words went straight to Anyang's heart.
Anyang wore a sorrowful expression. "Ah, you truly have suffered, Little Sister. Your husband He doesn't even know to cherish a peerless beauty like you, spending every day indulging himself outside."
Hearing this, Jinxiang merely sighed inwardly without answering. Qinghe, however, was displeased.
Qinghe had never much liked Anyang's temperament. On top of that, although the earlier remark about being "old and yellowed like a faded pearl" had not referred to her, she could not help feeling hurt.
Now that Anyang had said this as well, she very much suspected that Anyang was deliberately shooting veiled barbs at her.
After all, Xiahou Xian's father, Xiahou Mao, had not dared behave too outrageously while in Luoyang, but ever since taking up his post in Guanzhong, he had begun letting himself run free.
Behind her back, Xiahou Mao had secretly kept many beautiful concubines for his pleasure. Every time Qinghe thought of it, she ground her teeth in hatred.
Still, she suppressed the urge to quarrel with Anyang. After all, she had important business to attend to today.
"Then again, men keeping a few concubines is perfectly normal..." Anyang suddenly turned and rested her gaze on Xiahou Xian. "Wouldn't you say so, Xian'er?"
Xiahou Xian roughly understood what Anyang was implying. At first, he was somewhat surprised, but then he remembered that this was the Wei-Jin era.
Such was the romantic abandon of Wei and Jin. Who knew when propriety and shame among Cao Wei's nobility had long since been smashed to pieces?
Still, he had only just arrived in this world, and for the moment, he really was not quite used to it.
"Anyang, what do you mean by that?" Qinghe finally could no longer stay seated and rose to have it out with her.
Looking thoroughly wronged, Anyang said in a coy voice, "You really have misunderstood me, Elder Sister. Xian'er is the only man here. I was merely curious about his opinion."
"You!" Qinghe grew even angrier.
Just then, a eunuch's shrill voice rang out.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Only then did everyone stop talking and take their seats.