Jun You Ji Fou

Chapter 30

The festival had passed, and the festive atmosphere was gradually fading. Early spring was approaching, and the snow was melting.

In the city of Chang'an, shops were opening one after another. Customers were still scarce, so the shop assistants leaned against the doorframes, idly chatting. Suddenly, someone exclaimed, and the crisp sound of bells could be heard coming from the direction of the city gate, prompting people along the street to look out curiously.

Soldiers cleared the way at the front, and a long caravan passed through the street, heading towards the palace. The camels' bells jingled softly, and the wheels of the carriages rumbled. Women from foreign lands, their faces covered with light veils, moved gracefully, following in two lines behind a palanquin. The embroidered curtain of the palanquin was secretly lifted at one corner, revealing a pair of dark green eyes. A child perched on an upper floor saw this and pointed excitedly, only to be quickly hushed by an adult, who whispered, "Loulan."

Loulan was located in the Western Regions, at a strategic point on the trade routes, making it an important, though small, country with prosperous cities. Historically, Loulan had wavered between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu, only recently drawing closer to the Han. Despite increased interactions, it was unprecedented for them to come at the start of spring.

On that day, as the court reconvened, Chu Mingyun, having just left the golden palace, saw the welcoming procession from afar and wondered aloud to Su Shiyu, "Who is the envoy sent by Loulan this time, to be received with such princely honors?"

"Today, the princess of Loulan herself has come bearing gifts," explained Su Shiyu.

Chu Mingyun nodded, reflecting for a moment, and then understood the meaningful looks Su Shiyu had been giving him all day.

It was said that the princess of Loulan was so spoiled and willful that she had reached the pinnacle of arrogance. She had been married off three times, each marriage lasting less than a month. Either she ordered her husband to be beaten to death, or she slapped and insulted her in-laws, forcing them to beg the king to annul the marriage. After such turmoil, no one in the country dared to marry her, and the king of Loulan, who doted on his daughter, once offered three cities as a dowry, hoping to find a suitable husband for her in the Han Dynasty.

At that time, Chu Mingyun laughed lightly in the court and decisively pushed his rival, Su Shiyu, into the spotlight. He said that without parents-in-law, there would be less trouble, and Su Shiyu, being upright and gentle, and without a wife or concubines, was the perfect candidate. He then casually added that he had seen the princess of Loulan smile at Su Shiyu when she alighted from her carriage.

Upon hearing this last remark, the usually calm Su Shiyu finally turned and looked deeply at Chu Mingyun.

Afterward, Chu Mingyun did not pay attention to how Su Shiyu resolved the matter, but he clearly remembered that on that day, after the court session, Su Shiyu spoke to him for the first time in five years, beyond the usual greetings.

Reflecting on this, Chu Mingyun coughed lightly and said with a smile, "Lord Su, at that time I was just..."

Su Shiyu glanced at him.

Chu Mingyun said, "...never mind."

Su Shiyu then chuckled softly, saying warmly, "Lord Chu, there's no need to mind. The princess is not as willful as the rumors suggest."

Chu Mingyun raised an eyebrow slightly but did not continue the topic.

On the first day of the court's reconvening, there were no affairs to attend to, so Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu walked out side by side. As they talked, the sound of running and tinkling bells approached from behind them in the palace corridor. They stopped talking and turned to look, and a graceful young girl threw her arms around Su Shiyu's arm, looking up at him with a bright smile, "An Yino!"