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Sun Shangxiang's eyes gleamed when she heard Wannian brought that topic. "Yes! And I should be going with them it was logical for me to join them, but a usual Father and my brothers insist I stay behind at Lujiang. As if I can't handle myself out there!"
Wannian arched a brow. "You did sneak into three battles already when your clan was fighting Shi Xie.."
"Two," Sun Shangxiang corrected. "The third time I was invited after insisting my father and my brothers."
Wannian laughed. "By whom? The enemy captain you knocked unconscious?"
Sun Shangxiang opened her mouth to retort when a new voice cut in.
"Ah. The infamous Lady Sun. I should have known the sudden rise in noise levels was your doing."
Sima Yi stood at the garden entrance, his arms folded, his expression caught between amusement and exasperation.
Sun Shangxiang stuck out her tongue. "And you're still as stuffy as ever, Lord Sima or should I call Minister Sima now."
Wannian sighed. "Must you two always bicker?"
Sima Yi's lips twitched. "It's tradition at this point."
Sun Shangxiang crossed her arms. "I'd challenge you to a duel right now if Wannian wasn't pregnant."
"And I'd decline," Sima Yi said smoothly. "I have no interest in being humiliated in my own home."
Before Sun Shangxiang could respond, a servant hurried in.
"My lord, my ladies, His Majesty has sent word. He requests Princess Wannian's presence at the palace tonight for a dinner together. And..." The servant hesitated. "He specifically mentioned that Lady Sun is to attend as well."
Sun Shangxiang blinked. "Me? Why? And how do Brother Lie Fan know I'm here?!."
Sima Yi smirked. "It's His Majesty now, Lady Sun. And how he heard of you here? Perhaps due to how loud your voice is... and the enthusiasm that was inside of you, so he wants to make sure you don't scale the palace walls for 'practice'."
Sun Shangxiang threw a pastry at him when she heard that.
Wannian on the other hand could only sighed again, as the bickering between her husband and her best friend was something that have happened since they were kids.
That evening, dressed in formal attire much to Shangxiang's annoyance, the two women arrived at the imperial palace alongside Sima Yi and Cheng Pu. The halls were alive with quiet activity, servants preparing the meal, Imperial guards standing at attention, officials bowing as they passed.
Lie Fan waited in the private dining chamber, his usual stern expression softening at the sight of his sister.
"Wannian," he said warmly, rising to embrace her. "You look well."
Wannian smiled. "I feel like a beached whale, but thank you, Imperial Brother."
Lie Fan chuckled before turning to Shangxiang. "Little Shangxiang. Why didn't you come and pay respect to me after meeting with Wannian."
Sun Shangxiang flushed but held her ground. "Brot- I mean Your Majesty, my visit here are only to see Princess Wannian, personal visit and not political, so I don't think I need to pay respect to Your Majesty."
Hearing that, everyone except for Lie Fan was surprised by the brazen words of Sun Shangxiang, Cheng Pu was going to faint while Wannian tries to signal to apologize to her brother, after all things are different now compared to what they were in the past.
Lie Fan on the other hand have his lips quirked. "Indeed, you're not wrong little Shangxiang. Though I should warn you to come down your enthusiasm, because if you cause trouble it make commotion here in Xiapi, I'll have no choice but to assign you to latrine duty for a month under your father approval."
Sun Shangxiang's jaw dropped.
Meanwhile everyone hevae a ugh of relieve that Lie Fan weren't offended even joked with Sun Shang Xiang, which cause Wannian to burst into laughter.
As the meal began, the conversation flowed easily, talk of family between Lie Fan and Wannian, of the southern campaign's preparations between Lie Fan, Sima Yi and Cheng Pu, and of the recent submission of Gaya. Sun Shangxiang listened intently, her earlier bravado giving way to genuine curiosity about the empire's workings.
But then Lie Fan dropped the bombshell.
"Ma Chao and the Ma Clan will be joining Shi Xie and Sun Ce's forces for the initial assault on Funan."
Sun Shangxiang choked on her wine.
Wannian patted her back sympathetically while Lie Fan and Sima Yi exchanged knowing looks.
Ah.
So that was why she'd been so eager to visit Xiapi.
The meal continued, the palace walls echoing with laughter, schemes, and the unspoken promise of wars to come. And somewhere, Sun Jian felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to strangle Cheng Pu but he doesn't know why.
After the dinner at the imperial palace concluded, Sun Shangxiang's eyes sparkled with barely contained energy. She clung to Cheng Pu's arm the moment they stepped into the palace courtyard, her voice already slipping into that sweet, spoiled lilt she had mastered since childhood.
"Uncle Cheng~!" she whined, drawing out the syllables as she tugged on his sleeve. "Let me stay with Princess Wannian tonight. Please? Just one night!"
Cheng Pu hesitated. "Lady Shangxiang, I really think we should return to the Sun residence. Your father—"
"Won't know if you don't tell him," she said with a wink. "Besides, I missed Wannian, and she missed me. Didn't you, Wannian?"
Princess Wannian chuckled softly, placing a hand over her belly. "I did. Let her stay, Uncle Cheng. We'll be safe at the Sima estate."
Cheng Pu looked to Sima Yi, as if silently pleading for reinforcement. But Sima Yi was already staring at his wife, who now gave him that look, the one that brokered no argument. A moment of silence passed, and then he exhaled heavily.
"Very well," he muttered. "But just one night."
"Thank you, Minister Sima," Sun Shangxiang said sweetly, making no effort to hide her triumphant grin.
Back at the Sima Clan residence, the energy was different. The halls were quieter, save for the occasional laughter of passing maids or the whisper of robes over polished floors.
Once inside the sitting room, Sun Shangxiang pulled Wannian by the hand to the cushioned couch. Sima Yi and Cheng Pu followed politely behind, but before they could settle in, Wannian clapped her hands together.
"We'll be talking alone," she said with finality. "The men can go do whatever it is men do."
Cheng Pu blinked. "Should we wait in the study?"
Sima Yi didn't bother hiding his sigh. "I suppose I'll be sharpening quills for the next hour."
The two men shuffled out, Cheng Pu giving Sun Shangxiang a long suffering look that was met with her playful wave.
As the doors closed, Wannian turned to her with an expression that could only be described as gleefully devious.
"So..." she began, her voice lilting with curiosity, "what exactly made you choke during the dinner?"
Sun Shangxiang blinked, her cheeks immediately pinking. "N... nothing! I just drank too fast, that's all!"
"Oh please," Wannian scoffed. "We've been friends for how long now? Don't lie to me. I know that look. Something got to you, and I want to know what it was."
Sun Shangxiang twisted a cushion in her lap, biting her lower lip. After a long pause, she exhaled sharply. "Fine. But you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not Sima Yi, not your brother, especially not my father or brothers."
"On my unborn child's life," Wannian replied with full sincerity as she placed her hand over her heart.
Sun Shangxiang took a deep breath, cheeks still tinged red. After a beat of hesitation, she speak in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. "It's... it's Ma Chao. I think I might... maybe... possibly... like him."
There was a beat of silence. Then to Shangxiang's horror, Wannian let out a delighted squeal that echoed through the whole room clapping her hands together..
"I knew it! I KNEW IT! Oh, this is perfect!"
"Shhh! Shhh!" Sun Shangxiang hissed, grabbing Wannian's arm while glancing frantically at the door. "Keep it down! What if someone hears?"
"Oh, don't be such a baby! This is amazing! When did this happen? How did this happen? Tell me everything."
Blushing furiously, Sun Shangxiang began to explain. "I saw him some time ago, remember when my father and eldest brother were granted their titles and we came to Xiapi for the ceremony? I was out walking in the military training ground with my second brother and saw him training. I didn't know who he was then, but I couldn't look away. He moved like he was born with a spear in hand. And later, when I learned who he was, his family... everything... I just—"
"Fell," Wannian said, eyes sparkling.
"No! I mean, well, maybe. I just want to get to know him more. That's all."
"And that blush on your face says it's more than just that." She fanned herself dramatically. "It's like something out of a romantic ballad!"
"Wannian!"
Wannian laughed again, patting her friend's hand. "Don't worry, I think it's adorable. And lucky for you, I can arrange for you to visit the Ma residence. Purely a friendly visit, of course. I'm friends with Ma Yunlu. She's his younger sister, you know. Sweet girl. A bit shy, but once you get her talking—""
"Wannian!" Sun Shangxiang grabbed her shoulders. "Slow down! I don't need you playing matchmaker. Just... help me get to know Ma Yunlu first and then Ma Chao. Then I'll figure out the rest myself."
Wannian pouted. "But matchmaking is *fun*."
"No."
"Fine, fine." Wannian sighed
The two girls locked pinkies like children again, sealing the promise.
"And you swear not to tell my father or brothers?"
"I swear."
The two then spent the next hour scheming. Wannian would invite Ma Yunlu for tea in a few days, ostensibly to discuss poetry or some other suitably genteel topic.
Sun Shangxiang would "coincidentally" drop by. From there, they'd cultivate a friendship with Ma Yunlu, slowly working their way into Ma Chao's orbit.
"It has to be natural," Shangxiang insisted. "No matchmaking. No pressure. Just... let things happen."
Wannian rolled her eyes. "Says the woman who scaled a fortress wall to ambush an enemy general."
"That was *war*. This is... different."
Wannian laughed but didn't push further. Instead, she leaned back, studying her friend with affectionate exasperation.
"You realize if this works out, your father might actually die of shock, right? His wild daughter marrying the Splendid Ma of Liangzhou?"
Sun Shangxiang grinned. "Worth it."
Meanwhile, in the palace, Lie Fan stood on one of the balcony in his Palace, gazing at the moon and the moonlit city below him. Beside him was Jia Xu who was smirking at this point of time. "My sources say Lady Sun Shangxiang and Princess Wannian are already scheming."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 34 (201 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0