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Lie Fan was presiding over an imperial court meeting when the news arrived. Reports had just finished, ministers stepping forward to discuss taxation reforms and border logistics, when a guard rushed in, kneeling at the base of the hall. His breathing was quick, his voice trembling with urgency.
"Your Majesty, an imperial procession from the Han has arrived at Xiapi's gates!"
The words cracked through the hall like thunder.
Gasps erupted immediately.
Dozens of officials flinched as if struck, their faces flipping from confusion to disbelief to alarm. Murmurs swelled into a tide of chaotic voices—
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"The Han dares send envoys here, now?!"
"Could this be a threat?"
"A demand? A trick?!"
"The Han has been unstable, why would they suddenly send an envoy?!"
The noise grew louder, echoing off the columns and ceiling until it felt like the entire hall was shaking with it.
Lie Fan remained still on his throne, not a muscle twitching.
He watched the panic with steady eyes, letting it rise for a moment before ending it.
He stood.
The gold of his dragon robes shimmered under the sunlight pouring through the high windows, and when he lifted his Imperial Scepter, the polished metal caught the light and flashed brilliantly.
He struck the base of the scepter hard against the stone floor.
THUMP!
The sound ripped through the hall like a thunderclap.
Silence fell instantly.
Dozens of officials turned wide-eyed toward him, breaths held.
Lie Fan's voice came calm but commanding.
"Enough."
The hall obeyed.
He swept his gaze slowly over everyone present, ensuring each man felt seen, judged, anchored.
Then he raised his chin slightly, the picture of sovereign composure.
"Jia Xu. Lu Su. Step forward."
The Chancellor and the Minister of Rites exchanged a brief glance, acknowledgment of what they already knew, before stepping forward and bowing.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lie Fan spoke clearly, so all would hear every word.
"You two shall welcome the Han messenger and his procession into our capital."
Gasps burst across the court again, but this time they died quickly under Lie Fan's steady stare.
Whispers flickered like sparks—
"Welcome them?!"
"Is His Majesty serious?!"
"But why, why show courtesy?!"
Lie Fan didn't allow the murmuring to reignite into chaos.
He lifted the scepter again.
Slightly.
Just enough.
The hall froze.
Then, with calm authority, he spoke words that silenced all objections.
"The Han may be our enemy… but we are still a dynasty of propriety. Etiquette must be upheld. Besides, what if…"
He let the weight of the moment linger.
"What if the Han have come to surrender?"
A ripple of shock moved through the hall.
Some officials paled.
Some stiffened.
Some exchanged glances filled with dawning understanding.
Others whispered hesitantly—
"It is… possible…"
"With the Han's collapse… could this truly be…"
"What if the Emperor seeks peace…?"
The idea, implausible, and yet strategically irresistible, calmed the restless hearts of the uninformed.
Lie Fan allowed exactly enough of that hope to settle among them.
Then he gestured.
"Go."
Jia Xu and Lu Su bowed deeply and left the hall immediately, their footsteps echoing through the long corridor before fading entirely.
The hall remained hushed, tension thick, but order restored.
Lie Fan reclaimed his seat, resting the scepter lightly against his knee as he waited.
No one dared speak again.
Minutes crawled past like slow moving shadows.
And then footsteps returned, methodical, measured, and dignified.
Jia Xu and Lu Su re entered the hall.
Behind them came a middle aged man wearing the Han's ceremonial diplomatic attire, dark robes embroidered with faded cloud motifs, the hems dusty from travel, but still dignified. His bearing was disciplined despite exhaustion.
His eyes, however, carried a strange mix of duty, resignation, and something else, perhaps shame, perhaps fear, perhaps simply the weight of circumstances he did not understand.
Flanking him were several Han soldiers, heads bowed, armor worn but polished, attempting to maintain formality despite their fatigue.
The court stiffened.
Silence spread through the hall again as the Han envoy approached.
Lie Fan watched from his throne, expression unreadable, eyes sharp.
He recognized that this moment, this exact moment, was the turning point the entire world had unknowingly been moving toward.
The envoy reached the center of the court, then stepped forward alone. He bowed deeply, cupping his hands in the traditional imperial salute.
"Greetings Your Majesty Emperor Hongyi of the Great Hengyuan Dynasty," the envoy declared, voice steady despite the pressure of countless gazes, "this humble servant greets you on behalf of the Han and Emperor Xian."
Lie Fan did not speak yet.
He allowed the envoy to continue.
The middle aged man straightened. He placed a hand lightly on the scroll case held by one of the guards behind him before speaking again.
"I am Wu Tai, Imperial Messenger of the Han court. I come here before you today in the great capital of Xiapi, bearing an offer entrusted to me directly by His Majesty Emperor Xian."
A shock rolled through the court, far stronger than before.
But they remained silent, too stunned to speak.
Lie Fan lifted a single hand, slowly, deliberately, signaling him to continue.
Wu Tai swallowed once, then presented the sealed imperial letter with both hands extended, kneeling as he did so.
"This letter bears Emperor Xian's decree," he said. "An offer which he humbly hopes may be accepted by Your Majesty."
Lie Fan did not reach for the letter himself.
He gestured lightly.
An Imperial Maid stepped forward to retrieve it and placed it into Lie Fan's hand with ceremonial precision.
The seal was unmistakable, red wax emblazoned with the imperial jade emblem of the Han.
The court stared.
Lie Fan stared at it for a moment longer, letting the tension coil tightly in every heart present.
Then he spoke.
"Rise."
Wu Tai rose.
"Speak the contents aloud."
Wu Tai inhaled deeply, then exhaled, resigned to the role he had been forced to play.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wu Tai bowed once more, lifting the scroll with both hands before unrolling it with ceremonial care. The parchment crackled softly as the ribbon fell away. The entire imperial court leaned forward unconsciously, breaths held, eyes fixed on him.
He lifted his head and projected his voice clearly so that none of the officials could miss even a single syllable.
"By the words of His Majesty Emperor Xian of the Great Han," he began, the acoustics of the marble chamber granting his voice a solemn resonance, "this decree is written with utmost sincerity and offered with humility befitting the throne of Han. His Majesty proposes a royal marriage alliance between our two dynasties."
The hall tensed.
Every official leaned in.
Every heartbeat seemed to echo.
Wu Tai continued.
"His Majesty Emperor Xian humbly requests that Princess Liu Jie, daughter of the Han Imperial House, be granted in marriage to the honored Crown Prince of the Hengyuan Dynasty, His Highness Lie Muchen."
Shock cracked through the assembly like lightning.
But Wu Tai did not falter.
"This marriage, His Majesty states, shall tie both dynasties by blood and bind them in eternal friendship. Through this union, both the Han and Hengyuan Dynasty will become related by matrimony, thereby moving in accordance with each other's decisions, supporting one another against all turmoil."
Dozens of officials stared as if witnessing a phoenix descend from the heavens.
Wu Tai concluded the final lines.
"His Majesty Emperor Xian offers this alliance not as a demand, nor as a plea, but as the only path he sees that will preserve the dignity of the Han and ensure that peace between our lands will endure. He implores Your Majesty Emperor Hongyi of Hengyuan to consider his humble request with wisdom and magnanimity."
The scroll lowered.
A thick silence followed.
Wu Tai bowed again.
"This is the decree."
For a heartbeat, the entire imperial court of Hengyuan was frozen.
And then it exploded.
The eruption was nearly physical,ike a dam bursting under floodwaters.
Gasps, shouts, murmurs, arguments, disbelief, outrage—everything collided in a chaotic storm of voices.
"Impossible!"
"A marriage alliance with the Han?!"
"This is absurd, has Emperor Xian gone mad?!"
"To tie our Crown Prince to the dying Han bloodline?!"
"Does he take us for fools?!"
"Hengyuan gains nothing from this!"
Some officials were pale.
Others were red with anger.
Some were trembling, shaking their heads, clutching their sleeves as if reality itself had buckled under their feet.
Others whispered sharply—
"This is practically offering the Han to us… why would they do that?"
"Is this desperation?"
"No, this is surrender disguised as marriage."
"Or a trap? Could this be Cao Cao's work where his agents infiltrated Han?"
"No, impossible, Cao Cao would never allow this."
"This must be Emperor Xian's last attempt to secure his dynasty!"
"And why with our Crown Prince?!"
"Their empire collapses and now they look for our lifeline, shameless!"
Wave after wave of debate surged like a raging tide threatening to overturn the pillars of the hall.
Meanwhile, Lie Fan remained utterly still on his throne.
Back straight.
Scepter resting lightly at his knee.
Eyes half lidded but sharp, letting the chaos run its course, letting them exhaust themselves. To any observer, he looked calm, maybe even detached, but there was a quiet fire behind those dark eyes, something calculating, knowing, and faintly amused.
He waited.
He listened.
Not one emotion passed across his face.
When the noise grew too loud, beginning to spiral beyond reason, Jia Xu finally stepped forward, raising his hand.
The Chancellor didn't shout.
He didn't need to.
His authority was absolute.
"Silence."
And like a tide pulled by the moon, the noise receded.
The hall quieted.
Dozens of officials bowed their heads, breathing hard, but obeying.
Once the silence settled, Jia Xu turned his gaze toward Wu Tai, his expression unreadable.
His tone, however, carried iron.
"Messenger Wu Tai," he said, "this court must ask, why should His Majesty and the Hengyuan Dynasty consider such an alliance? What benefit does the Han have to offer? We see no advantage in binding ourselves to a dynasty weakened beyond repair."
Murmurs of agreement rose.
But they were soft, controlled now, the earlier frenzy replaced by cautious expectation.
All eyes turned to Wu Tai.
The envoy inhaled gently.
He had expected this question.
He had been prepared for it, in fact, meticulously prepared, coached through every word by Fa Zheng, Zhang Song, and Meng Da long before he embarked on this journey.
He stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Honored Chancellor Jia Xu," he began, voice steady, "His Majesty Emperor Xian understands the strength of Hengyuan. He knows the Han stands no equal to such power."
A few officials scoffed.
Wu Tai continued unfazed.
"But that is why His Majesty proposes this marriage, not as a union of equal states, but as a pledge of submission."
The hall jolted.
Wu Tai maintained his calm dignity. "If Hengyuan accepts this marriage," he said, "you will gain a most obedient ally, not merely a nominal one, but an ally who will follow Hengyuan's decisions, support its actions, and share every resource at its disposal."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 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