Mangshan is vast and silent, with only the sound of carriages could be heard.

Qiao Yan rode amidst the escort of the Northern Army, suddenly reminded of a nursery rhyme circulating in Luoyang during the later years of Liu Hong’s reign.

It went, “Marquis not marquis, king not king, thousands of riders flee to the northern Mang.”

However, the Han court hadn’t yet reached the point of complete chaos.

The Northern Army captains around her still obeyed the Emperor Liu Hong.

As the procession headed towards Le Ping, it wasn’t a scene of fleeing like in that rhyme, but perhaps a journey towards a hopeful destination amidst the funeral procession for Qiao Xuan.

Qiao Yan looked up and saw the lush vegetation along the path of Mangshan, imbued with a solemn atmosphere due to the many imperial tombs within the mountains.

Bao Hong, a captain of the Northern Army, led the escort.

Seeing Qiao Yan surveying their surroundings with interest, he remarked, “Mangshan has always served as a barrier to the north of Luoyang.

Over the years, Luoyang’s troops have patrolled the mountains. Marquis Qiao, rest assured, though the terrain is rugged, there is no danger here.”

Qiao Yan replied, “I’m not worried about safety with Lieutenant Bao here and the Northern Army soldiers accompanying us. My concern lies elsewhere—”

“Since Emperor Guangwu was buried here due to the legend of the Phoenix’s Nest, and previous emperors like Emperor Xiao’an and Emperor Xiaochong were also buried here, my grandfather was cautious during his lifetime, and our family had no surplus wealth.

But now, with this grand ceremonial carriage and yellow banners, there may be suspicion of disrespecting the previous emperors.

Thinking of this, I can’t help but feel a bit anxious.”

Bao Hong chuckled, “Marquis Qiao, your cautious approach truly inherits the tradition of Duke Qiao.

However, since this is an honor bestowed by His Majesty, I believe the previous emperors resting on Mangshan won’t fault it.”

While what he said was true, Bao Hong couldn’t help but envy a bit when he glanced back.

What did it mean to have a grand ceremonial carriage and yellow banners?

The ceremonial carriage, also known as the peace carriage, was a type of carriage designed for lying down during travel.

Its name, “peace carriage,” derived from the fact that its windows could be opened to adjust the temperature inside, hence its name.

Even the Qin Dynasty’s First Emperor, during his eastern expedition to Mount Qi, used such a peace carriage.

According to the funeral regulations permitted by Liu Hong, the peace carriage, scaled to the size of a four-horse carriage, was covered with a special yellow silk canopy for emperors.

Additionally, on the left side of this peace carriage’s balance, a standard of a bull’s tail, symbolizing imperial authority, was erected.

This was the meaning of “yellow banners on the left side of the peace carriage.”

In retrospect, such funeral rites couldn’t be considered excessive.

Zhong Hou Wu Han, ranked second among the 28 generals of Yuntai, was buried in this manner.

However, Wu Han’s hometown was in Nanyang and wasn’t heading northward like Qiao Xuan.

Hence passing through Mangshan.

With such a grand procession accompanying, it was necessary to remove it only when reaching the border of Le Ping, so that all along the way would know the grace bestowed by the current emperor upon Qiao Xuan.

Therefore, Bao Hong couldn’t help but admire it greatly.

But to another person in the convoy, such a grand procession was only fitting for Qiao Xuan.

“Duke Qiao’s past military exploits in Bingzhou were glorious and fiery, deserving of such a grand funeral procession,” Cai Yong commented openly as he looked at the procession line.

He seemed quite uninhibited about the funeral of Qiao Xuan, appearing even more so now.

When Qiao Yan heard these words, she couldn’t help but feel a headache.

During the memorial ceremony at Lingtai, amidst the wails, Cai Yong spoke of his past with Qiao Xuan.

Although it could be interpreted as an emotional outburst, considering whose voice currently had the most influence in Luoyang,

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel that Cai Yong’s recklessness was extraordinary.

It’s no wonder he eventually died in the prison of Luoyang.

Fortunately, since Cai Yong was writing the epitaph for Qiao Xuan, he naturally wanted to witness the formal completion of Qiao Xuan’s monument.

So, just as the carriage and the Northern Army escort were about to depart, he, along with Cai Zhaohui, came to this place to follow along to Le Ping.

Regardless of the reason, Qiao Yan felt there was no need to refuse Cai Yong.

Cai Yong’s position in literature and calligraphy was exceptional.

He even brought his daughter, Cai Zhaoci, with him.

Considering Qiao Yan’s plans for establishing a foothold in Le Ping County and the urgent need for manpower,

he couldn’t afford to let this father-daughter duo slip away.

It was a bit unfortunate, though, that Cai Yong’s eldest daughter, Cai Zhenji, had already married Yang Shao during Cai Yong’s previous refuge with the Yang family.

So, naturally, she wasn’t here.

Therefore, he could only bring these two along.

Fortunately, the most important thing was still Cai Yong himself.

If he didn’t leave Luoyang at this time, he might fall victim to his own political naivety again.

When he was exiled to Shuofang in the past, someone pleaded for him, which saved him from death.

Plus, he held an official position back then, making it easier to plead his case to Liu Hong.

But now, he was just a nobody relying on the Yang family.

If he offended any of the eunuchs, he might not even get a chance to make his case to higher authorities.

Following Qiao Yan to Le Ping County allowed him to avoid several people in Luoyang who harbored hostility towards him.

Another reason for Qiao Yan to bring him along was that since she had gained a lot from Qiao Xuan, she naturally didn’t want to see his old friends suffer due to their inability to speak properly during their time of mourning.

So, he had to lend a hand too.

Cai Yong was completely unaware that when Qiao Yan talked to him about building a shrine in Leping to honor Qiao Xuan’s spirit and erecting a tripod in front of the temple to commemorate his literary and martial virtues, she wasn’t just talking about Qiao Xuan.

She was actually stirring his interest in composing inscriptions, leading him to eagerly jump into the conversation.

For him, being able to create a complete memorial system including inscriptions for the spirit altar, along with inscriptions for the tripod and commemorating martial virtues, was an especially meaningful task.

And to top it off, it was about writing for Qiao Xuan!

On the way, he had already been struck with inspiration and completed the “Yellow Tripod Inscription,” commemorating Qiao Xuan’s achievements as General Who Calm the North during the War of the Liaodong.

It even contained the phrase he mentioned, “Majestic and resplendent, like the fierceness of fire.”

On the other hand, Cai Zhaoci had some concerns about Cai Yong’s decision.

During a pause in their march, she approached Qiao Yan and said, “It’s really improper for us to trouble Lord Qiao.

It’s just that my father has some unresolved grievances in Bingzhou.

Although Lord Qiao is accommodating us in Leping County, there’s no guarantee that it won’t cause any trouble.”

Though young, Cai Zhaoci was evidently not as naive as her father.

Despite Cai Yong’s brilliance, he lacked foresight.

After some consideration, she decided to clarify the situation with Qiao Yan, just in case it became necessary later on.

“In the past, my father, after being pardoned, was supposed to return to Luoyang from Wuyuan.

However, when the Governor of Wuyuan, Wang Zhi, invited him to dance during a farewell banquet, my father, seeing him as a mere brother of Wang Fu, showed no respect towards him at the banquet.

Wang Zhi then secretly informed the court about my father’s grievances, leading to my father, my sister, and me being forced to exile and seek refuge with the Yang family.”

“My father once told me that the eunuch Wang Fu was killed by the harsh official Yang Qiu, but Yang Qiu was later falsely accused and died under the eunuchs’ schemes.

Although Wang Zhi lost one supporter in the court, he still received protection from the other eunuchs…”

Cai Zhaoci frowned. “If it’s going to cause trouble for Lord Qiao, I think…”

“No worries,” Qiao Yan interrupted. “Wang Zhi is just the Governor of Wuyuan, not the Governor of Shangdang.

There’s no need to worry about this matter.

Besides, as the County Lord, this entire county is under my authority. What reason does Governor Wang have to interfere?”

Seeing Cai Zhaoci still concerned, Qiao Yan suddenly changed the subject and asked, “Speaking of which, there’s something I want to ask you, Zhaoci.

I met Mr. Zigang earlier in Jizhou.

He mentioned that he once collaborated with Mr. Bojie on writing the ‘Records of the Eastern Observatories of Han,’

but Mr. Bojie was exiled before they could finish it. I wonder if there have been any recent developments on this book?”

“The ‘Records of the Eastern Observatories of Han’ has been in the making since Ban Gu’s time and has gone through several dynasties.

It’s a chronological history of the Eastern Han in the form of biographies and annals.”

Cai Yong, being a literary figure, was presumably involved in such scholarly pursuits.

The master naturally has a part in it.

However, in the original history, Cai Yong’s exile came before the rebellion of Dong Zhuo, which resulted in the loss of most of the content during the final compilation due to the relocation to Chang’an.

From Qiao Yan’s perspective, studying history from future generations naturally evokes some lamentation.

Now she had the perfect opportunity to inquire about it.

Of course, this wasn’t the only reason she interrupted Cai Zhaoci’s words.

She actually guessed what the other wanted to say.

Cai Yong, being someone who attracted resentment effortlessly, didn’t just face slander from those who disliked him in Liu Hong’s court.

On his way to exile in Shuofang, due to the prevalent chivalrous spirit and the practice of nurturing followers during the Han Dynasty, he even faced assassination attempts from Yang Qiu’s hired assassins.

It was only because the assassin sympathized with Cai Yong and revealed the truth to him.

If Yang Qiu could orchestrate assassination attempts back then, it was clear that Wang Zhi could do the same now.

If Cai Zhaoci wasn’t standing in front of Qiao Yan right now, she would have wanted to sigh deeply and say, “How did Cai Yong manage to make both Yang Qiu and Wang Zhi, these two opposing parties, want to kill him?”

But he was skilled in music, adept at writing, and capable of historical research, truly a literary genius who should be revered.

However, there was no need to express these thoughts to Cai Zhaoci.

If the Governor of Wuyuan really had any intention of causing trouble, she had already managed to navigate through dangerous situations like Luoyang’s tiger’s den, so why would she fear a confrontation with him!

So even before Cai Zhaoci could express her concern, Qiao Yan had already countered it.

Upon hearing Qiao Yan mention the “Records of the Eastern Observatories of Han,” Cai Zhaoci pondered for a moment, recalling the related information from her memory.

She replied, “I wasn’t even born when my father was compiling this book.

I only heard that when he was in exile, he outlined the last ten chapters, but from what I’ve seen of my father’s writing, he probably only completed the chapters on music and calendars.”

This answer wasn’t surprising.

During exile and fleeing from danger in the south, even with various friends offering him help, it wasn’t exactly a conducive environment for writing historical records.

This further solidified Qiao Yan’s decision to keep Cai Yong in Lu Ping.

If this “Records of the Eastern Observatories of Han” could be completed, it would undoubtedly be a crucial piece of evidence for future research on Eastern Han history.

It’s worth noting that when the initial version of this book circulated, it was regarded alongside the “Records of the Grand Historian” and the “Book of Han” as the Three Histories.

If it weren’t for the later disruptions caused by wars and the eventual publication of the “History of the Later Han”…

Thinking about this, Qiao Yan didn’t find Cai Yong’s straightforward remarks too blunt.

What were a few flaws?

Her thoughts spun wildly for just a moment, and before Cai Zhaoci, this observant child, could notice her distraction,

Qiao Yan replied, “It’s already remarkable that Mr. Bojie managed to complete two chapters in exile.

Let’s hope the Emperor realizes whose words are trustworthy and allows Mr. Bojie to return to complete the ‘Records of the Eastern Observatories of Han’ soon.”

Returning to the Eastern Observatories soon sounded easy to say but difficult to achieve.

However, despite knowing Qiao Yan for only a few days, she felt a convincing power in her words.

In the midst of conveying this hope, she couldn’t recall why she had originally come to speak with Qiao Yan.

As they continued their journey northward,

Cai Yong needed to refine the initial draft of the “Yellow Tripod Inscription,” so he called his daughter to assist him, leaving Cai Zhaoci with no opportunity to talk to Qiao Yan.

Between the mountain roads, the carriage traveled slowly and cautiously, but once they passed the mountain pass, the journey became much faster.

They soon arrived at the ferry crossing of the Yellow River at Mengjin.

Since not all the Northern Army soldiers were accompanying Qiao Yan to Leping, the ceremonial escort ended here.

Only Captain Bao Hong remained with over two hundred men to ensure the safe arrival of Qiao Xuan’s remains and Qiao Yan, the newly appointed Marquis of Leping, to their fief.

After the remaining Northern Army units withdrew,

Bao Hong and his men found a boat to cross the river.

Before night fell, they safely crossed the Yellow River and arrived in the territory of Jiyuan.

Indeed, a troop of over two hundred men was not a small force.

It was considered a sufficiently armed force, especially in areas where remnants of the Yellow Turbans might cross the border into the territory of Sizhou.

Because of this, after consulting with Qiao Yan, Bao Hong decided that they would not enter the city to garrison but would set up camp directly outside the city.

However, Qiao Yan didn’t immediately go to rest.

From their current location, with few high-rise buildings obstructing the view, they could vaguely see the shadow of the Taihang Mountains when looking north.

As the boundary line between Shanxi and Shandong in later naming, the majority of the Taihang Mountains lay east of Bingzhou and west of Jizhou.

What Qiao Yan could see now was just the southernmost tip of it.

This area also had another name, the Zhongtiao Mountains, and connected to the east of Zhongtiao was Wangwu Mountain, famous for the legend of Yu Gong Moving Mountains.

It wasn’t an easy road to travel.

Otherwise, the area around Taiyuan and Shangdang wouldn’t have the reputation of being easily defensible and difficult to attack, known as the “throat of the world.”

Because of this, Qiao Yan, inside her marching tent, used the three-dimensional map function of her system to plan the route from here to Le Ping.

The route to Le Ping was gradually outlined.

Then, she called Cheng Li and Bao Hong over.

As Bao Hong entered the tent, he was surprised by the detailed map of the passes and terrain that Qiao Yan had drawn.

But considering Qiao Yan’s lineage as the granddaughter of Qiao Xuan, who once served as Grand Commandant, overseeing military and political affairs across the empire, it wasn’t surprising for her to have such a map.

However, the ink on this map seemed fresh, as if Qiao Yan had just drawn it from memory.

This was truly an extraordinary skill.

As his gaze lingered on the map, he heard Qiao Yan ask, “May I ask Lieutenant Bao, we haven’t discussed this before, but which route do you intend to take to Lu ping County?”

After studying the map for a moment, Bao Hong pointed to a spot. “Here.”

“We are currently in Jiyang. To travel quickly, we will naturally head from Jiyuan to Qinyang, then cross the Taihang Mountains, pass through Jincheng, travel through Changzhi in Shangdang, and finally arrive at Le ping.”

There were eight passes in the Taihang Mountains, and Taihang Pass was the second pass.

On the map drawn by Qiao Yan, this was indeed the shortest route.

But Bao Hong saw Qiao Yan shake her head, indicating that she didn’t agree with his idea.

She asked, ” Lieutenant Bao, are you aware that there is still a remnant of the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou?

After Zhang Jiao’s death, they were pursued by the soldiers under the command of the Northern Zhonglang General, but they were not captured?”

Bao Hong was taken aback. “Even though Zhang Jiao and his brothers were exterminated by the imperial forces, how come there’s still a remnant escaping?”

Having spent much time in Luoyang, he was only aware of the main events of pacifying the two generals, unaware of the unexpected details in the settled situation of Jizhou.