A year later, Qingnu encountered Zhang Qian in the capital of Dayuan as he was returning from his mission to the Great Yuezhi.
At this time, Qingnu was dressed in the characteristic attire of the Western Regions.
Adorned with jewels and jade, she wore flowing veils and a layered dress. Her skin was porcelain white and her black hair was smooth and supple, unlike the locals whose features were often weathered and coarsened by the desert winds. Combined with her peerless beauty, the people of the Western Regions naturally regarded her as a Heavenly Maiden descended from the Tianshan Mountains.
As the sun set, a crowd gathered in the plaza before the royal palace, singing and dancing. Snake moved with a lithe grace, holding up a silken sash as she danced to the melody of a konghou. Above them, a qingniao circled in the sky.
"Zhang Qian, come join the dance!"
Upon seeing Zhang Qian, Qingnu called out. The enthusiastic locals immediately swarmed him, pulling him into the circle.
Zhang Qian composed himself and cupped his hands toward Qingnu, offering a formal greeting. "Lady Qingnu!"
Noticing the trace of melancholy in his expression, Qingnu patted his shoulder. "Do not dwell on it too much. Though the Great Yuezhi have moved far away and are unwilling to return, the various states of the Western Regions are still here! To the north are the Wusun, with a hundred thousand bowmen; to the south are many states with abundant resources. All of them can serve as allies for the Han!"
With her comfort, Zhang Qian quickly composed his emotions. The deputies he had sent to the various Western states were returning one after another, bringing back a wealth of intelligence.
The landscapes and customs of the Western Regions were vastly different from those of the Central Plains. The larger states had populations in the hundreds of thousands with expansive cities and territories, while the smaller ones were merely city-states with only a few tens of thousand people.
Moreover, just as the Han had only recently learned of the Western Regions, these states were discovering for the first time that a prosperous empire existed to the east of the Hexi Corridor, beyond the Xiongnu. Compared to the Xiongnu, who oppressed them and frequently raided their lands for loot, this nation that spoke of rites and etiquette seemed far more approachable.
Consequently, the various states dispatched envoys to accompany Zhang Qian back to Chang'an. On the day of their departure, the people of the Western Regions escorted them for many miles, everyone offering prayers for the Heavenly Maiden of the Tianshan’s safe journey.
The sight of thousands of people seeing them off left Zhang Qian and his men deeply shaken. The goddess was truly worthy of her title!
As the massive diplomatic mission of over a thousand people entered the Hexi Corridor, Zhang Qian held his imperial tally and rode at the front. Looking at the stretching Qilian Mountains, he sighed and said, "As we cross the Hexi lands, I must trouble Lady Qingnu once more to ward off the Xiongnu."
Hearing the apology in Zhang Qian's voice, Qingnu waved it off. "It is no matter. They are merely Xiongnu. Before long, Han envoys will be able to travel through here freely without fear of their harassment."
"Before long?"
Zhang Qian gave a helpless, thin smile. He did not know how long Qingnu’s "before long" actually was, nor did he know if he would live to see it.
After Qingnu handled several Xiongnu cavalry raids, the envoys from the Western states grew even more reverent toward her. They began to look to her as their silent leader.
Upon reaching Chang'an, the majestic palaces of the Qin and Han eras left the foreign envoys breathless with wonder. The Han palaces were solemn and grand, with pavilions and corridors that seemed to stretch on forever, an overwhelming sight for eyes unaccustomed to such scale. This alone was more magnificent than their entire kingdoms!
Someone gasped repeatedly, "A kingdom in the heavens! This is a kingdom in the heavens!"
Celestial Han! Great Han!
Hearing the wonder in the envoys' voices, Zhang Qian and his men stood tall, their expressions full of pride.
Qingnu separated from the diplomatic mission as soon as they entered Chang'an. The group followed Zhang Qian to have an audience with Liu Che, and it was only then that the Han monarch and his ministers learned of the landscapes and nations that lay to the west of the distant Hexi.
Liu Che issued an edict to enfeoff Zhang Qian as the Marquis of Bowang and ordered the Grand Herald to handle the reception of the Western envoys. From these envoys, Liu Che learned that a Heavenly Maiden had accompanied them from the Western Regions. He hurriedly summoned Zhang Qian for questioning. Upon realizing that this Heavenly Maiden was the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens, he immediately ordered a search for her within the city.
Qingnu had not yet changed out of her Western Regions attire, and the qingniao perched on her shoulder made her even more conspicuous. Within moments, Liu Che’s men found them. A massive crowd knelt before Qingnu, respectfully inviting her to the Changle Palace for a meeting.
"What did I tell you? I told you to hurry up,"
Hongluan muttered softly from Qingnu's shoulder.
Qingnu remained calm. "What a coincidence. I was planning to go find trouble with Little Piggy Liu anyway! Sister Bird, let’s go."
Inside Changle Palace, Liu Che and Wei Qing were already waiting. When Qingnu arrived, Wei Qing’s expression shifted to one of shock.
"Teacher?"
Was the Heavenly Maiden the Westerners spoke of actually his teacher?
He hurriedly bowed to her. Liu Che, a smile on his face, raised his hand. "Our Lady the Jade Maiden, I—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Qingnu took a sudden step forward, closing the distance instantly, and punched him squarely in the stomach.
"Urgh..."
Liu Che let out a muffled groan and collapsed, unconscious.
Because of Qingnu's special status, Liu Che had dismissed all the attendants in Changle Palace beforehand; only Wei Qing remained. Witnessing Qingnu knock Liu Che out with a single punch, Wei Qing was left in a state of utter shock.
"Teacher, what are you..."
Seeing Liu Che slumped on the ground, Qingnu waved her hand. "Don't worry, he won't die. Go help him onto the couch."
The force of her punch was precisely calculated. It was meant to be painful, but not enough to cause actual internal damage. By the time he woke up, he would be mostly recovered with no lasting side effects.
Although she was angry at him for deifying her at Mount Tai—which had forced her to spend months severing the ties of destiny he had created—Qingnu understood that Little Piggy Liu carried a Mandate of Heaven. Beating him up once was enough to vent her frustration. If she actually killed him, the heavens would likely strike her with lightning twice a day for hours at a time.
When Liu Che finally woke, he saw Qingnu sitting leisurely sipping tea. Wei Qing stood by the bed with a worried look, sighing in relief when the Emperor opened his eyes.
"Your Majesty, how do you feel? Is there any discomfort?"
"Zhongqing, I just..."
As soon as Liu Che spoke, Qingnu glanced over. Seeing her gaze shift toward him, Liu Che let out a sharp cough and sat up. He bowed to Qingnu with a submissive attitude. "Greetings, Our Lady the Jade Maiden!"
Qingnu set down her teacup and stared at him for a long moment before asking, "Little Piggy Liu, what did you call me here for?"
Little Piggy Liu?
Liu Che’s expression stiffened for a moment. But he quickly regained his smile and approached her.
"I did not expect that Zhongqing's teacher was actually the Jade Maiden. You escorted the diplomatic mission back and forth; your merit is great! Please accept my thanks!"
With that, he bowed deeply to her once more. After the bow, Liu Che stated his intentions directly. "I intend to launch a military campaign against the Xiongnu, with Zhongqing as the general! I wonder if Our Lady the Jade Maiden could lend me and the Han a hand, just as you assisted Emperor Gao in the past?"
Liu Che’s words were earnest, but Qingnu fell into a long silence. Eventually, she asked, "If there were no divine aid, would you have no confidence in attacking the Xiongnu?"
"Of course not!"
Liu Che denied her words almost instantly. He gazed at her, spreading his arms wide. "I am the Son of Heaven of the Han. Even without the help of gods, I will clearly tell the world: if the raiders can come, so can I! Since the Battle of Mt. Baideng, the Han house has waited seventy years for this opportunity!"
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