Chapter 27: Drilling a Hole in the Wall

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"With the women in tow, a single carriage cannot accommodate everyone, and it’s simply too slow. The Empress and I have already experienced one escape from Luoyang; since then, she has secretly mastered the art of riding. The two of us will have Zhang Hong lead us along a shortcut to Wu Commandery, leaving traces along the way. General of the Auxiliary State, you are to take my other two concubines and Liu Uncle's two wives along the main road, following the arrangements made by Zhang Hong. Disguise yourselves as merchant travelers. With me ahead drawing attention, you will reach your destination safely, though somewhat later than I."

Upon seeing Fu Wan trembling with anxiety, Liu Xie explained to him once more, his tone carrying a hint of undeniable authority.

Fu Wan had entered the palace precisely to inform Liu Xie of today’s plan. Zhang Hong, at such a sensitive moment, could not conveniently enter the palace, so he would relay the plan to Fu Wan, who would then inform Liu Xie.

The original plan was to drug Cao Cao’s trusted palace maids and eunuchs, after which Liu Xie, accompanied by his concubines, Liu Bei’s two wives, and Fu Wan, would secretly leave the palace. Zhang Hong’s men awaited at the rear gate of the imperial residence, ready to disguise them one by one and escort them out of the city.

Afterwards, they would dress as a merchant caravan and take the backroads to Wu Commandery.

Yet, in Liu Xie's estimation, the likelihood of safely reaching Wu Commandery was only fifty or sixty percent.

Though he had not left the imperial residence in years, he knew from the rumors that the Han realm was now plagued by rampant banditry; in some regions, one could hardly distinguish bandits from soldiers.

Within Jiangdong, security was assured, but beyond its borders, Sun Ce would not dispatch large forces to protect him.

Moreover, he was traveling mostly with women, making swift progress impossible.

Especially troubling was Lady Dong, several months pregnant. Because of Dong Cheng’s affair, Liu Xie was unsure of her intentions, which for him was an unstable factor.

Thus, Liu Xie had long pondered whether he could act alone.

After days spent marking and revising the map, he and Fu Shou settled on a plan: the two of them would ride ahead with Zhang Hong, while Fu Wan would lead the others according to Zhang Hong’s arrangements.

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Originally, Liu Xie was not adept at riding, but during that victorious escape years ago, both he and Fu Shou became skilled horsemen. In the years since, they had practiced their riding frequently, though the mounts had varied somewhat.

In the marketplace of Xuchang, a sizable caravan was selling goods brought into the city to local vendors.

Years of war among the warlords and the constant shifts in royal authority had sent prices soaring throughout the Han. Yet wherever people lived, trade would flourish. Xuchang, though a small city, became increasingly prosperous since Liu Xie’s arrival.

"Young master, we've nearly finished unloading the goods. Why haven’t those waiting for us arrived yet?"

Within the caravan, a burly man with a scar running from the corner of his mouth to his brow was unloading cargo with vigor. As he passed near a young man who appeared to lead the caravan, he whispered the question almost directly into his ear.

"Get to work! Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Remember our departure time. If we’re late, we won’t leave today!"

The young master appeared nonchalant, his gaze lingering on the women in the market, but the flicker in his eyes betrayed that his mind was elsewhere.

As the last of the cargo was nearly unloaded, a servant rushed from a nearby shop and whispered a few words to the young master. He frowned slightly, then took a deep breath and nodded.

"Unload quickly! There's a major client in Jingzhou waiting for our goods. As soon as we’re done, we head straight to Jingzhou! In half an hour, we leave Xuchang. Go, prepare some provisions! And find someone to buy a few beautiful women for me! In these times, the road is hard to endure."

This time, the young master's words rang out loud and clear, and those around him exchanged knowing smiles. In such chaotic days, caravaneers learned to live for the moment, spending their earnings as soon as they received them—otherwise, they’d risk attracting unwanted attention.

Half an hour later, the men sent out by the young master returned with several disheveled women, who were then loaded onto the carriage. Amid the envious gazes of the poor, they departed.

This was but one of dozens of merchant caravans in Xuchang’s market, doing the same business as every other caravan each day.

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It was indeed a strange era, when earning money meant only thinking of the days ahead, not the future.

Those who could enter Xuchang were all well acquainted with the gatekeepers. As they left, soldiers inspecting the carriages pulled aside the curtains, saw several trembling women inside, and simply laughed with ill intent before letting them pass.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hong was once again leaving Xuchang—not through the city gates in broad daylight. Over the years he had spent in Xuchang, he had always considered how, one day, he might retire in glory. Yet for him, and for Jiangdong, such a departure could never occur openly through Xuchang’s main gates, just as today.

"Your Majesty, come out, there’s no one around."

Outside the city wall on the side designated for the poor, a man emerged laboriously from a small straw-covered hole. By the time he surfaced, his face and clothes were smeared with unknown filth. Ignoring the dust on himself, he hastily scanned the surroundings to ensure no one was near, then whispered toward the hole.

After a bout of movement from within, suddenly a woman’s head poked out.

"Hey! Don’t linger, I’m still supporting you here—don’t you know your own weight?"

The head belonged, unmistakably, to the Empress of the Han, Fu Shou! And the only one qualified to support her so intimately was obvious.

Moments later, the three finally stood upright outside the cramped hole, the Emperor of Han, for the first time, standing firmly upon his own land.