After traveling most of the day, when the sunset dyed the clouds gold and red, the outline of Guandu finally appeared on the horizon. The fatigue of the journey did not diminish Lin Yi's excitement—Guandu, the battlefield where Cao Cao, with a weaker force, defeated the stronger and laid the foundation for his northern hegemony.
Lin Yi dragged Gu Fang to hastily see the legendary Guandu Bridge, the Han Well, and the Hitching Post Pagoda Tree. Those stones, wood, bricks, and locust trees stood silently in the wind, long since concealing the traces of war, leaving only room for later generations to imagine. Yet Lin Yi felt satisfied, as if she had lightly touched that thrilling past across time.
After that, they continued with stops and starts, lingering a few days in Junyi, then traveling another leg, finally arriving at their destination—Chenliu—on a deep spring afternoon.
In modern times, Chenliu is just a small town under Kaifeng, but in this era, it was a vital hub connecting east and west, north and south. The soil was fertile, merchants gathered, and the population thrived. It was also where Cao Cao first raised his army.
The carriage entered the city, where the streets were wide and the market bustling, a scene of considerable prosperity. Lin Yi expected they would lodge at an inn as usual, but to her surprise, Gu Fang instructed the driver to turn into a quiet long alley, finally stopping before a spacious courtyard gate.
Lin Yi lifted the curtain and leaned out, looking up. The vermilion gate was tall and broad, with a plaque bearing four bold characters: [Apricot Blossom Courtyard]
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