Chapter Six: The Doubtful Champion Marquis

Bring him back to the Western Han Dynasty?

Although Zhang Bo would very much like to visit the Western Han to see the legendary Emperor Wu, he knew that was impossible.

"Little Ju, I have guests right now and cannot get away. How about this: next time, I will accompany you to the Western Han, alright?"

Seeing this, Liu Ju understood that Zhang Bo would likely not be able to join him today to verify the truth. After a moment of silence, he bid Zhang Bo farewell.

Stepping out of the farmhouse, Liu Ju looked up at the scorching sun in the sky and felt a sense of unreality. Everything that had happened today had far exceeded his understanding. The question now before him was whether he could still return to the fifth year of the Yuanshou era.

Walking along the path he remembered for about a dozen breaths, Liu Ju arrived at a low wall. He crouched down and brushed aside the weeds at the base of the wall, revealing a hole just large enough for an adult to pass through. He had crawled through this hole many times before without thinking much of it, but now, it was clear that this wall was not the perimeter wall of the imperial palace.

Without further thought, Liu Ju dove into the hole. Although he had performed this action countless times over the past few months, he had never felt like this before. If he succeeded today, it meant he had returned to the fifth year of the Yuanshou era. If he failed, it meant he would be stranded here—two thousand years after the Great Han. Would his mother, the Empress, and his father, the Emperor, be heartbroken by his disappearance?

As he crawled through the tunnel, Liu Ju prayed incessantly, hoping to return to the fifth year of the Yuanshou era. After a few moments of crawling, his head emerged from the other side. Just as he was about to look around, he saw a figure towering over him.

Liu Ju looked up, and when he saw the face of the person before him, he could not suppress the look of excitement on his face. The person was none other than the Great Sima and General of the Agile Cavalry, Huo Qubing, the Champion Marquis of the Great Han, who had just last year achieved the feat of "sealing the mountains at Langjuxu," forcing the Xiongnu to flee and leaving no royal court in the southern desert.

The moment he saw Huo Qubing, Liu Ju’s heart settled. He had returned to the fifth year of the Yuanshou era. However, he was somewhat surprised as to why his elder cousin had come here.

Huo Qubing reached out and pulled the prone Liu Ju to his feet. Liu Ju stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and asked the question on his mind: "Cousin, why have you come?"

"I came to the palace today to see His Majesty and stopped by to visit the Crown Prince. I heard from Shi Qing that you missed your morning lessons. Judging by his expression, you are likely in for a severe reprimand this time, Your Highness."

Based on Huo Qubing’s expectations, Liu Ju should have looked distressed upon hearing that Shi Qing was searching for him, but clearly, he did not.

"Hehe, Cousin, let’s put the punishment aside for now. Guess where I went."

Since he was back in the Han, Liu Ju felt incredibly relaxed and began to play a guessing game with Huo Qubing. He looked smug, like a child showing off a new toy. Faced with Liu Ju’s inquiry, Huo Qubing could roughly guess what was going on.

"Your Highness, did you use this hole to sneak into Chang'an City? Still, it would be best to be more careful in the future."

Liu Ju shook his head, unable to wait to share the news. "Cousin, I went to the Great Han three hundred years from now."

However, to Liu Ju’s surprise, his famous cousin did not show any significant emotional fluctuation after hearing this. He merely paused, frowned, and remained silent. Looking at the excited Liu Ju before him, only one thought crossed Huo Qubing's mind: *This is bad. The Crown Prince has fallen ill with hysteria. How am I supposed to explain this to the Empress and His Majesty?*

"Cousin, do you not believe me?"

"Uh, this... it’s not that I don't believe you..." Huo Qubing was at his wit's end, trying to figure out how to handle the Crown Prince’s condition. He was certain that even fighting the Xiongnu was not as difficult as the problem he now faced.

"Cousin, if you don't believe me, I have proof." With that, Liu Ju pulled out the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* to show him.

"Your Highness, what is this?"

"Cousin, this is an ancient book I obtained from the future. It is called the *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, and it records the history of the Great Han three hundred years from now."

After taking the book and feeling its unusual material, Huo Qubing’s expression shifted slightly. He opened it and looked at the characters, which were as small as ants; he could not recognize most of them. It was truly strange.

Just as Huo Qubing was deep in thought, Liu Ju shook a Five-Zhu coin in front of him. "Cousin, guess what this is."

Following Liu Ju’s cue, Huo Qubing looked at his hand. He recognized it—it was a copper coin. Seemingly seeing through Huo Qubing’s thoughts, Liu Ju chuckled.

"Cousin, are you thinking this is a Three-Zhu coin?"

Huo Qubing joked, "Could it be a Five-Zhu coin?"

Liu Ju was stunned; he had not expected Huo Qubing to correctly identify the coin as a Five-Zhu coin immediately. "Cousin, you are right, this is indeed a Five-Zhu coin. But this was not minted by the Emperor’s decree; it is a Five-Zhu coin from three hundred years in the future."

Hearing this, Huo Qubing became interested. Indeed, as far as he knew, the Great Han had not yet minted Five-Zhu coins.

"Is the Crown Prince speaking the truth?"

Seeing that Huo Qubing still doubted him, Liu Ju grew anxious. "Cousin, if you don't believe me, just come with me."

"Your Highness, where are you planning to go?"

As Liu Ju was speaking with Huo Qubing, an elderly man with a faltering gait approached them. Seeing who it was, Liu Ju’s little face collapsed, for the man was none other than the Crown Prince's tutor, Shi Qing.

"This... Tutor, I was planning to go out of the palace with my cousin." Liu Ju finished speaking and began winking at Huo Qubing, but Huo Qubing’s mind was still on the unbelievable story Liu Ju had just told him, and he did not notice the signals at all.

"Your Highness, today’s lessons have not yet been completed."

"This... Tutor, my cousin and I have urgent matters. I wonder if we could complete the lessons another day?"

"Your Highness, set your mind at ease. Just finish your lessons with the Tutor today; we can set off tomorrow instead."

Liu Ju had not expected Huo Qubing to betray him so easily. His previously smug face now twisted into a bitter mask. Helpless, he could only follow Shi Qing away.

Watching the backs of Liu Ju and Shi Qing as they departed, Huo Qubing gripped the Five-Zhu coin in his hand tightly and turned to walk out of the palace. He was going to see the Great Minister of Agriculture, Yan Yi, to ask if this Five-Zhu coin had originated from his department.