Rome, the emperor's palace.

Marcus Aurelius, the elderly Roman emperor, was reclining wearily in his chair, listening to his men report on the Han Dynasty delegation.

Three years, he had waited a full three years, and finally he received news from the Han Dynasty.

Due to years of fighting against the northern barbarians, Marcus Aurelius's health deteriorated year by year. For him, being able to establish contact with the distant Eastern empire was perhaps the greatest thing in his imperial career.

And he, the first emperor since the founding of Rome to establish relations with the Han Dynasty, will be remembered by future generations.

The captain of the Roman Emperor's personal guard, Oske, respectfully reported: "Your Majesty, the caravan led by the Han delegation has anchored in the Mediterranean Sea. The guards you dispatched have already received the Han delegation, and they will arrive in Rome in three days!"

Marcus Aurelius nodded: "Very well, immediately issue the order to have all the nobles and citizens of Rome go out into the streets to sweep the roads and pave them with yellow earth."

The Han Dynasty had many rules of etiquette, and the city had to be kept clean. Anyone who dared to throw excrement or garbage on the street would be immediately expelled from the city.

In addition, you should take people to all the cloth shops in the city and collect red cloth to sell on the official road leading into the city for the Han envoys. It should be at least ten miles long, as the people of the Han Dynasty like red.

Also, tell all the nobles in the city to take a thorough bath. The Han people bathe for important events; we Romans cannot allow ourselves to be seen as neglecting them.

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor who had long desired to establish contact with the Han Dynasty, had been searching for news of the Han Dynasty for the past few years.

He was also very familiar with the rules and preferences of the Han Dynasty.

Of course, Marcus Aurelius himself was also very interested in these elaborate rituals.

In his view, the more numerous and complex the etiquette, the better it can demonstrate a person's status and position.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After writing down the emperor's instructions, Oske respectfully withdrew.

Soon, news that the Han Dynasty delegation was about to arrive in Rome spread throughout the city.

From officials and nobles to commoners, everyone began to get busy under the emperor's orders.

The beggars, slaves, and some filthy foreign barbarians in the city were all driven out.

The streets, which were originally full of feces and sewage, have been cleaned up completely.

The Roman people showed great enthusiasm for the arriving delegation and caravan from the Eastern Empire. This may have been partly due to the political reasons promoted by Marcus Aurelius, but it was mostly because of the beautiful Eastern silk.

Of course, the main reason is that, like Rome, the Han Dynasty was a powerful empire that dominated a region.

In the past, the Romans were proud because their country ruled over an incredibly vast area around the Mediterranean, and no other country in the region could rival them.

Therefore, in their eyes, the Han Empire, which held the same dominant position in the distant East, was entirely worthy of being treated with an equal attitude.

December 26th, the eighth year of Jianning, east of Rome.

At this moment, the city gate was already crowded with Roman nobles who had come to welcome the Han delegation, led by a young man wearing a red Roman-style robe.

This man was named Commodus, the son of the current emperor Marcus Aurelius.

At this time, Comoros was just eighteen years old. He not only inherited his mother's appearance but also his father's strong physique. He was a standout among the younger generation in Rome and was deeply loved by Marcus Aurelius.

There were even rumors in Rome that Marcus Aurelius had wanted his son to succeed him as emperor more than once.

However, the Senate and many nobles did not pay attention to this rumor.

Unlike Chinese dynasties, the emperors in Rome were elected by the Roman nobles and citizens, and the real core power was all in the hands of the Senate.

The successor to the Roman emperor was not determined by the emperor himself.

Commodus stood at the front of the welcoming party, his calm gaze masking a heart pounding with excitement.

Before he set off, his father had a secret conversation with him.

What Kang Maode remembered most clearly was his father's words: "The throne of the Eastern Empire has always been passed down from father to son. Establishing friendly communication with the Eastern Empire is very likely related to your future succession to the throne."

Commodus knew that his father most likely wanted to introduce some of the academic ideas of the Han Empire through contact with it, so that the people of Rome would also recognize the legitimacy of the hereditary monarchy, just like the people of the Han Empire, thus paving the way for his future ascension to the throne.

After all, everyone has selfish desires. Marcus Aurelius, after ascending to the throne, devoted himself to his work and fought wars everywhere, pushing Rome to new heights.

As he gets older, he naturally doesn't want to see the power he has built up over the years fall into the hands of outsiders.

Therefore, after understanding his father's thoughts, Commodus also developed a strong desire for the throne that would rule over everything.

At this point, he was eager to engage with Han scholars and spread their ideas throughout Rome.

"They've arrived! The delegation from the Great Han Dynasty has arrived!!"

Upon seeing the black dot appear on the distant horizon, the crowd gathered outside Rome erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Of course, unlike Camus, the cheers of the nobles were more due to their impending sight of legendary items such as silk, porcelain, and tea.

First, what came into view of Commodus and his party was a large banner with the Chinese character "汉" (Han), followed by the delegation and the neatly arranged naval soldiers.

As in the province of Egypt, the straight lines and uniform steps of the Imperial Navy astonished the Romans at the city gates.

"My God! Is that the army of the Eastern Empire?"

At the city gate, some people couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, even though they had heard from many merchants from the Asian provinces how powerful the Han Empire's army was.

But most people disagreed, thinking that no matter how strong the Han army was, it couldn't possibly be stronger than the brave Roman legions.

However, upon seeing them today, they realized that those merchants did not seem to be lying.

Regardless of the fighting strength of this Han army, their straight ranks and orderly steps alone were enough to crush the Roman army on both sides of the road to the ground.

"This is simply a masterpiece of art. If I had an army like this, how could I not inherit the throne?"

Amidst gasps of amazement, Kang Maode couldn't help but sigh, his gaze towards the Han army now tinged with fervor.