New Faces

February 21, 170 — Luoyang

"Silk for sale!"

"Mister, how much for these tanghulu?"

Inside the clamorous markets of Luoyang.

"Haa. Should I just go home… or take a place as a retainer of the Wu household…"

Among the lively, bustling crowds, a woman walked with her shoulders slumped, letting out a long sigh.

Her features were sharp, yet she was an extraordinary beauty. Right now, though, her face was twisted as if the world itself had ended, and her eyes stayed fixed on the ground.

I know your abilities well enough. Speaking with you, your learning is impressive. Stay a while longer in my household and…

Your father was a commandant? Hmm. I'm sorry. But being born in the frontier commandery of Wuwei makes a recommendation… delicate. Even thinking of your grandfather, who was Inspector of Yan Province, I ought to employ you, and yet…

Hmm, your looks? Is your mother even a woman of the Central Plains?

Heh heh heh. Why not simply become my concubine?

She was ashamed of how arrogantly she had once trusted her own talent, the intellect she believed could look down upon the world, and the prestige of a family that had held sway near Wuwei.

In Luoyang, no one extended a hand to a woman born on the frontier.

Haa… Do I really have no choice but to go as his retainer…

Just then, scholars in silk robes brushed past her, deep in conversation.

"Did you hear? Wang Yun's cousin is looking for a tutor up in Sangsan, in Ji Province."

"Wang Yun? The official from Taiyuan who even crushed Zhao Jin, a man from his own hometown?"

"That's the one. He became a Palace Censor at the end of last year. He's looking for a tutor for his nephew — they say there's a test of ability, but the pay is excellent."

"Really? How much?"

"I heard twenty-five don of gold a month. That's five million in cash."

"What? Twenty-five don for a tutor? That's extraordinary."

"Well, the master of the Yiga Merchant Guild is that little brat, so he can afford it."

Her ears pricked up. She had heard the rumors about Wang Yun herself — the story that had spread a few years back, of the Taiyuan official who reported corruption even against a man from his own district and saw him punished.

But twenty-five don?

With the value of the wushu coin so unstable, the promise of payment in gold made her ears flutter.

She changed direction and followed the two gentlemen, eavesdropping on their talk.

Then—

Thump.

Someone bumped into her and passed on, but she paid it no mind. Her whole attention was fixed on the conversation about Wang Yun.

A short while later.

Tap, tap.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned, and a beautiful woman with fine, flowing hair held out a coin purse embroidered with her name.

"Huh?"

"Be careful within the capital. I already taught the pickpocket a lesson and sent him packing. Take this."

Her entire fortune.

She had been careful ever since arriving in Luoyang, but a moment's distraction had been enough.

Grateful to the beauty before her, she offered a formal clasped-fist salute and accepted the purse.

Looking at the woman more carefully, she saw that though both mother and daughter wore green martial attire, neither of them looked particularly well-off.

"Thank you. That was everything I had… I am Jia Munhwa. Forgive my rudeness, but may I ask your name…"

"Jang Mi, courtesy name Okjeong. It was only what anyone ought to do. Think nothing of it."

Jia Xu looked into the woman's eyes and felt a spark of admiration. Pupils brimming with vital energy. If there had been gold coins in that purse, even a woman in shabby clothes would have felt greed stir — yet she had handed it over without the slightest tremor.

And her presence was no ordinary thing. Especially the child at her side, who looked to be her daughter.

The thought struck her at once: she had to secure these two.

"Forgive me, but… what brings you to Luoyang?"

"Pardon?… We came looking for work, and were about to return to Hedong."

"Hmm… Would you escort me? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I would hate to let a fighter of your caliber slip away."

All the way to Sangsan.

She was confident she could land the tutor's post at once. But whether she traveled with a merchant caravan or alone, she would need a personal bodyguard.

Looking at the woman before her — eyes full of pure light, with not a trace of material greed — desire stirred.

Being a woman herself, she needed a female escort. And a woman with this kind of presence was rare even in Wuwei.

"Pardon?… I need to enroll my child in an academy… I'm sorry, but—"

"I'll teach her on the road, and once we reach Sangsan as well. Child, what is your name?"

"Jang Saeng, ma'am."

A lovely child. Taking after her mother, her hair looked impossibly soft. Jia Xu stroked the girl's head.

A touch like silk.

"Really? You mean it?"

"Of course. And I won't charge tuition. For the escort fee — five don of gold a month, plus five don hazard pay for the journey, so I'll give you ten don in advance."

A tutor.

She had never taught anyone before, and figured she could try it out on this bright-eyed girl along the way. Jang Mi's face lit up with delight.

"Yes. Then that's settled. I need to gather my things from the inn — where should I go?"

"I'll stop by Palace Censor Wang Yun's residence first, then come to your inn."

"Ah. It's the Xuzhou Guest House, right next door."

Jia Xu turned her head and looked at the three-story building. Then she looked back at Jang Mi and nodded.

"Very well. Since there's an examination, it may take some time. Go about your business."

"Yes."

Jang Mi looked overjoyed. Jia Xu watched her, then looked again at the adorable child beside her.

"Saeng-ah. You'll be studying with me on the journey. What would you like to learn first?"

"May I… study the Spring and Autumn Annals? My late father left me the Zuo Commentary."

"Oh. You read the Spring and Autumn? How old are you?"

"I was born in the year 160."

The Spring and Autumn Annals, the historical chronicle of the state of Lu.

Though written in a spare style and attributed to Confucius, it was one of the Five Classics — a text that required real learning to read properly.

And the Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn was a massive work, dense with illustrative examples. It contained so many accounts of warfare that it was often used as a military treatise. The girl in martial dress before her seemed to be reading it precisely that way.

"Very well. On the road, I'll explain the Spring and Autumn for you. I'll see you this evening."

"Thank you, Master."

At the word Master, a strange warmth seeped into her chest. She smiled gently, stroked that soft, almost addictive hair once more, and turned away.

Bewildered.

When she arrived at Wang Yun's residence in Luoyang, the interview that followed shortly after was not with Wang Yun himself. She had to answer questions from a staff member of the Yiga Merchant Guild.

And then the letter the woman handed her.

She had chosen one of the interview questions said to have arrived by carrier pigeon, and this was what the paper contained.

Jia Xu laid out her analysis: the reality of eunuch supremacy after the Proscription of Partisans, born of the clash between imperial in-laws and the eunuchs; and the inevitable popular uprisings that would follow from the sale of offices. The guild employee told her she had passed.

Lady Jia Munhwa. Please make your way to Jo-ga-chon, Jinjeong-hyeon, Sangsan-gun as quickly as possible. The caravan leaves in a fortnight — you may travel with it, or if you go privately, we will provide travel expenses.

In the end she accepted the travel funds, took the letter the guild employee gave her, and turned to leave.

And when she read the letter…

She found an even stronger reason to reach Sangsan without delay.

"Huh…"

The Two-Division Strategy itself isn't a thought I've never had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠— but this person didn't choose Yi Province, Jing Province, and Jiangdong.

Jia Xu's first reaction upon reading the letter was that she had fallen in with dangerous people. Was this not a plan for open rebellion?

But reading it again more calmly, she found the passages about popular uprising and the age of contending heroes, and felt a measure of relief.

A single short sentence: the prediction that the Han would be swept by a great uprising, and that from it an age of warlords would emerge.

"Hmm. Anyone can foresee a popular revolt — but an age of contending heroes. Well. Looking at the droughts and floods across the Central Plains, and the eunuchs selling offices… it would be stranger if an uprising didn't break out."

Having finished the letter, Jia Xu tore it up as the guild employee had instructed, went to the kitchen of the Wang household, and fed the scraps into the cooking fire.

Watching the letter burn, she thought of the mother and daughter waiting at the Xuzhou Guest House, and walked toward the main gate of the Wang residence. She now had every reason to reach Sangsan a day sooner.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard the voice of the Yiga Merchant employee from earlier.

"Lady Jia Munhwa!!!"

Jia Xu turned. The interviewer was holding a birdcage with five pigeons — carrier pigeons, by the look of them.

"Huff… huff… Lady Jia Munhwa!!! When do you plan to depart?"

"At dawn tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

"There are two more people who need to go to Sangsan. One will join us at Chenliu, and the other will meet us directly with escorts. Would you mind traveling together? We'll provide the carriage."

More companions would only make the road safer. Jia Xu nodded.

"Having a larger party is a good thing. But who are they?"

"A distant relative of the Wang family died in childbirth. We need to bring one newborn to Sangsan, along with a wet nurse and four escorts. The escorts know the roads well and will drive the carriage."

"A newborn?"

"Yes. Young Lady Yu."

Yu?

In that instant, Jia Xu recalled that Zhou Yi, the Prefect of Luoyang, had lost a child — and that the child's name was Zhou Yu. The boy who had vanished during an outing to the marketplace just before the family was to return to their hometown of Lujiang.

A massive reward had been posted.

The thought carried her that far — then she flinched.

She shook her head, rejecting the idea. Surely they wouldn't go so far as to kidnap a child. And even if they had, it was no concern of hers — except for the risk of being caught at a checkpoint.

"Well. If a wet nurse is coming along, it shouldn't be any trouble, should it?"

"No."

"And the one joining at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Chenliu…"

"Ah!!! Likewise a distant relative of Guildmaster Wang Yeon whose parents are gone — Young Lady Ga, coming from Yingchuan. Also a newborn."

Only then did Jia Xu feel certain. Young Lady Yu was almost certainly that Zhou Yu. And the child Ga had likely been kidnapped as well.

But rather than alarm, the news that children had been taken only deepened her curiosity about the person waiting in Sangsan.

"Hmm. Do you have a way through the city gates?"

She asked with a sly smile. The guild employee looked startled for a moment, then studied Jia Xu's expression and made a thoughtful sound.

"…Yes. There won't be a problem."

"Oh? And may I ask your name?"

The employee before her no longer seemed ordinary. The sharp questions during the interview. The probing, keen-eyed look she had given when handing over the letter.

"I am Jeo Yeongji. Lord Munhwa."

A crisp clasped-fist salute.

And a look of absolute self-assurance.

The woman before her was clearly of scholarly lineage.

"Jeo Yeongji. If I may ask — where are you from? I am from Wuwei Commandery."

"Guangping Commandery, Ji Province."

The Jeo clan of Ji Province.

She had never heard of them.

But from the eyes, the bearing — she was certain the woman before her was a talent to rival her own.

"Why not simply take the tutor's post yourself?"

"Haha. I haven't the temperament to teach anyone. If they can't keep up, I get angry mid-lesson. Besides, orders have come down to move the guild's main office to Xiangyang, and there's no one else in the guild who can handle it. And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as Lord Munhwa well knows, the Yiga Merchant pays well — I was planning to save up and leave. But just as I was about to go… the Three-Division Strategy of the Realm… my heart started pounding, you see."

"Ho ho ho. Of course. The Three-Division Strategy. I was hooked by the same bait."

Jia Xu stepped forward, clasped Jeo Yeongji's hands firmly, and echoed the words: Three-Division Strategy of the Realm.

Jeo Yeongji smiled with quiet significance. She drew Jia Xu into an embrace and whispered.

"The abductions were handled through a cell network. I'm the only one who knows — so set your mind at ease, Lord Munhwa."

"Yes. You don't strike me as the careless sort, so I am at ease."

So it really was kidnapping.

Jia Xu was prepared to let it pass — such things were common enough in this age — but she was curious why they had taken girls rather than boys.

"But why those children?"

"I don't know the full details either, but the Zhou clan of Lujiang and the Guo clan of Yingchuan have been famous for generations for producing brilliant minds. And as it happened, those two were the only newborns in great houses at the time."

"Oh. Kidnap the newborns of brilliant lineages and raise them from infancy as the family's own talents?"

"Yes. That's as far as I've reasoned it myself. Zhou Yu's physiognomy was no ordinary thing. At the very least, an Inspector. If fortune favors him — a talent of the Three Excellencies rank."

At the very least, an Inspector?

Jia Xu's eyes widened at Jeo Yeongji's words. She did not put much stock in physiognomy, but the person before her was not one to speak nonsense — which only made her more curious.

"Then send them to the Xuzhou Guest House at dawn."

"Yes. I leave them in your care."

Suck, suck.

Inside the carriage, the infants Zhou Yu and Guo Jia nursed at the wet nurses' breasts.

Jia Xu had been as startled yesterday by the child Guo Jia as she had been by Zhou Yu. The eyes of infants not yet two months old.

A gleam of intelligence, and faces almost unbearably adorable. Just as Jeo Yeongji had promised — these were no ordinary children.

If they could be raised well, even if the household crouched in Yi Province for a generation, by the time these children came of age they might well conquer the realm.

Her heart had not pounded like this in a long time.

She looked at her first disciple, who held the Spring and Autumn Annals, and instructed her to read the anecdote of If the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold.

"If the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold. What lesson should you take from this, Saeng-ah?"

"Master — without the lips, the teeth grow cold. One must not face a great enemy alone, but form alliances with other powers and avoid direct collision."

The orthodox reading.

Jang Saeng's learning was not especially deep, but having read only the Spring and Autumn as Confucius wrote it, she seemed to have grown as stubborn as any Confucian scholar — which worried Jia Xu.

"And what do you make of Gong Zhiqi of Yu?"

"Hmm. I think him a coward. However much his counsel was ignored — to abandon his own country?"

The state of Jin asked Yu for passage in order to strike another kingdom. Gong Zhiqi warned the King of Yu that if the road were granted, Jin would surely invade Yu next. The king ignored him and opened the way. Gong Zhiqi resigned his post and left the country.

Before the year is out, the state will fall.

"Saeng-ah. Broaden the range of your thinking. The second lesson here is that one must choose one's lord carefully. And if that lord will not heed counsel, one needs the resolve of Gong Zhiqi — to leave without looking back."

"But… how can that be?"

Seeing the discontent in her eyes, Jia Xu smiled and stroked Jang Saeng's hair.

"No matter how gifted a person may be, if they refuse the counsel of those around them, the seeds of ruin are already sown. The moment a lord ignores the advice of those at his side is the moment to leave — remember that. And the third lesson is this: listen to counsel. If you become a general someday, set aside your stubbornness and open your ears to those around you. Your willfulness is so strong it will be the death of you."

"Nngh… Yes, Master."

Watching her first disciple flush and yield, at least a little, Jia Xu smiled and stroked that hair she could almost grow addicted to.