Herbs and the Sleeping Dragon
“Hmm. There are some fine medicinal herbs here.”
Xu Shu hummed lightly as he plucked the herbs. He seemed to be in quite a good mood.
I was outdoors with Xu Shu. More precisely, I had tagged along after him.
After we defeated Xiahou Dun’s army, a stretch of quiet, peaceful days had followed. Yet within that peace lurked worry and darkness. Though no one spoke of it, everyone carried a vague premonition that the bloody storms of war would soon rage again.
Still, for the moment everyone seemed content to enjoy the peace, each going about their own business.
When he had free time, Xu Shu would come outdoors like this to gather medicinal herbs. As a military advisor of Liu Bei’s army, he could easily have ordered servants to do it, yet he always came out himself. When I asked him why, he answered with a good-natured smile.
“I get to take a walk, enjoy the fine scenery, and gather herbs while I’m at it. Make medicine too. Haha.”
Well, the scenery was nice. In the world I originally came from, it would have been something like a greenbelt.
“And you have to distinguish the herbs carefully. You might end up picking poisonous ones by mistake. Oh my! This one is excellent for restoring vitality. I’ll take it back and brew it for Mother.”
He knew how to handle all sorts of herbs well, but his eyes shone brightest whenever he touched something that would help his mother. A man of the utmost filial piety.
Thud!
While he was enthusiastically collecting herbs, a slight jolt ran through Xu Shu’s waist. The hilt of the sword he always wore at his side had bumped into a tree.
“Oh my!”
Xu Shu caught the scabbard and chuckled. When I glanced at the sword for a moment, he tapped it once with a fingertip and said,
“This fellow? You might find it odd that a civil official like me carries a sword every day.”
A bitter smile crossed his face for a moment before he continued.
“It’s a memento of the recklessness of my youth, you could say. I’ve mended my ways now, but there was a time when I myself was a hopeless ruffian. It’s a shameful past I’d rather forget, and I’ve washed my hands of it, yet strangely I can’t bring myself to part with this sword. Well, I’d prefer never to have occasion to use it if possible.”
I had read that in his youth Xu Shu had loved the life of a knight-errant and fencing, living rowdily. Though it had been to avenge others, he had once committed murder and even robbery.
After reforming and becoming refined, he seemed to treat those youthful days as a dark history. Was he washing away his regrets by gathering herbs, making medicine, and treating people like this?
It didn’t matter. What was important was that he was still in Liu Bei’s camp—and that I was here.
“By the way, I hope things go well with His Lordship seeking out Zhuge Liang.”
Xu Shu gazed at the distant mountains.
“Aren’t you curious about this man Zhuge Liang, young lady?”
Zhuge Liang. Of course I was curious. Curious enough to go mad. The protagonist of the famous bond of fish and water, and of the celebrated Memorial on the Expedition.
Indeed, Zhuge Liang’s name was often mentioned in Liu Bei’s army these days. After Xu Shu recommended him as a talent fit for military advisor, Liu Bei had begun singing “Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Liang” until he finally set out to seek the man in person.
Of course I wanted to meet Zhuge Liang too—what his appearance would be like, what his abilities would be like.
But right now the one I was interested in was not Zhuge Liang. It was you, Xu Shu.
Zhuge Liang would be properly invited by Liu Bei. And he would make the man loyal to the very end….
But Xu Shu was different. If time simply passed without interference, Xu Shu would leave Liu Bei’s army after the Battle of Changban, just as in the original history. I had to prevent that.
“Of course I’m curious. He’s the man you’ve praised so highly your mouth must be dry from it. But with our lord, won’t he surely bring him back?”
“Indeed. He’s a man of rather high pride, but I believe with our lord the story will be different.”
Xu Shu said that and went back to humming as he focused on the herbs—this one is good for such-and-such, that one for so-and-so.
The man before me seemed to have no thought at all that if Zhuge Liang, who was far superior to himself, eventually came, his own light might fade. He simply concentrated on the herbs right in front of him.
I took a step closer and said,
“Could you teach me how to use medicinal herbs as well? I think it would be a great help if I learned.”
Xu Shu brightened at once.
“Ah! That’s a wonderful idea. Come this way. This plant is good for external injuries—excellent for wounds—and this one has the effect of boosting energy.”
I nodded diligently and began learning the uses of the herbs.
Longzhong. The small village in Jingzhou where the Sleeping Dragon Zhuge Liang was said to reside.
It was surrounded by mountains, and a single river flowed leisurely below. White clouds drifted along the ridges, sunlight filtering down between them.
Though they gazed upon the same scenery, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei’s impressions differed greatly. Liu Bei felt as if an immortal might dwell there; Zhang Fei’s reaction was closer to “What kind of backwater is this?”
“Elder Brother, do you really think a sage of that caliber lives in a place like this? I’m not saying I don’t trust Master Xu Shu, but I worry it might be exaggerated.”
Zhang Fei grumbled. Liu Bei answered calmly.
“Exaggerated or not, we’ll know once we meet him. And Master Xu Shu would never recommend just anyone. We must trust him and do our utmost if we wish to obtain a dragon.”
“Did Elder Brother really need to come in person? A fellow like that could just be summoned. You’re the Imperial Uncle and General of the Front, after all.”
“How could a recluse of the wilds bow his head for a mere title? I must go first myself, humble myself, and show him my sincerity.”
“Hah! Elder Brother’s soft heart will be the death of him.”
Zhang Fei muttered. Even so, the idea of the leader of a faction traveling all this way just to call on some young scholar still sat poorly with him.
Then Guan Yu, walking beside them, pointed ahead.
“Elder Brother. That must be the place.”
A thatched cottage came into view—not particularly large, with a kitchen garden attached.
“This is it? The place where the man they call the Sleeping Dragon lives?”
“So it seems. At last we shall meet him.”
Liu Bei spoke with a touch of emotion, but Zhang Fei pursed his lips.
“Doesn’t look big enough for a dragon to live in, does it? Honestly, it looks rather shabby to me.”
“Not so. Wisdom and clarity have no visible form, yet their depths cannot be fathomed. What does it matter whether the house is a small cottage or a great fortress? Looking at how neat and orderly the house and fields are, the man himself is clearly no ordinary person.”
“Sometimes I wonder if Elder Brother isn’t one of those immortals we only hear about in stories. You come out with the most cloud-catching remarks. Can we even expect proper hospitality in a place like this?”
“Hospitality is unnecessary. If I can receive his teaching and form a precious bond, that is enough.”
“Fine. You two stay here. This younger brother will go fetch him.”
As they approached the gate, Zhang Fei made to knock, leaving his two elder brothers behind.
“Stop. I shall go first and pay my respects. I cannot inconvenience the master.”
“Elder Brothers traveling all this way isn’t an inconvenience? Don’t worry. Can’t I handle one person?”
Guan Yu, who had been listening in silence, spoke.
“Zhang Fei, enough. When one comes as a guest, one must observe a guest’s courtesy. And when Elder Brother desires it so, as younger brothers we ought to understand his heart.”
“Haa… Fine. Fine.”
Leaving his two younger brothers behind, Liu Bei walked alone to the front of the cottage. Sensing a presence, a young page boy came out.
“Who is it?”
“I have come to call upon Master Kongming. Please inform him that Liu Bei, Left General of Han, Marquis of Yicheng, and Governor of Yuzhou, has arrived.”
Before the small thatched hut, Liu Bei answered the young page who guarded it with perfect courtesy.
One deep night. In Xiangyang, at the very heart of Jingzhou’s largest city, two men were conversing.
“Kuai Yue. How has Liu Bei been faring of late?”
“Yes, my lord. There has been no major movement, but he is said to have visited Zhuge Liang’s cottage.”
“Zhuge Liang. Is he not Huang Chengyan’s son-in-law?”
“That is so. It seems he intends to bring Zhuge Liang into his service.”
The speakers were Liu Biao, lord of Jingzhou, and his advisor Kuai Yue.
“Liu Bei is no ordinary man after all. Huang Chengyan is a renowned scholar even within Jingzhou. So he means to draw that family in.”
“Yes. And Zhuge Liang himself is rumored to be no ordinary person.”
“I see….”
Liu Biao answered weakly. Age had already sapped much of his strength.
“My lord, Liu Bei is a man whose true intentions cannot be known. The heroes of Jingzhou are said to be defecting to him one by one; who knows when he might harbor other designs? You must continue to remain vigilant.”
“I am not unaware. Still, not long ago he defeated Xiahou Dun’s army. Stationing him on the northern border of Jingzhou was the right decision.”
“That was only because he would have been the first to fall if he did nothing.”
“Very well, I understand. I have my own thoughts on the matter. I shall soon hold a banquet and invite Liu Bei. And then….”
The two men continued speaking for some time. When the conversation ended, Kuai Yue took his leave and departed Liu Biao’s chambers. Alone, Liu Biao thought,
My lifespan is nearly at its end. Neither of my two sons has the makings of a ruler. Liu Bei is a man whose true intentions cannot be known…. What will become of this land of Jingzhou from now on….