Wolong and Fengchu

Wolong and Fengchu. Sima Hui’s tearful devotion to his disciples, claiming that securing even one of the two would let a man contend for the realm.

Of course Liu Bei obtained both and still failed to seize the realm. Yet I never believed it was merely some recruitment scam.

In truth Sima Hui never uttered those words. He cherished his two disciples dearly, that much is certain, but the image of Wolong and Fengchu we all know was entirely the creation of Luo Guanzhong.

Even so, I refuse to believe Luo Guanzhong conjured it from nothing. He must have drawn the motif from somewhere, and I am convinced beyond any doubt that the originals were Xun Yu and Guo Jia.

Xun Yu, gifted with the talent of a king’s advisor, and Guo Jia, possessed of ghostly schemes. If that maps exactly onto the Romance’s Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, am I simply getting carried away?

In reality Cao Cao commanded both and succeeded in taking most of the realm. In other words, Xun Yu and Guo Jia were the true Wolong and Fengchu.

According to Shi Tao, roughly a year earlier the two had been fellow students studying side by side at Chen Shen’s academy here.

Xun Yu in particular had been the very embodiment of the scholar every man admired. Talent that even Chen Qun and Chen Chong acknowledged, beauty hailed as the finest in Yingchuan.

She always wore white yet never showed so much as a single speck of dirt, so meticulous was her bearing. When even the stern Chen Shen had praised her with spit flying, that said everything.

By contrast Guo Jia had been a somewhat gloomy, lazy genius. Of course she had worked hard to catch Xun Yu, and Chen Shen had rated her latent potential highly as well.

At the time the Grand Administrator of Yingchuan, Yin Shu, had successively recommended Zhong Yao, Xun You, and Guo Tu, displaying a keen eye. Perhaps for that reason unprecedented interest had gathered over who would next receive the Filial and Incorrupt nomination.

The result, as everyone knows, was Xun Yu. Guo Jia had taken the blow so hard she stayed away from the academy for several days.

When she reappeared she had become a walking corpse dressed in pitch-black clothes—the woman we know now, they said.

“So that happened… But something feels off.”

“What’s off, Young Master Ho? Fengxiao’s weirdness started right around then, didn’t it?”

“No, I get that Guo Jia went off the deep end because of Xun Yu, like you said. But what on earth made Guo Jia believe she would be recommended in Xun Yu’s place?”

“Well, Fengxiao herself is a tremendous talent, so she must have thought she could somehow beat Wenruo…”

“Even granting that, you said contemporary reputation already placed Xun Yu higher, right? Especially with Filial and Incorrupt recommendations—if anything goes wrong later the recommender is held jointly liable. Even if their talents were completely equal, the thoroughly self-disciplined Xun Yu would normally be the one recommended. And someone of Guo Jia’s caliber didn’t know that?”

“I-is that so?”

Shi Tao tilted her head as if finding it strange herself. I wanted to press further about Guo Jia, but the night had grown deep and Xu Shu called her away.

“Let’s go to bed, Guangyuan. Don’t be late tomorrow morning, Master Ho.”

And so the first day at the academy ended. I had succeeded in meeting all seven students, yet whether I could return to Henei with any of them remained an open question.

“There will be an auditor for the next month. Do not let the atmosphere distract you—concentrate on your studies.”

The following morning, first class. Chen Shen introduced me to the students with the lightest of touches. Whether one could even call it an introduction when he never uttered my name was another matter.

“Hah…”

The moment Chen Chong saw me she screwed up her face and let out a sigh. This one had clearly taken a strong dislike to me since yesterday.

Chen Qun likewise paid me no attention. It did not seem personal so much as a refusal to scatter her focus while she prepared for the lesson.

Confucius said… Mencius said…

Class began. With a Politics score of a mere one, I could not tell whether Chen Shen was speaking Chinese or Uyghur.

“What do you make of it, Ho Ji?”

“Huh? Ah, well… I think it’s a fine passage.”

“…”

A test question tossed out only to have its educational intent shattered on the spot. Chen Shen’s face said “just as I thought,” and he turned to Xu Shu.

“The auditor seems to be having difficulty keeping up, so for the time being, Fu, you will stay by his side and guide him.”

“Why must Yuan Zhi perform such a task?”

The protest came not from Xu Shu herself but from Zhongli Shu. True enough, the fellow had been shooting me thoroughly displeased looks since the moment class started.

“Fu is the most recent arrival, so it is only proper she look after him, is it not?”

“Precisely because she arrived late her own studies are still lacking—how can she be made responsible for an auditor as well? Guangyuan seems to have grown friendly with him; leave it to her.”

“I have my reasons. No more arguing.”

“…”

Once Chen Shen decided something he drove it through like a bulldozer. Zhongli Shu still disliked the decision, yet he could not defy his sky-like teacher a second time.

Thok!

A small pebble flew from somewhere and tapped my forearm. I turned my head and found Guo Jia watching me, the corner of her mouth curled upward.

“…”

Even in broad daylight she wore the same outfit as the night before. Pitch-black robes, deathly pale skin, and makeup so heavy one could not tell whether she had come to class or to entertain clients.

With that face and that smirk she looked like the Joker himself—Heath Ledger, not Joaquin.

“Something… you want to say?”

“Hehehe… I like you. Let’s be friends.”

“Being friends is fine by me. But what exactly about me do you like?”

“Hehehe… Because you’re the kind of girl who will never, ever get recommended.”

“…”

First time I had ever been acknowledged for sheer incompetence. From the look of it, Guo Jia’s head contained nothing but this year’s Filial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Incorrupt nomination rights.

That was why she treated Grand Administrator Yi Min’s office like her own house and offered free labor, after all.

Yet those inflated stats alone were enough to overwhelm anyone who saw them. The highest Intelligence of any officer I had met so far.

Even if Sima Yi grew to full stature he would not reach that level.

On top of that she possessed the monstrous special ability that made Ghostly Schemes look like child’s play. Lower the enemy’s morale and raise your own, and the multiplicative effect produced more than a ten-percent difference in actual combat power.

In short, a talent that must never be allowed to fall into Cao Cao’s hands. But if she simply entered service under Yi Min as things stood, that would be a problem of its own.

The two-hour class ended. I had survived the hellish entrance exams of the Korean peninsula, complete with retakes, yet because I could understand not a single word I spent the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠entire time pinching my own thighs.

“Master Ho, would you come over here?”

After the two-hour lecture came another two hours in which the students reviewed what they had learned among themselves. Having received Chen Shen’s order to look after me, Xu Shu immediately opened a classic and called me over.

“Mmm… Yuan Zhi? You don’t really have to help me. I didn’t understand a single thing from the class just now.”

“Everyone is like that in their first class. To be precise, only you and I are like that… Even though I already knew the characters, when I first arrived I understood nothing either. Perhaps Master thought that someone who had been in the same position might be able to help you.”

An optimistic personality that put a good spin on everything. Of course Chen Shen had attached me to Xu Shu for the reason she stated, yet unlike her, who actually intended to study, I had a separate main job.

“Never mind that—won’t you tell me about yourself, Yuan Zhi? Where I come from they call it building rapport: opening one’s heart before collaborating makes everything more efficient.”

“A-about me? What do you wish to know?”

Suddenly asked about herself, Xu Shu grew flustered. What else? The past she could not reveal to others.

“Your home is in Changsha County, right? You said only your mother is left. What did you do before coming here?”

“That… farming, more or less. We rented the land out, but we still had to grow enough vegetables to eat ourselves.”

“Is that so? Come to think of it, this is the season for planting wheat. Did you help with the farm work, sweating buckets?”

“That’s right! I remember spending whole days in the fields wearing nothing but a bamboo hat to keep off the sun.”

“…”

Xu Shu had lied. Wheat is planted in early winter and harvested in late spring.

In other words, she had never farmed a day in her life.

“Why did you suddenly set your heart on scholarship?”

“Just… I began to wonder whether living like that was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all right. Changsha isn’t even our ancestral home. Father served as a county assistant there until he passed away, and Mother’s entire family had already died long before, so we simply settled.”

“No relatives nearby, nowhere to turn for help? And you couldn’t open a shop either, so rather than scraping by on a tiny plot you decided studying might be better?”

“I don’t particularly lust after fame and rank. Only… the world is so turbulent, isn’t it? I thought that if I entered office I might be able to help stabilize the realm even a little.”

“Did you tell Chen Shen the same story?”

“How did you know?”

Because I had used a similar excuse to get in myself. Of course Chen Shen had accepted me because I cured his illness, yet feeling a sense of déjà vu with Xu Shu was only natural.

“Are you two actually studying?”

At that moment a spoiler appeared. Before I knew it Zhongli Shu had approached and casually inserted himself between Xu Shu and me.

“We were building something called rapport. Master Ho here says that before undertaking a great enterprise one must first open one’s heart…”

“Which classic does that come from? You two just wanted to shoot the breeze and invented an excuse because you had none. Why are you so naive, Yuan Zhi?”

“…”

Xu Shu could not answer. More accurately, from the moment Zhongli Shu drew near she had been unable to hide how uncomfortable she felt.

“Whatever Yuan Zhi and I do is none of your business, is it?”

“What? I’ve wanted to say this since yesterday—why is your tone so arrogant on first meeting?”

“I merely returned the exact manner you use. As you saw earlier, my studies are lacking so for now I’m just copying my fellow students.”

“…”

There was a vast Intelligence gap between us, but since I was only teasing rather than persuading, all that mattered was that it got under his skin. Zhongli Shu frowned and spoke.

“I don’t know how you sweet-talked Master, but if you think that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠level of ability will make you a formal disciple you’re badly mistaken. This is not a place where trash like you can casually plant yourself.”

“You never know. By next month I might suddenly open my eyes and write a masterpiece that makes Chen Shen shed tears—who can say?”

“Know your place. If I catch you making useless jokes at Yuan Zhi one more time, I won’t let it slide.”

Thud! Ugh…

The instant the words left his mouth Zhongli Shu drove a heavy fist into me. I clutched my stomach, collapsed, and gasped for air. Kuh…

“Worthless piece of shit with nothing but a big mouth… tch.”

With that parting shot Zhongli Shu left. Xu Shu hurried over, eyes full of worry.

“A-are you all right, Master Ho?”

“Kuh… Don’t worry. I’m used to getting hit—this is nothing.”

Of course the ones who usually hit me were women or eunuchs. Still, compared to Xiahou Yuan’s frequent punches, Zhongli Shu’s fist was cotton.

“That aside, what’s your relationship with Zhongli Shu? He seems to dote on you a great deal.”

“Guangyuan’s teasing just goes too far; there’s nothing between us. We’re simply fellow students…”

She said that, yet didn’t it seem Zhongli Shu’s advances were especially thick toward her alone? Leaving that aside, the way she looked so weak only around him left me uneasy.

Was she being threatened somehow?

We ate lunch. While Xu Shu and Shi Tao were away I decided to walk along the stream to organize my thoughts.

Ding, ding, ding…

Then it came. The pipa melody I had heard the day before once more drifted faintly along the walls. The tune was identical to yesterday’s—it had to be Chen Qun.

Come to think of it, yesterday we had only crossed paths briefly and never held a proper conversation. I immediately set out to find the source of the sound.

It was the garden at the center of the academy. A small pond lay in the middle, and atop it stood a single pavilion.

Inside, a woman knelt with her back perfectly straight, playing the pipa.

Ding, ding, ding…

I closed my eyes for a moment and leaned against the wall, concentrating on the pipa. Chen Shen’s academy had been built far from the bustling streets for the sake of study.

Upon a silence broken only by the cry of insects, the pipa began to embroider natural embroidery.

Like a brush dancing freely across white paper to complete a monochrome masterpiece, the simple yet profound melody gradually loosened my blood-weary heart.

Tuk…

The performance cut off abruptly. At the same time I opened my eyes and looked up at the pavilion.

Sss…

Chen Qun turned her head. At last I could meet the eyes of the historical figure who would alter the order of the realm that had lasted four hundred years.

Splendid stats and refined beauty. Overall a petite frame with round facial lines that were extremely cute.

She stared at me with eyes whose meaning I could not read at all. Because of that I could not begin to guess her intentions.

“Sorry. Did I interrupt your playing?”

“No.”

“…”

If that were truly the case, couldn’t she answer a little more kindly? I had felt it since yesterday—this girl possessed no concept of vocal pitch.

“You’ve already seen me several times, but let me introduce myself properly once more. My name is Ho Ji. For the next month I’ll be auditing Chen Shen’s classes together with you.”

“Okay.”

“I just introduced myself and you answer like that… You’re Chen Ji’s daughter Chen Qun, right?”

“Mm.”

“You’re not happy I came, are you? I’ll leave for today, so keep playing.”

“I’m not.”

“Y-you’re not? Come on, just because it was interrupted a little…”

Thud!

Chen Qun roughly set the pipa down and rose from her seat. Then she glided away as if sliding and returned to the lecture hall.

Hmm… I couldn’t tell whether she was arrogant or simply uninterested in everything. Perhaps, having been praised as one of the Three Talents’ daughters since childhood and coddled by everyone around her, she was simply awkward with human relationships.

That aside, she was cute to the point of being adorable. Which meant I would probably come eavesdrop on her playing again tomorrow.