Changes (3)
Thanks to Her Majesty's consideration, I had been granted a rather sizable building within the Imperial Palace, and the first thing I did was bring over a handful of servants from my household to put them to work there.
Of course, I had received Her Majesty's blessing first.
"No matter how magnificent a building may be, it isn't truly a home unless you feel at ease in it."
"..."
"Then do as you please. I gave it to you with that very intention from the start."
It truly was a staggering level of special treatment.
There had been no need to bring over every servant employed at my residence. Although this building was even larger than my own home outside the palace, that was only true if you measured the building alone. My estate as a whole was uselessly enormous—second in scale only to the Imperial Palace itself, one might say.
The reason, naturally, was the Empress's favor. She had handed over the land with its building as casually as if tossing me a trinket in passing, leaving even me, the recipient, utterly dumbfounded. If the people who had poured out fortunes hoping to acquire even a tiny plot in Luoyang ever learned of it, wouldn't they be sick with envy?
And since this was Luoyang, once riddled with every manner of corruption, the fact that the buildings standing on the land were quite splendid came as a pleasant bonus.
...As for where the original owners of the land I now held had gone, I was too afraid to find out, and so I never looked into it closely. When I asked Her Majesty how she had come to possess such property, she merely smiled, calm and unreadable.
They were probably alive and well somewhere. At the very least, I refused to imagine them drifting along the bottom of the Yellow River.
Probably.
"I see. So you'll be staying in the Imperial Palace from now on?"
My mother, who had been at home, asked in an even voice when she heard the news.
I nodded and replied, "Yes. But since Her Majesty has given her permission, you're welcome to live with me if you'd like."
"Hmm... I'll pass, thank you."
Hearing my offer, my mother gave a small shake of her head. "Your old mom's nerves are too frail for that. I'd never manage to relax with Her Majesty living right nearby."
...She had a point, honestly.
Even I, bathed as I was in Her Majesty's full affection, had felt the weight of it until quite recently—so how much worse must it be for my mother? An absolute sovereign like the Empress was the sort of being who inspired fear in those around her simply by existing. Naturally so, when a single flicker of displeasure could cost you your head on the spot.
As long as I was around, the odds of Her Majesty ever laying a hand on my mother were all but nil, but reason and emotion had always lived in separate realms. Which was precisely what made people called loyal retainers so remarkable, I supposed. Didn't they speak honest counsel knowing full well it might cost them their lives?
"Ah, but you will come visit often, won't you? Leaving your poor old mother all alone—for shame."
"...Yes, Mother."
Though she still looked young for her years, my mother was, before I knew it, staring her sixtieth birthday in the face. In an age when most people struggled to see fifty, that was more than enough cause for celebration. Elder Wang Yun, a fellow son of Bing Province, was in his early sixties as I recalled.
...The trouble was that, judging by his face alone, the man had blown past seventy long ago. He had gone up to Luoyang early in life to serve the fatuous Emperor Ling as one of the Three Excellencies, and the work seemed to have aged him terribly. A truly sorrowful state of affairs.
Having heard my mother out, I kept my tone measured as I said, "As I've told you before, you mustn't go accepting every gift people press into your hands."
"Y-yes, of course I know that!"
I had only prodded her in passing, yet my mother jolted as if struck and nodded her head furiously.
What was that about?
That was the reaction of someone with something to feel guilty about.
When I said nothing and simply kept my eyes on her, my mother's gaze went rolling about in flustered circles. "...Why are you looking at me like that?"
So her greed for possessions still hadn't been cured, I see. I would have to speak with Diaochan before long and have the warehouse given a thorough going-over—identifying who had sent what in the process. Any gift whose intent looked suspicious even at a glance would go straight back to its sender, and the sender onto a watch list for special attention.
"S-spare me just this once! It's something your old mom absolutely adores!"
"...That treasure looks outrageously expensive even at a glance. Isn't that just a little suspicious?"
The future unfolded before my eyes with painful clarity: my mother clinging to my sleeve, insisting the item in question was her most cherished possession. Though, to be fair, the greater problem was that my resolve crumbled the moment I actually witnessed such a scene.
Should I call for Jia Xu as well? Under normal circumstances she would have been the one to handle this. She had seemed rather busy of late, so I had deliberately refrained from summoning her—and now this had to happen.
Just then, my mother spoke up. "Son! You're not thinking strange thoughts, are you? Your old mom has been very good about listening to you!"
Might I suggest wiping the cold sweat from your forehead first?
Hearing her out, I answered in a level voice. "In that case, you wouldn't mind my organizing the warehouse, then? It's become far too cluttered lately."
"Wh-what...?"
My mother's face went stiff with panic. "But... you can't..."
Watching her carry on like a hopeless fool, I sighed inwardly.
After my talk with my mother, I bustled about sorting out the luggage. Well... the truly backbreaking work was all handled by the servants. At most, what I did was decide what to take and what to leave behind. The Imperial Palace already had everything one could need, so there wasn't much for me to bring; if anything, the servants' clothing took up more space than my own things.
"My lord."
"Hm?"
I was giving the neatly arranged bundles one final inspection when Seo Yeo spoke to me. Having called out, she said nothing more, only gazing toward the main gate. Puzzled, I followed her line of sight.
"...?"
Turning my head, I discovered a group of women standing near the gate.
Yes. Women.
"General-in-Chief, I trust you have been well."
"O-long time no see!"
Liu Bei, with her ever-gentle, easygoing smile, and Zhang Fei, whose words stammered to an unusual degree.
And then there was Guan Yu, who for some reason could not meet my eyes at all.
Setting Liu Bei aside, it felt like a very long time since I'd last seen the two of them. The traces of embarrassment still clung to them unmistakably—how was I even supposed to describe the sight? One look was enough to tell you they were maidens in the purest sense, and the thought left me feeling rather pleased with myself.
Ah, wait. They had shared my bed, so technically they weren't maidens anymore, were they.
While I indulged in these idle thoughts, the peach sisters slowly closed the distance. I addressed the Peach Sisters. "It has been quite a while."
"Ugh..."
At my words, Guan Yu kept her silence, and even Zhang Fei turned her eyes away slightly. Was it because the distance between us had narrowed so drastically in so short a time? Nearly a month and a half had passed for those two, and still they seemed to need more.
Weren't they being just a touch too shy around men?
Liu Bei, too, had shown her embarrassment after our first night together, flinching at the slightest touch, but within four days or so she had returned to her usual self. As for Lü Bu, she had been at my side for years and had been aggressively throwing herself at me since long ago, declaring how much she liked me—so nothing much changed even after we slept together. At worst, she would throw a strange tantrum telling me to stop tempting her?
She would say that even when I was sitting quietly in my seat. I honestly had no idea what she wanted from me.
Seo Yeo, of course, needed no explanation at all. I had the feeling that even after the child in her belly was born, she would dote on me more than on the baby—was there any room left for embarrassment to squeeze its way in?
What was the term again? In subculture parlance, I believed they called it a megadere. The type who, when her beloved teases her playfully, responds in kind and clings to him like glue. That was why, even as I teased the other women in all manner of ways, I rarely provoked Seo Yeo. Because once her switch flipped, I was the one who suffered.
Overpowering her was no great matter—but afterward, Seo Yeo would remain dazed for quite some time, and that was the problem.
Having confirmed that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were still shy about the whole affair, I turned my gaze back to Liu Bei. "Coming all this way in person—is something the matter?"
"Yes. There is one favor we would ask of you, General-in-Chief."
"A favor?"
Considering everything the Oath of the Peach Garden sisters had contributed to our cause, there was no reason I couldn't hear them out. With an expression inviting her to speak, I asked, "And what would that be?"
"Would you not share a late-night drink with us, as you did before?"
...Like last time? Late at night?
...Was she signaling me?
Remembering what had happened that night, I stared hard at the three sisters—a look asking whether the thing I suspected was, in fact, the case. Liu Bei gazed back at me with a serene smile; Guan Yu shut her eyes altogether; and Zhang Fei rolled her eyes in desperate circles, doing her best to pretend she hadn't noticed my stare.
So it was that kind of invitation.
Certain now, I asked Liu Bei once more. "Specifically, when is this drink supposed to happen?"
"For us, the sooner the better."
Having said that much, Liu Bei dropped her voice to a whisper. "If it pleases you, even tonight would be fine."
...Why so proactive?
Even as I stood there, struck dumb, Liu Bei went on smiling as serenely as ever.