Inspection (6)
Following my orders, Ma Teng and Han Sui set about restoring order to the city, absorbing every last soldier who had served under Beigong Boyu into their own ranks.
Naturally, the process didn't go entirely smoothly.
We're the General-in-Chief's soldiers now!So we can do whatever we want, right?
What kind of crap logic was that?
Birds of a feather, I supposed — the moment they were absorbed into my command, a fresh batch of them had popped up, peddling my name and stirring up trouble all over again. Apparently they genuinely believed the only thing that had ever angered me was someone daring to sell my name so freely.
Watching those soldiers merrily set about fleecing the citizens, I issued an order to Ma Teng and Han Sui.
"Arrest every last one of them and cut them down."
"Understood!"
The ones who couldn't kick the habit and kept trying to cause trouble were sent off to a place where they could sell my name to their hearts' content, worry-free. And if anyone over there asked who they'd died at the hands of — well, I hoped they'd peddle my name to their heart's content.
"I trust you two can handle whatever problems remain?"
"Of course, my lord!"
"Just leave it all to us!"
My ears were going to fall off at this rate. Han Sui had always been like that, but Ma Teng was displaying a positively suspicious level of enthusiasm.
I gave a nod and said, "I may turn up on unannounced inspections like this one, so keep up the good work."
Ma Teng and Han Sui answered in voices every bit as thunderous.
"Yes! Whenever the General-in-Chief graces us with his presence, we will have a city worthy of his satisfaction!"
"We will refuse not even the humble toil of dogs and horses, and give our utmost to every task you entrust to us!"
Did these two rehearse their answers to me in advance or something? Watching them respond like the leads of some hot-blooded action drama, I was the one starting to feel the pressure.
"Come to think of it, Ma Teng. I've been hearing a lot about your child around the city lately."
Something about a kid not yet of age flattening full-grown men. By all accounts, she'd played a major part in rounding up the troublemakers.
At the mention of it, Ma Teng's face bloomed with pride.
"She's my precious daughter — the very apple of my eye!"
"......"
A daughter. A daughter, of all things...
"Her name?"
"Ma Chao! Her courtesy name is Mengqi!"
I'd wondered if that might be the case, but it seemed she really had become a girl.
"I heard she isn't of age yet. Exactly how old is she?"
"She just turned twelve!"
Twelve.
It was the year 188 now, which meant she'd been born in 176. Even by 190, she still wouldn't count as an adult by this country's standards — awfully young, in other words.
And yet this twelve-year-old had knocked grown men flat? I spent a moment wondering whether that was even possible, then remembered this world had always been like this and let it go. Right — picking apart every little oddity would only wear me out. Moving on.
I nodded to Ma Teng.
"Tell her I have high expectations of her."
I said it because it would be a genuine shame if Ma Chao never rose to office and stayed buried out in Xiliang.
Ma Teng's eyes sparkled at my words, and he gave a rather unexpected reply.
"Yes! That child, too, yearns for the day she can serve the General-in-Chief!"
What did I even do?
Had granting Ma Teng the administrator's post really warmed my image that much? It wasn't impossible. Who on earth would resent a man for advancing his family's fortunes?
"It seems you take great interest in my child, General. How would you feel about seeing her in person before you go?"
Ma Teng pressed his luck one step further with that suggestion, and I felt my ears prick up. After all, one of the reasons I'd come to inspect Xiliang in the first place was the desire to see Ma Chao with my own eyes.
"Won't that be too much for her, though?"
She was still only a child. If I bungled things and left a bad taste in Ma Chao's mouth, that lump of gold waiting in my future could fly straight out the window.
When I asked with a worried look, Ma Teng answered with utter confidence.
"Have no fear! My child is very clear about what she likes and dislikes!"
"I'm worried I might be the dislike."
Ma Teng threw his head back and laughed.
"Haha! Speaking as her father, I'd say she'll take to you just fine!"
With that much confidence behind it, contradicting him would've been poor manners.
I nodded once.
"Then when should I pay a visit?"
"You must return to Luoyang before long, General, so allow me to invite you tomorrow!"
Tomorrow, huh. Strike while the iron's hot, I suppose. His sheer force of initiative certainly deserved some credit. And since today had already run late, it wasn't a bad idea at all.
"Then I'll come by tomorrow."
"Yes! We will do our utmost to receive you properly!"
Ma Teng said it with a guileless, homespun smile.
The next day, invited by Ma Teng, I finished my preparations and made my way to his house.
The city, freshly freed from Beigong Boyu's clutches, still wore a bleak, haunted air. Broad daylight though it was, not a single soul was visible — Jincheng lay wrapped in nothing but silence.
Lü Bu, who had followed me here, rubbed her arms as if the atmosphere refused to sit right with her.
"Is it just me, or is it strangely chilly around here?"
"I feel it too."
That eerie sense that the city was empty save for the two of us was enough to make anyone want to shrink away. It wasn't surprising, really — the recent purge of troublemakers had left an undercurrent of unease running through Jincheng that no one quite acknowledged.
With word from outside speaking of purges and soldiers dragging their own comrades off to be killed, of course nobody would show their face. For powerless commoners who knew nothing, going quiet as mice and watching their step whenever something happened was simply the way to survive. If they did anything to stand out and caught the eye of someone powerful, it would mean nothing short of disaster for them.
Lü Bu, Beigong Boyu clearly fresh in her mind, ground her teeth.
"Thinking about it puts me in a foul mood all over again. I should've started by lopping off one of his arms."
"I doubt he'll get to die a clean death."
Plundering the people while hawking my name was little different from impersonating me for his own profit. And though I'd lumped it all under the word "plunder," that word surely swallowed robbery, murder, arson, and everything else besides.
Even if I forgave Beigong Boyu, no one else would. Least of all the young Empress, who lately kept an eye on my every move. I couldn't guess what verdict the little Empress would hand down, but it would be no light punishment.
"I've been waiting for you!"
As I walked along trading words with Lü Bu, Ma Teng greeted me warmly from in front of his house. Perhaps out of habit from his frugal, impoverished years, his house in Jincheng was by no means grand.
Once I took my seat, Seo Yeo and Lü Bu began standing guard around me, warily watching everything nearby. Ma Teng scratched his head with a sheepish look.
"I did my best to offer you proper hospitality, but it's all far too modest. My apologies."
"I'm not the sort to fuss over such things, so think nothing of it."
I'd never cared much for swelling my household or dressing up appearances in the name of dignity. That money could accomplish far more elsewhere. So long as I had exactly what I needed, I was a contented man.
"So long as the food is good and fills my belly, I'll be happy."
Ma Teng laughed heartily at that.
"In that case, have no fear! When it comes to cooking, my wife is simply to die for!"
"I'll look forward to it."
These days, apparently, I was too precious a person to risk — and home cooking like this had stopped appearing on my table. It wasn't that the food I got now tasted bad, but I couldn't help missing meals like this from time to time.
A short while later, a young child came into the room, carrying dishes in her small hands. A child with bluish-silver hair and eyes — akin to Cao Cao's, yet distinctly different. Young as she clearly was, her beauty was so striking that I knew at a glance who she had to be.
Ma Teng nodded proudly.
"This is my daughter."
"Hello!"
The beautiful child set the table before me and offered a respectful bow.
In the annals of the Three Kingdoms, Ma Chao bore the epithet "Splendid Ma Chao" in praise of his uncommon good looks — and that splendid was not the word for gold, but for brocade, the finest of woven silk. She was certainly beautiful, but in this world, where the more capable a person grew the more handsome or lovely their face became, she hardly stood out. If she was remarkable in any way, it was perhaps in being a shade prettier than most. And in the department of looks, a supreme being by the name of Diaochan already reigned.
Come to think of it, I found myself curious. What was Diaochan up to these days?
"It is an honor to finally behold the General-in-Chief, of whom I have heard so much!"
"Likewise. It's good to meet you."
Ma Chao gazed up at me with eyes that sparkled just like her father's. Judging by her reaction, she at least didn't seem to dislike me — a mercy.
"What did I tell you? My child would never dislike the General-in-Chief."
"Well, that is a relief."
I nodded along with Ma Teng's words. If a poor first impression had cost me Ma Chao, I'd have lain awake all night kicking myself. First impressions were never something you could control to begin with.
Ma Teng stroked his chin and turned to his daughter.
"Ma Chao. The General-in-Chief seems curious what you think of him. Well? How is it?"
"Hmm..."
Why on earth was I getting nervous over this?
Ma Chao tilted her head thoughtfully, then broke into a sweet smile.
"I like him!"
I felt the corners of my mouth curl up all on their own. Being told that by such a pretty child — how was I supposed to keep from feeling good about that?
"......"
"Tch."
Blissfully unaware of the strange looks Seo Yeo and Lü Bu were leveling at my back, I enjoyed my time with Ma Chao to the fullest.