Between State Affairs and Family Duties
I had come down to Hudu bearing a heavy burden of responsibility. The court would be receiving frequent reports on the war situation in Hebei, and the moment I arrived, I immediately delivered a clear account of the current state of the campaign.
First, although we had been caught off guard in the opening battle, Guan Yu—newly enfeoffed as the Marquis of Hansu and General of the Side—had beheaded Yan Liang, the vanguard commander of Yuan Shao’s army.
Second, in the following engagement, Wen Chou of the second army had attacked Yanjin, only to be slain by me, the Leader of the Gentlemen of the Household, Cao Xiu.
Third, when Yuan Shao himself led a hundred-thousand-strong host southward, Cao Cao’s forty thousand troops confronted them head-on, broke through their formations, and took the head of Yuan Shao’s eldest son, Yuan Tan.
From these facts alone, one could see it clearly. Though Yuan Shao was powerful, the tide was slowly turning in our favor.
Yet the court’s reaction was varied. I had hoped for a balanced assessment, but most believed that if Yuan Shao held out, Cao Cao would ultimately lose. It was strange. Cao Cao had already weeded out the disloyal again and again, and even the Emperor had half-abandoned the idea of building a system that was truly his own. The atmosphere felt oddly off.
After delivering my report to the court and stepping outside, those who had remained in Hudu flocked toward me.
1. Guan Yu, newly titled Marquis of Hansu and General of the Side, slew Yan Liang.
2. Cao Xiu, Leader of the Gentlemen of the Household, slew Wen Chou at Yanjin.
3. Cao Cao’s 40,000 broke Yuan Shao’s 100,000-strong army and beheaded Yuan Tan.
“Oh ho ho ho, it seems our Aman has been working very hard indeed?”
“Grand Tutor, but the Chancellor fought with true valor. He has already won three battles.”
“Indeed, indeed~ That fellow has shown exceptional military talent ever since he crushed the Yellow Turbans in his youth. And weren’t you the one who took down two of their generals?”
“You flatter me.”
“There are still a hundred thousand more troops, you say? Another hundred thousand in Hebei? Oh ho ho ho ho—”
With that inscrutable laughter, Emperor Xian rode out on a palanquin carried by a cane-shaped litter, accompanied by Cao Song. Even when the old man acted like a cheerful grandfather, there were moments when a sharp glint appeared in his eyes and he overturned the entire situation. I had a feeling something big was coming.
“Leader of the Gentlemen, how can the Chancellor’s army possibly win?”
“Please tell us. Just how far have things progressed?”
The high officials who followed Cao Cao also rushed over, asking with worried faces. I answered them calmly.
“Now, now~ I will be staying in Hudu for a while and will resolve matters one by one, so please do not worry too much.”
The only two who did not step forward were Xun Yu and Guo Jia.
Having reported to the imperial palace, the next stop was home. My wives had already prepared everything upon learning of my arrival. In the main hall, Lady Cai as the primary wife, along with the secondary wives including Lady Xu, had all gathered to hear the situation.
“…And so we have taken the heads of three enemy generals and continue to fight.”
“What about Zishu? What happened to Zishu?”
“Uncle sent Zishu to the rear in Puyang. He told him to at least witness the birth of his child before returning to the front.”
“You’re sure Zishu wasn’t injured anywhere?”
“Yes. On the contrary, I was the one who kept crossing the line between life and death.”
At that moment, Lady Cai suddenly grabbed my arm and rolled up my sleeve. Countless scars from blades and arrows were revealed. Lady Bian and the rest of Cao Cao’s concubines gasped in horror and turned their heads away.
“Zilie… You truly sacrificed your own body for our family.”
“Tsk, my husband was the same. Every time a war broke out, he would come back saying his ribs were broken, he’d been stabbed by an enemy spear, or his head had been split open, always returning covered in wounds… Aigo, what a pitiful man.”
Lady Xu, wife of Xiahou Dun, wiped her eyes after seeing the scars.
“Zilie, do not worry about household matters. Zihuan and Zidan are here, taking care of everything without complaint.”
At Lady Cai’s words, Cao Zhen looked embarrassed, while Cao Pi stared at me with an unreadable expression—especially after seeing the scars—having come back briefly from the front.
“Elder Brother, we will protect the household. Of course, we are also guarding the ladies’ quarters with iron-tight security through the servants.”
“Oh, is that so? I’m grateful.”
“Having seen with my own eyes what you experienced on the battlefield… I dare not say anything.”
So Cao Pi was afraid. He was looking at me almost as if I were some terrifying monster who had truly danced on the edge of death.
After leaving the main hall, I finally returned to our private residence. By now, my wives’ bellies had swelled considerably; they would be giving birth in a few months.
“Husband, thank you so much for returning safely.”
“You’re… truly back now, right?”
When Cai Yan and Yuan Jing greeted me, I was momentarily startled and hurried over.
“Huh?”
“My lady, what on earth happened? This body of yours…”
Why had the mother-to-be become so thin? Cai Yan’s gentle crescent-moon eyes and soft smile remained the same, but her cheeks had sunken in and her wrists had grown terribly slender. Yet her belly continued to swell, making her look dangerously frail.
“I must have overworked myself lately. A little rest will fix it.”
“That doesn’t seem like the only problem?”
Then Daqiao came forward, sat down quietly, and sighed.
“It’s because of Sister Sohee—no, the primary madam. It’s the child.”
“Why?”
“Her morning sickness has grown much worse lately, and she can’t digest food properly. I brought famous ingredients all the way from Jiangdong and cooked for her myself!”
While Cai Yan, Yuan Jing, and Xiaoqiao were all pregnant, and Lu Ming was away for a while, Daqiao had taken care of everything. She had handled the cooking, bedroom management, and prenatal education, yet she lamented that Cai Yan’s morning sickness had been especially severe, leaving her gaunt.
“The physician said that when the first child takes root, its qi is particularly strong. Even with the finest ingredients, the real issue is that she can’t digest them properly.”
“Haa…”
“Please do not worry. As the physician said, since this is the first child, once we find foods that suit her taste and provide proper nutrition, she will regain her health.”
“Husband, even when I prepare rare delicacies like eel, fruit, goat meat, and carp, she can barely finish half a bowl.”
“Ah, really…”
While Yuan Jing’s and Xiaoqiao’s children were precious, Cai Yan was just as precious to me. I had returned from the battlefield expecting the joy of reunion, yet all I could do was hold my three heavily pregnant wives and embrace them tightly.
But then—
“Husband, a guest has arrived.”
“Tell them I’m not here.”
“He says he is Master Fengxiao.”
“Ah, damn it…”
I had wanted to spend at least one full day comforting them all together, but Guo Jia had already come looking for me. Cai Yan firmly grasped my hand and nodded.
“Isn’t this a matter of state? Please go quickly.”
“I must at least see what my wife is eating before I leave.”
“I am fine. Recently, my mother-in-law has been sending grapes and green tangerines from the Western Regions, and I have been eating those.”
How could fruit alone fill her belly…? She needed high-protein, nutritious food. Still, the other two pregnant wives—Yuan Jing and Xiaoqiao—grabbed both my arms and nodded.
“Do not worry. I will make something delicious for dinner again.”
Since Daqiao said so, I decided I would at least buy something on the way back.
As I was leaving, Lu Ming casually linked her arm with mine, a relaxed expression on her face.
“Fully revived, huh?”
“You didn’t have any trouble while I was gone, did you?”
“I did.”
“What happened at home this time?”
“I… missed my period.”
“!?!?!?!?!”
“The physician is coming tomorrow, so keep it quiet for now!”
She had squeezed every last drop out of me before I left the White Horse Fortress, and now this again? Lu Ming had definitely changed. Her skin was still snow-white, her silver hair fluttered dramatically, and her red eyes still looked intimidating, but the corners of her mouth were constantly curved in a smile.
“You have arrived?”
“Scholar Wenruo, I have come to visit your home once again.”
“I saw you at court earlier and meant to treat you to a meal. Please wait a moment.”
“You have good liquor as well, yes?”
“Fengxiao, there will be many important topics today.”
“That is exactly why we need even better liquor.”
Xun Yu had invited both me and Guo Jia and had prepared quite thoroughly. In particular, a freshly slaughtered pig had been brought in, along with butchers to prepare it and female cooks from the Wei clan’s trading house pleasure quarters. I recognized some familiar faces.
“Shall we have some tea while the food is being prepared?”
“Wait, just a moment!”
“Yes?”
“Scholar Wenruo. My wife is not feeling well, and I need food that will nourish her properly. May I visit the kitchen for a short while?”
“Ah, you truly are a devoted husband, our young master Zilie.”
Guo Jia teased from behind, but Xun Yu simply gave a gentle smile and nodded.
“Please do as you wish. If you command it, I will set that dish aside and send it to your home separately.”
“Then excuse me for a moment…”
I asked for their understanding and immediately ran to the kitchen.
“Everyone, attention please!”
“Ah, Leader of the Gentlemen!”
“Oh my, my lord.”
Hwayeon, Miaomiao, Geumryeon, Daeyeon. Familiar faces. After I had taken so many concubines, these girls had shifted from nighttime duties to handling household chores and supplying information like strategists.
“Have you moved on from peddling trinkets to becoming merchants now?”
“Ho ho ho, my lord. We are opening a second branch of the Wei clan’s trading house pleasure quarters in the Hudu area, and Sister Hwa has been appointed as the junior manager.”
So the Wei clan’s trading house was opening a second location, and Hwayeon had become the madam. But more important right now was the special dish I needed to take home.
“Which part should we prepare for you?”
“The legs.”
“Pardon? My lord, pig’s trotters are usually just bar food for drinking…”
“I will pay you the price of an entire pig separately, so just do as I say. First, cut off all four legs, drain the blood thoroughly, blanch them lightly, and clean them up.”
“Ah, understood.”
“Then fill a pot with fresh water, add garlic, green onions, ginger, and wild chives, boil it vigorously, then add fermented soybean paste and medicinal herbs and simmer for one full hour.”
“Just hearing the description makes me think of perfectly tender meat.”
“Once it’s done, remove all the mushy vegetables, separate the broth and the meat, and slice the meat thinly.”
Yes, it was jokbal. And on top of that, the nutrient-rich jokbal broth that was supposedly excellent for pregnant women. To them it must have sounded like a completely new recipe, but they prepared everything exactly as I instructed.
Slow-simmered trotters with medicinal herbs. Rich collagen broth excellent for morning sickness and fetal development. A modern recipe introduced by Cao Xiu.
“You really are an incredible devoted husband. Before even discussing state affairs, you rushed to prepare food for your wife’s health first.”
“It will take some time for the dish to be ready, so we can talk plenty in the meantime.”
“In that case, I shall speak without reservation.”
While sipping liquor alongside the stir-fried lean pork that Xun Yu had served, we finally began the real discussion.
“First, what I reported to the court is true. I took the head of Yuan Shao’s eldest son there. Ah~ I should have taken the third son instead.”
“Yuan Shao’s third son, Yuan Shang. A remarkable martial talent who joined the army at a young age and, barely of age, distinguished himself by attacking Gongsun Zan’s Jingjing Tower in Youzhou.”
“It must feel like looking at young master Zilie’s own childhood, no?”
With Guo Jia chiming in beside Xun Yu’s explanation, the strategists in the rear seemed to grasp the situation in Hebei one piece at a time.
“Honestly, when the main force of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was wiped out in the first battle and we heard that young master Zilie would be unable to return to the front for at least two months, I thought the war was lost. But then—wow—Guan Yunchang appeared?”
“That is what happened.”
“And on top of that, you took down Wen Chou and Yuan Tan. You captured two of Hebei’s greatest generals from that massive army. I suppose you’ll be adding two more concubines from Hebei?”
“Master Fengxiao, this is a serious discussion. Please restrain your jokes…”
“But it feels like it might actually happen?”
The way Guo Jia said it made it sound like it would probably come true. One additional concubine per enemy general slain—though I understood the logic, I had absolutely no intention of thinking about it until after Cai Yan, Yuan Jing, and Xiaoqiao had safely given birth!
“Indeed, Zilie has accomplished such great deeds. But both the lord and Zilie—what exactly is the problem here?”
“No matter how many we kill, there is no end to them.”
“When we struck Hebei, didn’t you already know it would be like this? Even a three-year-old child knows that Hebei’s production capacity is more than double that of the Central Plains.”
Even if I said things like ‘It was unfortunate that we killed Yuan Tan instead of Yuan Shang,’ ‘When we attacked fifty thousand, a hundred-thousand-strong army came pouring in,’ or ‘Yuan Shao remains vigorous while Cao Cao is clearly being pushed back mentally,’ Guo Jia still acted as if there was no problem.
“Now then, let us organize this. Most of what is said in this room will eventually reach our lord at Guandu, will it not?”
When Xun Yu stepped in to mediate and picked up a piece of meat to eat, something occurred to me.
“Scholar Wenruo.”
“Yes, Leader of the Gentlemen.”
“There is something I would like to prepare.”
I called in the servants outside and had them bring a large bundle of chopsticks. Then I handed them to Xun Yu.
“What is this?”
“Scholar Wenruo, I am very fond of history. In particular, I like the Chu-Han Contention between Emperor Gaozu of Han and the heroic Xiang Yu who could uproot mountains. And I know that Zhang Zifang is right here with us.”
“Ha, hahaha…”
Cao Cao had always said it: ‘Xun Yu is my Zhang Zifang.’ And what made Zhang Liang—Zhang Zifang—famous was the ‘Chopstick Lecture’ in which he broke chopsticks one by one while explaining the state of the world to Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang.
“In the current situation, can we win?”
“If things continue as they are, we will win.”
“Then could you explain it to us one by one through questions and answers, breaking the chopsticks as you go, so that we can understand how we will win?”
“Hmmm.”
“That sounds fun, doesn’t it? Brother Wenruo giving the Chopstick Lecture on the situation at Guandu?”
I had always wanted to see it. If Xun Yu were to do this, it too would go down in history.
Xun Yu picked up one of the wooden chopsticks and gave a small smile.
“I have never done it before, but very well. From now on, I will break these one by one and explain the reasons why we will win and why Yuan Shao of Hebei will be defeated.”
A faint, elegant fragrance drifted from Xun Yu’s seat as the strategic explanation began.