Living the Dream (3)
Autumn had arrived. As if some major incident had rocked Yangyang, urgent couriers brought word of upheavals erupting everywhere else.
In the north, Yuan Shao had fully seized Qingzhou. Having tricked the Inspector of Qingzhou and claimed the province through stratagem, he solidified his power with Ye as his base—and in the process, betrayed Gongsun Zan, with whom he'd sworn to join forces. Enraged, Gongsun Zan sent his younger brother Gongsun Yue as an envoy demanding half of Qingzhou, only for the brother to be slain by Dong Zhuo's subordinates on the return journey. Gongsun Zan flew into a rage, vowing to kill Yuan Shao.
Dong Zhuo's men in the north? No way that's possible.
Whenever something shady happened, people always blamed Dong Zhuo. Yuan Shao had simply invoked Dong Zhuo's name to cover the murder of Gongsun Yue. Naturally, no one would believe Yuan Shao capable of such villainy, so the masses cursed Dong Zhuo instead. Even the people of the north knew the truth but whispered it as "Hwang Wol-yeong bastard" under their breath.
Currently, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were on the brink of war over hegemony in the north. Whoever claimed dominance there—with its mighty armies—would sweep down the Yellow River, turning the Central Plains into a scorched wasteland in an instant.
So what was the state of the Central Plains right now?
"A bandit leader named Zhang Yan has rallied the Black Mountain Bandits and dares to wage war against the officials. The scale is no small matter, so I proposed to my lord that we prepare defenses. Fortunately, he eagerly approved my suggestion."
The bandits hadn't vanished after the Yellow Turban chaos. With a great bandit like Dong Zhuo ravaging the court, the shattered remnants of those old bandit groups had coalesced into massive outlaw hordes once more.
How did I learn of this? From Sun Uk. After dispatching Xun You, she'd enlisted under Cao Cao in Jinliu and occasionally wrote me letters seeking counsel. I wondered if this might be leaking military secrets, but Sun Uk wasn't one to divulge such things lightly, so I freely shared my thoughts in reply.
"If we reply to Sun Uk, it'll help Lord Cao Mengde too, right? I'll add my thoughts."
Xun You naturally held Cao Cao in high regard, so we pooled our insights and sent them back to Sun Uk together.
Through her updates on her own situation, I could roughly gauge the state of the Central Plains and the north. The resurgence of the Black Mountain Bandits was one such report.
"The Governor of Dong Commandery was killed by the Black Mountain Bandits. Even Yellow Turban remnants are stirring again. The Merchant of Jebei, Po Sin, and the Administrator of Beju, Liu Dai, have fallen in battle or to illness. My lord has been recommended by Yuan Shao for the post of Inspector of Beju and is fully devoted to suppressing the Yellow Turbans."
After suffering devastating losses from the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition, Cao Cao seemed to be clawing his way back. Had he drowned his failures in drink and holed up in his hometown, Sun Uk might have returned to the academy to seek my advice. As it was, our talks remained by letter. Someday, if I visited her—or she came here—I'd welcome her warmly.
Anyway. All these events stemmed from one root cause: the collapse of the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition. When Sun Jian took the Imperial Seal and marched toward Yuan Shu, it delivered the killing blow. In its wake, warlords across the land bared their ambitions, wielding military authority to crown themselves "kings" of their regions.
Sun Jian wasn't the true culprit. The coalition would have crumbled eventually regardless. And so, the realm truly entered an age of chaos.
The era of the warlords' division.
Meanwhile, in peaceful Jingzhou, I harvested crops from the academy paddies alongside Sima Yi as always.
* * *
"A bountiful harvest!"
I brimmed with satisfaction at the granary stuffed to the brim. As the saying goes, the people's hearts are won from full storehouses—and with ours overflowing, our spirits soared too.
"Master, are you happy?"
"Yeah. Ecstatic, even. It's been ages since the granary was this full."
"If you're pleased, Master, then so am I."
Sima Yi, who'd tilled the fields—and now the paddies—with me, had grown into a fine young woman, every bit an adult in body, mind, and spirit. Age aside, of course. Puberty was a miracle.
"Kuhk. Never has the academy's granary been so plentiful. Half of it might be donated grain from outside, but hey, that's something."
"Gold's more practical than grain, though. What a shame."
"Hey, beggars can't be choosers. We eat their rice, sell ours, and buy books. Perfect."
"Master, that over there..."
"No bribing the porters."
I nipped Sima Yi's scheme in the bud.
"We can't abandon righteousness when we're not even desperate."
"You seem way more relaxed lately. Must be from tying the knot with the Cai family, right?"
"That, and being in-laws with the Administrator helps. I've become someone of note in Jingzhou, haha."
It was just being the adopted son of Lady Cai's sister's husband, Liu Biao's concubine. Distant if you thought about it, but those connections were solid enough.
"Yeah. Some folks claim descent from the Prince of Zhongshan. Compared to that, I'm doing fine."
"That guy's got a ton of sons, doesn't he?"
"Yep. But imperial blood matters. Who knows? If the current emperor dies, and the next, they might end up digging him up for the throne. The world's unpredictable. An abandoned orphan like me ends up running a sprawling estate in Xinya. Heh."
"Master..."
Sima Yi looked up at me with a wry smile.
"You hated Sun Jian for halving your land's value."
"True."
"But those neighboring plots back then... Mmph!"
I clamped a hand over Sima Yi's mouth. Some things couldn't leak out.
"Hush. Don't breathe a word of that outside."
"...You're stricter about land than even the emperor's death?"
"Obviously. The Han court might be a shell, but land's eternal."
"All land belongs to the Han emperor."
"Sure. But right now, the deed's mine. If someone wants it, tell 'em to bring an imperial edict with the seal. Heh."
I pulled Sima Yi close by the shoulder.
"Yi-ya. You've got a plot too. So pretend you know nothing. Got it?"
"...I do?"
"Of course. You're my prized disciple."
"Prized disciple..."
Thankfully, she dropped it. This had let me smooth over that "not-quite-corruption" from Jingzhou's unrest.
Honestly, it wasn't corruption.
Land prices had crashed in spots; I snapped up a bargain from a desperate seller. Paid enough for them to start over elsewhere at a "fair price"—no hard feelings. And I used an alias, so aside from the name on the deeds, no one knew it was me. Plus, I'd set up a safeguard...
"Master. Folks from the Cai family have been around those plots lately. Claiming it's Cai land."
"Ahem."
"They fled when Sun Jian's army came but returned to reclaim it. Imagine their shock seeing Cai people there. They wave their old deeds, demanding it back—how frustrating for them."
"Yeah. Shouldn't have sold and run."
"Exactly. If fleeing, at least scout from a mountaintop so you can return. Or hand management to the Cais entirely."
"...Yi-ya. Listen."
I pointed to a quarter of the packed granary.
"This is from our land—you and me."
"...Our land? Not that side?"
"That's from what we farmed."
"...Ah, right. Our land. Hehehe."
Sima Yi covered her mouth, giggling.
"Fine. No more teasing."
"Phew."
Sima Yi was sharp and reasonable. Lately, with her wits honed, it felt like chatting with a peer.
"You treat Master Sima Hui and Xun You with respect, but tease me like this."
"'Cause I like you. Like you."
"And the other two?"
"Them? Hehe."
She just laughed. I ruffled her hair and stepped outside.
"Nice weather. Perfect for noodles. Grab pork from town, boil it for sliced meat... Huh?"
Screeech.
The academy's front gate swung open. It was a rest day—no visitors expected.
Thud.
"Uh, uh...?"
A figure collapsed. Cloaked in a tattered robe, they toppled forward the moment the gate opened. I rushed to support them.
"You okay... Gasp."
Squish.
Something felt off as I grabbed hold. A familiar, impossible texture sent chills down my spine.
"No way...?"
"......"
No, she glared at me, radiating killing intent. Those eyes had taken lives before. My blood ran cold.
"S-sorry."
"...Food."
"Huh?"
"...If you're sorry... feed me..."
Gurgle.
She collapsed. I caught her—and accidentally groped again.
* * *
The woman called herself "Seo Bok.".