Becoming a Master (2)
After meeting Sima Yi, my first judgment about her was that she wouldn't be easy to handle.
She was a child sent down here due to some adult circumstances—ones too heartbreaking to tell a kid about. She'd come all the way from her distant hometown to far-off Jingzhou. At an age where she still needed adult care, she'd been forced to part forever from her parents, siblings, and family. Her young heart must be filled with sorrow and wounds.
She's just a kid, so she has to understand.
I figured her rudeness toward Sima Hui or me wasn't her true nature but a reaction to her suddenly changed environment.
But I was wrong.
"You want me to fetch the teacup? It's right there."
"That's exactly why you need to get it."
"Why should I have to when you're right here, mister?"
"Are you telling your master to do it?"
"We haven't even decided you're my master yet."
One logically sharp little shit.
Sima Yi just had that vibe from the start.
Whether it was the Sima family environment or not, she was far too accustomed to authority. She'd never lived a life where she didn't boss people around or have others do things for her.
When had she ever brewed her own tea? Sure, maybe once out of practice or curiosity, but whenever she said "water," someone would bring her tea pronto.
If I left her like this, she might end up unable to even cook rice properly and live off grass someday. Not that I'm cursing her, but if the Sima clan ever fell, she'd have to handle everything herself from then on.
So I had to teach her. Someone who knows but doesn't do it is hopeless trash, but if she doesn't know, I need to guide her to learn and practice properly.
That was my duty as an instructor at Suyeon Academy.
Sima Yi had talent. I'm no expert at much, but my eye for people is sharper than anyone's. In my view, she possessed tremendous gifts across the board, regardless of gender.
So I had to lead her down the right path. Life at this academy would inevitably be grueling and painful for a young lady used to a pampered existence. If I didn't shift her mindset now, I might suffer big time later.
"Kim Taeyang? Oh, that guy? He told me to make him food."
"Wait, you mean you told the Prime Minister to cook for you? That's outrageous...!"
Even if she showed talent that might one day surpass mine, if I didn't guide her right now, who knew what she'd become later.
"Find that damned bastard right now. I'll deal with him personally."
She might grow into a petty, narrow-minded villain and, once she became a high official, drag me to court. She'd probably fabricate some crime and have me beheaded. If I was already dead and buried, she'd desecrate my corpse.
If she grew up like this.
If I ever wronged Sima Yi badly, she'd hold it in her heart and take massive revenge later.
I don't buy into physiognomy or reading the heavens, but you get a feeling when sizing up people, right?
So I'd shatter the common sense she brought from her flower garden life and teach her the harsh realities.
Thus, I'd teach her how to survive in Jingzhou, at Suyeon Academy.
I'd show her the brutal face of these chaotic times firsthand.
"Mister, what do I do today?"
Sima Yi had groomed herself and sat at the desk. Like when she arrived, she wore a refined purple silk robe.
"Was breakfast good?"
"Yeah. The fish was tasty."
"Good. You rinsed your mouth with tea afterward, right? Fish has a strong fishy smell, so you always need to cleanse your mouth with tea after eating it."
"Yeah."
No matter how cheeky she was, no one could stand fishy breath. If she hadn't rinsed with tea, I'd have given her an earful, but luckily, she made an effort to keep basic hygiene.
"Let me teach you a few rules here. After meals from now on, put this in your mouth, rub your teeth with your tongue, then rinse with water. Whether you use your fingertip or tongue to scrub and rinse is up to you."
"What's this?"
"Tooth powder. It prevents your teeth from yellowing and rotting. Keeps bad breath in check too."
I didn't know what the Sima clan used, but here, we'd make do with this crude stuff to clean teeth.
"Do I have to use it?"
"Of course. Tea alone won't cut it. You don't want rotten teeth when you're old, do you?"
"Ugh..."
Still, mentioning beauty got her attention since she was a girl. I pulled out what I'd prepared for her after handing over the tooth powder.
"Today, we're going to Xinye Castle."
No lectures on the first day? I'm not a Suyeon teacher. Debating Confucius and Mencius could wait until her ego was broken.
"So take off that outer robe you're wearing and put this on instead."
"It's worn out."
"Yeah, it is. Wear something expensive, and you risk getting kidnapped."
"Kidnapped? ......."
Sima Yi's face suddenly paled.
"Yeah, this place is..."
Being a kid, she seemed to grasp the danger of the word "kidnapped" right away, looking genuinely scared. Sima Yi was quick on the uptake, but so was I. Spelling out specifics here would backfire if I overdid the fear.
"Wear that robe only inside the academy. Change into this when you go out."
"Just the outer robe? To look shabby so no trouble comes, right?"
"Exactly."
"Then I'll change the inner one too."
Sima Yi even tried swapping her inner clothes. In the Central Plains where Yellow Turban remnants still lurked in markets, maybe, but Xinye didn't require that. Still, the effect was stronger than expected—she came back fully changed, thoroughly spooked.
"Changed."
"...Good. Now you finally look like a farmer's kid."
Kidnapped. She seemed to have some backstory, but no need to dig now. The key was she'd minimized kidnapping risk with her clothes, at least. Couldn't hide her pretty face, but it kept eyes off her. Now I just had to keep her safe.
"Ever heard about Jingzhou?"
"They say it's a good place to live."
"Yeah, I suppose. Henei and Xinye seem close but are pretty far, so news travels slow. Like how word of the Ten Attendants' rebellion only reached here after it was sorted."
Last year—right when I first stepped into Suyeon Academy and started moving. The eunuchs, the Ten Attendants, sparked a revolt. They beheaded the Grand General He Jin, the real power behind the in-laws. Then a guy named Dong Zhuo, who was governor of Hedong, marched in with troops and seized control.
Known for merits against the Yellow Turbans, he'd gone west to Hedong beyond Chang'an, and now his ambitions to dominate the Central Plains were out in the open.
"After the Ten Attendants' chaos, local governors and administrators got replaced overnight. Jingzhou's governor should've changed too, but he died, so it happened naturally. Follow me. We'll talk on the way."
I took Sima Yi out of Suyeon Academy. Not an outdoor class on day one—I wanted to show her Jingzhou's reality.
"Jingzhou has changed. Wealthy clans started locking their warehouses and hoarding grain. Commoners scrimped and saved money too."
It'd be shock therapy, but she needed to know Suyeon Academy was worlds apart from Henei for a healthy life. I had to drill it in: this place is different.
"Jingzhou built its wealth from resources flowing in from the four southern counties. But those four suffered a massive famine. The Yellow Turbans didn't rampage much, but opportunists jumped on it to turn bandit. With all those disasters piling up..."
"Food's run out."
"Right. A great famine. What did you think of this morning's breakfast?"
"...Everything but the fish was bitter wild greens."
She froze.
"Yeah. Even Suyeon Academy could only serve a guest from afar that much—it's that dire."
Sima Yi stood rooted. She'd seen it herself.
"If the academy's like this, imagine the commoners."
The reality of Jingzhou.
"This is the so-called peaceful land—the most peaceful in all the realm."
Corpses of the starved littered the streets, with soldiers barely clearing them. Kids too young for farmwork begged on the roads. A boy Sima Yi's age, in rags like cleaning rags, stared blankly at the ground.
"Ugh..."
"Famine. Starvation. Bandits. Plunder. The Yellow Turbans aren't the only scourge. Bigger bandits roam freely. Those craving money, women, power, and..."
I trailed off on purpose. Curious if she'd pick up on the unspoken part.
"...Is there a way to deal with those bandit scum?"
"Of course."
"Those who abuse power arbitrarily?"
"Naturally. Against them, you just need even greater power."
I extended my hand to Sima Yi.
"Want me to teach you?"
"......Yeah."
She took my hand and bowed her head.
"Please take care of me, Master."
"Good. That's the attitude."
I'd finally earned the "Master" title. I ruffled her hair like petting her.
"Let's start with learning to farm."
"...What?"
"Reading books all day since childhood weakens the body."
A healthy body houses a healthy spirit. Not that I was foisting annoying fieldwork on her, of course.