PART ONE: SU
One
Twenty-second Year of Reestablished Peace · AD 217
'Suzi, do you remember how we met?' Zijing asks as I place a basin of warm water by his bedside to give him his nightly foot bath.
'How could I forget?' I smilingly reply as our daughter Qing'er and I help him up. Zijing dips his swollen, black-and-blue feet into the basin, and I wipe his legs with a wet towel. 'My father had just retired from office and brought the family back to his hometown of Dongcheng. That day, Cheng Zhao went to the Lu family estate to fetch grain. He was fatigued from settling in, and did not notice that by accident, he had been given only half the grain that he had requested. When he realised his oversight, he was aghast and sought me, his young mistress, out in the hope that the estate workers would be willing to hear me out.'
'That day, my uncle was ill and the foreman, Lu Xian, was overworked answering the workers' questions,' Zijing picks up. 'At that time, Yuan Shu was attacking Liu Bei in Xuyi and Huaiyin and had stockpiled much of the grain in the area between the Great River[1] and the Huai River for his army; consequently, the price of grain skyrocketed. Taking pity on the townsmen, my uncle would instruct the workers to give them grain. The workers knew that my uncle would be disappointed if they did not do so that day, thus they showered Lu Xian with questions about the amount of grain to give to each family. At length, one of the workers suggested finding me, since I frequently relieved the poor.'
'I had no idea how we could find the worker who served Cheng Zhao,' I admit. 'When a worker brought me before you, I mentioned the only thought that came to mind: that worker must also have been exhausted to make such a mistake early in the morning. To my surprise, you laughed and called for Lu Xian, who was resting. Lu Xian's memory was hazy; you asked him how much grain the Cheng family received, and Lu Xian exclaimed that that was what he was trying to recall when a worker called for him. Thus it all ended well—you didn't punish Lu Xian, and Cheng Zhao left a good first impression on my uncle's housekeeper.' Zijing and I share a smile.
'When I reached home that day, my father had just returned from visiting an old friend and getting updated about the town,' I continue. 'His friend had told him how you did not manage family affairs, but instead distributed your wealth and sold your fields, learnt swordplay, archery and horse riding, gathered youths and took care of their needs, and went hunting with them in the South Mountains to give them military training, and remarked that the Lu family was in decay, to have a wild son as you. I commented that I found you to be thoughtful, generous, discerning and high-reaching.'
'My father passed away when I was born, and I was raised by my grandmother,' Zijing recounts. 'My uncle took charge of family affairs; he intended to pass on their management to me when I came of age. However, the land was already in upheaval at that time, and I understood that my future was not as a landowner. My uncle did not censure me for my decision; he even gave me ownership of half of the family wealth, land and goods, and bade me do as I deemed fit with them. The elderly townsmen, who had seen the sweat my uncle devoted to our family affairs, could not help but be distressed when I sold the fields and used the money to train troops, but my uncle always defended me, asserting that while he did not understand my motivation, he was certain that it was a more astute course of action than his own.
'Later, when your father visited the South Mountains, he observed me training the youths, and was sufficiently impressed that he paid my grandmother and uncle a visit to offer a marriage proposal. Thus you became my wife,' Zijing laughs. He removes his feet from the basin, and I wipe them dry with a towel and help him back into bed. Qing'er retrieves the basin and towels, and bids us good night.
'Suzi, I'm afraid I can't be with you for much longer,' Zijing sighs as I seat myself on the bed beside him. I fix him with a stare, indicating that he should not continue this train of thought. 'Do you think my words to General Sun[2] will be realised?'
'The General who Exterminates Renegades[3] once made a prediction to us. Do you think that prediction will be realised?' I ask, changing the topic.
Zijing smiles. 'You made a similar prediction to him. It came true, even if it happened after his death,' he replies.
I smile ironically in return. Realising that I cannot avoid his question any longer, I reassure him with all sincerity, 'They will be realised. I don't know how many more years it will take, but they will be realised.'
'Then this is a life well lived,' Zijing concludes. He gestures for me to lie down beside him and embraces me.
Outside, the crickets chirp, and Zijing's words resound in my mind. This is a life well lived...
Footnotes:
[1] That is, the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River was known as the River 江 or Great River 大江 in ancient times; it acquired its modern Chinese name of Long River 长江 during the Six Dynasties period.
[2] Referring to Sun Quan. Liu Bei recommended Sun Quan as General of Chariots and Cavalry 车骑将军 in AD 209.
[3] 讨逆将军。Referring to Sun Ce.
See endnotes for chapter notes.