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-Interview with Zhuge Liang, Minister of Shu-

If you are interviewing me, Chen Lao, I hope you know I am quite capable of lying to your face. You must have tremendous trust that I will tell you the truth. I could, Chen Lao, lie to make it seem that my lord Liu Bei was next to god and Cao Cao was a demon incarnate. I could lie and make it seem that Sun Quan couldn't tie a sword to his own belt.

That is how history is recorded, my friend. The victors gain the right to embellish all they want and no one would ever be the wiser. The losers would be the dejected and no one would ever believe their truths.

'Tis human nature to embellish, because in reality most of us are truly rather boring.

But you didn't come to see Zhuge Liang for philosophy. No. You said you wanted to know about Chang Ban and Chi'Bi.

Well, 'tis hard to describe such events without going back.

I shall start with myself. That is the best way, is it not?

I was born into a family with several older siblings. Brilliant men, my older brothers. I owe my pursuit of knowledge to them, yet I took my studies more seriously than they did, which is saying a lot. I holed myself in my room and studied while my brothers went out and rode among the plains.

They often teased me when I was young. Calling me "scared tortoise" or "hermit monkey" because I didn't go out much and didn't play much. I was a tad over emotional at that time and I just hid inside a tree house my father built for my eldest brother. And then I just read and read and read.

I was the same way from then on. I found a home in the mountains and continued to study. At that time I would never have predicted that I would be in Liu Bei's service. I thought at the very least I would be helping the warlords of the east as my brothers did.

I guess I held a tad bit of bitterness towards my brothers, so I didn't join them. It would be hard to. They did such a good job there and my relationship with Wu today is…delicate.

Anyway, then came the day Lord Liu Bei called upon me.

I thought he was bold coming to my home with his two heavily armed brothers at his side. I refused to hold an audience when he first came to me. Truthfully, I was nervous. I hadn't much contact with the outside world with the exception of a few friends and my wife. Lords Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, with their fierce faces, strong bodies, and heavy weapons did not help Liu Bei's cause any.

A few weeks later he called upon me again. He told his sworn brothers to stay back and far away. I was watching from my window seeing his every move. He approached my doorstep and knelt down.

He said, "Lord Zhuge Liang, I can tell you don't trust many. That may be wise. Many people in this land are untrustworthy. But I strive to create a world where trust would no longer be a question. Where one could hug his brother without fearing a knife being pressed into his back. But I need help. I have a feeling you can help me…as a friend."

I was interested in his words. He seemed paper-thin and transparent that I could detect any falsehood he could give me. And he was calling me a friend. He had not seen my face, nor had he even had one word with me and he still had a desire to be my friend. I was perhaps too trusting as well. I was living alone with just my wife for the longest time. Too long a time. I was aching for a change. Aching to step out and experience the world. I thought that maybe Lord Liu Bei could offer me that.

"But I know, as a gentleman, that I should do something to gain your trust," I remember him saying. "So please, if there's anything I could do to gain your trust and friendship, I shall do it. You only need to ask."

I couldn't bring myself to respond. I wanted to trust him. I did want to, but I held back. I thought about it long and hard, but I did not meet with him. He must've spent another ten minutes waiting, but my position was the same.

He finally left.

Afterwards I had this ache, this hope that each passing day he would return to visit me. But when he didn't arrive, I began to regret not welcoming him the last time he came.

When winter came, I felt even lonelier. I lost hope that he would risk trudging through the snow to come visit me again. My home on the mountain was a beautiful abode, but it certainly wasn't worth the bitter cold.

Much to my surprise, I heard voices outside my house one morning. At first I thought it was children fooling around the "Sleeping Dragon's Den." I thought to ignore it, hoping the children would go home and warm themselves, but my wife approached me and said, "Those men are here again. Will you not at least allow them to warm up inside."

I didn't respond and just reached my window to see what was going on. Liu Bei's two men stood a distance behind him. Lord Zhang Fei was obviously impatient, tapping his foot on the ground. Lord Guan Yu looked perplexed and frustrated having to make this whole trip in the snow.

But I didn't much care about them nor did I care for them. All that mattered was Lord Liu Bei. He stood on my steps, head bowed, hands at the steady position. He was silent, waiting. I waited too. I waited to see if he would say anything or do anything.

Finally, I couldn't stand it. I opened my doors. He remained still until I reached out and touched my hand to his.

There I was. Face to face with him for the first time and yet it felt like I had known him forever. Before he said a word, I invited them inside and warmed them with tea. They seemed incredibly content, asking me questions about the various trinkets in my room.

I can tell you, as great as those three men were, they were not the smartest of men. I knew they needed someone who used their brain rather than their might. I knew that is why they came to see me. They thought I could bring out their vision of a perfect world. A better world, not filled with strife and suffering. Not much could prepare me for what would happen over the next few years.