Part 3
The Romance of the Four Leaders
Chapter 45
Break of Dawn
Everything was white . . . or was that light? No, it couldn't be, light was a material thing . . . I'm being rocked . . . was the first emotion that came over the spiritual being that had once inhabited Zhang He. You must understand that a spirit cannot think, they only feel. This is because they are beyond words. At times, they may se vision depicting the physical world that they left behind, but this is not needed mostly. It is true the exist on the other side of the physical plane, but they rarely come in contact with the living. In this cycle, when the spirit suffers the shock of death, it still remains in that state of mind that it belongs to the physical plane (This is as if you woke up submerged in a pool of water; you probably try to walk or otherwise some sort of movement used in a regular gravity based system). Well this is what happened to "Zhang He" When he had fully crossed over into the spiritual plane.
He half saw have felt himself being rocked. But he was only a child, four or five, was it? No, time didn't matter here. . . there was no age. . . . (I'm not going to try and explain to you all the laws of the spirit world, that would be a book in itself, so please try to understand when I use these terms such as 'see', touch', physical terms, it means nothing even close to what it does in our plane.) He saw himself being held and rocked by a tall woman with elegant hair. Her complexion was lovely and she was the perfect mixture of skinny and lean. When she opened her eyes Zhang He noticed they were the most stunning gray, like the sky during a storm. She was dressed in a white robe that resembled a kimono. She was singing a song. . . that song . . . Zhang He knew it at once.
"Where am I?" Zhang He asked.
"You are back with me . . ." She said comfortingly. "Finally, I have you back."
"Who are you?" Zhang He asked again in the same way.
"I . . ." She seemed to be thinking. "I think you knew me then as Huang Chen Lai . . ." She said. Zhang He seemed to know this name. But what? From where?
"Are you. . . were you my mother?" He asked her. She nodded, closing her eyes.
"We were robbed of each other so very early on. . . But now we have another chance . . . We can go back and try again, I can be your mother again, if you want. . ." She said. Zhang He was confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked, still quite not grasping what had happened. She sighed a bit.
"You're no longer on the physical plane . . ." She said gently.
"What does that mean . . .?" Zhang He murmured, a bit confused. "Am . . .I . . .Dead?"
"That's. . .one way of putting it." She explained. "It's more like switching existences. . . We can go back to the other world. We could also wait for your friends. . ." She finished pointedly.
"No!" Zhang He said, starting to seem alert, not to mention close to tears. "I can't die . . . I haven't lived enough, I haven't. . . ." He left off.
"You . . . Haven't completed our purpose?" Now she sounded alarmed.
"Purpose? What are you talking about?" Zhang He was officially confused.
"Oh no, you're not supposed to be here yet. . ." She spoke very quickly. "You. . ." All at once there was a blinding flash of light, totally outshining anything he'd seen before. Two long white arms came out of this portal and grabbed him around the middle. Huang Chen Lai held him fast.
"NO!" She screamed. "I won't lose you again!" But the force of the arms was too strong. Zhang He felt intense shocks, like thousands of 100 pound wood beams were smacking into either side of him. Explosions of light and color were every and the hideous din of every crash, boom, shriek, and blast in the world swirled around him. It then felt as if he and a sack of bricks flying directly above him were dropped to the ground four hundred feet below, then . . . impact.
Pain, gravity, breath, life, blood, his senses . . . They all came flooding back to him in a whoosh of reality. His chest puffed up and down and his eyes nearly popped out. The pain was still in his stomach. He was alive, but his injuries were not healed. He began to panic again and he felt that same throbbing pain in his heart. He started gasping for air, his body not working correctly from the shock. Then, he saw something he didn't not understand in the calamity of the moment (or even afterwards. . .).
Diao Chan was glowing and bright and she resembled. . . Well, the only way to describe it was the Lady in Black. She had the same kind of presence, but instead of terrifying and dark, it was almost filled with hope and wonder. Not to say this wasn't alerting for Zhang He. Her hair was spread out at her sides and her eyes were like that Lady's as well, but White, not black. She put her misty fingers on Zhang He's injury and then everything froze. He saw, in slow motion, as all the blood and pieces of flesh picked themselves up and went back in place. The Pike that stuck out of him fell to the side as the torn skin mended itself.
Zhang He released a breath, slow and long as everything around him went back to normal. All the pain was gone and the difference felt wonderful. Imagine wearing a stone weight around your neck all day, then finally being able to remove it and lie down in bed. The relief was stunning. Though the pain had completely dissipated, he felt completely exhausted, not to mention shocked to the point of insanity. His vision faded a bit as he felt Diao Chan fall softly somewhere on his chest and they both slept.
Zhang He awoke in total warmth and comfort. Strange, healing scents drifted around him and the sound of running water soothed his confused mind. As he sat up a lavish comforter fell off his chest. He was lying in the most eloquent of rooms with a beautiful Zen garden outside. There was an aromatherapy-heating sac where he was lying and good health incense was being burnt in the corner of the room. Zhang He got to his feet with some shakiness and found he was dressed in a white robe.
"How long have I been asleep?" Zhang He asked himself, feeling uncertainness in his bones.
"Two days, ten hours and thirty-seven minutes . . ." Said a soft voice from the corner. Zhang He looked and saw a young woman, perhaps twelve or thirteen kneeling by the door. "I've been taking care of you. This is the Sima Manor, incase you were wondering...." She continued. "I am Sang Chun, a humble servant of Lord Sima Fang. The young Lord brought you here recently and you have been in my care ever since." She finished
"Do you know where Diao Chan is?" Zhang He asked drowsily. Sang Chun nodded and led him formally through the extravagant palace, kneeling as she opened and closed the sliding doors for him. While passing through the entrance of the house, Zhang he went more slowly this time. He noticed some bloodstains near the ground of the wall and walked a bit faster. Sang Chun led Zhang He into an equally pretty room where Diao Chan was sitting up in a bed, reading a book. The moment she saw Zhang He come in, she put it down and tried to get up out of the bed. Zhang he rushed over and put a hand on her shoulder, pushing her down back onto the bed. Sang Chun bowed as she went out and shut the door. Zhang He knelt by the bed, his hand still on her shoulder.
"Diao Chan, are you all right?" He asked softly. She nodded and smiled.
"I'm feeling fine. Just a little tired . . ." She said, sounding pleasantly frail. Zhang He got up and sat on the bed.
"What was that?" He asked a bit critically. "When you healed me. What happened?" Zhang He asked, feeling her warmth through the blanket.
"I. . . Don't know . . ." She admitted. "I . . . Well, this will sound strange, but whenever I ask myself the same question, an answer always pops into my mind. . ."
"What answer, what is it?" He asked, hungry to know.
"It doesn't make any sense . . ."
"Tell me, please." Zhang He said.
"Well . . . I. . . Remembered. . . ." She puzzled. "That's all." Zhang He shrugged, then looked into her face for a bit.
"What?" She asked after a while. Zhang He laughed a bit. He knelt down and kissed her gently. She stroked his hair as he refused to stop, loving her too much to cease. He placed his left hand on her rib cage and held on softly. Suddenly, in a burst of embarrassment and temptation, he wanted to put his hand higher. Should he? He knew Diao Chan wouldn't object, but was it right? Luckily, he didn't have to decide because the door opened softly behind them. Zhang He nearly leapt out of skin. He jumped off the bed and stood, back straight, face burning. He saw Sun Ce, laughing to himself, a near to evil grin on his face. Zhang He looked down, feeling angry at Sun Ce and embarrassed for himself.
"What is going on in here?" Sun Ce asked through laughing. Zhang He walked out the door dragging Sun Ce with him. When they were outside Sun Ce broke loose.
"How far did you get?" Sun Ce asked excitedly.
"Shut up, Sun Ce! You're always thinking dirty. We were just . . ." Sun Ce raised an eyebrow. "We were just glad to see one another . . . I bet you did the same with Da Qiao . . ." Zhang He said, trying to make Sun Ce feel bad, but he just laughed some more.
"You bet, I did!" He yelled slapping Zhang He on the back. "Anyway, his highness would like to see you in the conference room. We have plans . . ." Zhang He and Sun Ce walked side by side down the hall.
"Who is 'his highness'?" Zhang He asked, almost laughing.
"Our little Sima Yi! I never knew he was a prince before a couple of days ago."
"Oh, Sun Ce. You leave Sima Yi alone. He's had it tough like you wouldn't believe." Zhang He scolded.
"Tough?" Sun Ce asked incredulously. "Look at this place! He was waited on hand and foot! How in anyway is that tough?" Sun Ce finished indignantly. Zhang He sighed.
"It's not my story to tell Sun Ce. If Sima Yi wants you to know, he'll tell you himself. You shouldn't nose." Zhang He said, cursing his hypocrisy.
"Whatever . . ." Sun Ce answered and they pushed opened the exquisite mahogany doors. Zhou Yu, Zhang Liao, Sima Fang, 'His Highness', and Yuan Shao were seated on blandly patterned cushions around a lacquered pine table, which sparkled with highlights in the morning glare. Zhang He took his place near Sima Yi, then Sun Ce across from him. Once everyone had settle, Sima Yi cleared his throat and spoke out.
"Well, we've gathered here, mostly to discuss plans about Yuan Shao and ask a humble request from my father." Sima Yi announced. "So . . . Zhang He. . . What do you want to do with Yuan Shao?" Zhang He looked down at the table. He hadn't had much time to decide about this, but then he remembered he hadn't really heard Yuan Shao's side of the story. Images of his destroyed palace flashed into Zhang He's head and he was quite curious.
"Yuan Shao . . ." Zhang He began. "Tell me everything you want me to hear, then I shall decide your fate." Yuan Shao nodded respectfully.
"Thank you . . ." He said. There was silence for a few moments, and then he began. "Allow me to start by saying what I did to you was the biggest mistake I have ever made in all my thirty years of life. It was all Guo Tu's fault." He took a sharp breath. "Almost a week after you left, he led his attack. Soon after you were gone his brother, Guo Jia showed up. He had told me this wasn't his real brother, as he was adopted into his family, but since they were brought up together, it was certainly just as good. Guo Jia was a strange little fellow. Always seemed to be upset. He would only whisper things to Guo Tu, never talk. Guo Tu would always answer for him as well. I could hear them arguing sometimes during the night as well. Anyway, they went out for sometime, to some sacred ground or something. Nonetheless, they returned with a strange girl. She was our downfall, oh yes.
I awoke one night to hear screaming all around. I rushed outside to see what the matter was. There they were, the three of them, Guo Tu laughing, Guo Jia crying, and that horrid witch, she . . . she. . ." Yuan Shao put out his hands so that they were straight out in front of him. "Went just like this and waves of black light would flow from her hands. These spread out and killed everyone. Sometimes she would grab someone and suck all the life out of them, leaving them horribly thin and dry. My entire palace was destroyed that night and all the bodies turned to ash and blew away with the wind. The Guo Tu grabbed me and said 'You're coming with us . . .'. I was kept in the dark for, oh, such a long time, Zhang He, such a long time, but when I got out, Guo Tu gave me to that Lu Bu and I've been his prisoner ever since. I heard there from the guards that Lu Bu killed Dong Zhou himself when he learned he was after Diao Chan too . . ." Zhang He was silent.
"Rai Tso would have died anyway. . ." He whispered to himself. "You say there was a girl with them? Give me a description." Zhang He demanded.
"Well . . . She was short and very pale. Her eyes were lifeless, like that of a deceased someone. Her hair was the most ebony black and it reached down to her legs. She wore a robe of entirely black and she had a strange presence about her. Go Tu always kept her out of sight . . ." Yuan Shao obeyed. Zhang He's heart leapt. The woman from his dreams. . .
"Very good . . ." The last thing Zhang he cared about now was Yuan Shao's freedom. Guo Tu was alive and well and had someone . . . someone from his dreams . . . Sui Ki. . . who could kill hundreds of people in matter of minutes and level cities. Zhang He forced himself to forget about it for a moment while he reached a hurried decision. "Welcome to the forces of Shi." He said shortly to Yuan Shao. Everyone looked confused. "You'll serve under me, Yuan Shao. You'll be my bodyguard." Zhang He said coldly. Yuan Shao went into a state of ecstasy.
"Oh! Thank you, Zhang He! Thank you, thank you, thank you. . ." He repeated.
"That's MY LORD." Zhang He corrected. "Sima Yi, continue on."
"Right you are, Zhang He. . ." Sima Yi said with tightly pursed lips. "Well, father, you recently asked us if there was anything you could do for us, and yes, there is. Quite a big something, I might add, but please, be willing to listen."
"Anything for you, my son." Sima Fang replied pleasantly.
"Well, the four of us, Zhang He, Zhou Yu, Sun Ce and myself-" Sima Yi was cut off by Zhang He.
"Oh, Zhang Liao, as well. . ." Zhang Liao suddenly looked up, his eyes wide, his posture stunned. Zhang He noticed he'd been tracing slow circles on the table since the beginning. "He's planning on proposing to Zhen Ji this afternoon. I think it'll be fair if I'm his go-between as well as yours, right Sima Yi?" Sima Yi stood frozen for a moment then went back to his formal mode.
"Right, that's fine . . ." He looked away from his father.
"Go-between?" Sima Fang questioned ruthlessly, his eyebrow raised.
"Well, yes, I was coming to that, you see-"
"What would you need a Go-Between for? Your not getting married are you? Is this person a peasant? Does she come from a respectable family? How rich are they? You'll not put dirt on the Sima family name!"
"I need a Go-Between for marriage. Yes, I am. No, she isn't. The Sun Family. I have no idea of their financial standings. . ." Sima Yi answered calmly, his eyes closed.
"The SUN family?" Sima Fang said with a hint of disgust.
"What's wrong with the Sun family, eh buddy?" Sun Ce said, his face forming a frown.
"NOTHING is wrong with the Sun family!" Sima Yi flashed Sun Ce a dangerous look. "It's Sun Shang Xiang, and forgive me for saying this father, but if you don't allow her to join our family, I'm afraid I'll just elope without your permission. . ." Sima Fang looked as if he was having an internal battle, but he gave up with a sigh.
"If that's REALLY who you want, then so be it." He replied shaking his head. "Now, what was the favor you wanted to ask of me.
"Well, be sworn brothers, we never want to be separated which is why we wish to live together in one big manor . . ." Sima Yi put it delicately. Zhang he noticed Zhang Liao was still glaring at him from the other end of the table. Zhang He showed him a sweet smile and went back to looking at Sima Yi.
"And you want me too purchase it for you and fund your weddings?" Sima Fang asked expectantly.
"Would you, please? We would never forget your kindness . . .," Sima Yi said bowing his head. Everyone else at the table did the same.
"Well, that wouldn't be too much . . . My estimated total would be less that one tenth of my entire fortune."
"So, you'll do it?" Zhang He asked eagerly. Sima Fang nodded gentility and every cheered. After thanking him more than enough times, they all exited.
"I'm going to ask Da Qiao right now! She wouldn't refuse, I know she wouldn't . . ." Sun Ce muttered to himself as he beelined for Da Qiao's room.
"My proposing is all taken care of . . ." Sima Yi said in an almost relieved way, "I'll just go tell Sun Shang Xiang it's coming up. . ." Sima Yi waved them off, leaving Zhou Yu, Zhang Liao and Zhang He to themselves.
"Brother. . ." Zhang Liao said from behind Zhang He.
"Yes, Liao?" Zhang He smiled innocently as he turned.
"Why did you say that?" Zhang Liao asked dangerously. Zhang He laughed nervously.
"Don't worry about it . . . I'm sure Zhen Ji would love to . . ." Zhang He condoled, patting Zhang Liao on the back as he began to leave. Suddenly Zhang Liao grabbed Zhang He's arm and held him fast.
"You're coming with me, He. . . I'm not going there alone . . .," Zhang Liao said adamantly. As he yanked Zhang He towards the opposite end of the hall.
"What? What do you need me for?" Zhang He asked, fighting to get away.
"Because! If it looks like things are going bad I want you to come in and pull me away. . ." Zhang Liao explained.
"All right, that's fair enough . . ." Zhang He agreed, wrenching his arm loose.
"Mind if I come, too?" Zhou Yu asked from back where they were previously standing. They booth looked back at him. He looked lonely and a bit lost so Zhang He agreed, although he wondered why Zhou Yu wasn't rushing off to Xiao Qiao.
The three of them went to Zhen Ji's room and stood outside the door. Zhang He and Zhou Yu his while Zhang Liao knocked softly and Zhen Ji's angelic call of 'WHAT!?' came through.
"Um . . . It's me, Zhen Ji. . ." Zhang Liao said softly. Some scurrying was heard inside and the door whooshed open. Zhen Ji was standing, blocking the entrance with her body.
"Yes?" She asked, much more nicely than before.
"M-may I come in?" Zhang Liao asked, in voluntarily picking at a spot on his hand. Zhen Ji looked at him for a moment, probably wondering whether this was a safe decision to make.
"Yes, you may . . ." She said at last, opening the door wider as Zhang Liao stepped inside. He didn't shut the door all the way so that Zhang He and Zhou Yu could listen. Zhang He put his eye to the crack in the door and watched what was happening.
Zhen Ji sat down on the bed and looked up at Zhang Liao.
"You wanted to talk?" She asked a bit curiously. Zhang Liao nodded and stood before her. He let out a short laugh and wiped his brow.
"Well, it's a bit hard to begin . . ." He breathed a bit. "Well, I came her to ask something of you, so please bear with me . . ." Zhen Ji gave him the same puzzled look-over as before and crossed her legs. "Well . . . Where to start . . ." He picked at his hand again. "Well, we've known each other for quite some time now, right?" Zhen Ji nodded. "C-can I ask you something?"
"Depends . . ." Zhen Ji replied slowly, looking aloof. "You can as long as it's not very intrusive . . ."
"H-how do you feel about me?" Zhang Liao asked, totally losing his cool, laid back atmosphere. Zhen Ji blushed a bit and smiled.
"Well, I have to say-" She stopped suddenly. "Wait a moment, mister. If you just came in here to get lucky, you've got another thing coming!" Zhen Ji reached back and grabbed her flute that doubled as her weapon on the bed. Zhang Liao blushed himself.
"No, no, no! I would never try anything like that, Zhen Ji . . ." Zhang Liao went over to her and took the Flute from her and replaced it. "I just . . . Listen, I really care about you. . ." Zhen Ji's expression softened a bit.
"Are you serious? Or is this some kind of joke . . .?" She asked vulnerably. She looked into Zhang Liao's eyes soulfully. Zhang Liao put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm being totally serious. I care about you very, very much, Zhen Ji . . ."
"I don't know what to say. . ." Zhen Ji breathed, blushing crimson. "I care about you, as well. In fact, I did even when I was married to that rotten Cao Pi. I just . . . I could never find the right time to say it . . . Or the right way to say it." She looked up sweetly at him. Zhang Liao took a seat next to her on the bed.
"Would you ever consider getting married again?" He almost whispered.
"A-again? Depends on . . . who I was getting married to . . ." Zhang He could tell her heart was beating fast by the rate she breathed and the wideness of her eyes.
"W-what about me? I mean, would you marry me?" He asked, sounding extremely nervous. Zhen Ji stood frozen for a moment, and then nodded in a very delightful way, putting her arms around Zhang Liao's neck.
Zhang He stood up where he was.
"I think they'll be okay." He whispered to Zhou Yu, who nodded and they made their way down the hall. When it came time for Zhang He to take the path to Diao Chan's room he stopped.
"You going to Xiao Qiao's room, right?" Zhang He asked, looking at Zhou Yu intently. Zhou Yu stopped, frowning.
"Zhang He, I can't . . ." He nearly whined. Zhang He looked up at him strangely.
"What are you talking about, don't you love Xiao Qiao? Don't you want to marry her?" Zhang He questioned, thoroughly confused.
"Yes, I do, I do with all my heart, but. . ." Zhou Yu left off. Then Zhang He remembered the story Sun Shang Xiang had told him up in the snow.
"But you're afraid you'll get hurt again?" Zhang He asked critically, looking straight at him. "You're afraid she'll refuse, just like Sun Shang Xiang did?" He looked at Zhou Yu with a kind of deep understanding. Zhou Yu blinked once or twice.
"How did you know-" Zhou Yu stopped, but Zhang He interrupted.
"I'm psychic, remember?" He smiled at Zhou Yu's strange expression. "I know everything, and I know for sure that she'll say yes, so go in there and ask . . ."
"O . . . Okay . . ." Zhou Yu said, sounding stunned as he walked over down the corridor, rubbing his head. Zhang He laughed a bit and headed down the other hall. Zhang He walked confidently back to Diao Chan's room and gripped the door handle.
"Piece of cake, right?" He asked himself quietly. "This should be easy, right?" He took a deep breath and his confidence gave way to nerves. "Okay, just go in there and do it . . ." Zhang He knocked on the door and heard Diao Chan's approval. He turned the doorknob and walked inside. She was sitting on the bed still, reading the same book as before.
"Oh, there you are." She said. "I was wondering when you'd come back . . ." Zhang He grinned.
"We all got some stuff worked out in a conference . . ." Said Zhang He, toying with his hair a bit. Zhang He explained to her about what Yuan Shao said, which calmed him a bit.
"That's so strange," She said mysteriously after he was done. "Guo Tu did all that . . ."
"Are you feeling any better?" Zhang He asked her as he sat down on her bed once more.
"A little. . ." She sighed, "I still feel pretty tired, but I think that's just because I couldn't sleep very well last night. I keep having strange nightmares for some reason and I feel a bit scared to go asleep when there's no one else around . . ." She admitted. Zhang He's eyebrows formed a worry line and he found her hand with his in the sheets.
"Would you feel better if I could always be there for you?" He asked carefully, trying to get smoothly on to the topic he wished to discuss.
"Yes, I would feel better if you were closer to me always . . ." Pink spots appeared on her cheeks and she beamed shyly.
"Because, I want to be with you always . . . And not just for now, for the rest of my life, Diao Chan . . ." She looked up at him with wide eyes and the pick spots on her cheeks grew. He took her hand and put it to his chest as he moved closer to her. So far, so good . . . He thought without showing anything on his face.
"What are you saying, Zhang He?" She spoke softly.
"I'm saying, Diao Chan, that you are the only woman I'll ever love . . .That no matter what, I'll always love you no matter what, no matter how old I get. I'm asking you if you want to share the rest of your life with me. We'll be together every night, and every morning when you wake up, and we'll live together forever, and have peaceful lives once this fighting is over and we can have our own family and raise our children together . . . I'm asking will you please marry me, Diao Chan?"
She looks deeply into his eyes as her own blue-green one's teared up. For what seemed like an hour they stared into one another souls and Zhang He remember the first time he'd laid eyes on her, the first time he'd heard her sing, the first time they spoke. He remembered when the earthquake had knocked them down the hill and when they'd escaped from Lu Bu. All those times, when Yuan Shao had banished them, when they sang together to get a room at the Inn, that heartfelt talk in the Inn and they're adventure to get to Wei. Their first kiss stuck out prominently in his mind, as well as those close encounters before they had made it official. All the memories they would make in the future would depend on her answer.
"Yes. . ." Diao Chan whispered breathlessly. "Yes, yes, yes . . ." She fell gently into his arms, repeating the wonderful answer. Zhang He fell lightly down on the bed with her and held her small body easily in his arms, his hand on the back of her head. They cuddled with each other, tears leaking from both their eyes in pure gladness an beauty, a sort of ephemeral bliss over took them both.
"I love you, Diao Chan." Zhang He breathed ever so gently in her ear. She put her arms around his waist and held securely, her palms flat on his strong muscles. He inhaled her sweet smell and caressed her hair ephemerally with his lips.
"And I you, Zhang He . . ." She spoke warmly into his chest, refusing to let go. They continued on in this manner for several minutes until they heard a shrill 'YAY!' from the hallways. Some pattering of feet were heard and then a dull crash. Diao Chan and Zhang He rose from the bed and went outside. Xiao Qiao was jumping up and down happily; hold Da Qiao, who was smiling widely. Sun Ce, Sima Yi, Sun Shang Xiang, and Zhou Yu were standing laughing in the background.
"Yay!" Xiao Qiao chorused. "We're getting married!" Diao Chan stopped for a moment.
"Wait a second, you're are getting married too?" She turned to Sun Shang Xiang, "And you too?" They all affirmed this query. Diao Chan turned back towards Zhang He with a grin on her face.
"Did you guys plan this?" She asked impishly. Zhang He snickered a little.
"Maybe . . ." She gave him a gentle push and laughed a bit. Then all of a sudden Sun Ce inhaled.
"You guys!!" He yelled excitedly. "We should celebrate! I'm sure Sima Yi's got more saké than the Emperor himself in this place! We haven't gotten a break since. . . well. . . I can't even remember! It's almost summer again anyway, we deserve it!" Everyone agreed happily in unison and two servants and a keg of saké later, they were seating in one of the biggest banquet rooms laughing and joking and all around enjoying themselves.
Somewhere along the line someone proposed they play "Big Liar", a popular drinking game (Yeah, I know I stole the name from "Memoirs of a Geisha", but I can't remember any other name for this game -;;; ). This game was played with fairly simple rules; one person would challenge another and the fun would start. The person challenged, one a true story the other lie. If the challenger could pick the one that was true, the one challenged would have to drink a cup of saké, if not they would have to drink a cup of the mild flavored wine. Sun Ce was the first challenger.
"All right, Sima Yi . . ." Sun Ce articulated wryly as he poured a glass full to brimming with the sweet liquid. "I challenge you . . ." Sima Yi squinted.
"One time I was in Qiao and I walked down to the market place . . . and I saw . . . a person with blue hair . . .," Sima Yi said unsurely. "And another time . . . I beat up someone twice my size without using a weapon." Sun Ce held a moment in thought.
"The second one fake. It has to be . . . You're two scrawny . . ." Sun Ce answered shaking his head.
"Wrong!" Sima Yi yelled in disbelief. "I can't believe you said that! Nobody on Earth has blue hair!" Sun Ce looked back, astounded.
"You beat someone twice your size without your fan? YOU?" Sun Ce slammed his fist on the table. "You're a liar!"
"That's a true story! I failed to state that the someone was off guard and quite ill, but nonetheless . . . Drink up, brother!" Sun Ce frowned, and then downed the full cup in one mighty swig, exhaling loudly and slamming the glass on the table. "Fine, now I challenge Zhou Yu . . ." Sima Yi poured the glass so full that it nearly spilled over.
"Oh, no. I'm so bad at this game . . ." Zhou Yu sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Let's see . . . Once while my father left myself and Sun Ce in the care of my uncle, who was odd, to say the least . . . Sun Ce got scared because he thought that my uncle kept staring into his room. He got so scared he had to come sleep in my room . . ." Zhou Yu shot an evil smile at Sun Ce who blushed profusely but said nothing. "And. . . Another time . . . I fell down a 20 foot hill and survived . . ."
"Easy, the first one's real . . ." Sima Yi drawled blandly. Zhou Yu sighed.
"I knew I would lose . . ." He moped, sucking up some of the Saké before he picked it so it wouldn't spill. Zhou Yu drank it with difficultly, his face getting redder and redder as he went. The game went on and on in this way until Zhou Yu had consumed more than four cups of wine, Sun Ce had had five (and was happily intoxicated), Zhang He with two, and Sima Yi three. The girls had only been on the sidelines, enjoying the fun, but they were certainly some ways from sober. Zhang He felt a light buzz, but nonetheless he could control himself.
Zhou Yu, who had never been known for holding his liquor, was drifting left and right and his words slurred. Sun Ce was laughing hysterically at ever word that was said and Sima Yi was falling all over Sun Shang Xiang while hey sang some incoherent song. Da Qiao was asleep with her head on the table while Xiao Qiao told what seemed like an endless amount of jokes. All at once Zhou Yu stood up, tottering from side to side.
"What is a party without entertainment?" He said. Well, this is what he meant to say; it actually came out something like 'Whha is a paati wiffou entertaamen?' His blurred eyes scanned the room and stopped dead on the sword mounted on the wall. "Ahh, yes . . . a little swordplay . . ." (again this came out terribly slurred). He wobbled over to the wall and removed the sword from its plaque.
"Go on, Zhou Yu!" Sun Ce yelled, going into another fit of laughter. "Show 'em how it's done!"
"Yes . . ." He took a deep breath, "I shall. . ." With this, Zhou Yu climbed onto the long wooden table and unsheathed the dangerous weapon. Zhang He backed off a bit, his only reaming sense warning him of the gravity of the situation. Everyone else clapped and cheered. Zhou Yu's eyes looked almost frightening in the flickering flame light of the echoing tatami room as he raised the gleaming blade in the air. He closed his eyes and with what was supposed to graceful spin, he began to sing.
When a man is in the world and he ought to do his best
And when he's done his best, he ought to have his rest
And when I have my rest, I'll drink my wine with zest
And when I'm drunk as drunk can be
I'll sing the madman's chant!
Zhou Yu sang out in his deep and refined voice, filling the entire room with the rich tone. As he sang this entertaining song, he did the most amazing dance with the blade, filled with turns and twists, making it out to be a stunning performance. Zhang He was so surprised at seeing quiet and reserved Zhou Yu do something as outrageous and spontaneous as this is was all he could do to keep from bursting out laughing (the drink did not help with this, either). The rest of the evening was just as madcap and mindless until very late at night when the all fell asleep, sprawled across the floor, all simply in bliss.
The very next morning (After they'd been pulled out of their drunken sleeps but some nameless servant) the wedding plans began. The first task was to get everyone's parents together. This is what the Go-Betweens were for. Zhang He, being his brother and Sima Yi's Go-Between, had to find the families of Zhen Ji and Sun Shang Xiang and bring them back to Qiao (they decided to hold the actual celebration in the city because Sima Fang had the most space and since he had so many servants, it would be too much trouble.
Zhang He found Sun Shang Xiang's mother, Wu Sheng, was almost as easygoing and tomboyish as her daughter. Her short red hair flayed out on either side of her still-young face, making her looking youthful and spunky. She reminded Zhang He very much of Sun Ce in a female form with a dash of Sun Quan's intelligence and Sun Shang Xiang's looks. Although she had a certain youngness about her, Zhang He could see that she had spent many a sleepless night, crying herself to sleep at the sudden loss of her husband. Sun Ce had decided that she would come live with them after the wedding. She was pleasantly agreeable and nearly elated that both her daughter and eldest son were getting married.
"It's about time," She said happily as she sent her faithful serving man/friend to get her things in order. "I thought they'd never settle down . . ."
"Oh, I don't think this'll stop them from fighting," Zhang He said, he gave a little laugh. "But it'll at least give them a place to come home to . . ." She turned to look at him for a moment.
"Your name sounds familiar, kid . . ." She inspected his face. "What was your father's name?"
"Umm, Zhang Fei . . ." Zhang He said a bit puzzled.
"Ah, yes!" Wu Sheng cheered, her eyes lighting up. "I knew your mother so very well!"
"Y . . . you did?" Zhang He asked, remember his spirit world encounter with Huang Chen Lai. He then remembered about Wu Sheng, Rai Lin, and Huang Chen Lai being friends. . . friends with Mai Xeng. . . who was Sima Yi's mother . . . "You knew all of our mothers?" He asked, nearly choking his heart was beating so fast. Wu Sheng looking somewhat surprised.
"You mean you guys all know one another now?" She asked. "All our kids know each other?"
"We don't just know each other, Lady Wu, we're sworn brothers!" She laughed, but Zhang He spied something that looked much like fear behind her eyes.
"Oh my, what a strange coincidence . . ." She murmured. Zhang He decided not to pursue this any further, incase of upsetting people in this time, which didn't need any more stress.
After Wu Sheng was back at Sima Fang's house (and happily reunited with her children) Zhang He rode out to Zhen Ji's former residence, where he parents were. Zhang He soon discovered where she got her attitude from it. Her mother spoke in such a dramatic way, Zhang He thought that perhaps he had accidentally walked onto a stage in the middle of a performance and the actors had improvised on his entering, trying to make him look part of the show. Her face was made up with white powder and she carried a fan wherever she went, folding it and unfolding it where she found fit. Her father, a ridiculously attractive man with long auburn hair that reached down to his waist, would strut as he walked and laughed in a terribly cheap way, as if her were some prince who's just rescued a town from a dragon.
"Ohhhhh, my baby daughter has finally found a perfect match . . ." Zhen Ji's mother said, unfolding her fan once again to reveal her lovely face.
"O ho ho ho . . ." Her husband chortled (I use this word because I can find no word that sounds disgusting enough to describe this purely phony sound). "Have you ever doubted our angel?" He continued, his teeth sparkling with whiteness as his deep brown eyes glistened. They then both laughed, each in their own concocted ways, and Zhang He felt like walking out immediately. But in reality, he held fast and brought Ohime- Sama and the prince home to their 'angel'.
When Zhang He had gotten back he found that not only had the Qiao's father arrived, but both Diao Chan's parents, Zhou Tai, and much to Zhang He's disappointment, Zhang Fei. He greeted his son with a strange sort of warmness Zhang He had never known from him before.
"I'm so proud of you son!" He said, clapping and enormous paw on Zhang He's shoulder.
"Th-thank you father . . ." Zhang He forced out, resenting his touch.
"So, how is this 'Shi' dynasty of yours?" He said this with a good amount of sarcasm on the words, but something of a maliciousness hid behind his words.
"Oh, it's fine . . ." Zhang He muttered tonelessly. He did not forget the fact that his father was on Shi, and he did not forget the fact that he would share all the information he got with his sworn brothers once this temporary truce was over.
"Hehe. . ." Zhang Fei laughing. "Got any surprises for us? Any tricks up your sleeve?"
"None at the moment . . ." Zhang He answered, putting on his best smile. Zhang Fei laughed in a boom again and went over to talk to some other man. Basically, everyone agreed that everyone else could get married. This was just the beginning of the hectic plans.
Nextly, formal invitations had to be sent to ALL of the guests, including everyone from Shi, family friends, Family of all the brides and grooms, and everyone else on the planet it seemed.
"Is it possible we'll be able to fit them all?" Sima Yi asked uncertainly as the enormously long scroll was rolled out. But somehow, it would be managed. After this a date was decided. Everyone thought that July first was a good time (It was now nearing the end of May) because it was just enough time to get by without having to wait for things to happen. Sima Fang readied all his cooks to serve the finest of meals on that day, and to prepare the sacred wine for the actual marriage. After this there was the most important step of all, buying the house. Some men had found an old manor near to where the Shi camp was and brought Zhang He and his brothers to come check it out. It was a dream come true.
Everything that they had dreamed up and more existed in this house. It was three stories high and nearly three by five miles inside of the wall. It had four gardens, all with beautiful flowers in full bloom, fruit trees, and ponds. There were more than enough bedrooms to suit every couple and all their children to come, and probably two or three more couples. There was a great entrance hall, four dining rooms, a dojo, a weapon display hall, a servant's quarter, and a plethora of others. There was only one catch; someone already owned it.
The owner was an eighty-two year old man who was a recluse and lived all alone. At the beginning he was quite reluctant to give up his home, but when the Sima men promised him an amazing amount of money and services to get all his things to his new home, he gave up. Afterwards, they all went to the market and bought their hearts out.
They bought nearly a ton of furniture, weapons, decorative scrolls, tools, etc. The poor servants then installed it all to their liking. By this time it was nearing dawn and everyone found the nearest piece of comfortable furniture and slept. They wanted to keep this house a secret from the girls so they could surprise them on the wedding night. It took them an entire week to get everything in order at their new house and make it livable, secretly transporting all their possessions to their soon-to-be rooms. By the time they all returned, everyone was stress ridden and tired.
"Where have you been?" Diao Chan asked when they came through the large double doors of Sima Fang's large residence.
"Oh, just taking care of this and that. . ." Zhang He lied, and it was left at that. They day of the wedding crept nearer and nearer no that it was halfway through June and people scrambled to take care of that last minute thing they absolutely couldn't forget. Every night Zhang He got into bed he was glad of it. The incessant questioning and pestering and inquiring and specifying all stopped when he climbed into bed.
"I never knew getting married took so much effort . . ." Zhang He sighed in an exhausted manner to Diao Chan, who was visiting before she would turn in for the night.
"It'll be over soon, don't you worry . . .," She said back, gently stroking his head.
"Maybe we should just elope . . .," Zhang He breathed, closing his eyes. Diao Chan laughed a bit.
"I don't think they'd be very happy with us if we did . . . they've spent an awful lot of money and father would be disappointed." Zhang He had met Diao Chan's father, Wang Yun, the day he'd arrived back with Zhen Ji's parents. He was a short, frightened little man with watery eyes that would always shift when you talked to him. HE was so very happy with Diao Chan for causing Lu Bu and Dong Zhou's death, but he did not directly take to Zhang He.
"You are going to marry her, yes?" He'd asked sharply, sizing Zhang He up with one eyeball while he had his hands on his hips. He nodded slowly, wondering why Wang Yun was so cross. "You'll take very good care of my Diao Chan, won't you? Because she means the world to me. I've always gone out of my way to ensure her safety and happiness." Zhang He snorted silently and thought, Which is exactly why you sent her off the be a ruthless tyrant's mistress at age thirteen . . . Makes sense to me . . .
They days crawled by, but nonetheless the wedding moved closer and closer, not stopping for anything. A bit more drama reared its ugly head a day and a week before the actual wedding day.
Sun Shang Xiang was walking down the halls of the palace, minding her own business when Sima Fang confronted her.
"Are you sure you're fit to be in this family? I don't believe you are, you're status is very low . . ." He had hissed at here.
"You know, I'm not marrying Sima Yi so I can gain higher rank or status . . ." She put forth warningly.
"No matter, you are from a poor family full of miscreants and you are polluting my refined family line.
Naturally, Sun Shang Xiang didn't take this too well and she retorted with some smart comment. The argument elevated until Sima Fang actually struck her snappishly across the face.
"WHY YOU!?" Sun Shang Xiang's furious voice rang through the halls. Zhang He ran out to see Sun Shang Xiang on top of Sima Fang, who now lying on the floor on his stomach, covering his head for protection. She was beating him viciously across the head and back, jamming her elbows into his weak person. Zhang He and Sima Yi had to work together as a team to pull her off while servants scurried in from everywhere hoisting their whimpering master into an infirmary. Sima Yi scolded her after things had calmed down, but Zhang He heard him congratulating her later on once less people were around.
When it was the day before the wedding, the ceremonies officially begun. The five girls went into seclusion in a room in the north tower. They were not allowed to come out and no one was allowed to come in. They spent this day and night reminiscing about their previous life and 'dying' to be born again once there were married. While this was being done, the men went to their new house and installed the marital bed. Their home was now complete, finally.
That night, Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Sima Yi, Sun Ce, and Zhou Yu all ate exclusively with the brides' families, each of them breaking a yolk of a hard-boiled egg. This was done to signify the girl's breaking ties with families and entering their new families.
Zhang He could not sleep that night. His mind kept popping up with scenarios in which the entire thing would crumble and leave Zhang He in utter defeat once again. Around three A.M. fatigue finally got to him and he slipped into an uncomfortable slumber, which he drifted in and out of through the hours. Around ten he was woken by Zhang Liao shaking him.
The humid summer air was uncomfortable to say the least and in the room where all of them had slept that night, it was especially stuffy. They all dressed in their splendid wedding attire; matching red, silk robes with black hats. Zhang He wore his hair down, which did not cool him off in the blazing heat, but it certainly looked nicer.
Once everyone was looking nice and had collected himself, they moved out to the courtyard where the ceremony was to be held. Only the parents of the brides and grooms would witness the actual marriage, but there was a feast afterwards for all guests to enjoy. Sima Fang, Zhang Fei, Wu Sheng, Wang Yun, Gao Cheng (Diao Chan's mother), Qiao Dong, Zhou Tai, and Zhen Ji's two parents (dressed in a very tawdry fashion) were all sitting behind a table, draped with a bright red cloth. On top of this table was a set of goblets and candles for each couple. The grooms went and stood in the specified spots in front of their parents. They waited and waited, the sun shining cruelly upon Zhang He's back, making him sweat under his heavy silk robe. For what seemed like ages he waited. Then he turned his head to see if anything was happening and came face to face with Diao Chan.
She was the loveliest he had ever seen her. Her hard, up in a bun, looking so pretty and clean and sparkled in the sunlight. A translucent red veil floated like a wisp in front of her beautiful face and swayed gently from side to side as she moved. She wore a bright red silk, Qi Pao (a tight fitting long dress) embroidered with patterns of golden leaves and flowers with a pair of matching shoes.
She took his hand with out anything but a radiant smile and Zhang He knew he was the luckiest man alive.
The Romance of the Four Leaders
Chapter 45
Break of Dawn
Everything was white . . . or was that light? No, it couldn't be, light was a material thing . . . I'm being rocked . . . was the first emotion that came over the spiritual being that had once inhabited Zhang He. You must understand that a spirit cannot think, they only feel. This is because they are beyond words. At times, they may se vision depicting the physical world that they left behind, but this is not needed mostly. It is true the exist on the other side of the physical plane, but they rarely come in contact with the living. In this cycle, when the spirit suffers the shock of death, it still remains in that state of mind that it belongs to the physical plane (This is as if you woke up submerged in a pool of water; you probably try to walk or otherwise some sort of movement used in a regular gravity based system). Well this is what happened to "Zhang He" When he had fully crossed over into the spiritual plane.
He half saw have felt himself being rocked. But he was only a child, four or five, was it? No, time didn't matter here. . . there was no age. . . . (I'm not going to try and explain to you all the laws of the spirit world, that would be a book in itself, so please try to understand when I use these terms such as 'see', touch', physical terms, it means nothing even close to what it does in our plane.) He saw himself being held and rocked by a tall woman with elegant hair. Her complexion was lovely and she was the perfect mixture of skinny and lean. When she opened her eyes Zhang He noticed they were the most stunning gray, like the sky during a storm. She was dressed in a white robe that resembled a kimono. She was singing a song. . . that song . . . Zhang He knew it at once.
"Where am I?" Zhang He asked.
"You are back with me . . ." She said comfortingly. "Finally, I have you back."
"Who are you?" Zhang He asked again in the same way.
"I . . ." She seemed to be thinking. "I think you knew me then as Huang Chen Lai . . ." She said. Zhang He seemed to know this name. But what? From where?
"Are you. . . were you my mother?" He asked her. She nodded, closing her eyes.
"We were robbed of each other so very early on. . . But now we have another chance . . . We can go back and try again, I can be your mother again, if you want. . ." She said. Zhang He was confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked, still quite not grasping what had happened. She sighed a bit.
"You're no longer on the physical plane . . ." She said gently.
"What does that mean . . .?" Zhang He murmured, a bit confused. "Am . . .I . . .Dead?"
"That's. . .one way of putting it." She explained. "It's more like switching existences. . . We can go back to the other world. We could also wait for your friends. . ." She finished pointedly.
"No!" Zhang He said, starting to seem alert, not to mention close to tears. "I can't die . . . I haven't lived enough, I haven't. . . ." He left off.
"You . . . Haven't completed our purpose?" Now she sounded alarmed.
"Purpose? What are you talking about?" Zhang He was officially confused.
"Oh no, you're not supposed to be here yet. . ." She spoke very quickly. "You. . ." All at once there was a blinding flash of light, totally outshining anything he'd seen before. Two long white arms came out of this portal and grabbed him around the middle. Huang Chen Lai held him fast.
"NO!" She screamed. "I won't lose you again!" But the force of the arms was too strong. Zhang He felt intense shocks, like thousands of 100 pound wood beams were smacking into either side of him. Explosions of light and color were every and the hideous din of every crash, boom, shriek, and blast in the world swirled around him. It then felt as if he and a sack of bricks flying directly above him were dropped to the ground four hundred feet below, then . . . impact.
Pain, gravity, breath, life, blood, his senses . . . They all came flooding back to him in a whoosh of reality. His chest puffed up and down and his eyes nearly popped out. The pain was still in his stomach. He was alive, but his injuries were not healed. He began to panic again and he felt that same throbbing pain in his heart. He started gasping for air, his body not working correctly from the shock. Then, he saw something he didn't not understand in the calamity of the moment (or even afterwards. . .).
Diao Chan was glowing and bright and she resembled. . . Well, the only way to describe it was the Lady in Black. She had the same kind of presence, but instead of terrifying and dark, it was almost filled with hope and wonder. Not to say this wasn't alerting for Zhang He. Her hair was spread out at her sides and her eyes were like that Lady's as well, but White, not black. She put her misty fingers on Zhang He's injury and then everything froze. He saw, in slow motion, as all the blood and pieces of flesh picked themselves up and went back in place. The Pike that stuck out of him fell to the side as the torn skin mended itself.
Zhang He released a breath, slow and long as everything around him went back to normal. All the pain was gone and the difference felt wonderful. Imagine wearing a stone weight around your neck all day, then finally being able to remove it and lie down in bed. The relief was stunning. Though the pain had completely dissipated, he felt completely exhausted, not to mention shocked to the point of insanity. His vision faded a bit as he felt Diao Chan fall softly somewhere on his chest and they both slept.
Zhang He awoke in total warmth and comfort. Strange, healing scents drifted around him and the sound of running water soothed his confused mind. As he sat up a lavish comforter fell off his chest. He was lying in the most eloquent of rooms with a beautiful Zen garden outside. There was an aromatherapy-heating sac where he was lying and good health incense was being burnt in the corner of the room. Zhang He got to his feet with some shakiness and found he was dressed in a white robe.
"How long have I been asleep?" Zhang He asked himself, feeling uncertainness in his bones.
"Two days, ten hours and thirty-seven minutes . . ." Said a soft voice from the corner. Zhang He looked and saw a young woman, perhaps twelve or thirteen kneeling by the door. "I've been taking care of you. This is the Sima Manor, incase you were wondering...." She continued. "I am Sang Chun, a humble servant of Lord Sima Fang. The young Lord brought you here recently and you have been in my care ever since." She finished
"Do you know where Diao Chan is?" Zhang He asked drowsily. Sang Chun nodded and led him formally through the extravagant palace, kneeling as she opened and closed the sliding doors for him. While passing through the entrance of the house, Zhang he went more slowly this time. He noticed some bloodstains near the ground of the wall and walked a bit faster. Sang Chun led Zhang He into an equally pretty room where Diao Chan was sitting up in a bed, reading a book. The moment she saw Zhang He come in, she put it down and tried to get up out of the bed. Zhang he rushed over and put a hand on her shoulder, pushing her down back onto the bed. Sang Chun bowed as she went out and shut the door. Zhang He knelt by the bed, his hand still on her shoulder.
"Diao Chan, are you all right?" He asked softly. She nodded and smiled.
"I'm feeling fine. Just a little tired . . ." She said, sounding pleasantly frail. Zhang He got up and sat on the bed.
"What was that?" He asked a bit critically. "When you healed me. What happened?" Zhang He asked, feeling her warmth through the blanket.
"I. . . Don't know . . ." She admitted. "I . . . Well, this will sound strange, but whenever I ask myself the same question, an answer always pops into my mind. . ."
"What answer, what is it?" He asked, hungry to know.
"It doesn't make any sense . . ."
"Tell me, please." Zhang He said.
"Well . . . I. . . Remembered. . . ." She puzzled. "That's all." Zhang He shrugged, then looked into her face for a bit.
"What?" She asked after a while. Zhang He laughed a bit. He knelt down and kissed her gently. She stroked his hair as he refused to stop, loving her too much to cease. He placed his left hand on her rib cage and held on softly. Suddenly, in a burst of embarrassment and temptation, he wanted to put his hand higher. Should he? He knew Diao Chan wouldn't object, but was it right? Luckily, he didn't have to decide because the door opened softly behind them. Zhang He nearly leapt out of skin. He jumped off the bed and stood, back straight, face burning. He saw Sun Ce, laughing to himself, a near to evil grin on his face. Zhang He looked down, feeling angry at Sun Ce and embarrassed for himself.
"What is going on in here?" Sun Ce asked through laughing. Zhang He walked out the door dragging Sun Ce with him. When they were outside Sun Ce broke loose.
"How far did you get?" Sun Ce asked excitedly.
"Shut up, Sun Ce! You're always thinking dirty. We were just . . ." Sun Ce raised an eyebrow. "We were just glad to see one another . . . I bet you did the same with Da Qiao . . ." Zhang He said, trying to make Sun Ce feel bad, but he just laughed some more.
"You bet, I did!" He yelled slapping Zhang He on the back. "Anyway, his highness would like to see you in the conference room. We have plans . . ." Zhang He and Sun Ce walked side by side down the hall.
"Who is 'his highness'?" Zhang He asked, almost laughing.
"Our little Sima Yi! I never knew he was a prince before a couple of days ago."
"Oh, Sun Ce. You leave Sima Yi alone. He's had it tough like you wouldn't believe." Zhang He scolded.
"Tough?" Sun Ce asked incredulously. "Look at this place! He was waited on hand and foot! How in anyway is that tough?" Sun Ce finished indignantly. Zhang He sighed.
"It's not my story to tell Sun Ce. If Sima Yi wants you to know, he'll tell you himself. You shouldn't nose." Zhang He said, cursing his hypocrisy.
"Whatever . . ." Sun Ce answered and they pushed opened the exquisite mahogany doors. Zhou Yu, Zhang Liao, Sima Fang, 'His Highness', and Yuan Shao were seated on blandly patterned cushions around a lacquered pine table, which sparkled with highlights in the morning glare. Zhang He took his place near Sima Yi, then Sun Ce across from him. Once everyone had settle, Sima Yi cleared his throat and spoke out.
"Well, we've gathered here, mostly to discuss plans about Yuan Shao and ask a humble request from my father." Sima Yi announced. "So . . . Zhang He. . . What do you want to do with Yuan Shao?" Zhang He looked down at the table. He hadn't had much time to decide about this, but then he remembered he hadn't really heard Yuan Shao's side of the story. Images of his destroyed palace flashed into Zhang He's head and he was quite curious.
"Yuan Shao . . ." Zhang He began. "Tell me everything you want me to hear, then I shall decide your fate." Yuan Shao nodded respectfully.
"Thank you . . ." He said. There was silence for a few moments, and then he began. "Allow me to start by saying what I did to you was the biggest mistake I have ever made in all my thirty years of life. It was all Guo Tu's fault." He took a sharp breath. "Almost a week after you left, he led his attack. Soon after you were gone his brother, Guo Jia showed up. He had told me this wasn't his real brother, as he was adopted into his family, but since they were brought up together, it was certainly just as good. Guo Jia was a strange little fellow. Always seemed to be upset. He would only whisper things to Guo Tu, never talk. Guo Tu would always answer for him as well. I could hear them arguing sometimes during the night as well. Anyway, they went out for sometime, to some sacred ground or something. Nonetheless, they returned with a strange girl. She was our downfall, oh yes.
I awoke one night to hear screaming all around. I rushed outside to see what the matter was. There they were, the three of them, Guo Tu laughing, Guo Jia crying, and that horrid witch, she . . . she. . ." Yuan Shao put out his hands so that they were straight out in front of him. "Went just like this and waves of black light would flow from her hands. These spread out and killed everyone. Sometimes she would grab someone and suck all the life out of them, leaving them horribly thin and dry. My entire palace was destroyed that night and all the bodies turned to ash and blew away with the wind. The Guo Tu grabbed me and said 'You're coming with us . . .'. I was kept in the dark for, oh, such a long time, Zhang He, such a long time, but when I got out, Guo Tu gave me to that Lu Bu and I've been his prisoner ever since. I heard there from the guards that Lu Bu killed Dong Zhou himself when he learned he was after Diao Chan too . . ." Zhang He was silent.
"Rai Tso would have died anyway. . ." He whispered to himself. "You say there was a girl with them? Give me a description." Zhang He demanded.
"Well . . . She was short and very pale. Her eyes were lifeless, like that of a deceased someone. Her hair was the most ebony black and it reached down to her legs. She wore a robe of entirely black and she had a strange presence about her. Go Tu always kept her out of sight . . ." Yuan Shao obeyed. Zhang He's heart leapt. The woman from his dreams. . .
"Very good . . ." The last thing Zhang he cared about now was Yuan Shao's freedom. Guo Tu was alive and well and had someone . . . someone from his dreams . . . Sui Ki. . . who could kill hundreds of people in matter of minutes and level cities. Zhang He forced himself to forget about it for a moment while he reached a hurried decision. "Welcome to the forces of Shi." He said shortly to Yuan Shao. Everyone looked confused. "You'll serve under me, Yuan Shao. You'll be my bodyguard." Zhang He said coldly. Yuan Shao went into a state of ecstasy.
"Oh! Thank you, Zhang He! Thank you, thank you, thank you. . ." He repeated.
"That's MY LORD." Zhang He corrected. "Sima Yi, continue on."
"Right you are, Zhang He. . ." Sima Yi said with tightly pursed lips. "Well, father, you recently asked us if there was anything you could do for us, and yes, there is. Quite a big something, I might add, but please, be willing to listen."
"Anything for you, my son." Sima Fang replied pleasantly.
"Well, the four of us, Zhang He, Zhou Yu, Sun Ce and myself-" Sima Yi was cut off by Zhang He.
"Oh, Zhang Liao, as well. . ." Zhang Liao suddenly looked up, his eyes wide, his posture stunned. Zhang He noticed he'd been tracing slow circles on the table since the beginning. "He's planning on proposing to Zhen Ji this afternoon. I think it'll be fair if I'm his go-between as well as yours, right Sima Yi?" Sima Yi stood frozen for a moment then went back to his formal mode.
"Right, that's fine . . ." He looked away from his father.
"Go-between?" Sima Fang questioned ruthlessly, his eyebrow raised.
"Well, yes, I was coming to that, you see-"
"What would you need a Go-Between for? Your not getting married are you? Is this person a peasant? Does she come from a respectable family? How rich are they? You'll not put dirt on the Sima family name!"
"I need a Go-Between for marriage. Yes, I am. No, she isn't. The Sun Family. I have no idea of their financial standings. . ." Sima Yi answered calmly, his eyes closed.
"The SUN family?" Sima Fang said with a hint of disgust.
"What's wrong with the Sun family, eh buddy?" Sun Ce said, his face forming a frown.
"NOTHING is wrong with the Sun family!" Sima Yi flashed Sun Ce a dangerous look. "It's Sun Shang Xiang, and forgive me for saying this father, but if you don't allow her to join our family, I'm afraid I'll just elope without your permission. . ." Sima Fang looked as if he was having an internal battle, but he gave up with a sigh.
"If that's REALLY who you want, then so be it." He replied shaking his head. "Now, what was the favor you wanted to ask of me.
"Well, be sworn brothers, we never want to be separated which is why we wish to live together in one big manor . . ." Sima Yi put it delicately. Zhang he noticed Zhang Liao was still glaring at him from the other end of the table. Zhang He showed him a sweet smile and went back to looking at Sima Yi.
"And you want me too purchase it for you and fund your weddings?" Sima Fang asked expectantly.
"Would you, please? We would never forget your kindness . . .," Sima Yi said bowing his head. Everyone else at the table did the same.
"Well, that wouldn't be too much . . . My estimated total would be less that one tenth of my entire fortune."
"So, you'll do it?" Zhang He asked eagerly. Sima Fang nodded gentility and every cheered. After thanking him more than enough times, they all exited.
"I'm going to ask Da Qiao right now! She wouldn't refuse, I know she wouldn't . . ." Sun Ce muttered to himself as he beelined for Da Qiao's room.
"My proposing is all taken care of . . ." Sima Yi said in an almost relieved way, "I'll just go tell Sun Shang Xiang it's coming up. . ." Sima Yi waved them off, leaving Zhou Yu, Zhang Liao and Zhang He to themselves.
"Brother. . ." Zhang Liao said from behind Zhang He.
"Yes, Liao?" Zhang He smiled innocently as he turned.
"Why did you say that?" Zhang Liao asked dangerously. Zhang He laughed nervously.
"Don't worry about it . . . I'm sure Zhen Ji would love to . . ." Zhang He condoled, patting Zhang Liao on the back as he began to leave. Suddenly Zhang Liao grabbed Zhang He's arm and held him fast.
"You're coming with me, He. . . I'm not going there alone . . .," Zhang Liao said adamantly. As he yanked Zhang He towards the opposite end of the hall.
"What? What do you need me for?" Zhang He asked, fighting to get away.
"Because! If it looks like things are going bad I want you to come in and pull me away. . ." Zhang Liao explained.
"All right, that's fair enough . . ." Zhang He agreed, wrenching his arm loose.
"Mind if I come, too?" Zhou Yu asked from back where they were previously standing. They booth looked back at him. He looked lonely and a bit lost so Zhang He agreed, although he wondered why Zhou Yu wasn't rushing off to Xiao Qiao.
The three of them went to Zhen Ji's room and stood outside the door. Zhang He and Zhou Yu his while Zhang Liao knocked softly and Zhen Ji's angelic call of 'WHAT!?' came through.
"Um . . . It's me, Zhen Ji. . ." Zhang Liao said softly. Some scurrying was heard inside and the door whooshed open. Zhen Ji was standing, blocking the entrance with her body.
"Yes?" She asked, much more nicely than before.
"M-may I come in?" Zhang Liao asked, in voluntarily picking at a spot on his hand. Zhen Ji looked at him for a moment, probably wondering whether this was a safe decision to make.
"Yes, you may . . ." She said at last, opening the door wider as Zhang Liao stepped inside. He didn't shut the door all the way so that Zhang He and Zhou Yu could listen. Zhang He put his eye to the crack in the door and watched what was happening.
Zhen Ji sat down on the bed and looked up at Zhang Liao.
"You wanted to talk?" She asked a bit curiously. Zhang Liao nodded and stood before her. He let out a short laugh and wiped his brow.
"Well, it's a bit hard to begin . . ." He breathed a bit. "Well, I came her to ask something of you, so please bear with me . . ." Zhen Ji gave him the same puzzled look-over as before and crossed her legs. "Well . . . Where to start . . ." He picked at his hand again. "Well, we've known each other for quite some time now, right?" Zhen Ji nodded. "C-can I ask you something?"
"Depends . . ." Zhen Ji replied slowly, looking aloof. "You can as long as it's not very intrusive . . ."
"H-how do you feel about me?" Zhang Liao asked, totally losing his cool, laid back atmosphere. Zhen Ji blushed a bit and smiled.
"Well, I have to say-" She stopped suddenly. "Wait a moment, mister. If you just came in here to get lucky, you've got another thing coming!" Zhen Ji reached back and grabbed her flute that doubled as her weapon on the bed. Zhang Liao blushed himself.
"No, no, no! I would never try anything like that, Zhen Ji . . ." Zhang Liao went over to her and took the Flute from her and replaced it. "I just . . . Listen, I really care about you. . ." Zhen Ji's expression softened a bit.
"Are you serious? Or is this some kind of joke . . .?" She asked vulnerably. She looked into Zhang Liao's eyes soulfully. Zhang Liao put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm being totally serious. I care about you very, very much, Zhen Ji . . ."
"I don't know what to say. . ." Zhen Ji breathed, blushing crimson. "I care about you, as well. In fact, I did even when I was married to that rotten Cao Pi. I just . . . I could never find the right time to say it . . . Or the right way to say it." She looked up sweetly at him. Zhang Liao took a seat next to her on the bed.
"Would you ever consider getting married again?" He almost whispered.
"A-again? Depends on . . . who I was getting married to . . ." Zhang He could tell her heart was beating fast by the rate she breathed and the wideness of her eyes.
"W-what about me? I mean, would you marry me?" He asked, sounding extremely nervous. Zhen Ji stood frozen for a moment, and then nodded in a very delightful way, putting her arms around Zhang Liao's neck.
Zhang He stood up where he was.
"I think they'll be okay." He whispered to Zhou Yu, who nodded and they made their way down the hall. When it came time for Zhang He to take the path to Diao Chan's room he stopped.
"You going to Xiao Qiao's room, right?" Zhang He asked, looking at Zhou Yu intently. Zhou Yu stopped, frowning.
"Zhang He, I can't . . ." He nearly whined. Zhang He looked up at him strangely.
"What are you talking about, don't you love Xiao Qiao? Don't you want to marry her?" Zhang He questioned, thoroughly confused.
"Yes, I do, I do with all my heart, but. . ." Zhou Yu left off. Then Zhang He remembered the story Sun Shang Xiang had told him up in the snow.
"But you're afraid you'll get hurt again?" Zhang He asked critically, looking straight at him. "You're afraid she'll refuse, just like Sun Shang Xiang did?" He looked at Zhou Yu with a kind of deep understanding. Zhou Yu blinked once or twice.
"How did you know-" Zhou Yu stopped, but Zhang He interrupted.
"I'm psychic, remember?" He smiled at Zhou Yu's strange expression. "I know everything, and I know for sure that she'll say yes, so go in there and ask . . ."
"O . . . Okay . . ." Zhou Yu said, sounding stunned as he walked over down the corridor, rubbing his head. Zhang He laughed a bit and headed down the other hall. Zhang He walked confidently back to Diao Chan's room and gripped the door handle.
"Piece of cake, right?" He asked himself quietly. "This should be easy, right?" He took a deep breath and his confidence gave way to nerves. "Okay, just go in there and do it . . ." Zhang He knocked on the door and heard Diao Chan's approval. He turned the doorknob and walked inside. She was sitting on the bed still, reading the same book as before.
"Oh, there you are." She said. "I was wondering when you'd come back . . ." Zhang He grinned.
"We all got some stuff worked out in a conference . . ." Said Zhang He, toying with his hair a bit. Zhang He explained to her about what Yuan Shao said, which calmed him a bit.
"That's so strange," She said mysteriously after he was done. "Guo Tu did all that . . ."
"Are you feeling any better?" Zhang He asked her as he sat down on her bed once more.
"A little. . ." She sighed, "I still feel pretty tired, but I think that's just because I couldn't sleep very well last night. I keep having strange nightmares for some reason and I feel a bit scared to go asleep when there's no one else around . . ." She admitted. Zhang He's eyebrows formed a worry line and he found her hand with his in the sheets.
"Would you feel better if I could always be there for you?" He asked carefully, trying to get smoothly on to the topic he wished to discuss.
"Yes, I would feel better if you were closer to me always . . ." Pink spots appeared on her cheeks and she beamed shyly.
"Because, I want to be with you always . . . And not just for now, for the rest of my life, Diao Chan . . ." She looked up at him with wide eyes and the pick spots on her cheeks grew. He took her hand and put it to his chest as he moved closer to her. So far, so good . . . He thought without showing anything on his face.
"What are you saying, Zhang He?" She spoke softly.
"I'm saying, Diao Chan, that you are the only woman I'll ever love . . .That no matter what, I'll always love you no matter what, no matter how old I get. I'm asking you if you want to share the rest of your life with me. We'll be together every night, and every morning when you wake up, and we'll live together forever, and have peaceful lives once this fighting is over and we can have our own family and raise our children together . . . I'm asking will you please marry me, Diao Chan?"
She looks deeply into his eyes as her own blue-green one's teared up. For what seemed like an hour they stared into one another souls and Zhang He remember the first time he'd laid eyes on her, the first time he'd heard her sing, the first time they spoke. He remembered when the earthquake had knocked them down the hill and when they'd escaped from Lu Bu. All those times, when Yuan Shao had banished them, when they sang together to get a room at the Inn, that heartfelt talk in the Inn and they're adventure to get to Wei. Their first kiss stuck out prominently in his mind, as well as those close encounters before they had made it official. All the memories they would make in the future would depend on her answer.
"Yes. . ." Diao Chan whispered breathlessly. "Yes, yes, yes . . ." She fell gently into his arms, repeating the wonderful answer. Zhang He fell lightly down on the bed with her and held her small body easily in his arms, his hand on the back of her head. They cuddled with each other, tears leaking from both their eyes in pure gladness an beauty, a sort of ephemeral bliss over took them both.
"I love you, Diao Chan." Zhang He breathed ever so gently in her ear. She put her arms around his waist and held securely, her palms flat on his strong muscles. He inhaled her sweet smell and caressed her hair ephemerally with his lips.
"And I you, Zhang He . . ." She spoke warmly into his chest, refusing to let go. They continued on in this manner for several minutes until they heard a shrill 'YAY!' from the hallways. Some pattering of feet were heard and then a dull crash. Diao Chan and Zhang He rose from the bed and went outside. Xiao Qiao was jumping up and down happily; hold Da Qiao, who was smiling widely. Sun Ce, Sima Yi, Sun Shang Xiang, and Zhou Yu were standing laughing in the background.
"Yay!" Xiao Qiao chorused. "We're getting married!" Diao Chan stopped for a moment.
"Wait a second, you're are getting married too?" She turned to Sun Shang Xiang, "And you too?" They all affirmed this query. Diao Chan turned back towards Zhang He with a grin on her face.
"Did you guys plan this?" She asked impishly. Zhang He snickered a little.
"Maybe . . ." She gave him a gentle push and laughed a bit. Then all of a sudden Sun Ce inhaled.
"You guys!!" He yelled excitedly. "We should celebrate! I'm sure Sima Yi's got more saké than the Emperor himself in this place! We haven't gotten a break since. . . well. . . I can't even remember! It's almost summer again anyway, we deserve it!" Everyone agreed happily in unison and two servants and a keg of saké later, they were seating in one of the biggest banquet rooms laughing and joking and all around enjoying themselves.
Somewhere along the line someone proposed they play "Big Liar", a popular drinking game (Yeah, I know I stole the name from "Memoirs of a Geisha", but I can't remember any other name for this game -;;; ). This game was played with fairly simple rules; one person would challenge another and the fun would start. The person challenged, one a true story the other lie. If the challenger could pick the one that was true, the one challenged would have to drink a cup of saké, if not they would have to drink a cup of the mild flavored wine. Sun Ce was the first challenger.
"All right, Sima Yi . . ." Sun Ce articulated wryly as he poured a glass full to brimming with the sweet liquid. "I challenge you . . ." Sima Yi squinted.
"One time I was in Qiao and I walked down to the market place . . . and I saw . . . a person with blue hair . . .," Sima Yi said unsurely. "And another time . . . I beat up someone twice my size without using a weapon." Sun Ce held a moment in thought.
"The second one fake. It has to be . . . You're two scrawny . . ." Sun Ce answered shaking his head.
"Wrong!" Sima Yi yelled in disbelief. "I can't believe you said that! Nobody on Earth has blue hair!" Sun Ce looked back, astounded.
"You beat someone twice your size without your fan? YOU?" Sun Ce slammed his fist on the table. "You're a liar!"
"That's a true story! I failed to state that the someone was off guard and quite ill, but nonetheless . . . Drink up, brother!" Sun Ce frowned, and then downed the full cup in one mighty swig, exhaling loudly and slamming the glass on the table. "Fine, now I challenge Zhou Yu . . ." Sima Yi poured the glass so full that it nearly spilled over.
"Oh, no. I'm so bad at this game . . ." Zhou Yu sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Let's see . . . Once while my father left myself and Sun Ce in the care of my uncle, who was odd, to say the least . . . Sun Ce got scared because he thought that my uncle kept staring into his room. He got so scared he had to come sleep in my room . . ." Zhou Yu shot an evil smile at Sun Ce who blushed profusely but said nothing. "And. . . Another time . . . I fell down a 20 foot hill and survived . . ."
"Easy, the first one's real . . ." Sima Yi drawled blandly. Zhou Yu sighed.
"I knew I would lose . . ." He moped, sucking up some of the Saké before he picked it so it wouldn't spill. Zhou Yu drank it with difficultly, his face getting redder and redder as he went. The game went on and on in this way until Zhou Yu had consumed more than four cups of wine, Sun Ce had had five (and was happily intoxicated), Zhang He with two, and Sima Yi three. The girls had only been on the sidelines, enjoying the fun, but they were certainly some ways from sober. Zhang He felt a light buzz, but nonetheless he could control himself.
Zhou Yu, who had never been known for holding his liquor, was drifting left and right and his words slurred. Sun Ce was laughing hysterically at ever word that was said and Sima Yi was falling all over Sun Shang Xiang while hey sang some incoherent song. Da Qiao was asleep with her head on the table while Xiao Qiao told what seemed like an endless amount of jokes. All at once Zhou Yu stood up, tottering from side to side.
"What is a party without entertainment?" He said. Well, this is what he meant to say; it actually came out something like 'Whha is a paati wiffou entertaamen?' His blurred eyes scanned the room and stopped dead on the sword mounted on the wall. "Ahh, yes . . . a little swordplay . . ." (again this came out terribly slurred). He wobbled over to the wall and removed the sword from its plaque.
"Go on, Zhou Yu!" Sun Ce yelled, going into another fit of laughter. "Show 'em how it's done!"
"Yes . . ." He took a deep breath, "I shall. . ." With this, Zhou Yu climbed onto the long wooden table and unsheathed the dangerous weapon. Zhang He backed off a bit, his only reaming sense warning him of the gravity of the situation. Everyone else clapped and cheered. Zhou Yu's eyes looked almost frightening in the flickering flame light of the echoing tatami room as he raised the gleaming blade in the air. He closed his eyes and with what was supposed to graceful spin, he began to sing.
When a man is in the world and he ought to do his best
And when he's done his best, he ought to have his rest
And when I have my rest, I'll drink my wine with zest
And when I'm drunk as drunk can be
I'll sing the madman's chant!
Zhou Yu sang out in his deep and refined voice, filling the entire room with the rich tone. As he sang this entertaining song, he did the most amazing dance with the blade, filled with turns and twists, making it out to be a stunning performance. Zhang He was so surprised at seeing quiet and reserved Zhou Yu do something as outrageous and spontaneous as this is was all he could do to keep from bursting out laughing (the drink did not help with this, either). The rest of the evening was just as madcap and mindless until very late at night when the all fell asleep, sprawled across the floor, all simply in bliss.
The very next morning (After they'd been pulled out of their drunken sleeps but some nameless servant) the wedding plans began. The first task was to get everyone's parents together. This is what the Go-Betweens were for. Zhang He, being his brother and Sima Yi's Go-Between, had to find the families of Zhen Ji and Sun Shang Xiang and bring them back to Qiao (they decided to hold the actual celebration in the city because Sima Fang had the most space and since he had so many servants, it would be too much trouble.
Zhang He found Sun Shang Xiang's mother, Wu Sheng, was almost as easygoing and tomboyish as her daughter. Her short red hair flayed out on either side of her still-young face, making her looking youthful and spunky. She reminded Zhang He very much of Sun Ce in a female form with a dash of Sun Quan's intelligence and Sun Shang Xiang's looks. Although she had a certain youngness about her, Zhang He could see that she had spent many a sleepless night, crying herself to sleep at the sudden loss of her husband. Sun Ce had decided that she would come live with them after the wedding. She was pleasantly agreeable and nearly elated that both her daughter and eldest son were getting married.
"It's about time," She said happily as she sent her faithful serving man/friend to get her things in order. "I thought they'd never settle down . . ."
"Oh, I don't think this'll stop them from fighting," Zhang He said, he gave a little laugh. "But it'll at least give them a place to come home to . . ." She turned to look at him for a moment.
"Your name sounds familiar, kid . . ." She inspected his face. "What was your father's name?"
"Umm, Zhang Fei . . ." Zhang He said a bit puzzled.
"Ah, yes!" Wu Sheng cheered, her eyes lighting up. "I knew your mother so very well!"
"Y . . . you did?" Zhang He asked, remember his spirit world encounter with Huang Chen Lai. He then remembered about Wu Sheng, Rai Lin, and Huang Chen Lai being friends. . . friends with Mai Xeng. . . who was Sima Yi's mother . . . "You knew all of our mothers?" He asked, nearly choking his heart was beating so fast. Wu Sheng looking somewhat surprised.
"You mean you guys all know one another now?" She asked. "All our kids know each other?"
"We don't just know each other, Lady Wu, we're sworn brothers!" She laughed, but Zhang He spied something that looked much like fear behind her eyes.
"Oh my, what a strange coincidence . . ." She murmured. Zhang He decided not to pursue this any further, incase of upsetting people in this time, which didn't need any more stress.
After Wu Sheng was back at Sima Fang's house (and happily reunited with her children) Zhang He rode out to Zhen Ji's former residence, where he parents were. Zhang He soon discovered where she got her attitude from it. Her mother spoke in such a dramatic way, Zhang He thought that perhaps he had accidentally walked onto a stage in the middle of a performance and the actors had improvised on his entering, trying to make him look part of the show. Her face was made up with white powder and she carried a fan wherever she went, folding it and unfolding it where she found fit. Her father, a ridiculously attractive man with long auburn hair that reached down to his waist, would strut as he walked and laughed in a terribly cheap way, as if her were some prince who's just rescued a town from a dragon.
"Ohhhhh, my baby daughter has finally found a perfect match . . ." Zhen Ji's mother said, unfolding her fan once again to reveal her lovely face.
"O ho ho ho . . ." Her husband chortled (I use this word because I can find no word that sounds disgusting enough to describe this purely phony sound). "Have you ever doubted our angel?" He continued, his teeth sparkling with whiteness as his deep brown eyes glistened. They then both laughed, each in their own concocted ways, and Zhang He felt like walking out immediately. But in reality, he held fast and brought Ohime- Sama and the prince home to their 'angel'.
When Zhang He had gotten back he found that not only had the Qiao's father arrived, but both Diao Chan's parents, Zhou Tai, and much to Zhang He's disappointment, Zhang Fei. He greeted his son with a strange sort of warmness Zhang He had never known from him before.
"I'm so proud of you son!" He said, clapping and enormous paw on Zhang He's shoulder.
"Th-thank you father . . ." Zhang He forced out, resenting his touch.
"So, how is this 'Shi' dynasty of yours?" He said this with a good amount of sarcasm on the words, but something of a maliciousness hid behind his words.
"Oh, it's fine . . ." Zhang He muttered tonelessly. He did not forget the fact that his father was on Shi, and he did not forget the fact that he would share all the information he got with his sworn brothers once this temporary truce was over.
"Hehe. . ." Zhang Fei laughing. "Got any surprises for us? Any tricks up your sleeve?"
"None at the moment . . ." Zhang He answered, putting on his best smile. Zhang Fei laughed in a boom again and went over to talk to some other man. Basically, everyone agreed that everyone else could get married. This was just the beginning of the hectic plans.
Nextly, formal invitations had to be sent to ALL of the guests, including everyone from Shi, family friends, Family of all the brides and grooms, and everyone else on the planet it seemed.
"Is it possible we'll be able to fit them all?" Sima Yi asked uncertainly as the enormously long scroll was rolled out. But somehow, it would be managed. After this a date was decided. Everyone thought that July first was a good time (It was now nearing the end of May) because it was just enough time to get by without having to wait for things to happen. Sima Fang readied all his cooks to serve the finest of meals on that day, and to prepare the sacred wine for the actual marriage. After this there was the most important step of all, buying the house. Some men had found an old manor near to where the Shi camp was and brought Zhang He and his brothers to come check it out. It was a dream come true.
Everything that they had dreamed up and more existed in this house. It was three stories high and nearly three by five miles inside of the wall. It had four gardens, all with beautiful flowers in full bloom, fruit trees, and ponds. There were more than enough bedrooms to suit every couple and all their children to come, and probably two or three more couples. There was a great entrance hall, four dining rooms, a dojo, a weapon display hall, a servant's quarter, and a plethora of others. There was only one catch; someone already owned it.
The owner was an eighty-two year old man who was a recluse and lived all alone. At the beginning he was quite reluctant to give up his home, but when the Sima men promised him an amazing amount of money and services to get all his things to his new home, he gave up. Afterwards, they all went to the market and bought their hearts out.
They bought nearly a ton of furniture, weapons, decorative scrolls, tools, etc. The poor servants then installed it all to their liking. By this time it was nearing dawn and everyone found the nearest piece of comfortable furniture and slept. They wanted to keep this house a secret from the girls so they could surprise them on the wedding night. It took them an entire week to get everything in order at their new house and make it livable, secretly transporting all their possessions to their soon-to-be rooms. By the time they all returned, everyone was stress ridden and tired.
"Where have you been?" Diao Chan asked when they came through the large double doors of Sima Fang's large residence.
"Oh, just taking care of this and that. . ." Zhang He lied, and it was left at that. They day of the wedding crept nearer and nearer no that it was halfway through June and people scrambled to take care of that last minute thing they absolutely couldn't forget. Every night Zhang He got into bed he was glad of it. The incessant questioning and pestering and inquiring and specifying all stopped when he climbed into bed.
"I never knew getting married took so much effort . . ." Zhang He sighed in an exhausted manner to Diao Chan, who was visiting before she would turn in for the night.
"It'll be over soon, don't you worry . . .," She said back, gently stroking his head.
"Maybe we should just elope . . .," Zhang He breathed, closing his eyes. Diao Chan laughed a bit.
"I don't think they'd be very happy with us if we did . . . they've spent an awful lot of money and father would be disappointed." Zhang He had met Diao Chan's father, Wang Yun, the day he'd arrived back with Zhen Ji's parents. He was a short, frightened little man with watery eyes that would always shift when you talked to him. HE was so very happy with Diao Chan for causing Lu Bu and Dong Zhou's death, but he did not directly take to Zhang He.
"You are going to marry her, yes?" He'd asked sharply, sizing Zhang He up with one eyeball while he had his hands on his hips. He nodded slowly, wondering why Wang Yun was so cross. "You'll take very good care of my Diao Chan, won't you? Because she means the world to me. I've always gone out of my way to ensure her safety and happiness." Zhang He snorted silently and thought, Which is exactly why you sent her off the be a ruthless tyrant's mistress at age thirteen . . . Makes sense to me . . .
They days crawled by, but nonetheless the wedding moved closer and closer, not stopping for anything. A bit more drama reared its ugly head a day and a week before the actual wedding day.
Sun Shang Xiang was walking down the halls of the palace, minding her own business when Sima Fang confronted her.
"Are you sure you're fit to be in this family? I don't believe you are, you're status is very low . . ." He had hissed at here.
"You know, I'm not marrying Sima Yi so I can gain higher rank or status . . ." She put forth warningly.
"No matter, you are from a poor family full of miscreants and you are polluting my refined family line.
Naturally, Sun Shang Xiang didn't take this too well and she retorted with some smart comment. The argument elevated until Sima Fang actually struck her snappishly across the face.
"WHY YOU!?" Sun Shang Xiang's furious voice rang through the halls. Zhang He ran out to see Sun Shang Xiang on top of Sima Fang, who now lying on the floor on his stomach, covering his head for protection. She was beating him viciously across the head and back, jamming her elbows into his weak person. Zhang He and Sima Yi had to work together as a team to pull her off while servants scurried in from everywhere hoisting their whimpering master into an infirmary. Sima Yi scolded her after things had calmed down, but Zhang He heard him congratulating her later on once less people were around.
When it was the day before the wedding, the ceremonies officially begun. The five girls went into seclusion in a room in the north tower. They were not allowed to come out and no one was allowed to come in. They spent this day and night reminiscing about their previous life and 'dying' to be born again once there were married. While this was being done, the men went to their new house and installed the marital bed. Their home was now complete, finally.
That night, Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Sima Yi, Sun Ce, and Zhou Yu all ate exclusively with the brides' families, each of them breaking a yolk of a hard-boiled egg. This was done to signify the girl's breaking ties with families and entering their new families.
Zhang He could not sleep that night. His mind kept popping up with scenarios in which the entire thing would crumble and leave Zhang He in utter defeat once again. Around three A.M. fatigue finally got to him and he slipped into an uncomfortable slumber, which he drifted in and out of through the hours. Around ten he was woken by Zhang Liao shaking him.
The humid summer air was uncomfortable to say the least and in the room where all of them had slept that night, it was especially stuffy. They all dressed in their splendid wedding attire; matching red, silk robes with black hats. Zhang He wore his hair down, which did not cool him off in the blazing heat, but it certainly looked nicer.
Once everyone was looking nice and had collected himself, they moved out to the courtyard where the ceremony was to be held. Only the parents of the brides and grooms would witness the actual marriage, but there was a feast afterwards for all guests to enjoy. Sima Fang, Zhang Fei, Wu Sheng, Wang Yun, Gao Cheng (Diao Chan's mother), Qiao Dong, Zhou Tai, and Zhen Ji's two parents (dressed in a very tawdry fashion) were all sitting behind a table, draped with a bright red cloth. On top of this table was a set of goblets and candles for each couple. The grooms went and stood in the specified spots in front of their parents. They waited and waited, the sun shining cruelly upon Zhang He's back, making him sweat under his heavy silk robe. For what seemed like ages he waited. Then he turned his head to see if anything was happening and came face to face with Diao Chan.
She was the loveliest he had ever seen her. Her hard, up in a bun, looking so pretty and clean and sparkled in the sunlight. A translucent red veil floated like a wisp in front of her beautiful face and swayed gently from side to side as she moved. She wore a bright red silk, Qi Pao (a tight fitting long dress) embroidered with patterns of golden leaves and flowers with a pair of matching shoes.
She took his hand with out anything but a radiant smile and Zhang He knew he was the luckiest man alive.