Cao Cao - Mèngdé
Cao Ren – Zǐxiào
Cao Pi – Zǐhuán
Cao Chong – Cangshu
Xiahou Dun - Yuánràng
Xiahou Yuan – Miàocái
Li Dian – Mànchéng
Zhang He – Jùnyì
Yue Jin – Wenqian
Zhang Liao – Wényuǎn
Zhang Fei – Yìdé
Xun Yu – Wénruò
Zhao Yun – Zǐlóng
Mi Zhu – Zǐzhòng
Chen Dao – Shūzhì
Jian Yong – Xiànhé
Man Chong – Bóníng
The trip back to Xuchang was a peaceful one; a fact that was greatly appreciated by Wei's warriors after having to fight continuously for over a year. When they finally arrived at Xuchang they were greeted by its people. Cao led the precession as they rode into the city amongst cheers celebrating their return and their triumphant victory over Yuan Shao.
When they neared the palace, Cao dismounted and walked up its steps. At the top, he turned around and faced the crowd. A hush fell over them as they waited to hear the Prime Minister's word.
"Over a year ago, our Emperor decreed that I stand against those who cling to the dying past."
Cao paused and looked up to the uppermost palace balcony. Just as he suspected, the emperor was standing there. He visibly flinched when Cao's eyes landed on him. There was a part of him that wanted to retreat back into the palace, but he knew how such an action would make him look amongst the people. He stood his ground and nodded, playing the role that Cao has thrust upon him. He didn't command Cao to go to war with Yuan Shao. He knew it and Cao knew it, but the truth did not matter. He was a pawn in a game and to stay alive, he would do what he was told.
Cao's eyes returned to the crowd, pleased that the emperor knew his place well. He continued his speech.
"Today we return to you victorious! Yuan Shao is dead…and with him lies the broken remains of a dying empire that has already been spurned by heaven. From its ashes, we will create a new empire; One that will usher in a new era of peace for our land!"
The crowd cheered at his words. Cao allowed it to go on for a few minutes before calling for silence once more.
"Tonight, our warriors will rest. They fought tooth and nail for the victory we achieved. They deserve time to spend with their loved ones, but in three days time, we will feast to celebrate our victory!"
More cheers erupted from the people and Cao would not stop them this time. Turning away from the crowd, he made his way into the palace to reunite with his family.
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-Cao and Pi's homecoming-
Cao entered the palace to find his family waiting just beyond the threshold for him. The first to greet him was Bianshi. She stepped up to Cao with a warm smile on her face. Were she not holding her adopted daughter in her hands, she would have ran up to him and gave him a hug.
"I am happy to see you agai—" she gasped, her eyes finding the scar on his face. She moved closer to him to get a better look. "My love! What happened to your face?" she asked as she reached out with her free hand to touch the wound. Cao caught her hand with his own and kissed it.
"It is of no consequence. I am still alive."
Bianshi nodded and forced a smile, but it was clear that she was still disturbed by it. Cao always had an air of invincibility about him. She knew it was a silly thing to think, but she found herself believing it all the same. To see him wounded, it broke that façade and that unnerved her.
"And here is my beautiful daughter," Cao said as he reached for the little girl that Bianshi was holding. The girl let out a little cry and buried her face into Bianshi's neck.
"Qinghe!" Bianshi scolded.
"It is fine, Bianshi. It has been some time since she has seen me. I'll just have to make sure I spend time with her while I am here."
"While you are here? You plan on leaving again?"
"No time soon," Cao said as he looked into her worried eyes. "But yes, there is some unfinished business that must be attended to."
Bianshi frowned. It seemed like she had just got him home and he was already planning on leaving. Bianshi understood his ambition and she knew that she could not get in the way of it, but she missed him when he wasn't home.
"Cao seemed to notice the sadness written plainly on Bianshi's face. He lifted her face to meet his and kissed her gently.
"We all know you cannot stop at a simple kiss father. Perhaps it would be best if you two retired to another room and stopped scarring my poor little sister?" Chong said with a shake of his head.
Cao and Bianshi broke apart and Cao regarded his son. "You make it sound as if I am a man obsessed," he replied in an amused tone.
"Need we count the amount of children you have, father?" Chong replied.
"Can I help that I have an appreciation for beautiful women? You should be thanking me. It is because of my impeccable taste that you have such a beautiful caretaker," Cao replied with a grin as his eyes roamed the length of Jun's body. Feeling his eyes on him, Jun hid herself behind Chong's chair and lowered her head to avoid Cao's gaze.
Chong sighed at his father's antics. It wasn't the first time he's given Jun looks like that. When she was just his caretaker, he didn't care about his father's lecherous glances, but as their relationship blossomed, the looks became so much more unbearable. There was also the fact that he did it so unabashedly in front of Bianshi. Chong's eyes went to the woman in question. She wasn't his birth mother, but she raised him since he was a child and he considered her to be more of a mother than his actual mother. It irritated him that he disrespected her in such a fashion.
"You already have a beautiful woman in front of you, father," Chong said in a measured tone. "Perhaps you should focus your eyes there."
Cao gave Chong a smile and moved his eyes back to Bianshi. I do have a beautiful woman. How can you expect me to resist such allure?" Cao said with a grin as he pulled the half of Bianshi that wasn't covered by Qinghe's body towards him. He moved in for another kiss when he was interrupted yet again.
"Can you please stop mauling my mother in public, father?" said Pi as he entered the palace.
"Another complaint?" Cao said with a laugh. "Had I stopped "mauling" your mother as you call it, you wouldn't be here."
"That doesn't mean you need to reenact it in front of us," Pi replied as he walked up to his mother and wedged himself between her and Cao, much to Cao's annoyance, and gave her a hug.
"I'm glad to see you well, my son," Bianshi said with a smile as she cupped Pi's face with her hand.
"And you as well, mother," Pi replied as he plucked his little sister out of Bianshi's arms and moved away from the pair and closer to Chong and Jun.
Unlike her reaction with Cao, Qinghe recognized Pi immediately, let out a happy squeal and gave him as tight a hug as her little arms could muster. Cao noticed Qinghe's glee and couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at the closeness of the two. He watched as the normally stoic Pi smiled and ruffled his little sister's hair, eliciting giggles from the girl.
"I didn't realize you two were so close," Cao said as he watched the interaction. It was hard to tell, but there was a hint of something akin to jealousy or resentment in his voice. Bianshi picked up on it right away and took one of his hands in her own.
"It is only because he spent so much time with her when she was born. You were…busy."
Indeed he had been busy. He had been planning for his campaign against Yuan Shao. Even though Cao wanted to be close with the last child he had with his beloved Liu, his ambition took precedence.
"Indeed my ambition continues to take much from me…but it is a price that must be paid," Cao muttered mostly to himself.
"It matters not," Cao said with a louder voice for all to hear as he put an arm around Bianshi's waist. "We have some time before the next war. I will bond with my daughter then."
Cao began to lead Bianshi away but Ren stopped them.
"Mèngdé, wouldn't you like to know about what transpired while you were gone?"
"Zǐxiào. I haven't felt the touch of a woman in over a year. I intend to spend the next few days making up for that."
Bianshi went red and fought the urge to cover her face to hide her embarrassment. Even after all these years, Cao's crassness still shocked her.
"But—,"
"Later, Zǐxiào," Cao replied as he pulled Bianshi along with him.
"Father, wait, before you go I have important news," said Chong.
"The only sound I want to hear is going to come from Bianshi. Anything else that needs to be said can wait until later," Cao replied, not bothering to look at his son as he continued to pull Bianshi along with him.
"M-my lord!" Bianshi stammered, his flirtatious manner almost becoming too much for her.
"Not 'My Lord'," Cao said with a grin as he leaned over to nip her ear. "I want to hear you scream my name."
Cao punctuated his words with a firm squeeze of Bianshi's buttocks causing the woman to yelp in surprise. She knew she was in for a wild night.
"Could have lived without seeing or hearing that," Chong said with a shudder.
"You think that once you grow older, one would be less disgusted by their parents showing…affection," Pi said with a frown that showed his displeasure with the whole scene he was forced to endure.
"With normal parents, perhaps. Our father has a libido that would put rabbits to shame. How can you not get disgusted?" Chong replied.
"Cousin just likes to show his affection to the woman he loves. What man doesn't do the same?" said Ren in Cao's defense.
"Most men don't try to show their love to half the women in China," Chong quipped.
Ren gave a sigh. There was no fighting Chong on this topic. He could try to defend Cao, but he knew that it was true that he had a love for women that was a bit excessive. So instead of trying to defend him, he did the next best thing and removed himself from the conversation entirely.
"Well, since he will be…occupied for a few days, there is no point in me hanging around here. I will be resting at home if needed. Farewell to you both…Zǐhuán, it is good to have you home."
Ren saluted the others and walked off. Pi, growing tired of holding his sister plopped her in Chong's lap. Chong gave him a bemused looked but did not argue as Qinghe rested her head against his chest and began to suck her thumb.
"So what is this important news you have?" Pi asked as he began to walk down the hall opposite to the direction Cao and Bianshi went. Dutifully, Jun took hold of the handles to Chong's chair and began to push him alongside his brother.
"I suppose I could tell you," Chong said as he tugged on Qinghe's wrist which caused her thumb to pop out of her mouth. She lifted her head and gave Chong the best angry glare she could manage before putting her thumb back into her mouth and laying her head back against his chest once more.
Chong chuckled at her reaction. He enjoyed messing with his little sister. He looked up to Pi who was looking down at him expectantly.
"I have asked Jun to become my wife."
Pi's brow rose in surprise. He shifted his gaze from Chong to Jun who was had a shy smile on her face. Pi shifted his gaze to stare at the hallway in front of them and they walked in silence. After a few minutes, Chong spoke up once more.
"Nothing to say?"
Pi returned his gaze to Chong once more. "I suppose I am happy for you."
"Zǐhuán, please, taper your enthusiasm. It is too much to take," Chong replied sarcastically.
Pi's eyes moved back to the hallway in front of them. He couldn't look Chong in the eyes as he spoke his next words.
"I suppose I am just trying to mentally come to terms with the fact that my little brother has surpassed me once more."
"What are you talking about?"
"Had it not been for your accident, you would be father's heir…and now, you are to be married before me. I cannot seem to catch up to you."
Chong's brows furrowed as he looked up to his brother. "This is not like you. What happened during the war?"
Pi remained silent as his eyes flittered over Jun. Chong followed his line of sight and got the unspoken message. He didn't want to speak openly in front of her.
"Jun, my dear, would be so kind as to get Qinghe something to eat? I'm pretty sure I just heard her stomach rumble."
"Of course," she said with a smile as she moved to Chong side. Qinghe reached her arms up expectantly and Jun obligingly picked her up.
Chong waited until the two were out of earshot before addressing Pi once more.
"Okay…speak. What happened?"
Pi took the handles of Chong's wheelchair and maneuvered it around the corner to another hall.
"Father gave me charge of several battles—,"
"Were you successful in them?"
Normally, someone interrupting him would irk Pi, but he was use to his brother's inquisitive nature. He had to know every minute detail in order to form his conclusions. It was just the way his mind worked. He was perhaps the only person he would tolerate constant interruptions from.
"Yes. In every battle that I served as commander we were victorious."
"That should be cause for celebration then."
"It should be," Pi confirmed. "But my victories were met with complete and utter silence."
Having arrived at their destination, Pi released his hold of his brother's wheelchair and opened the door. He took hold of the handles once more and wheeled Chong in then closed the door behind them.
"Silence?" Chong remarked once the door was closed and they could speak in privacy. He rapped his fingers against his leg as he pondered his brother's words.
"No praise? No admonishment? Nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing," Pi confirmed as he allowed his eyes to survey the room searching for anything that might have been out of place. Satisfied that his room was the way he left it, he sat himself on the floor in front of Chong's chair.
"That's strange," Chong remarked as he watched his brother sit down cross legged in front of him.
"Is it?" Pi asked as he rested his elbow on one of his legs and propped his head up with his hand.
"It is clear father doesn't consider me to be a worthy heir," Pi continued. "Nothing I do satisfies him. He always intended on you to take over for him, but your accident made that impossible. I am nothing more than a substitute for his true choice."
Chong frowned. "I think you are underestimating yourself, brother."
Pi lifted his head. "I do not need you to console me, Cangshu. I am aware of my worth. The only person who undervalues it is father. What I want to know from you is how? How did you manage to appease father so? Whenever he spoke of you, you could do no wrong—,"
"Except for charging into a trap and getting my legs crushed by a boulder," Chong interjected with a pained smile.
Pi shook his head at his brother's dark sense of humor. "Yes, well besides that…father never had an ill word about your actions. How did you manage to get his approval so easily?"
"By not caring about it," Chong replied.
"What?" Pi asked as he lifted his head and looked up to his brother.
"I didn't care about his approval. I acted in a manner befitting me, not him."
"Is that so," Pi said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "It is true that I act as I think father would want me to…even if I disagree with it—,"
"I think father knows that you are trying to please him. He doesn't want you to pander to him…I don't even understand why you are. You have your own dreams, don't you? Why are you putting them aside to please him?"
"I am not putting them aside," Pi replied. "I fully intended on following my own path once father moved on…but I thought to secure my place as his successor, it would be best to do what he wanted."
"He can smell bullshit a mile away, Zǐhuán. Just be your lovable asshole self, he'll respect you more."
"When I did that before, I got nothing but complaints and unsolicited advice on how I should change."
"There is nothing wrong with heeding good advice, but don't let it change who you are too much. You don't have to be his double. Walk your own path, as he is his."
"Hmph and that was my error. I wanted his approval so badly that I nearly let it change who I am. I thank you for reminding me to be who I am, brother."
"Yes well, if I cannot succeed father, I would rather that you did. Left in the hands of our siblings, I'm pretty sure father's legacy would be ruined. They would throw away everything he worked for with their stupidity. You at least have half way good ideas."
"Such a compliment."
Chong shrugged. "Best you are going to get from me."
Pi shook his head and smiled at Chong. "How absurd is this? I am older than you yet I constantly seek counsel from you."
"You've given me your fair share of advice. If I remember correctly, I was ready to end my life, but some surly bastard pulled me from the brink. Now look at me, ready to marry my caretaker. I shudder to think where I would have been if…well if I hadn't been talked down."
"Surly?" Pi repeated with a raised brow.
"I just said a lot there. You only focused on surly?"
"I am not surly."
"Add delusional to that list."
Pi scoff at his younger brother, but a brief smile graced his lips before shifting back into his normal stoic façade.
"Cangshu, when I succeed father…I want you by my side."
"You are suddenly confident that he'll let you succeed him?"
"As you said, he has little choice. I doubt he would want to leave his legacy in the hands of the others. No…more than that, I am the best choice. I will surpass father and show even him what true greatness is."
"There is the Zǐhuán I know. Just be careful to not let your pride get the better of you, brother."
"Perhaps I need someone to remind me of that. Join me brother."
"You'll need a lot more than me to keep your ego in chec—"
"I am serious, Cangshu," said Pi, cutting off his brother's retort. "When I become leader of this army, I want you by my side as my main advisor."
"You need me to advise you when to not be an ass?" Chong responded with a chuckle. Pi did not join him in laughter. He watched Chong with focused eyes and his lips pressed in a tight frown.
"You are serious about this," Chong said with a hint of disbelief.
"Am I known for my jokes, brother?"
"No, you are decidedly unfunny," Chong replied with a sigh as he shook his head. "People will look down on you if you have a cripple as an advisor. I will make you look weak."
"I don't care what others think. I need a confidant. Someone I can trust implicitly."
"I didn't know you thought so highly of me. It warms my heart to hear such kind words, but brother, I won't be able to aid you in battle. I couldn't travel around with—"
"I don't need you to fight. Your legs are broken, this is true, but that is not what I require from you. What I need from you is your intellect, your foresight…in other words, your mind and I believe that is still in working order, is it not? As for battles, there is no need for you to participate. You can travel with me in a carriage and your chair wouldn't be a burden to carry along with us."
"Zǐhuán—"
"If you plan on giving me an excuse as to why you cannot do it, it better be more creative than the ones you already used."
"Father already has plenty of great advisors. You don't need me."
Yes, they are competent and they will be used, but they are father's men. They have the same antiquated thinking that he does. I want someone that I know will share my vision. You and I have similar thoughts about what should happen to this land, Cangshu and I trust you with my life and trust like that is not something I give lightly. I will ask again, join me brother."
"Well. If you put it that way…I suppose I better do more studying."
"Yes. You should. I will be expecting a lot from you. Do not disappoint me."
"You are terrible motivator, brother. We'll have to work on that. I'll be ready by the time you succeed father…which I don't expect to be any time soon.
"As long as you are ready," Pi replied. Then after a few moments of silence, he seemed to remember something and spoke once more.
"Congratulations, by the way."
"You are congratulating me on accepting your proposition?" Chong asked with a raised brow.
"Don't be foolish. I am congratulating you on your impending marriage to Jun. She seems…adequate."
"Adequate…yes that is exactly the type of compliment I want to hear about my future wife."
"Would you rather that I fawn over her as father does?"
Chong's lip twitched at that. "No. No I wouldn't." Chong paused, trying to decide whether he should ask the question hanging at the edge of his tongue. Making up his mind, he spoke once more.
"Do you think father has slept with her?"
"Do you really want to know the answer to that?"
"I don't know," Chong replied with a frown. "The way he looks at her sometimes…part of me does want to know. The other part of me thinks it would be best if I did not know."
"How would knowing help you? Would you care less about her if he did? More if he did not? Whether he did or did not doesn't matter. She is yours now. There is no sense in worrying about the past."
"I suppose you are right," Chong replied.
They heard a light rapping sounded against the door to Pi's room.
"Who is it?" Pi asked as he got to his feet.
"It is Jun, my lord. I am sorry for bothering you, but I was thinking of taking a walk with Qinghe outside and wanted to know if my lord Cangshu wished to join us."
"Just forget about it," Pi whispered to Chong as he walked past him to open the door.
"Your timing is impeccable," Pi said as he opened the door to Jun and Qinghe. "I was growing tired of him. You can take him."
Jun gave Pi a shy smile and bowed her head. "Yes my lord," she replied softly as she hurried in the room to Chong's side.
"Tch, I wish she was here earlier to hear all the sweet things you were saying to me not long ago."
"Too bad for you there are no witnesses to your obviously false claims," Pi quipped.
Jun giggled at the two brothers. She was use to seeing Chong and Pi together and it always warmed her heart. Beside her, Pi was the only other person Chong allowed himself to relax around.
Jun placed Qinghe in Chong's lap who curled up against her brother while she continued to eat the snack Jun had gotten for her.
"She's going to get this all over me," Chong groaned as he looked down to his little sister.
She looked up to him and gave him a wide smile and offered her food up to him. Chong shook his head and gave her a pat on her head. Not to be daunted by his refusal, she offered him a bite once more. Finally relenting, Chong took a bite. Satisfied, Qinghe lowered her arm and continued to eat.
Jun took her place behind Chong and grabbed hold of the handles to his chair.
"Jun," Pi called out. Jun froze at the sound of her name and turned her head to him.
"My initial reaction to news of your betrothal was unsatisfactory. Allow me to properly welcome you to our family. You seem to keep him happy and that is enough for me. I would ask that you continue to take care of him. I have use for him in the near future."
Jun bowed to Pi. "I will take care of him until my last breath," she replied.
"Good," Pi said as he turned his back to them and walked over to his bed. "Now all of you get out, I am tired."
"Such a gracious host! "Chong said with a laugh. Come, my love. Let us go for that walk."
"Yes, my lord," Jun replied with a smile as she led Chong and Qinghe out of the room.
It didn't take long for them to reach the palace inner garden. Jun helped Qinghe out of Chong's lap and the little girl took a few unsteady steps towards the grass where she plopped down and proceeded to gleefully tug at it with her tiny fingers.
"Jun," Chong said in a low voice as he took her hand, pulling her attention from Qinghe to him.
He knew that Pi said to leave it alone, but he couldn't. The question kept scratching at his mind in an effort to get out. He had to know the answer. He needed to know before they went any further.
"I need to ask you something."
"What is it my love?" She asked with a smile as she allowed him to pull her into his lap.
"Have you slept with my father?"
The bluntness of Chong startled Jun. She stared at him bewilderedly for a few moments as his question took root in her mind. She could feel unbidden tears rise in her eyes. She was afraid of this…afraid of the day he would ask this question. Jun tried to lift herself from Chong's lap but he held her there, his eyes searching hers.
"P-please don't make me answer this," Jun replied as tears began to streak down her cheeks.
Chong sighed. "Your hesitation to answer tells me all that I need to know."
Jun lowered her head into her hands and sobbed.
"Did my father tell you to sleep with me?"
Jun only sobbed louder. She tried to pull away again but Chong held fast.
"Answer me Jun."
"Y—yes," she replied through her sobs.
Chong closed his eyes and swallowed hard. There was one more question he had to ask, but he feared the answer. He truly gave his heart to Jun. To find out that the she had only done so because of an order from his father, it would break him.
"So, he told you to what? Act as my consort? Make me fall in love with you?"
"No!" Jun shouted as she lifted her head and stared at him with rapidly reddening eyes and wet cheeks.
"No," she repeated in a softer voice. "He told me I was to take care of all your needs…including any sexual ones if you wished it," she paused and wiped her cheek with her sleeve before continuing.
"He said nothing of falling in love with you. Please, Cangshu, believe me…the love I feel for you, it is real."
The two sat in silence as Chong mulled over her response. Jun wrung her hands together, her eyes glued firmly on them as she waited for Chong's reply.
"Get up," he finally said.
Fresh tears begin to stream down her cheeks as she complied with his wishes. She stood obediently in front of him attempting to brace herself for the heart wrenching words that she knew would be coming.
"I want you to prove your love to me," Chong said as he looked up to Jun.
"H-how?" she asked as she wiped her cheeks once more.
Chong pulled out a small dagger he kept hidden within his robe for protection. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
"Cut your hand, pledge on your blood that your love for me is true," Chong said as he offered her the knife.
With a shaky hand, Jun took hold of the knife.
"If you do this, I w—,"
Chong's words were stopped cold as Jun quickly ran blade across the palm of her left hand. She winced as the blade slit open her flesh. Blood blossomed from the fresh wound and Jun clenched her hand closed and held it out towards Chong.
"I swear on my blood that my love for you is real," she declared, her eyes focused on his as she spoke. He could feel her determination rolling off of her in waves. She meant every single word she had just spoke. She loved him. She truly loved him.
"Jun…," Chong said in astonishment. "I was just joking…I didn't truly mean for you to…," his words died off as his eyes watched the blood fall in steady drops from crevice of her clenched hand onto the ground in front of him.
"My lord," she began, her voice breaking slightly as she struggled to reign in her tears and emotions. "I will do anything to prove that my love for you is real. Your father bade me to give my body to you, but he does not control my heart. My feelings are mine and mine alone and I love you."
"Heavens above woman…come here," Chong said as he opened his arm to her.
Jun moved closer to him and allowed herself to be pulled into his lap once more. He took her bloodied hand in his and opened it to see the wound. It was a fairly deep cut. She was certainly enthusiastic about proving her love. Chong took the dagger she still had clutched in her right hand and used it to cut part of his robe. He used the newly cut strip of cloth and wrapped it around her hand.
"I'm sorry, Jun; I'm sorry for doubting you."
"You were right to doubt me. I should have told you about what your father demanded of me but—," she paused and turned her head away from him, unable to look in his eyes. "I was afraid of how you would look at me if you knew the truth. I did not think you could love me if you knew I was to be nothing more than your concubine."
"You are not just my concubine, Jun. You are the woman that will be my wife."
Chong put a hand against her cheek and turned her head so that it was facing him once more. "I love you."
"And I love you, my lord," she said.
Chong kissed her. The taste was salty, flavored from her earlier tears. They broke apart and Chong took her wounded hand gingerly in his.
"You should get this properly looked at."
"It's okay," she said as she pulled her hand from his.
"It's not, Jun. Go get it looked at. I'll stay here with Qinghe."
Reluctantly, Jun got to her feet and bowed to him. "I'll be back soon," she replied.
Chong nodded and watched her hurry off. Once she was out of sigh, he exhaled loudly and looked at the blade. Part of the blood had been wiped away when he cut his robe, but traces of it were still smeared across it. He stared at the blood for a few moments more before cleaning the rest of it off on his robe and hiding it back within the inner folds. He looked over to Qinghe. She had been blissfully unaware of everything that had just transpired and had gotten to her feet once more and wobbled over to an area a few inches away and was staring intently at a flower.
"How simple your life is," Chong said with a chuckle.
His sister didn't seem to hear him and even if she did, she wouldn't have understood what he said much less cared. Chong turned his gaze up to the sky before closing his eyes. After today's events, he knew more than ever that he wanted to marry Jun. Her loyalty to him was unquestionable. As soon as he could, he would make his intentions known to his father.
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Cao and Bianshi arrived in their bedchamber. Cao walked into its center closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was good to finally be home.
"You should have listened to what your son had to say," Bianshi said as she walked over to the bed.
"I already told you the only thing I want to hear," Cao replied with a grin.
"My lord," she said as she felt her blush returning.
"You are still so shy after all we have done together?"
"Your words give me ideas my lord; Ideas that I should not be thinking in the presence of others."
"Oh ho ho ho. I did not know my words had such an effect on you. Hmm, so we should get to doing then. You make such delightful sounds and it has been too long since I have heard them."
"There you go again," Bianshi said as she tried to cover her cheeks with her hands to hide her blush.
Cao let out a laugh. He enjoyed making his women squirm.
"Come to me Bianshi," he commanded.
She made her way over to him and he put a hand on her lower back and pulled her closer to him. Bianshi bumped against his armor.
"Hmm…we should do something about this. I cannot feel you with all of this on."
Bianshi removed his cape first and carefully placed it on nearby table. It will need to be properly hung up later, but she knew Cao wouldn't have the patience to wait for her to do so.
"It has been a long time since I have done this for you," Bianshi remarked as she took his left hand in her own and removed his bracer.
"Has it?" he remarked as he watched her work.
"You would always visit Liu first," Bianshi replied as she moved to the other arm and removed the bracer from there. "After Liu passed, you began to visit Zoushi when you returned from battle."
"Hmm, are you jealous, Bianshi?"
"No, my lord. I know my place in your heart," she said as she moved to remove the thick belt he wore around his waist.
"Good. How is Zoushi? Have you two been getting along?"
"She does not speak to me. I think she may be a bit intimidated by me and my position as a concubine who has been with you as long as I have been."
Concubine. The word coming from Bianshi's lips brought a surprising sadness to him. As a woman that has been with him and has put up with as much shit as she has, she deserved more than that. There was still one obstacle that stood in the way of that and her name was Ding. That was a problem he had to take care of, sooner rather than later.
"I am happy that you chose me to spend time with, but I have to ask, why are you not with Zoushi? You seemed quite taken with her."
"She was interesting for a time. But that time has passed. Many women may come and go, but you are the woman that holds my heart, Bianshi," Cao answered as he helped her removed the metal plate he wore to protect his chest, knowing it would be too heavy for her to hold on her own.
"You flatter me, my lord."
"I only speak the truth," Cao replied as he pulled Bianshi against him. With most of his armor gone, he was able to feel her body against him. It wasn't nearly as good as skin to skin contact, but it was good enough for now. Having been deprived of the feel of a woman for so long, Cao yearned for Bianshi's touch. Cao could feel Bianshi shudder against him. He knew that shudder. She was just as excited as he was.
"S-shall I get the servants to prepare a bath for you?"
"They can do so after I have my way with you," Cao replied as he began to kiss the exposed skin her robe didn't cover at her neck.
That was it; Bianshi knew once Cao got started, there was no stopping him. With a soft whimper she willingly surrendered herself to his embrace.
=#=
-Zhuyue and Dun's homecoming–
Dun and Zhuyue arrived at their home to see their family waiting for them. Before they could even dismount, Chong had shaken loose Xiaolian's hold on him and began to take awkward steps towards his parents. Zhuyue dismounted and met Chong halfway, enveloping him in a hug the minute she reached him.
Zhuyue lifted a very happy Chong up as Dun joined their side. Chong reached with little hands towards his father and Dun gave his son's head a little rub. Chong let out a little laugh and reached for his father once more. Dun gave his son one of his fingers to placate him as he looked towards Xiaolian who hung back with Madame Xu watching the tender moment between them.
"So what? You are too old to greet your parents now?"
Xiaolian gave Dun a shy smile and made her way over to them. She approached Dun first, wrapping her arms around him as best she could with his armor and giving him a tight hug. Dun returned it, wrapping his free arm around her.
"Hope you kept up your training while we were gone."
Xiaolian nodded as she pulled away from him. She craned her neck up to look at her father who nodded approvingly.
"Good. I'll be testing you in a few days."
"I'm ready," she said in a quiet voice. She hesitated for a few moments before speaking once more. "Did…did everyone survive?"
Dun quirked a brow as he looked down to his daughter. "Is there someone specific you are looking for?"
Xiaolian avoided his eye and mumbled a no.
"It was war, Xiaolian. It is impossible for everyone to survive…but everyone you know managed to get out of this battle alive."
Xiaolian nodded and let out a little breath of relief. There was one person in particular she had been worried about, but she wasn't ready to admit that truth to her parents just yet.
Zhuyue was next. Xiaolian moved to her mother's side and gave her a half hug, unable to give her a full one due to her holding Chong.
"I've missed you," Zhuyue said as she wrapped her free arm around Xiaolian.
"Me too," she replied.
"You've been teaching Chong how to walk haven't you? You did a good job."
"Madame Xu helped," Xiaolian replied softly as she pulled away from Zhuyue and looked towards the woman in question.
Zhuyue smiled and made her way over to her.
"Madame Xu, I cannot thank you enough for being here with my little one while I couldn't be."
"Nonsense, you are my family and I enjoy taking care of my family."
"Then you won't mind watching Chong a little longer while Zhuyue and I recuperate?"
Zhuyue slapped Dun's arm. "Do you have to ask so rudely?"
Madame Xu chuckled. "Oh don't you worry about it Zhuyue. I know beneath that gruff exterior of his, he is a sweetie."
Dun huffed but otherwise did not verbally contest Xu's claims.
Xu chuckled once more. "Now, the minute I heard you were coming back, I had the servants start warming water so you can bathe," she said as she took Chong from Zhuyue's arms. "You two go and rest those weary bones of yours."
"Thank you, Xu," Zhuyue said gratefully as she made her way into the home along with Dun.
=#=
"Would you stop it?" Zhuyue said as she lowered the blade she had been using to trim Dun's beard.
"You expect me to not fondle me while you are sitting nude one top of me?" Dun asked with a bemused smile as he pinched Zhuyue's bottom once more.
"This was your stupid idea," Zhuyue replied as she swatted at his arm.
After the pair had finished bathing, Dun remarked that he needed to trim his beard. Zhuyue offered to assist him and to her surprise, he agreed, with the stipulation that she did it nude. Zhuyue knew it was a bad idea from the start, but she agreed which led to this moment, with her straddling her husband's equally nude lap as she trimmed his beard.
"It was a good idea," Dun said with a smile as his rough hands rubbed Zhuyue's thighs in slow teasing circles.
"Keep that up and I'll get distracted and cut you."
"Then hurry it up," Dun said as he tilted his head to give her all the access she needed. "I don't think I'll be able to hold back for much longer."
Zhuyue shook her head and continued her task, willing her hands to stop shaking. He wasn't the only one about to lose control. She needed to focus on what she was doing. She needed to calm her hormones long enough to finish the job so a change of topic was in order.
"You know Xiaolian was asking about someone in particular."
Dun let out a loud annoyed sigh, his hands stilling immediately.
"Fuck, don't talk about this now, Zhuyue," he said.
'Perfect' she thought to herself as she worked as quickly as she could. She knew she couldn't keep him distracted forever.
"I think you should talk to Mànchéng about it. See how he feels about the whole thing. We know she likes him, but what if it isn't mutual and he isn't interested in her in that way?"
"The feeling is mutual," Dun replied flatly.
"How do you know?"
"I know," Dun replied.
"Okay…so will you talk to him?"
"Eventually."
"We can't wait on this forever. We've taken long enough as it is."
"I know."
"You get very short when we talk about this topic," Zhuyue remarked with a grin.
"I don't like this topic," he replied.
"You aren't poking me any more," Zhuyue said with a pout.
"You expect me to stay hard during this fucking topic?"
"That's too bad because I'm done," she said teasingly as she grinded against him.
"I'm going to make you pay for that woman," Dun replied as he pushed himself to his feet. Zhuyue immediately wrapped her legs around his waist to keep from falling down, though falling would be impossible with the firm grip Dun currently had on her rear.
"Wait, we have to clean your face from all the excess hair."
"Later," he said as he stalked over to their bed.
"You are going to get your hair all over me!"
"Serves you right," he replied as he tossed her onto the bed.
Zhuyue was going to say something back but she caught the predatory look in Dun's eye. It amazed her how expressive he could be with a single eye. The look he was giving her stirred something within her. In that moment, she realized that she wanted him, needed him, just as badly as he wanted her. Whatever smart ass retort she had was forgotten as she spread her legs, inviting him in. It was an invitation Dun wasted no time in accepting.
=#=
-Yuan's Homecoming-
"And here we are," said Yuan as he made a lazy gesture towards the barracks.
Zhang He tilted his head as he ran a critical eye over the bland structure.
"Rather drab, isn't it?" he remarked as he turned his head from it to Yuan.
"What did you want them to have flowers outside of it or something?"
"Oooh that would be delightful!" Jùnyì said as he clapped his hands together.
Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose and willed himself to calm down. He had to deal with this weirdo the entire trip to Xuchang and now that he was here, he wanted nothing more than to get rid of him for a few hours and go see his family, but of course, he wasn't making this easy.
"It is a building that holds soldiers. It doesn't have to look pretty."
"But imagine if there were flowers there! Such beauty would make the men inside feel beautiful which will in turn raise their morale!"
"That makes absolutely no sense."
"It makes perfect sense! How much better do you feel after glimpsing something beautiful? How much does your spirit lift when seeing a sunrise or seeing a field of flowers or waking up to see the face of your wife who I am sure is absolutely beautiful?"
Yuan found himself unable to disagree with Jùnyì. He did like looking at nice things. Seeing something beautiful did stir happiness in him. Still he didn't want to agree with him. Doing so made him feel like he lost something and childishly, he refused to lose.
"Speaking of my wife, I'd like to get home to see her, so can you please go into the barracks and get settled? I already spoke to Wenqian and Mànchéng. They'll look out for you while you are there. I'll come back to check on you in a few days."
"Wenqian and Mànchéng?" Jùnyì placed his thumb and forefinger against his forehead and stuck a dramatic pose as he tried to recall who those two men were.
"The short one and the one with the messy hair?"
"Ahaha, please call them that to their faces and tell me how that works out for you."
"I meant no disrespect. It was only the first thing I noticed about them. They are the ones you are referring to, right?"
"Right. Those guys. They are good guys. They'll watch out for you while you are here."
"But what about the flowers?"
"Flowers? What flowers?" Yuan asked with a mixture of confusion and frustration. He was almost free but this man didn't seem to want to let him go.
"For the barracks of course," Jùnyì clarified. "Can we get some beautiful flowers to grace the outside of this drab little edifice? I assure you, it will make a difference."
"I don't give a shit about flowers! Do whatever the hell you want! I'm going home."
"Very well then. If anyone asks, I'll just tell them you told me to as you so crudely put it, do whatever the hell I want."
"Fine, fine! Bye!"
Yuan mounted his horse and sped away towards his home. Jùnyì watched him go, a sigh escaping his lips. He was a nice man, but so crude. He turned back towards the barracks and his lips twisted into a frown. Flowers would definitely be a lovely addition. He would be sure to personally add some as soon as he can, but for now, he needed rest.
=#=
"Father!" Heng exclaimed once he saw his father approaching. "Father's home!" he called out to the others.
Ba was quickly joined his brother and followed by Xiahouji and Jiao who held Cheng in her arms.
"Hey! I'm home!" Yuan called out happily to his family as he neared them. He dismounted and his sons hurried over to him.
"Haha! My boys! Look how you have grown! You are practically men now!"
With beaming smiles, they looked up to him. Yuan noticed that they didn't have to crane their necks up quite as much as they use to. "Glad to see you're home, father!" said Heng.
"You have to tell us all about the war," said Ba.
"Yeah! How many people did you kill?" Heng asked.
"We made a bet on how many you killed!" Ba added.
"Now, now, boys, war is not fun and games. I don't kill for fun. I kill because it is necessary," Yuan said seriously.
Heng and Ba lowered their heads in penitence. "Sorry father," they said in unison.
Yuan's face split into a wide smile. "That said. I killed a shit ton."
Both boys looked up to their father, their faces lighting up as they smiled at him.
"I told you!" said Heng.
"No I told you!" said Ba.
"You have to tell us all about it, father," said Ba.
Yuan laughed. "Haha, of course I will."
"Honestly husband, you are incorrigible," said Jiao with a smile.
"I only speak the truth," he said with a smile. "I missed you."
"And I you," she replied.
Yuan gave his wife a kiss but broke it when he heard a loud nooo in his ear. He pulled away from his wife and looked at his youngest son Cheng in surprise.
"He can talk?"
"He can say no," Jiao corrected. "And he seems to love saying it."
Yuan picked Cheng up out of Jiao's arms and held him in the air.
"So you can say no huh?"
"NO!" Cheng shouted in reply.
"Did you miss me?"
"No!"
Yuan feigned hurt. "So you want me to leave?"
"No!" Cheng replied.
Yuan smiled. "Haha! I knew you missed me!"
Cheng clapped his hands together, obviously not knowing exactly what was going on, but happy that his father seemed so pleased.
Yuan gave Cheng back to Jiao and looked at Xiahouji.
"And look at you! Get over here girl!"
Obediently Xiahouji went over to Yuan and he gave her a hug. "You are so big now! And so beautiful! Have any boys been chasing you? Let me know and I'll shoot an arrow where the sun doesn't shine."
Xiahouji giggled. "No. No one has bothered me."
"No worries about that father. We make sure to keep an eye out for her," said Heng.
"For Xiaolian too," Ba added.
"Good! Good! Keep it up, you two."
They both nodded pleased with their father's praise.
"You must be tired," Jiao remarked.
"I am," he admitted with a weary sigh.
"Let's get you inside and get some rest."
Gratefully Yuan followed his wife into their home to get much needed and much deserved rest.
=#=
-Zhang Liao and Lingqi-
Zhang Liao and Lingqi rode side by side to their home in a comfortable silence. This was normal of them. They were able to enjoy each other's company with scarcely a word spoken between them. It was most likely because of their quiet natures that this was possible. It was precisely because of this reason that Liao was surprised when Lingqi broke their comfortable silence.
"I…I wish to thank you for getting Red Hare back for me from Guan Yu."
"You have already thanked me for this. It is not necessary for you to do so again," Liao replied.
Lingqi frowned. Did he not understand what she was trying to say? Perhaps she was not doing it right. She wasn't the type of person known for being coy. Still she wasn't quite ready to give up. She would try once more.
"I know, but I haven't properly thanked you. I wish to do so once we are home."
"You needn't worry about such things. You did thank me properly."
Lingqi let out a frustrated sigh. Did he truly not understand what she was saying? Forget this shy nonsense. It wasn't her nature. She would say exactly what she meant so there was no confusion between them.
"I wish to make love to you when we get home."
Liao's eyes widen at Lingqi's sudden bluntness. He looked over to her and saw that she kept her eyes glued to the road ahead of him, not willing to look at his reaction to her words. Liao returned his eyes to the words as well as he thought over her bold statement.
"I got Red Hare back for you because I wanted to, not because I wanted you to feel indebted to me."
"I don't feel indebted to you," she replied. "I simply want to."
Liao looked at Lingqi once more and this time, he found that her eyes were on him as well.
"If that is the case…then I think we should hurry home."
Lingqi tried to hide her smile but failed miserably. "I'll race you home."
Before Liao could point out that she had the fastest horse in the land and a race would be completely unfair, Lingqi took off; Red Hare breaking out into a gallop leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. Liao shook his head and stirred his own mount into a gallop after them.
When Liao arrived at their home, he was surprised to see that Lingqi had not already gone inside. She stood by their front gate, waiting for him.
Liao dismounted and was greeted by his servants. They led his horse away to the stables leaving Liao and Lingqi to talk in private.
"What happened?" He asked noting the look of concern on her face.
"There is someone in our house. He claims to be your brother."
Liao mouth dropped into a frown at Lingqi's news. This was unexpected. He hadn't heard from his brother in years. Why would he suddenly show up now?
"Is he truly your brother?"
"I don't know. I have to see him first," Liao replied as he looked towards their home to see if he could catch a glimpse of him. Unfortunately, it seemed whoever it was chose to wait for him inside.
"So you have a brother?"
"Yes."
"I…I didn't know that," she replied as her gaze went from Liao to the ground. How could she have not known that? Why hadn't he told her? What else about was there about him that she didn't know?
"Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"
Liao looked from the house to Lingqi. He could hear the tension in her voice. Understandably, she wasn't happy about finding out about his family in this way. It was probably something he should have told her, but he hadn't spoken to his brother in years. The way they left things, he didn't think he would speak to him ever again.
"Didn't I?"
"You most certainly did not!"
"Huh. My apologies. I thought I mentioned him to you before. We haven't seen each other in years so I guess it slipped my mind."
"How does having a brother slip your mind?" Lingqi asked in disbelief.
"We aren't particularly close."
"I can't believe it. I always wanted to have a sibling and you have one and don't even seem to care to remember it."
"You wanted a sibling?" Liao asked as he turned to fully face her.
"Well yeah," she said as she grabbed hold of her right arm with her left and cast her gaze to the ground once more. She suddenly felt very embarrassed to admit such a childish thing to Liao.
"It was a bit lonely on my own. I thought having a sibling would liven things up. That's why I was so excited when I found out that mother was…was…"
Lingqi's voice trailed off as her mind conjured up the memory of her mother's smiling face as Lingqi placed a hand on her slightly swollen belly. A wave of sadness washed over her. She hadn't thought of her mother in so long. Why did that memory suddenly come up now? She could feel tears threatening to spill as her mind began to fill with memories of her mother and the times they shared. Before she could become lost in melancholy, she found herself wrapped up in powerful arms. At that moment, she didn't care about being pressed up against the cold hard metal of his armor; she just wanted him to continue holding her.
They stayed wrapped in each other arms for a long time. Liao seemed content to stand there and hold her, but Lingqi knew that the tender moment had to end eventually. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Liao and flashed him a weak smile.
"We should go inside. We made your brother wait long enough."
"We haven't seen each other in years, a few more minutes won't kill him," he replied.
Lingqi's smile broadened. "Thank you, but I am okay, really. I want to meet him."
Liao nodded and led the way inside.
=#=
Liao entered the tea room to find a man sitting at a table within with his back facing him. Upon hearing Liao enter the room, the man got to his feet and turned to greet him. They locked eyes with each other, taking in the appearance of one another. Indeed it was his brother. It had been years since they had seen each other but it was undeniable.
"It has been awhile, brother," the man said with a smile.
"Indeed it has," Liao replied.
Lingqi entered the tea room. Her eyes immediately fell on Liao's brother. There was a strong resemblance between the two men, but the differences between them were easy to spot. Unlike Liao, he was clean shaven and his hair was longer but he kept it tied up in a mao. There were also a few more wrinkles around his eyes. It seemed like this man was the older of the two. The man's eyes shifted to her from Liao. He examined her much in the way she examined him. After allowing his eyes roamed over her for a few moments he returned his gaze to Liao.
"You have a female bodyguard?" He asked apparently taking note that Lingqi was still dressed in her armor.
Liao frowned. Was that really the first conclusion he came up with? Stifling the irritated sigh that threatened to escape him, Liao cleared his throat and gestured to Fan.
"Lingqi, allow me to introduce you to my brother, Fan. Fan. This is my wife, Lingqi."
"It's nice to meet you," Lingqi replied with a respectful bow. This was the first time she had met any of Liao's family and she didn't realize how nerve wracking it would be.
Fan seemed too stunned to return the gesture. His eyes kept darting between Lingqi and Liao as his mind tried to reconcile the information he had just been given.
"You got married? YOU? I thought you said you only cared about following the true path of a warrior! How did you wind up getting married? Wait…why wasn't I invited to the wedding?"
"Have you forgotten what happened the last time we spoke to each other?"
"It was a long time ag—"
"You called me fool for trying to follow the path of the warrior especially when if it lead me to serve a villain like Dong Zhuo."
"That does sound familiar but—,"
"You told me you would no longer call me brother if I served Dong Zhuo."
Fan sighed. "You always did hold onto things."
The frown on Liao's face told Fan that wasn't good enough. He needed to make amends with his brother. Unfortunately, he was a prideful man. He hated apologizing, especially when he believed he was right.
"It was said in anger, brother. I did not truly mean it."
Not quite an apology, but perhaps it would be good enough to appease Liao.
Liao could only sigh. Such behavior was typical of his brother. They always had spats when they were younger, which would lead Fan to denouncing him as a brother or something equally ridiculous and as always, he would return and act as if nothing ever happened between them. This was the longest spat they had ever had, but the end result remained the same. Fan may have been the elder of the two of them, but he certainly acted as if he were the younger one.
"Fine, Fan. We shall leave the past in the past. You are welcomed in my home."
"That is good to hear brother. I would hate for there to be bad blood between us."
Liao would have been well within his right to point out that all the bad blood they have had stemmed from Fan, but he decided to be the bigger man and keep that little fact to himself.
"So why are you here, Fan?"
"You are still so serious. We haven't seen each other in years. Let's leave that business till later. We have catching up to do! Tell me, how did you two meet? I am very curious about the woman that managed to get my brother to stray from the warrior's path."
"I haven't strayed," Liao corrected. Fan however would not be daunted.
"You have obviously have strayed at least a little bit. You got married. The life of a warrior cares only about strength and it has no room for anything else."
Liao's frown told Fan he wasn't pleased with his sentiment. Fan didn't want to start another argument so he made an addition to his previous statement.
"It's a good thing, brother! That is the main reason why I didn't want you to follow that ridiculous path you know. I was afraid you would miss out on life in favor of a path that would lead to a miserable end."
From Lingqi's point of view, Liao looked as if he was ready to punch his brother. It was becoming increasingly easy to see why these two didn't speak to each other for years. In hopes to avoid another fall out, Lingqi decided to intervene.
"He hasn't strayed from his warrior's path. In fact, the only reason why I met him was because he stuck so rigorously to it."
"Oh?" said Fan as he turned his attention to her. "Don't tell me you were following the same path and that's how you two met."
"Not exactly," she replied. "He was my teacher—,"
"Oh ho ho ho!" Fan said in delight. "I never would have expected my ever serious brother to take advantage of his student in such a way!"
"Wait, no, you got it wrong. He didn't take advantage of me—,"
"You don't need to protect him," Fan said with a grin that made Lingqi's skin crawl. "I can see the truth of it."
'As usual he sees nothing at all', Liao thought bitterly. His brother always jumped to his own conclusions without getting all the information. It was one of the things Liao hated most about him and usually the main catalyst of many of their spats.
"Don't bother, Lingqi," Liao said aloud. "He will believe what he wants to believe."
"You make me sound unreasonable," Fan replied.
"You are unreasonable," Liao answered. "We have just come back from war and we are wary. I am glad to see you are well brother, but we must now part ways."
"Oh of course you are tired, how silly of me. You'll have your servants just point me to a room where I can sleep, right?"
Liao lips pressed into a tight thin line. He was suggesting staying with them?
"Why are you here, Fan?" he asked again. He had the sneaking suspicion this visit wasn't going to be as short as he originally hoped.
"We'll talk about that tomorrow. For now, you two get rest, go on," Fan said as he placed his hands on both of their backs and ushered them out of the tea room.
"I'll coordinate with the servants, so don't you worry. You get rest and I'll see you tomorrow," Fan said as he closed the door and headed off any opportunities for Liao or Lingqi to raise any disagreement with his impromptu stay.
Bewildered as to what just occurred, Lingqi and Liao were left standing in the hallway, staring at the now closed door of the tea room. Liao was the first to leave. A confused Lingqi followed after him.
"What just happened?" she asked as she followed him as he headed in the direction towards their bedchamber.
"That was Fan being Fan," Liao replied.
"I see…," she replied even though she still could not understand how they just got kicked out of a room in their home.
"He…um…won't be staying long will he?" she asked. She didn't want to suggest that they kick Liao's brother out, but first impressions went a long way and her first impression of Fan was not the most favorable.
"No. I am too tired to deal with him today, but I promise to have him out by tomorrow."
"Oh…okay. Um…I mean if you want him to stay—,"
"I don't," Liao replied quickly. "I was perfectly content when we weren't speaking to each other."
"Okay…" she replied in a soft voice as they arrived at their bedchamber. They entered and Lingqi suddenly felt unsure of what to do next. She doubted that Liao would be up to being intimate after that meeting with his brother.
"I'm sure we'll feel better after we get some sleep," said Lingqi.
Liao turned to her. As usual the stoic expression that remained evermore on his face made it impossible for Lingqi to tell what he was thinking.
"Sleep?" he echoed.
"Yes. You said you were tired. We did just return from battle."
"So you no longer wish to indulge in the plans you mentioned to me earlier?"
"I thought…I thought you wouldn't be in the mood," she replied as she bashfully shifted her gaze to the floor.
"It would take much more than my idiotic brother to deter me from being intimate with you. If you do not wish it—,"
"I wish it!" Lingqi said with a bit too much excitement.
Liao's face cracked a small smile as he crossed the room to where Lingqi stood and wrapped his arms around her. He would deal with his brother tomorrow. Tonight…tonight was for them alone.
=#=
-The next day-
"Ah! You are finally up!" Fan exclaimed as Liao entered the room.
Liao did not reply. He took a seat and waited for the servants to bring in his breakfast.
"Lingqi won't be joining us?"
"She is still resting," Liao replied curtly.
"Ah. I see. So that is why you were so late in getting up. I swore you would be up with the sun, but I guess you didn't get much rest last night."
"Hold you tongue, Fan," Liao warned.
"Come on, brother. We are both adults. If you spent the day pleasing your woman, what harm is there? You are only doing what you are supposed to."
Liao did not respond. At this point he didn't trust himself to. His brother had a unique way of pushing his buttons. The sooner he could get rid of him, the better. Mercifully the servant arrived with Liao's food. Liao picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
"In case you were wondering, I already ate," said Fan as he watched Liao eat.
"I wasn't wondering," Liao replied before taking another bite of his breakfast.
Completely ignoring Liao's response, Fan continued.
"So brother, you must tell me how you and Lingqi met."
"I would like to eat my meal in peace."
"Come now, you can talk and eat."
"I cannot," he replied.
"She said you were her teacher right? Was she one of Dong Zhuo's little toys and after he died she asked you to train her to defend herself so no man will take advantage of her again?"
Liao sighed and placed his chopsticks beside his plate. It was clear he wasn't going to be allowed to enjoy his meal in silence and what was this scenario he came up with? Truly his brother had an overactive imagination.
"She is the daughter of Lu Bu. I met her through him."
"Her?" Fan said in surprise. "She is the daughter of that monster?"
"Yes."
"I honestly wouldn't have thought such a villain could create such a pretty girl. Truly she must take after her mother in looks."
Lingqi chose that moment to walk into the room. She was smiling, feeling relaxed after a good night's rest. Thoughts of the night she and Liao shared still buzzed in her mind making her smile just a little wider when she caught sight of him. Her smile faltered when she noticed his frown was deeper than usual. Her eyes fell on Fan and to her surprise he was looking at her. His eyes seem to probe her to the core and in truth it made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Reflectively, she hugged herself to block his view from her chest, a spot where Fan's eyes lingered for a bit too long and hurried to her seat next to Liao.
"Lu Bu's daughter, hmm…she really does seem too cute to be his. I always thought any child of his would be big and burly like him."
Lingqi was taken aback by this comment. They had been speaking about her before she entered? Her eyes darted to Liao in hopes of some sort of explanation but he didn't notice. His eyes were focused on his brother and she could see that he was seething.
Fan hummed and rapped his fingers on the table.
"You know what? It makes sense now. I never understood why you would serve such vile men…but that is how they won your loyalty; with her," Fan said as he lifted the hand which had been drumming the table to point an accusatory finger at Lingqi.
"You are wrong," Liao replied in a low voice. He was doing his utmost to keep his anger in check but it was a battle he was losing.
Lingqi's mouth dropped open. She could hardly believe what Fan was saying. He thinks that Liao only married her because she was offered to him to secure his loyalty?
"And it is insulting that you think my loyalty is so frivolously given," Liao continued.
Fan raised his hands in mock surrender. "You have to admit how it looks, brother."
"You are the only person to have come to that conclusion, Fan."
"Fine, fine," Fan said with a dismissive wave towards Liao. His eyes found their way to Lingqi once more.
"You truly do not seem like your father. I am honestly having a hard time believing it."
"Why is that?" Lingqi asked in a clipped tone. Yesterday, Fan rubbed her the wrong way, but she was willing to forgive it because he was Liao's brother and because he might have been nervous meeting Liao again after so many years. She now sees that it had nothing to do with nerves. Fan was a dick and she did not like him at all.
"I met Lu Bu once. He had the temperament of man that was constantly being stung by bees. He was always irate, threatening to slaughter this one or calling someone else weak. You seem calm in comparison."
"I am not my father," Lingqi replied angrily.
"Yet I hear anger in your voice. We are just having a friendly conversation aren't we? Why do you suddenly have so much hostility? Perhaps the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree—"
"ENOUGH FAN," Liao shouted as he stood from his seat. "I have endured you for long enough. You may be my brother, but I will not stand for you insulting my wife!"
Liao was angry…very angry. This woman obviously meant a lot to him.
"I apologize," Fan said quickly as he stood from his own seat. He bowed to Lingqi then to Liao. "Sometimes I can't control my mouth. It's a bad habit of mine as you well know. I meant no harm, truly. Please, both of you forgive me."
Liao was ready to reject his brother's apology. He had heard it before. Fan always did this. In all these years it was maddening to know that he hadn't changed one bit. He would shoot off at the mouth and start an argument and when Liao had finally had enough, he would apologize to get back on his good side until he got what he wanted. Not this time, he would not fall for his bullshit this time…that was his intention anyway, but his wife seemed be of a different mind.
Lingqi stood as well and put a hand on Liao arm, her eyes on the still bowing Fan.
"I'm sure we can forgive him, can't we?" she whispered.
"Trust me, Lingqi, he is only doing this because he hasn't gotten his way yet. It would be best to turn him away now."
"I don't want to be the cause of strife between you two."
"You aren't," Liao hissed his whisper. It was hard to hide the sheer annoyance he felt with this whole situation. If Fan had one talent it was always getting Liao to lose his cool.
"He is the cause of it, not you."
"One more chance," she urged.
Liao let out a frustrated sigh. She was such a kind person. How anyone could say she was like her father was beyond him. They were worlds apart in regards to personality.
"Very well. For you, I shall."
Liao looked to his brother. "You have one more chance, Fan. Insult my wife or say anything that I find displeasing and I swear it will be the last time you and I speak."
"Understood, brother," Fan said as he raised his head. He was smiling and that smile made Liao want to punch him in the face.
"I know what I should do. You two were married and even though I wasn't invited to the wedding, you still deserve a gift. I will go out and get one."
"Oh…that isn't nec—"
"Nonsense!" Fan said as he cut Lingqi off in mid sentence. "You two deserve it. I'll go right away!"
Fan hurried off before Lingqi could raise any further objections leaving the bewildered couple alone once more.
"Your brother is…interesting."
"My brother is an idiot. I only hope you do not regret your mercy."
=#=
-Jing Province-
"They are here again seeking an audience, father," said Liu Qi, the eldest son of Liu Biao.
Biao gave a labored sigh and began pacing. Of course he had returned. Liu Bei was persistent if anything. He had been avoiding this meeting for weeks now, but Liu Bei would not be daunted.
"We should grant them the audience they seek, father," Qi continued.
"No we shouldn't," said Liu Cong, Biao's second son. "We should not be seen as allies of Liu Bei. It is clear that he and Cao Cao have bad blood between them. If we ally with them, we will be inviting Cao Cao's wrath upon us."
"If we ally with Liu Bei, we will have the means to fight against Cao Cao," Qi argued.
And the argument starts again. This has been the debate since Liu Bei and his ragtag band arrived within Jing Province. What made this so difficult was that both of his sons were right. If they gave Bei shelter, he could help them fend off against Cao Cao's potential attack. Cao Cao made it very clear that he was interested in Jing when he sent his thugs to inquire about a possible alliance over a year ago. However, Cong was also right. Bei had been beaten by Cao many times and Cao has been very vocal about his dislike of the man. If they gave him sanctuary it could invite the wrath of Cao. Instead of the peaceful approach Cao had been using, he could switch to a more aggressive stance and Biao knew they would not be able to win that battle.
With a heavy sigh, Biao called for silence from his bickering sons. They both fell silent and awaited the word of their father.
"We will grant Liu Bei an audience—,"
Cong's face twisted into one of displeasure upon hearing this proclamation, but he remained silent.
"—and we will treat him as an honored guest," Biao continued.
"This is the right decision father," Qi said. Biao raised a hand calling for silence once more.
"I do not trust Liu Bei. We will use him as a shield and nothing more."
"Father, Liu Bei has the potential to be a valuable ally—"
"Liu Bei has shown himself to be an untrustworthy person," Biao cut in. "Look at his past when others had offered him sanctuary, he has betrayed them. At one point, Cao Cao even offered him sanctuary and he betrayed and stole land from him. I will not have us fall into the same trap. We will welcome him, but I do not trust him."
Qi wanted to speak out once more but he held his tongue. His father had a point, Liu Bei has betrayed many people who had offered him a helping hand before. Despite knowing this, he still believed Bei to be an honorable person and was sure that the circumstances surrounding those betrayals had more to it than they knew. Perhaps with time, his father would see that Bei is a man that can be trusted. Qi would just have to wait patiently for that day.
Cong was clearly unhappy with this decision, but he knew that once his father had made up his mind, there was no changing it.
"I think we should accept Cao's offer and as a measure of goodwill, offer him Liu Bei's head on a platter. But since you rather play peacemaker, I suppose sticking him somewhere he cannot truly do harm to us is the best way to go."
Biao nodded. "I know you do not agree with me, my sons, but soon you will see the wisdom of my actions. For now, let us have a feast prepared. We will welcome Liu Bei as an honored guest."
Qi and Cong saluted their father and went off to carry out his will.
=#=
Liu Bei eyed the scroll the messenger had delivered to him warily. When they attempted to visit Liu Biao earlier today, they had been turned away just as they had been a dozen other times they tried; so why had he suddenly sent them a message?
"Aren't you going to open it, my lord?" asked Xu Yu.
Bei looked up from the scroll in his hands to Yu and nodded.
"I suppose I should."
He untied the binding used to keep it closed and unfurled it in front of him. He read the contents within to himself before looking up to his generals.
"Master Liu Biao wishes to hold a feast in our honor."
Fei's face scrunched up at the news. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.
"That's wonderful!" Yu replied. "We will finally get the audience we desired."
"Yes…so it seems," Bei said absently as he reread the scroll once more to ensure that he had read it correctly the first time.
"I just don't understand why he rejected us so many times only to accept us with such honors now."
Fei grunted but remained quiet.
"You must understand, my lord, we put Master Biao in a difficult position. Allying with us will put him at odds with Cao Cao…who is quite possibly the most powerful force in the land now that he has beaten Yuan Shao. He had to consider the benefits of joining with us versus the cons."
"There is no guarantee that he will join with us though," Bei said with a frown. "This feast could simply be a polite way of him telling us to get out of his land."
"I do not think so," Yu replied. "He could have sent his armies against us for that. We are very weak right now and it wouldn't take much to run us off. If he is going through the trouble of throwing a feast for us, it is because he wishes to ally with us."
"What do the rest of you think?" Bei asked as he looked to his other generals.
Most of them seemed to agree with Xun Yu, but his two most prominent generals, Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei remained suspiciously silent.
"And what do you think, brother?" Bei asked as he turned his attention to Fei.
"I have no opinion," Fei replied.
"Come now, Yìdé. A few moments ago you looked as if you were ready to burst. Tell me truly what do you think?"
"I am trying to not embarrass you brother," Fei replied as he glared at Yu.
Yu was non-pulsed by the withering stare Fei had given him. He was very happy that he had chosen to remain silent as he was much more tolerable this way.
"Brother, you do not embarrass me," Bei assured. "I only ask that you curb your temper. Sometimes you can get a little hot and it causes you to lash out unnecessarily. I value your opinion and would truly like to hear it."
"Hmph. I cannot help but be who I am."
"I know that. I don't want you to change; I just want you to be a little bit more mindful of what you say in front of certain people."
"I will try, but I can't promise that I will always be able to hold my tongue. If I see an injustice brother, I will not remain silent."
Bei sighed. He supposed this was going to be the best he would get from Fei. "Now would you please share your opinion with us?"
"I say fuck Liu Biao. We have been waiting here for weeks to have a word with him and he ignored us! Why should we meet with him now?"
"Because we have nowhere else to go you dolt," Yu replied.
Fei growled and made a move towards Yu but Bei jumped in between them.
"Honestly, Wénruò, must you antagonize him?" Bei asked angrily. It was if he was the lord of children, not men.
"My apologies, my lord. It comes as a bit of a habit against people I loathe."
"Well stop it! We are all allies here and I will not have anyone fighting anymore. This stops here and now, understood?"
Fei gave one last glare to Yu before nodding to Bei.
In turn, Yu saluted Bei. "Yes, my lord. My apologies. I will endeavor to hold my tongue going forward."
Relieved, Bei moved from in-between the two men, half expecting them to jump at each other when he did. He was pleased when they did not and decided to resume their conversation regarding Biao's sudden invite.
"What about you, Zǐlóng? You have been very quiet as of late. Is everything alright?"
Yun gave a short nod.
Bei's brows furrowed. "Okay…," he said carefully. It was clear that something was off about him, but it seemed as if he wasn't in the mood to share. Perhaps he could speak to him about it later, in private.
"What is your opinion on this invite?" Bei asked.
"I have none," Yun replied.
"None at all?" Bei pressed.
Yun shook his head no. That was it. Bei knew he wouldn't get anything more out of him. Yun has becoming increasingly distant over the last year. He spent his time with the soldiers or training, not the other generals. He would no longer speak up in any war councils unless he was specifically addressed and when he spoke it was always short and to the point. He still followed orders to the letter, so Bei couldn't really complain, but he didn't like that someone he once regarded as a friend was suddenly so estranged.
While this bothered him, it wasn't something he could deal with at the moment. His people had been living in tents for weeks and they were once again running low on supplies. He really did not want to resort to the same means they had before Yuan Shao offered them temporary shelter.
"Well," Bei began. "I understand Yìdé's apprehension towards this meeting. It is strange that he has suddenly agreed to see us. I also understand your explanation of the reasoning behind Master Biao's actions, Wénruò. It does make sense that he would be afraid to join with us as it would make him a possible target to Cao Cao."
The others nodded in agreement to Bei's words. Bei closed his eyes and weighed both options in his head. A decision finally reached, he opened his eyes and looked out to his generals.
"We will accept Master Biao's invitation. I think it is in our best interest to do so. We are running low on food and supplies and our people could use a safe place to rest their heads for a change."
"It says here that I can bring five people with me. Yìdé, Xiànhé, Wénruò, Zǐzhòng, Shūzhì, I would like you to accompany me."
The men he called saluted. Bei gave them a nod as he rolled the scroll back up and hoped that their string of bad luck would finally change for the better.
=#=
The feast was a splendid one. To Bei and the others, it seemed as if Biao took weeks planning such a feast when in actuality, he had it all done in just a few hours. Bei felt a bit guilty at the feeling of fullness he had felt. He knew the few soldiers that remained with him were currently camped out not far from where he was eating hard rice as their dinner.
"Are you okay, Master Bei? Was something displeasing with the meal?" Biao asked.
Bei hadn't realized that he wore his concerns on his face. He gave Biao a small smile. "This had been an extraordinary feast, Master Biao. I am simply thinking that it is unfair that we six get to enjoy such extravagance while the rest of our people are forced to eat rice."
"Such a caring soul you are," said Biao. "Your men are lucky to have a leader like you."
"I'm not sure how lucky they are," Bei replied. "I have dragged through many hardships in the last few years. I would say I am lucky to have them for they have stayed true to me through it all."
Biao clapped his hands together. "Truly, you are every bit the man of virtue that I heard you were!"
"If you really thought that, you should have met with us earlier," Fei said.
"Yìdé!" Bei cried out, his mouth agape in horror at his brother's brashness.
"You should be lucky we agreed to meet with you at all!" Cong countered.
"Brother!" Qi admonished.
The situation was rapidly getting out of control. The two men were glaring daggers at each other and it was clear that soon steel would be drawn.
Bei quickly stood up from his seat and moved away from the table so he could be seen by all. He prostrated before Biao, begging forgiveness for his brother's actions. Fei couldn't believe this. He had done it again. He couldn't keep his mouth in check and his brother was made to pay for his actions. Fei got up from his seat and tried to pull Bei to his feet but Bei shrugged him off.
"Brother, get up," Fei urged.
"I must ask for forgiveness," Bei replied.
"No, you do not. You have done nothing wrong! The error was mine and mine alone."
"Please, Master Bei, stop this," Biao said as he stood and went to Bei's side. "There is no need for this."
"You have brought us into your home, treated us as honored guest and we have spoken cruelly to you. How can I not ask for forgiveness?"
"Your sworn brother only spoke his feelings. I am not so thin skinned as to take offense to it. Besides, my son was in the wrong as well. He spoke in anger against our honored guest. If anyone should apologize, it should be me."
"Master Biao, I couldn't ask that of you," Bei replied quickly.
"Then let us forget this. Let us put this unfortunate incident behind us and start anew."
Bei nodded and finally got to his feet. Fei lowered his head in shame as Bei passed by him to retake his seat.
Once everyone had retaken their seats, Biao spoke.
"Perhaps it would be best to get to the matter of why you wanted an audience with me?"
Bei nodded. "Master Biao, my people and I are wary. We have nowhere to go. We have tried to follow the will of the Emperor and we have been punished by villains at every turn. I know it is a lot to ask, but we are in desperate need of sanctuary. We cannot continue to roam as we have."
"I see," Biao said as he rubbed his chin.
"We do not ask for this for free," Bei continued. "We will serve you loyally in return."
"Cao Cao has asked me to turn Jing Province over to him. I refused. He has been cordial enough for now, but it will only be a matter of time before he turns his army against me. If you can swear to help me when that time comes, then I shall grant you the sanctuary you seek."
"This is something that I can promise," Bei replied. "I have no love for Cao Cao and want nothing more than to see that serpent fall."
"Well said, Master Bei. In that case, consider Jing Province your home. Feel free to station your men at Xinye County."
"Xinye County?" Bei echoed.
"Yes. It is to the north. It should be more than adequate to house you and your men. You will be able to rest and regain your strength there."
"I…I do not know what to say to such generosity master Biao."
"I do not do this out of generosity," Biao replied. "We have a deal, you and I. As long as you are in Xinye, I expect you to guard against any possible advances Cao Cao may make in that area."
"On my honor, we will protect Xinye against anything Cao Cao may try."
Biao lifted his cup. "Then we are in accordance. Here is to a fruitful relationship."
Everyone in the feast hall followed after Biao, lifting their cups in cheer. "To a fruitful relationship!" Was the resounding cry heard throughout the hall.
This was good. This was very good. Perhaps things would finally go right for a while; but as Bei drained the wine from his cup, he couldn't help but wish that Guan Yu was there celebrating with them.
=#=
Xiaolian let out a breath of relief. She had finally got out. It was already difficult to slip away when her parents weren't here and it was doubly so with them actually here. It was a long path on foot to the barracks from her home, but it was a path she didn't mind walking it.
As her feet tread a path that she hadn't walked in over a year, her mind wondered over exactly what she was doing. Her father had already told her that he was okay, but she had to see it for herself; had to see him for herself. Just the thought of his face made her stomach do flips. She hated that she couldn't control this feeling. She hated that she couldn't get her mind off of him this last year and she knew the exact reason why. Lingqi and Liao's wedding. That conversation she had with him played on an endless loop in her head. Him telling her that she was beautiful; that he would marry her. They dominated her mind and her heart. Part of her felt as if she was foolish for thinking he thought of her the same way she thought of him, but she hoped that he did and it was that exact hope that guided her feet today.
The closer she got to the barracks, the more anxious she began to feel. Would he be happy to see her? Would he think her foolish for visiting him? Should she even go? These thoughts were swirling so fervently in her mind that she was surprised when she found herself standing in front of the barracks. Her stomach fluttered wildly as she stared up at the familiar edifice decorated with an assortment of flowers…wait flowers?
Xiaolian cocked her head to the side as she took in the colorful arrangement. It had been awhile since she been there but she was certain that there were never any flowers there before. When did they get there?
"Beautiful aren't they?"
Xiaolian spun around to see a tall thin man with features that were more beautiful than handsome. Xiaolian took a few steps back from the man and as inconspicuously as she could reached within her robe and put her hands on her dagger. She did not know this man and she would not be caught off guard by anyone ever again.
"It isn't a permanent of course. They will die soon as they aren't properly planted but it is good enough until I can get those pots I had commissioned are done. Then I can properly plant something truly beautiful. For now this is good though, right? Doesn't it give you a warm feeling when you look at it?"
When Zhang He didn't hear a response, he turned to face Xiaolian.
"Well aren't you a beautiful little flower yourself!" Jùnyì said with a smile.
Xiaolian did not reply. She only continued to eye Jùnyì warily.
"Quiet one, aren't you?" Jùnyì said with a soft laugh. "Tell me little flower, why do you have your hair covering your face like that? You should let your beauty shine out to the world!" he said as he gestured around them with an exaggerated flourish.
Xiaolian remained silent, as she kept her eye on him. Oddly enough, she wasn't getting any bad vibes off of him, but he was extremely weird.
"Come, let me fix your hair for you."
Jùnyì took a step forward and Xiaolian took a step back.
"Oh don't worry little flower. I assure you, I am quite an adept hairstylist," he said as he took another step forward.
Once again Xiaolian responded by taking a step back.
"My dear…I cannot do your hair if you will not let me get close to you."
Xiaolian didn't respond. She only gripped the handle of her dagger a little tighter and waited for him to make another move. Jùnyì did move again and to Xiaolian's surprise, he was fast; very fast. He had been standing behind Xiaolian for a full three seconds before she realized he was there.
"Now how should we do this?" Jùnyì mused as he stared at Xiaolian's hair.
Alarmed, she spun around, her dagger now drawn and tried to back peddle away from him.
Jùnyì frowned. "A pretty little flower like you shouldn't have need of such a thing," he said as he nodded his chin towards her dagger.
"Besides, I am not going to hurt you. I just want to help you bring out your inner beauty."
"No," Xiaolian said firmly.
Jùnyì blinked in surprise. "So you can speak? Such a lovely voice; you should speak more. Now, stay still. I have just thought of the perfect hairstyle for you—"
"What are you doing to my niece?"
Jùnyì turned to see Yuan walking towards the pair with a frown.
"Miàocái! It is good to see you again!"
"What are you doing to my niece?" Yuan repeated.
"Niece?" Jùnyì said as he looked at Xiaolian. "I don't see the resemblance…"
Yuan rolled his eyes and decided a different approach.
"What's going on here, Xiaolian?"
"You know him?" Xiaolian asked.
"Why is no one here capable of answering a simple question?!" Yuan said in exasperation. "Let's try this again. You, what are you doing with my niece?"
"I was simply trying to do her hair. She is such a beautiful flower, it is a shame that she her hair covering her face like that."
"Of course it had to be something weird," Yuan said with a shake of his head. "Did she ask you to do her hair?"
"Well no, but—"
"Don't push your weirdo thoughts on other people. She doesn't like being touched. If she wanted her hair in a different way, she is capable of doing it. She has her reasons for keeping it the way she does so just leave her alone."
Jùnyì put a hand to his chin and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Very well…I just feel she should spread her petals and be the beautiful flower that she is."
Yuan could only roll his eyes. The imagery this guy used was unbelievable. Exactly how good of a warrior was he? Based on his personality alone, Yuan couldn't imagine he was that great. He turned his attention to Xiaolian.
"And you, why are you here…without anyone escorting you?"
Xiaolian put her dagger away. It was obvious she did not need it anymore. Instead of looking back to her uncle, she chose to keep her eyes planted on the ground.
"Don't try that silent crap with me. Your father told me to not put up with it from you. Why are you here without any escorts?"
Instead of answering, her eyes drifted over to barracks. Yuan's eyes followed her gaze and a goofy smile appeared on his face.
"Come to visit someone in particular?"
Xiaolian did not answer, but she didn't need to. The blush that was beginning to creep up onto her cheeks spoke for her.
"Oh ho ho ho, how very interesting," said Yuan. "And I guess because you aren't here with an escort, your parents aren't aware of your little visit."
Xiaolian shook her head no.
"I figured so. Hey Jùnyì, do me a favor and go get Mànchéng for me."
"Why?" Jùnyì asked.
"Because I asked you," Yuan replied. "I would go get him myself, but I would rather not leave her here by herself."
Jùnyì opened his mouth to volunteer to stay but Yuan cut him off before he could even offer.
"And I am not leaving her here with you because you might try to do her nails or something."
"Very well; I will play the messenger," he said with an elegant bow.
"So, you like this guy, huh?"
Xiaolian gave a non committal shrug in response.
"Have you told your parents?"
She shook her head no.
"You must really like him if you went to visit him instead of your favorite uncle."
Xiaolian's shot him a guilty look. "Sorry," she said softly.
Yuan let out a boisterous laugh and ruffled her hair. "I'm just messing with ya. You are young and in love."
"I'm not in love," Xiaolian muttered as she smoothed out her mussed hair.
"Sure…you snuck out of your house without an escort to visit someone you don't love. I totally believe that."
Jùnyì returned with a confused Dian in tow. His eyes fell on Xiaolian and a smile began to crawl onto his face, but he caught Yuan watching him in the corner of his eyes and let out an awkward cough to hide it.
"H-hey, master Miàocái, Jùnyì here said you wanted to see me?"
"Nope. I didn't. She did," he said as he pat Xiaolian on the shoulder.
Xiaolian shot Dian a bashful look before returning her eyes to the ground once more. Hearing that made a goofy smile appeared on Dian's face and he didn't seem to care this time that Yuan saw it.
Yuan let out an hmm as he looked between the two. It looks like his brother wasn't imagining things. There was something definitely going on between them. Well it was time for him to play the role of the greatest uncle ever and encourage this budding relationship. He cleared his throat and addressed Dian.
"Right, well we'll give you two some privacy. See that she gets home safely, would you?"
"Yeah…yeah of course," Dian replied, a bit surprised that Yuan was giving them said privacy.
As he watched them walk away, he couldn't help but wonder if this would get back to Dun and Zhuyue and he ultimately decided that he didn't care if he did. He was just glad to see her after so long.
"So…wanna take a ride with me? This isn't the best place to speak."
"A ride?"
"Yeah…out of the city. You don't mind, do you?"
Xiaolian hesitated. The idea of being alone with Dian excited and scared her in equal measure.
"It's okay if you don't wan—"
"I'll go," she said quickly.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you or anything."
"I'm sure," she replied.
"Well okay then. To the stables we go."
Dian led Xiaolian to the stables where he retrieved his horse. She watched him as he saddled it up. She tried her best to get her hands from shaking. She didn't want him to see that she was as nervous as she was. All too soon for Xiaolian, Dian had finished with the horse's saddle and he mounted it. He held a hand out to her to help her up and she took it. Her heart seemed to pound wildly in her chest at touching his hand.
Seated behind him on the horse, Dian called out for her to hold on before stirring his mount into movement. Feeling the sudden jerk of the beast beneath her, she quickly threw her arms around Dian eliciting a chuckle from him.
Dian took them out of the city and farther beyond it than Xiaolian had been since they moved from Puyang.
"Where are we going?" she asked as her eyes darted around.
"What's wrong?" Dian asked teasingly. "Don't trust me?"
Xiaolian frowned obviously not pleased with him poking fun at her. "No," she replied.
"Ouch, that hurts, he said in a voice that told Xiaolian that he wasn't hurt at all."
"Don't worry, it'll be well worth it, I swear.
After a while, they arrived and Xiaolian's breath was taken away. Far as her eye could see were rows and rows of apple trees. Dian helped her dismount first before getting off himself.
"Nice, right? I found this when we first arrived in Xuchang. Whenever the season rolls around, I always sneak out here and take some before they get completely harvested."
He walked up to the nearest tree and looked around for a bit before moving to another tree then another. Finding a few apples that were perfectly ripe, he plucked three of them from its branches and headed back to the awaiting Xiaolian.
"For you, my lady," he said with a smile as he offered her an apple.
She took it from his hands, but her eye was on the two he had in his hand.
"Is one of them for Wenqian?" she asked as she rolled her own apple in her hands.
"Haha, I should bring him one, huh? Remind me to do that before we go…but no, this one is for that guy right there," he said as he pointed to his horse.
"Mind if I borrow your dagger?"
"Why?"
"I want to cut up the apple before I feed it to him. Don't worry, I know how important that dagger is to you. I won't break it or anything."
Xiaolian eyed him for a few seconds before hesitantly reaching into her robe and pulling out the dagger. She handed over to him and he accepted it gratefully.
"Hold this for me, will ya?" he asked as held out a second apple to her. She took it and watched as he began to slice the remaining apple up.
It was the first time since Zhuyue had given her that dagger that she had willingly handed it over to someone. Did she trust Dian that much?
"All done," Dian announced as he wiped the juice off the blade on his leg before handing it back to her.
Dian walked over to his mount and offered a slice which the horse accepted with fervor.
"So you were hanging out with your uncle today?" he asked as he fed his horse another apple slice.
"No."
"No? But—," Dian paused in mid sentence as he tried to decipher the meaning behind Xiaolian simple answer. That girl was like a puzzle and often even her simple answers held a meaning behind it.
Xiaolian could practically see the smoke rising from atop his messy head and decided to make it easier on him. "I…came on my own," Xiaolian offered "He just happened to show up there," she added.
"Oh. So…you came on your own?" he repeated dumbly as he fed the horse once more.
A realization suddenly dawned on him. His eyes seemed to brighten as he turned his head from the horse to Xiaolian.
"To see me?" he asked with a hint of hopefulness.
"To make sure that you were still alive," she clarified.
"To make sure I was still alive?" he echoed. "But couldn't you have asked Master Dun and Lady Zhuyue that?"
Xiaolian focused her eyes on the apples she still held in her hand.
"I wanted to see for myself," she replied.
That goofy smile of his crept its way onto his face.
"So you missed me?" Dian asked as he fed the final slice to the horse.
"N-no," she stammered.
"No? That's too bad," Dian replied as he walked over to her and took the apples out of her hand.
He wiped them on the scarf he always wore. When finished, he examined it and pleased with his work, he tossed one of them back to her which she caught easily.
"I missed you," he said casually before taking a bite of his apple.
Xiaolian's eyes went wide and her heart was pounding wildly. He didn't just say what she think he said…did he? There was no way he could have said what he just said. Her heart hoped that it was true, but he mind told her that it was impossible. They were just friends. There was no way he would care for someone as awkward and ugly as her…but he always did call her beautiful; but he was just being friendly, wasn't he?
Dian noticed the silence stretching between them. He swallowed hard realizing he might have just made a very big mistake. He was of course oblivious to the internal argument Xiaolian was having with herself as she tried to interpret his words and thought instead that he had erred in speaking his heart so truly.
"I guess I shouldn't have said that huh?" he asked with a nervous laugh.
"No," she replied angrily. "I know you are being nice…but…but it is confusing."
"Confusing? Being nice? Xiaolian, I'm not—"
"You call me beautiful; say you would marry me; I know you are trying to cheer me up but my heart…my heart doesn't know. So stop…please…"
"Xiaolian…," Dian said with a soft sigh as he ran a hand through his mussed hair. "I guess I haven't been very clear. I was afraid I guess…but I'm going to go all in so pay attention, okay?"
Dian moved to stand in front of her. Xiaolian tried to avert her eyes. She couldn't bear to look into his. She didn't want him to see the hurt in her eyes when he confirmed what her mind was already telling her.
"Look at me…please," he urged.
Reluctantly, she looked up to Dian. He was standing close. So close. Her heart thudded wildly within her chest. Please get this over with. The sooner he told her, the sooner she could get over these foolish feelings.
"I guess I should start by clarifying a few things. I was always taught to say what I mean. I've always tried to live my life according to that creed. When I said I missed you, I wasn't joking. I thought about you…all the time. I wondered how you were feeling, if you were safe, if you were looking up at the same stars that I was. I really missed you. Heh the moment we got back to Xuchang, I was trying to think of an excuse I could use to go visit you, but you beat me to it."
Xiaolian was speechless. He thought about her too? It almost seemed too good to be true, but here he was standing before her and declaring that it was so.
"And that time you asked if I would marry you and I said yes?" he continued. "Well I wouldn't just say that to anybody. Not even if it would be to make them feel better. I just…I just couldn't do that…ya know? It wouldn't be right."
"So you said it to me because—"
"Because I meant it…" Dian finished.
He let out an awkward laugh and rolled the apple he held in his hand. "Your father is probably going to kill me for saying all this when he finds out—," he paused and looked into Xiaolian's eyes. "But it's worth it," he said with a smile.
Xiaolian exhaled and lowered her eyes from his face.
"That was a lot I just threw at you, huh?"
"Yes," she replied softly.
"Sorry about that. Don't worry though I…I'm not expecting you to feel the same way. Don't think I am forcing you into anything. I just had to get it off my chest. Been keeping me up at night," he let out another awkward laugh and hurriedly took another bite of his apple to stop himself for saying anything else embarrassing.
By the time Xiaolian spoke again, Dian had only the core left of his apple. Hers remained untouched as her stomach was doing way too many flips to keep anything down.
"Mànchéng?"
"Yeah…," he replied softly. She took a long time to think. It wasn't like he didn't expect it, but his mind had time to do a lot of wondering while she did. He worried that perhaps he pushed too far and told her too much. He planned to ease her into the idea of them being together, but for some reason today he couldn't hold himself back. He was regretting it now and he had a queasy feeling that she would reject him out of fear.
"I want to marry you too."
Dian's mouth dropped open. It stayed like that for a full minute before he managed to get his brain back in working order. He gave her a wide smile and had to resist the strong urge he had to hug her. He had already laid a lot on her plate. He didn't want to push it too much.
"Okay…okay! Um that's great!"
By this point, Dian was grinning from ear to ear. His smile was so infectious that it made Xiaolian cracked a small smile herself.
"You have a really pretty smile, you know that?"
"Stop saying such embarrassing things," she said as she tried to hide her face from him. She knew she was probably blushing madly after everything had happened.
"Well get use to it. I plan on complimenting you as much as possible and doing whatever I can to see that pretty smile of yours more often."
"You are such a weirdo. I already said I would marry you. There is no need to do that."
"Ho ho ho, it is because you said you would marry me that I want to do that."
Dian was always a pretty easy going guy, but Xiaolian did not think she had ever seen him smile as much and as wide a she did today. It gave her a warm feeling to know that she was the cause of his happiness.
"Weirdo," she mumbled still avoiding eye contact with him. "What happens now?"
"Heh, you have no intention of letting the grass grow beneath your feet, huh? Well neither do I. Now I got to talk to your parents and get permission to marry you…uh…oh…I have to talk to your parents…"
"What's wrong?"
"Well I'm not sure how they are going to feel about it."
"Don't worry."
"Easy for you to say. Your father loves you. I'm pretty sure his opinion of me isn't quite so set in stone."
"Don't worry," she repeated. "I'll talk to them."
"Thanks for the offer, but this is something I have to do. I'll figure out a way to bring it up to them, no worries."
Despite telling her not to worry, Dian felt nothing but worry.
=#=
-More than a week later-
"Why are you still here, Fan?"
Seeing his brother first thing in the morning was rapidly becoming one of Liao's least favorite things. It had been over a week since he arrived and Fan had somehow still avoided telling them exactly why he had come to visit.
"Brother, you constantly asking me that makes me think you aren't happy to have me here."
"I'm not," Liao replied. "Why are you here, Fan?"
Fan sighed. "Why does it seem we are always at odds, brother?"
"Because you never speak plainly. I will ask you again, why are you here."
"Fine. Fine! You work with Lord Cao…You are obviously doing well under him," Fan said as he gestured to the area around them. "I was hoping that perhaps you could share that good will with me."
"I'm not sure what you think I can do for you. You aren't a warrior."
"Oh come now! Lord Cao is the Prime Minister. There are many more positions available in court that don't require someone waving a sword about."
"Why didn't you just ask me this from the beginning?"
"I was certain you would turn me down. We haven't always been the best of friends."
"But we are still brothers. I would have asked on your behalf. I cannot promise you anything, but I will bring it up to him at the war council."
"Truly?" Fan asked in surprise. "I honestly didn't think it would be this easy. I thought I had to butter you up a bit before I could get you to agree. It seems I have misjudged you brother."
"You usually do," Liao replied in a curt tone.
Indeed Liao was willing to help him. His brother had been a thorn in his side since he arrived and he was willing to do anything to get him out of his house so he and Lingqi could get their privacy back.
"Regardless, it means a lot to me brother. I've been a bit aimless lately. I always thought that I would eventually find my path, but I haven't. Meanwhile, you've pretty much done everything I told you not to and look at where you are; a wife, a home."
Fan sighed. "I'm pretty pathetic huh? I am the older brother but here I am asking you for help. It shouldn't be that way."
"We all make our choices, brother and we must deal with the consequences of those choices."
Fan frowned. "Silly me for expecting empathy."
"Do not expect me to rub your back because you have made poor choices. Had my choices turned ill for me, you wouldn't hesitate to tell me so."
"Tch, I can see you are trying to start another argument. I won't be drawn into it. Just get me a position in Lord Cao's court and I'll be out of your hair."
'The sooner the better' Liao thought to himself.
=#=
"It has been a week or so since we returned to Xuchang. I know you would probably prefer to spend more time with your families, but chaos still rages across our land. We cannot remain idle for too long," said Cao.
No one replied, but Cao got a few nods of agreement from his generals.
"We have taken down Yuan Shao, but his useless spawn still lives. I will not rest until every last member of that wretched Yuan family is wiped from the face of this earth."
He continued. "After the devastating blow we dealt to Yuan Shao, I have no doubt that our army is greater than whatever Yuan's sons have. We will launch an attack against the elder brother Yuan Tan first. We take him out, the others should crumble."
Guo Jia stepped forward and saluted. Cao nodded his head giving him permission to speak.
"When do you propose launching this attack?"
"In three months time. I do not wish to give them too much time to consolidate their forces. They are still reeling from the death of their father. It is best to strike now."
"Ah, such a shame. It is such nice weather out now…there are many things I would rather do then have to fight in another battle.
Cao looked out to the unhappy faces of his generals. It seems Jia's words echoed the feelings of many of his men. It was clear that many of them were not happy about the prospect of having to march again so soon after returning.
"I ask a lot of you. I know this. But I do not ask anything of you that I do not ask of myself. I will be leading this march and I will be fighting alongside of all of you. Rest now, spend time with your families because in three months time, we move against Liyang."
He looked over to Guo Jia. "I suggest you have your fun during that time."
Jia gave him a sly grin but said nothing more.
"There is only one thing that worries me," Cao continued. "Liu Biao. Will he take the opportunity to attack us from behind while we are distracted with the Yuan's?
"I do not think we have to worry about Liu Biao," said Man Chong as he stepped forward.
As usual, the man looked as if he just rolled out of bed. He ran a hand through his messy hair and stifled a yawn that threatened to escape him. Xun You, who was not very far from where he was standing, inched his way over to him and elbowed him in the side. Confused, Chong turned to him and saw Xun You discreetly saluting him. For five seconds, Chong watched Xun You do this with his brows knit in confusion at the action. When his mind finally registered what was being told to him, he hastily turned back to Cao and saluted.
"Sorry, my lord. It was a long night."
"Strange, it always looks like you had a long night," Cao quipped.
"Really?" Chong replied as he scratched his cheek in wonder.
Cao sighed. The man was brilliant, but he seemed to be completely oblivious when it came to anything remotely social.
"Never mind, Bóníng, explain what you mean."
"He had a better chance of moving against us when we were fighting against Yuan Shao yet he remained idle. I doubt he would take the riskier move and attack us now."
Cao stroked his chin. "Hmm…that does make sense…still, I would like a bit more of a guarantee that he will not attack…and at the same time, set up the means to take over Jing Province once we are done with the Yuan's."
Cao's eyes found Xiahou Dun's face amongst his generals. Dun immediately felt a sense of dread. He already knew what was coming before Cao opened his mouth to speak once again.
"Liu Biao has a son of age and I believe he is currently unmarried. I wish to marry Xiaolian off to him."
Dun could hear a sharp intake of breath from Zhuyue at Cao's words. It seemed she felt the exact same as he did on the situation. They had taken too long and now Cao has once again brought up the prospect of using Xiaolian as a political pawn. What could they do? Resist? It would put Dun and Cao at odds and Dun knew that would be a battle they would lose. Damn Cao and his ambition. He would sacrifice anything and anyone to it.
Dun tried to calm himself. This wasn't set in stone. There was no guarantee that Biao would even accept the proposal. Perhaps there was a way they could get out of it. He hoped to hell this was true, but he knew the prospect of that would be very unlikely.
"There is no problem with this, is there? Yuánràng? Zhuyue?"
"There is a problem, my lord."
Funny, that was the exact thing Dun wanted to say but that was certainly not his voice, and it definitely wasn't Zhuyue's. In fact he knew exactly whose voice it was, but what he did not understand was why. Li Dian stepped forward and saluted. The nonchalant lazy smile he usually had on his face was replaced by a visage of earnestness.
Cao's rose a brow as he looked at Li Dian.
"This should be amusing. Tell me Mànchéng, why do you have a problem with this?"
"Because Xiaolian is to be my wife."
