Water, the physical medium that sustains life, the symbolic figure of rebirth.
She felt weightless. The glimmer of light breaking through the dark crevices of water. Is she dead or just floating breathlessly? She seemed to float higher, and higher. The light grew brighter.
Breathe.
"Wake up wenches!"
Another splash of cold water jolted the dreaming woman awake. She coughed out the water that had seeped through her throat. She sat up and held her head. She wiped the water off her face.
Another weightless dream, she thought.
A loud crack of a whip roused her senses.
"Get your acts ready," the slavemaster ordered. "I better get a good price on your heads, the statesmen are looking for good young concubines to lay with tonight."
"Come on Ai Xin, you need to get dried up," spoke another woman.
Ai Xin, the woman thought. That is my name.
Ai Xin pushed herself up on her feet. She followed the line of women towards the common bath. She dipped her nude body into the water and made use of the items available in cleansing her skin. She looked at her reflection against the water, her gray eyes staring back at her.
She had fleeting recollection of how she ended up in a slavemaster's brothel. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and submerged herself into the water.
"Raiders! The raiders are here!" cried a man. "Run! Run away! Aaagh!"
The weakening grip of the Han dynasty had led into the disequilibrium of peace throughout the land. Ambitious warlords and lecherous predators had instigated numerous battles that plagued the land. On the other side, the common people had no choice but to become fighters, raiders, thieves due to scarcity of providence.
This village was just the latest victim complicated by chaos.
The village chief had rallied the men to take up arms and defend its constituents. Some of the soldiers were tasked to escort the women and children to safety. She had just rescued a child that was trapped under crumbled hay.
"Elder sister Ai Xin, I can run!" a child said, kicking against the woman's grasp.
Ai Xin set the child down. She held his hand, and they continued making their way out of the razing houses. They evaded falling roofs and skipping over the corpses of slain citizens and invaders.
"Don't look anywhere else but forward," she cautioned the child, then they resumed their escape. If she could only protect the child from the horrors of war.
"DA JIE! (ELDER SISTER!)" she heard the child's cry. Ai Xin felt the child's hand pulled away from her grip. Her eyes widened with shock when a raider had struck down the defenseless child. Without another second wasted, she bent down and wrenched away a sword from a slain man's hand.
She yelled out her rage and charged. Her sword had plunged into the raider's chest. She could feel the warm blood flow down her hands. She pushed the raider to the ground and pulled out the sword. She looked to the side and her eyes watched the life fade away from the child's body.
Everything became a blur after that, for she saw nothing but shades of red and white.
Ai Xin emerged from the water, catching her breath. She looked around. There were still some women present but already in the process of drying themselves. She hastened to get out of the tub and proceeded to dry herself.
She could only count a few days since her arrival. There was not much to be done by the women other than sit and look pretty for the soldiers who carry bags of coin on their belts. There would be the occasional visit by one of the statesmen. But for newcomers such as her, they were forced to work in cleaning up the mess of private rooms, set up meals for men who had decided to spend the night in the den.
The entire day was spent in setting up decorations and intensive cleaning. The slavemaster and owner Huo Jin was delighted to have received a letter that his brothel was chosen for a visit. It seemed that some renowned state official and his entourage had arrived in town and will be looking for entertainment.
The wife of the brothel owner, Lady Xuan had called for the women to find their respective seats on the platforms. The rest of the women were ordered to stay out of sight, but out of curiosity, they hovered behind the pillars and curtains.
Ai Xin found a comfortable area on top of some wine kegs in the mezzanine. None of the women would dare dirty themselves and linger in a dark corner of the room. For Ai Xin, it was the right spot to get a good view of whatever that was happening in the lower floor.
The eager chatter died when a well-dressed man entered through the door. His light brown hair adorned with a scholar's headdress. He was followed by another man who wore a violet dyed turban and their personal guards.
"Come now, Master Jia Xu," the light brown haired man spoke. "Lord Cao Cao has given us the responsibility of picking out tonight's entertainment!"
The one called Jia Xu crossed his arms. "I believe it is you he specifically mentioned, Master Guo Jia," he replied. "I only accompanied you as a subordinate following the order of the higher ranked."
Guo Jia chuckled, "Of course, even though I am clearly the younger man."
Huo Jin and Lady Xuan bowed on their knees to welcome their regal visitors. Whispers of gossip passed among the women in the establishment. The famous warlord Cao Cao Mengde, the Hero of Chaos was their most renowned patron tonight!
"Oh I hope to bear his sons. It will certainly get me out of this sorry state," a woman giggled eagerly.
Another woman interjected, "I hear he could please as many as five women at the same time."
Cao Cao, Ai Xin thought. She had heard of this name many times among the women in the brothel. They say he was a man whom Heaven has given its mandate to rule but was biding his time. They say he was a tyrant far worse than Dong Zhuo, keeping the emperor as a puppet front.
But to Ai Xin, they were just idle chatter. She had little interest in political matters when her goal was to simply survive.
"Master Guo Jia," Huo Jin spoke. "May I present to you the finest ladies my humble brothel has to offer. I hope it will suit your fine tastes."
Guo Jia clapped his hands in delight. He approached each seated woman, judging every aspect from physical beauty to the air she carried.
Ai Xin watched as the selected women couldn't hide their glee at being chosen and step away from the platform and exit the room She didn't feel jealous at the kind of freedom they had achieved. It was just a transfer of servitude. Bored with the selection process, she decided to retire early. She jumped down from the crates, and landed with near inaudible thud. The sleeve of her robe had caught in between two kegs. Not wanting to tear her only set of clothes, she carefully pulled her sleeve away. When she got herself free, she noticed that it had offset the balance and the kegs wobbled off their stable position. She took many steps back, prepared for an ugly outcome.
Shoot, she thought.
Guo Jia nudged Jia Xu lightly. "Have your pick as well, Wenhe. My treat."
Jia Xu shrugged his shoulders. He scanned the room. He had no interest in being here at all.
A thunderous crash from the mezzanine brought everyone up to their feet. The owners watched in horror as the floor crashed, and a wave of spilled wine flooded the carpeted floor.
Like a hawk, Lady Xuan was able to pry the relatively unharmed Ai Xin from the wreckage. She screeched at the young woman's ear. "You worthless woman! How dare you disrespect my establishment!"
Ai Xin bit her lip, resisting to show any signs of pain from Lady Xuan's nails digging into her skin. Obviously, she could not sneak out after getting all that attention. She could already anticipate the stinging pain of lashes later.
Jia Xu stared at Ai Xin. He saw how the woman slid against the slanted floor, and skipped over the mess, making herself safe from the accident. A strike of familiarity brought a smile to his face. He turned to Huo Jin, and gestured to Ai Xin. "I'm taking her," he declared.
Guo Jia smiled pleasantly. "Well, isn't that a surprise?" He was sure that they witnessed the same scene.
"M-Master Jia Xu, there are other finer women for you to have," Huo Jin said, taken aback in surprise. "This girl is new and knows nothing but to make a mess. She must pay for her destruction of my property!"
Jia Xu tossed a bag full of gold coins to the slavemaster. "This should cover the damage," he said nonchalantly.
Huo Jin caught the bag and took a peek inside. His eyes glinted with greed. "Indeed it will, I thank you for your generosity, Master Jia Xu."
Guo Jia, in turn, surrendered his own bag of coin to the slavemaster. "And this is for the rest of the women that we shall have tonight."
Huo Jin, his greed satiated, ordered to Lady Xuan. "Let that wench go. We have made double our expected earnings tonight."
Lady Xuan released her claw like grip from Ai Xin and pushed the young woman towards the direction of Guo Jia and Jia Xu. "Finally rid of you," she spat.
Ai Xin ignored the excited chatter of the other women in the carriage and leaned back to stare at the open sky. She had not seen the clear night skies for such a long time.
The short trip ended when they had crossed the gates of the large castle. The women descended from the carriage. Giggles of awe evident among the ladies's faces.
What a large castle, Ai Xin thought.
"Come ladies," Guo Jia said in his jovial tone. "Follow me, and bring out your best smile. Lord Cao Cao wants only the best entertainment you can offer!"
Ai Xin stood in her place, unsure what her role was for tonight. The man called Jia Xu had bought her illusion of freedom. Now, she wondered what he would have her do.
"What is your name?" Jia Xu asked.
The woman folded her arms and bowed, "Ai Xin, my lord," she replied.
"Where are you from?" he asked.
Ai Xin looked to the side, unsure of what to answer. "From a small village within the borders of Yan province," she replied.
"You sound so unsure of yourself," the man commented, stroking his goatee. "No matter. Your name is more essential."
He placed his hands on his hips. "Can you read and write?" he asked.
Ai Xin raised her eyebrows at such a question. "Yes, my lord."
"Basic requirements satisfied for me," Jia Xu said with a nod. "Come. It is rare for me to accept a protege."
Jia Xu opened the door to a study. Piles of scrolls were scattered on the floor. He picked up a scroll, rolled it, and tossed it to Ai Xin. The woman caught it with both hands.
"Help me clear out this room. I may have taken out too much from the castle library," he said. "Sort the scrolls and tomes according to war reports and civil reports. Understood?"
"Yes my lord," Ai Xin replied.
"Work quickly, and you will earn your sleep for the night," Jia Xu said. He stepped out of the room. "Perfect your task, and I shall consider your employment into Cao Cao's service."
"Understood, Master Jia Xu."
Ai Xin worked diligently, scanning through scrolls and sorting them accordingly. Although she would sometimes get distracted with reading some of the reports as they contained glimpses of stories of previous battles. There were minutes wasted reading on reports of the chaotic state of the land.
The woman finished rolling the last scroll. She stretched and yawned. She had finally finished her task. The light of the moon shone through the window. She couldn't tell what the time is, but it was probably past midnight or near dawn.
Ai Xin sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. Her master had not told her where she would stay. She had no idea where to go.
"He'll probably come back," she mumbled. "I'll just take a little nap."
She folded her knees to her chest and bent her head on them. She may have missed the comfort of having her own straw bed, but it was better to be here than elsewhere.
The sound of birds chirping and the heat of the morning sun roused Ai Xin from slumber. She realized she had slumped to the floor. Immediately, she sat up and looked around. She found her master seated on the chair. On the table, was a plate of food and a pitcher of water.
"You have sorted all the scrolls accordingly. Excellent work," Jia Xu said, not looking up from a new scroll that he had been reading. He gestured to the food. "Have your meal."
Guided by the grumble of her stomach, Ai Xin complied. She consumed the contents of the plate, and drank the water. By habit, she collected the utensils for cleaning.
"Leave it," Jia Xu said sharply.
Ai Xin stopped. She sat back on her seat and folded her hands over her lap.
"Tell me what have you learned," Jia Xu ordered.
"My lord?" Ai Xin asked in clarification. Where does he want her to start?
Jia Xu kept his patience and explained, "Share anything that interests you. Tell me what have you learned as your sorted through the scrolls."
Ai Xin twiddled her fingers, organizing her thoughts. She recited to the man of the notable recent events that had occurred such as the state of the agriculture that had caused widespread famine, but because of Cao Cao's efforts, the soldiers returned to their previous lives as farmers tilling the land. She had also shared the key points the battles that occured in the provinces. However, there was still so much information she had not shared, for she opted to halt.
"You lack eloquence and organization of ideas," Jia Xu commented. "But not a bad start if you are to be employed."
Ai Xin tilted her head. She had been meaning to ask what he meant by employment into the warlord's service. Was it to be a servant, a scholar, or what?
He stood up and paced around the room. "The only person who knew of your existence is none other than Master Guo Jia," he muttered to himself. "However, I doubt he would pay much attention to a clumsy girl like you."
"Master Wenhe," Ai Xin finally had the courage to speak up.
He stopped in his pacing and glanced at the quiet woman. "What is it?"
"Why am I here?" she asked.
Jia Xu let out a laugh and slapped his thigh. "A good question, however, it is one that I cannot answer today. Not when you have accomplished me three tasks."