Chapter 141

The day I took refuge with Zhuge Liang, I thought things would calm down as I dispersed the gathered crowd. Isn’t there a saying that time solves everything? But this time, it seems time wasn’t enough.

“Still?”

“Yes, it seems there are even more now.”

At Kang Yu’s words, I pressed my forehead. Whether it was people from other regions who had just arrived in Chengdu after hearing the rumors, or those who were relatively passive joining in, it was clear this situation wouldn’t subside as easily as I had hoped.

“Still, within the Lanling Army, there’s a growing atmosphere of trust in the General. Generals Ma and Bu are the same. Though Commander Guo still seems hesitant.”

Ma Dai, who had been with me the longest, and Bu Chuan, who had served as my guard captain, were two people whose trust in me was unmatched. The fact that I hadn’t confided in them about this marriage matter must have had its reasons.

‘Come to think of it, Kang Yu never asked.’

Even his mother had subtly brought it up.

“Bai Yao, aren’t you curious?”

“Huh?”

“No? You haven’t asked.”

I thought Kang Yu was quite interested in me, but this time, it seems I was just being overly self-conscious.

Feeling awkward, I was about to brush it off when Kang Yu spoke up.

“Wasn’t it a stratagem?”

“Huh?”

“I heard Lu Xun was summoned to Jianye. I thought it was the General’s scheme to exclude Lu Xun from Jing Province, but perhaps…”

“No! Yes. As expected of Bai Yao. But don’t go around talking about it, okay?”

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

As Kang Yu seemed to accept it without much concern, I let out a small sigh. It sounded like two sighs overlapping, but it must have been my imagination.

Anyway, since the crowds gathering in front of my house and Commander Wei’s Office didn’t dissipate, I naturally ended up stamping my attendance at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Kang Yu even brought work from Commander Wei’s Office to the Prime Minister’s Office to give to me, and Ma Dai and Bu Chuan also came to the Prime Minister’s Office whenever they needed my approval, creating a situation that was both laughable and not.

Because of this, other officials also learned that I was taking refuge in the Prime Minister’s Office, but their boldness in coming to Commander Wei’s Office didn’t extend to the Prime Minister’s Office.

I guess Zhuge Liang is scarier than me. I understand. With Fa Zheng dead, and Guan Yu, my father, and Pang Tong outside, there was no one who could challenge Zhuge Liang’s authority.

Maybe me, Huang Quan, or Yu Pa could barely compete, but even then, it wouldn’t be a real match for Zhuge Liang. Unless Liu Bei stepped in, Zhuge Liang’s position was unassailable.

‘And Liu Bei has no intention of touching Zhuge Liang.’

The firmness of their friendship was unshakable.

But even Zhuge Liang had someone who dared to confront him, and that was Dong Yun.

[Dong Yun respectfully submits: Commander Wei is a military personnel with Commander Wei’s Office, and the Prime Minister is a chancellor leading state affairs with the Prime Minister’s Office. However, the collapse of the boundary between civil and military affairs, and the apparent subordination of Commander Wei’s Office to the Prime Minister’s Office, is by no means desirable…]

Dong Yun, who held the position of the Emperor’s advisor and personal secretary, argued that my going to the Prime Minister’s Office was inappropriate and formally proposed this to Liu Bei. It was a move typical of Dong Yun, who always stood by his principles.

Zhuge Liang, as if he had been waiting for Dong Yun’s objection, immediately refuted it. To summarize Zhuge Liang’s response:

[Commander Wei Chang-ran’s marriage matter is not merely a private affair but a national one. This clearly falls under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office as part of foreign affairs.]

After all, it was Zhuge Liang who first brought up this marriage matter. The only people who knew were me, Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei, my father, and my mother.

‘But it’s a good thing I told my father beforehand.’

Since my father’s name was involved in the marriage proposal, Zhuge Liang contacted my father almost simultaneously with Liu Bei.

If he had proceeded without my father’s permission, my father would have rushed to Chengdu, leaving Guanzhong and everything else to O Yi and Pang Tong.

Even though my father reluctantly agreed for the sake of the great undertaking, he wasn’t entirely without complaints.

‘Well, hearing about a marriage proposal from a third party without being the one to bring it up? That’s hard to swallow.’

It was only because it was Zhuge Liang that he tolerated it; anyone else would have immediately rejected it.

In any case, Liu Bei, who knew all the circumstances, naturally sided with Zhuge Liang. Dong Yun, understanding Zhuge Liang’s rebuttal, withdrew without further argument.

And now, Dong Yun was here in the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Is this the abacus Commander Wei made?”

“It’s called a suanpan, I hear.”

With the completed abacus I had brought, Zhuge Liang was explaining its use to Dong Yun.

Zhuge Liang, who had grasped the application after just one explanation, was impressive, but Dong Yun was also quite sharp. He didn’t need a second explanation.

Like a machine, once a value was input, he never forgot it and could always retrieve it at the right time.

After listening to Zhuge Liang’s explanation, Dong Yun absorbed it completely and skillfully flicked the abacus beads.

“It’s much faster than the suanpan. And there’s no lack of accuracy.”

“If this is distributed to the officials, how much efficiency do you think it will increase?”

“First, considering the resources needed to make and distribute it, and the time required to learn how to use it…”

Dong Yun, who had come to Zhuge Liang realizing his own thoughts were short-sighted, was now discussing the distribution of the abacus with Zhuge Liang.

Since this was far from my area, I stepped back and just listened to their conversation.

“But did Commander Wei make this alone?”

Then the conversation turned to me. Though his expression was stoic, Dong Yun’s eyes showed a glimmer of admiration.

I awkwardly smiled and said, “I happened to see merchants from the Roman Empire. I improved it based on what they used.”

The Roman Empire was referred to as Da Qin.

In fact, the abacus has a very long history. Originating from the Mesopotamian civilization, one of the world’s four great civilizations, the abacus spread through Greece and Rome to East Asia.

The abacus I had brought was a final version that had leapfrogged the long process of improvement, so its form was quite different.

“I had heard Commander Wei was skilled with numbers, but seeing it in person, the rumors seem understated.”

“Hmm, Mingjing has a knack for invention too. The basic idea of the repeating crossbow, the Qiang Nu, also came from Mingjing.”

“Is that so?”

“Like the Yuhua Formation. Mingjing seems to have a talent for improving and enhancing existing things.”

Ah, praising someone to their face like that…

“Ahem, ahem. By the way, Prime Minister, I heard you received a reply from Lu Xun.”

“Ah, right. They also don’t seem to consider it a simple private matter, as they sent a formal envoy.”

Lu Xun, who had been practically escorted to Jianye, sent a reply through Zhuge Jin, who had newly taken office as the Governor of Jing Province in Wu.

Externally, it was under the pretext of Zhuge Jin taking office and sending envoys to Han to strengthen the friendship between the two countries. While not entirely false, the real purpose was likely to send a response regarding the marriage matter.

“Then I shall take my leave now.”

As the conversation turned to the marriage matter, Dong Yun, feeling it wasn’t his place to intervene, promptly stood up. Even he, a man of principle, made no exception for himself.

“Ah, take the abacus and show it to His Majesty. Since you’ve learned how to use it, present its advantages along with your thoughts, and propose it to the Shangshu Tai.”

“I will do so.”

After carefully packing the abacus, Dong Yun left the Prime Minister’s Office.

Left alone with Zhuge Liang, I spoke candidly.

“Prime Minister, your brother has come to Jing Province…”

“That’s not an appropriate title for discussing state affairs. Call him General O Yi.”

“Ah, my apologies.”

“But as you said, Wu sending their General is also a gesture considering my blood ties.”

“They must be hoping for brotherly affection.”

Wu was now about to engage in a battle with Wei over Huainan.

They would deploy troops along our borders, but it was inevitable that their forces would thin. They would want to avoid a two-front war if possible.

That’s why they sent Zhuge Jin to Jing Province. Even though the two brothers strictly separated public and private matters, there must be a faint hope among those around them that brothers wouldn’t fight each other.

Zhuge Liang’s response to Lu Xun’s letter also aligned with this.

The content, suggesting that a matter of such magnitude couldn’t be easily decided by just two families and needed more serious consideration as a national affair, clearly aimed to buy time.

Honestly, I had hoped Sun Quan might suspect Lu Xun and purge him, but it seems Sun Quan decided to use Lu Xun instead.

I didn’t have high expectations, but it was a bit disappointing. I knew from historical knowledge that Sun Quan’s decline would take more time, but I had hoped otherwise.

Lu Xun aside, the immediate certainty was the war between Wei and Wu over Huainan.

“The war over Huainan is confirmed.”

“And Sun Quan will want us to join them in attacking Wei.”

To that end, Sun Quan would send envoys to persuade us to attack Wei together.

“Perhaps the next envoy will come under the pretext of your marriage.”

“Wu’s Four Families, the actual head of the Lu family, and a war hero who conquered Xingnan.”

If he also made achievements in the Huainan war, Sun Quan would have to put a brake on promoting Lu Xun.

In that regard, a marriage with me, which would further elevate his status, was something Sun Quan would likely refuse. Zhuge Liang thought the same.

“Rather than proceeding directly with the marriage, they might propose an engagement.”

“If that happens, wouldn’t attacking Wei instead of Wu be a foregone conclusion?”

“Not necessarily. Because you won’t be engaged.”

Zhuge Liang seemed to have other plans. Even I hadn’t heard his full strategy.

Depending on what proposal their envoy brought, he would use different tactics, and he would explain in detail then.

But ultimately, all the plans Zhuge Liang had in mind were scrapped. The premise he had based his expectations on crumbled from the ground up.

The envoy Wu sent wasn’t for a joyous marriage proposal but a condolence delegation to express grief.

It wasn’t because a major figure of Han had died. It was because the subject of the marriage proposal, me, a member of the Zhang family, had died.

In the end, my eldest brother, Zhang Po, had closed his eyes.