Chapter 27

Ma Dai had arrived, but we were still short on talent. Some came seeking me after hearing of my reputation, but perhaps my standards were too high, as none seemed to satisfy me.

There was a simple solution to this problem: leave Chengdu. If I followed my father to Paju, the talents I had been eyeing would be waiting. However, I had two reasons for staying in Chengdu.

First, I didn’t want to give the impression that I relied on my father’s influence. Liu Bei had strongly warned me, and after my exploits in the battles of Luocheng and Hanzhong, there were no suspicions or complaints about me now. But who knows about the future? Though I would soon turn 15 and receive my courtesy name, I was still young. It was better not to give anyone a reason to criticize me.

Second, I wanted to meet my family coming from Jing Province. My father had left for Paju, his post, but the family had settled in the safety of Chengdu. My mother, younger sister, and even my two older brothers, whom I had barely seen since they left home, were coming.

Given my past mistakes, I decided to personally greet them this time. My mother would scold me but understand, but I was worried about how my younger sister Yeon-yi would react. She had cried for three days after I left without saying goodbye, according to Ban Jun.

“This is a real problem.”

For me, who had to return to Paju, calming Yeon-yi was more pressing than organizing the military.

As time passed, I heard that my family was almost in Chengdu, so I went outside the city to greet them.

But that alone wasn’t enough to calm their anger. Yeon-yi turned her head away without even greeting me, clearly sulking. Even my mother spoke in a colder tone than usual.

“Chasing after Kongming is understandable, but you must never prioritize it over people. Especially not by lying to your family to achieve merit.”

It was a sharp rebuke, as I had told Yeon-yi I wouldn’t go to war but kept fighting relentlessly.

“I… I didn’t expect it to turn out like this…”

I tried to explain, but my mother furrowed her brow and cut me off.

“Ran, excuses are no good. If you lead soldiers to defeat in the future, will you make excuses then?”

“…I’m ashamed.”

“Yeon-yi is very upset. Your older brothers left home early and didn’t know her well, so she relied on you. Leaving her alone must have been so lonely. I heard you’re going to Paju with your father, but until then, spend time with Yeon-yi.”

“I’ll keep that in mind…”

“Have you greeted Po and So?”

“Not yet. I came to you first.”

“Alright. Go see them now.”

“I’ll be back soon. Yeon-yi, I’ll come back in a bit, okay?”

“Hmph! Liar…”

Yeon-yi was clearly deeply upset. I’d have to take her to the market and treat her to something delicious when we got to Chengdu.

Yi Province, where Chengdu was located, would later be known as Sichuan, famous for its spicy and bold cuisine, but at this time, sweet dishes using honey and malt were more common. There were plenty of sweet treats for a child like Yeon-yi.

After greeting my mother, I stepped out of the carriage. Zhang Zhao, who was leading the horses, smiled lightly and spoke.

“Yeon-yi is really upset, huh?”

“Yes, she is. Are you well, little brother?”

“I’m always healthy. But I’m more worried about our eldest brother. I think it would’ve been better for him to stay in Jing Province.”

Zhang Zhao, the second son, was a civil official but had inherited the family’s robust health. I was no exception, and Yeon-yi, too, had never been sick, but our eldest brother Zhang Po was unusually frail, a constant worry for the family.

When our father was assassinated by traitors, Zhang Po died early, and Zhang Zhao succeeded him, so the concern wasn’t unfounded. It was a problem I couldn’t solve, so I could only watch with a heavy heart.

Zhang Po was in a separate carriage with my mother and Yeon-yi. After a brief talk with Zhang Zhao, I entered Zhang Po’s carriage, where he lay with his wife tending to him.

“Big brother.”

“Ah… Ran? It’s been a while.”

Zhang Po, pale-faced, sat up with his wife’s help.

“Please, lie down.”

“No, lying down too much isn’t good either. I’ve been hearing about your exploits.”

Speaking seemed to tire him, so he paused to catch his breath before continuing.

“I’m sorry to you.”

“Huh?”

“My inadequacy has burdened you. As the eldest son, I couldn’t achieve martial feats like you, but I should have contributed to our great undertaking, even in small ways… *cough, cough*.”

He coughed, and his wife handed him a cup of water, as if used to it.

“If only you had been born the eldest…”

“Please, don’t say that.”

Realizing his slip, Zhang Po changed the subject.

“When you go to Chengdu, tell me your stories.”

“Yes, I will. Please focus on recovering.”

“Alright. I’ve held you back too long. Go now. Yeon-yi is waiting.”

“Once you’ve recovered, I’ll visit.”

“Thank you.”

After a brief farewell to his wife, I left the carriage.

There were records of Zhang Po having a son named Zhang Jun, so he would likely recover somewhat in Chengdu. I made a mental note to visit him later and returned to my younger sister.

Yeon-yi, though sulking, clung to me tightly, refusing to let go. I ended up riding in the carriage with her, but it wasn’t so bad. There would be plenty of time for horseback riding later.

Upon arriving in Chengdu, I took Yeon-yi to the market as planned.

Though the military issues weren’t fully resolved, I could fill the gaps with talents from Paju later. For now, I focused on my family.

With Ma Dai’s reputation, promoting those who had earned merit to intermediate positions wouldn’t draw much criticism. Bringing in someone from Paju might invite gossip about relying on my father, but it was better than filling positions with incompetents. Promoting someone like Zhang San, who had been with me for a long time, might even be beneficial.

Thanks to Ma Chao and Ma Dai’s cooperation, I could focus on my market outing with Yeon-yi.

“Sister, look at that!”

“Sure, let’s go see.”

Though young, Yeon-yi, being a girl, was drawn to the accessories. The market’s trinkets were below her noble status, but a child needn’t worry about such things. Unless she became an empress by marrying Yu Xian, she could enjoy what she liked.

The accessories of this era were mainly earrings and hairpins. The hairpins, especially, were adorned with jewels and intricate designs, though the market ones were mostly wooden, with some featuring silver decorations for a cleaner look.

Yeon-yi was eyeing an orange wooden hairpin with jade decorations, which looked quite well-made for a market item.

“Yeon-yi, do you want it?”

“Yes~ No? I want to give it to Chuk-baek.”

Ah, I had forgotten about Chuk-baek. After I left, she had become a general, and Yeon-yi had taken her as her maid. Feeling guilty, I thought of giving her a gift too.

Since Yeon-yi was looking at hairpins, I thought earrings might be better. But nothing in the market caught my eye. Coming from the 21st century, where advanced technology created dazzling jewelry, handmade wooden earrings didn’t appeal to me.

I had some unused accessories at home; I could give her one of those.

After a day of shopping and sweet treats with Yeon-yi, she forgot her sulking and chattered away cheerfully.

With my secret weapon, Yeon-yi forgave me with a bright smile.

“Is it good?”

“Yes!”

“Be careful eating it. Don’t poke yourself.”

My secret weapon was tanghulu. Without sugar, I used honey and malt, coating tangerines in season. Though similar foods existed, skewering them and coating them thinly was unique. Perhaps I’d become the origin of tanghulu in the future.

Despite its simplicity, making it look good was tricky, but with my natural skill and past life’s experience, it was hard to fail.

As Yeon-yi nibbled on the tanghulu, a commotion broke out, shattering our peace.

They say the most entertaining things are fights and fires. Hearing the fight, the market crowd surged toward the noise.

“Should we stop it?”

“Sister, are you fighting again?”

“Fighting again… No. I’ll stop it this time.”

What image did I have in Yeon-yi’s eyes? I hoped I wasn’t just a troublemaker who always fought.

Holding Yeon-yi’s hand, I pushed through the crowd to find several men ganging up on one person.

Seeing their armor, they seemed to be soldiers. Good, this would be easier.

“Stop! What’s this commotion in broad daylight?”

“Huh? What woman…?”

The soldier started to curse but stopped upon seeing my face. Right, I was somewhat famous among the soldiers. A mere soldier wouldn’t dare curse a general.

Just as I thought to let it slide…

“Ahem, miss, you shouldn’t involve yourself in such matters. A noble lady like you shouldn’t risk getting hurt.”

The soldier, red-faced, spoke condescendingly.

Are you really from Liu Bei’s army? Or Liu Zhang’s? Don’t you recognize me?

Embarrassed by my earlier assumption, my face burned. Beside me, Yeon-yi giggled, finding it amusing that her sister wasn’t being treated as a general.

This sister went through the trouble of renting a shop and preparing tanghulu to cheer you up…

Channeling my shame and anger, I was about to explode at the soldier who not only failed to recognize me but also leered at me, when another intervener stepped in.

“The lady is right. How dare you commit violence in broad daylight, defying the law?”