Chapter 94

When I realized that the conversation I had with Liu Bei in private had been leaked, I thought it would be a bit awkward.

Fortunately, I refrained from saying anything bad. Not all the character evaluations were detailed. Only the evaluations of Zhuge Liang and Zhang Wan were fully known, while the rest were partially spread.

There were some negative aspects, but since it was a comparison with Zhuge Liang at the end, I thought it would be understandable.

First, since Pang Tong and Ban Jun, who were part of the target, were not in Chengdu but in the outer regions, it would be right to pay attention to Yu Pa and Yi Yan first.

When I decided to go out and talk to them, I encountered an unexpected hardship.

The crowd of people filling the area in front of my house.

It was like a market in front of the gate. The number of visitors was so large that it reminded me of the old saying, “The gate becomes a market.”

Our house already had many visitors due to my father and me.

With the 3rd and 4th ranks of the military office in one house, how could there be few people coming for recommendations, character evaluations, and connections?

But this was different. Facing a crowd that seemed to be at least ten times the usual, I quickly locked the gate as soon as I saw them approaching.

If they were enemy forces, it would be one thing, but these were scholars of our country who couldn’t harm us… It was almost a reflex action.

“What is this?”

As I was calming my surprised heart, Yeon-yi approached, having heard the noise.

“Ah, sister, did you see it now?”

“Yeon-ah. Did you know?”

“Yes. They started gathering since last evening. You were busy sparring with father, right?”

It’s true that I was busy sparring with my father yesterday and didn’t pay attention to the outside, but it’s a bit shocking that I didn’t notice such a crowd.

“Yeon-yi, did you know?”

“Of course. I hung the guest refusal sign myself.”

The guest refusal sign was a sign hung on the gate to inform that guests were not being received. It was a kind of refusal of visits.

“Everyone wants to see your face at least once. They say your presence brings official luck? Some even spread mats, saying they won’t leave until they get a character evaluation.”

Although it’s unrelated to Yeon-yi. Still, with the house so crowded that it’s hard to move, Yeon-yi’s tone was too cheerful.

When I asked if she wasn’t worried, Yeon-yi tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“Why? Those people came to impress you or father, right? What’s there to worry about?”

“People sometimes use drastic measures. And you can’t guarantee there are no assassins.”

Even Bi Yi, who was in charge of state affairs on behalf of the emperor, ended his life by assassination. Of course, Bi Yi was almost negligent about safety, but you never know.

But even with my worried words, Yeon-yi laughed as if she heard a funny joke.

“Sister. Did you forget who’s in our house? With you and father here, what’s there to be afraid of? And I’ve trained quite a bit too? Want to see?”

She even had a sword at her waist.

Due to my activities following my father, even the presence of my second brother Zhang Zhao, a civil official, was overshadowed, and the Zhang family became a martial family.

According to Yeon-yi, not only her but Zhang Zhao was also reluctantly training in martial arts.

It seemed hard to go out, so I decided to watch Yeon-yi’s swordsmanship.

The Zhang Yi-de genes were evident, as Yeon-yi had quite impressive swordsmanship skills. It was like watching an elegant sword dance, perhaps learned from Chuk-baek.

“I tried to do the swordsmanship you used to do, but it didn’t work out well. Is it because it’s too old?”

“Shall I teach you now?”

“Really? That’s great!”

It had been a while, but my body remembered, and the longsword techniques were brilliantly displayed. From the middle, Chuk-baek, who became Yeon-yi’s guard and swordsmanship teacher, and even my father joined in for a heated discussion and demonstration of swordsmanship.

Having watched my training since childhood, Yeon-yi actively participated in swordsmanship research. Seeing her examine the Baekbyeokdo received from Cao Cao, it might suit her aptitude.

Anyway, after spending a beneficial time with my family, I secretly contacted Bu Chuan and Kang Yu.

And the next day, I opened the gate again. Even after I came out, the crowd didn’t rush towards me.

Because soldiers who had come earlier surrounded the house.

“You’ve worked hard, Baek Yak, Chung-dam.”

Chung-dam was a name I personally gave to Bu Chuan. It meant loyal and bold.

“We just followed orders.”

After patting their shoulders, I shouted towards the people who were just looking at me, blocked by the soldiers.

“Those gathered here must have come to see me and General Woo. We have been hanging the guest refusal sign until now, but from tomorrow, we will receive visitors, so please disperse.”

Today, I really intended to meet Yu Pa and Yi Yan.

So, besides ordering Kang Yu and Bu Chuan to bring soldiers today, I also ordered them to contact those two in advance.

“And those who came to see me, please come to the Rear General’s Office tomorrow. Those who have business with General Woo can come to the house as is.”

After announcing that, I crossed the crowd with the escort of Kang Yu and Bu Chuan.

No one rushed at me recklessly. Even if there were, I would have ignored them as a warning.

As soon as I escaped the crowd, I let out a sigh I had been holding back.

“I didn’t expect things to get this big.”

This was largely because I took Liu Bei’s seclusion as just an act and brushed it off.

From the outside, with Zhuge Liang absent and Liu Bei neglecting state affairs, the highest authority in Chengdu would seem to be Chief Minister Huang Quan and General Woo, my father.

Nominally, Ma Chao is higher in the military hierarchy than my father, but nominal and actual are different.

In such a situation, with Zhang Wan’s incident, it’s no wonder that I seemed like a golden opportunity to those dreaming of official life or aiming for higher positions.

It was like foxes rushing in, thinking they could take advantage when the tiger was hiding.

“Hahaha, you’d faint if you went out to the market.”

“What do you mean, Chung-dam?”

“They say your presence brings official robes, and paintings of phoenixes are selling like hotcakes. Last time, a peddler was caught selling General’s hair.”

“My hair?”

What kind of crazy peddler is this? It’s not like Africa, where they hunt albinos believing they have mystical powers for human trafficking…

As I was dumbfounded, Kang Yu added another blow.

“They also sell something called ‘Zhang Lady Painting.’ They tried to ban its sale, but they claimed it wasn’t the General but just a lady of the Zhang family, or that it was a painting of Zhang Zifang. They made such absurd excuses that they couldn’t enforce the ban.”

It’s a historical fact that Zhang Zifang was as beautiful as a woman.

I don’t know whether to be happy to be compared to Zhang Zifang or to lament this situation.

With Zhuge Liang away from Chengdu and Liu Bei seemingly neglecting state affairs, it showed that even in Chengdu, administrative processes were becoming noisy.

‘With our country in this state, Cao Bi will soon become emperor.’

Let’s think positively. Trying to calm my mind for the greater plan, I first visited Yu Pa.

Contrary to the evaluation of being clean and frugal with no interest in accumulating wealth, Yu Pa was quite plump.

The reason was one. Tofu. Known here as Dou Yun, Yu Pa was obsessed with this ingredient and had given up frugality when it came to eating.

“Hoho, it’s been a long time since we met like this.”

In the original history, Yu Pa’s lifespan wasn’t long. But that was because he lived frugally with poor nutrition and had too much work.

With Ban Jun, Pang Tong, Ma Liang, etc., sharing the workload and Yu Pa receiving overflowing nutrition from Dou Yun, it’s hard to believe he would die next year, given his current health.

When I apologized for evaluating him as inferior to Zhuge Liang, Yu Pa laughed it off, saying why apologize for such a thing.

“Hmm, Hyun-hak. If you’re really sorry, just make me a good Dou Yun dish. I’ve tried various things, but nothing beats the dishes you make.”

Unlike the past when he spoke down to me due to my lower position, Yu Pa used semi-respectful language. After our first meeting, he left a character evaluation of me as Hyun-hak, born of Chang Eung, and has called me Hyun-hak since.

Although Zhuge Liang also uses the nickname Yan for Guan Yu, it seems Yu Pa feels a strong internal closeness to me.

“I’d be happy to make it for you.”

As Yu Pa said he tried various things, his kitchen was filled with numerous ingredients.

The dish I chose was Agedashi Tofu, a Japanese tofu dish. It’s a kind of fried tofu with a soy sauce-based sauce. The recipe is simple, and the taste and appearance are decent, so I remembered making it in a past life.

Leaving Yu Pa aside, next was Yi Yan.

Unlike Yu Pa, whom I had met before, Yi Yan was practically a stranger. I had seen his face a few times in meetings, but we had never spoken.

But unlike Yu Pa, perhaps because he was clearly lower in rank than me, Yi Yan greeted me with a smiling face.

Although he rose to the ranks of a trusted official due to his merits in surrendering to Liu Bei and proving his abilities, he was no match for me.

In the current situation, with a much richer talent pool around Liu Bei compared to the original history, Yi Yan’s position had relatively narrowed, and he never showed dissatisfaction with my character evaluation.

“Would I resent such a thing? On the contrary, I am only grateful that His Highness mentioned me as a talent comparable to Military Advisor Zhuge.”

“I’m glad you think so, sir.”

“By the way, since this is also a connection, may I recommend someone to the Rear General?”

It was awkward to go empty-handed, so it turned out well.

When I nodded, Yi Yan happily began to speak.

“You know that I am close friends with Bi Guan, the governor of Paju.”

I know. I was there when Yi Yan persuaded Bi Guan to surrender at Mianzhu Pass. And I also know that Bi Guan is Yi Yan’s only friend.

The moment Bi Guan’s name was mentioned, I guessed who Yi Yan was going to recommend and smiled inwardly.

“That friend has a cherished nephew. His name is Bi Yi, and he is a remarkable talent.”

Here it comes, the last of the Chokhan Four.