On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, Liu Bei stood in front of the ugly side hall, breathing into his hands and rubbing them together for warmth.
His gaze lingered on the newly installed door panels, where the figures of Shentu and Yulei were pasted.
The two divine gate guardians looked imposing and fierce, carved onto the left and right doors. Liu Bei frowned slightly.
Will the auspicious sign dislike this sort of thing? he wondered.
"Is something amiss, my lord?" a thin, scholarly man asked as he approached. "Since we only arrived here earlier this year, the buildings needed repairs. Yesterday, after the carpenters finished fixing the doors and windows, they saw that the new side hall doors were still bare and took it upon themselves to carve the two door gods for the New Year. Was that inappropriate?"
Liu Bei looked up and smiled.
"Gongyou, you're up early. It's fine—nothing improper. Come in with me and wait."
Sun Qian followed half a step behind Liu Bei into the mysterious side hall.
Inside, the room was bright and spotless. The furnishings were simple, with no excess decoration. At the left side of the hall, Zhuge Liang was bent over his desk, writing and sketching nonstop.
He always seemed like this.
No one ever saw Kongming rest.
Even fewer had any idea when he actually started working.
Sun Qian couldn't help but admire him.
More capable than me—and works harder than me. I really have nothing to complain about.
After finishing a cup of tea, Sun Qian finally couldn't sit still.
"My lord, Qian still needs to go verify—"
"Gongyou," Liu Bei interrupted gently. "From the first year of Xingping until now… it's been fifteen years."
His eyes filled with remembrance.
"We were first beaten by Lü Bu. Then you went to Yuan Shao on my behalf to plead our case, securing us a place to stay. Later, Brother Jingsheng sheltered us—but we could only watch helplessly as internal strife in Jingzhou allowed Cao the traitor to seize his chance."
"Only after Red Cliffs, with Cao Cao defeated… after fifteen long years… did we finally gain even this small foundation, enough to serve as a refuge for you."
Liu Bei bowed his head slightly.
"I have failed you, Gongyou."
Sun Qian, usually steady and composed, now had tears in his eyes. He dropped to his knees.
"My lord treats me as a man of the state—"
"Gongyou! Why are you kneeling?" a booming voice interrupted. "Could it be my big brother is punishing you? That won't do! If Gongyou's at fault, Old Zhang will bear it all!"
There was only one man who could shout like that.
Zhang Fei strode in, followed closely by Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong—and Jian Yong and Mi Zhu, who were still craning their necks around, looking everywhere.
Liu Bei said irritably, "I was merely reminiscing with Gongyou… Gongyou, get up. And if he had truly committed some grave offense, what could you possibly shoulder?"
Zhang Fei waved it off. "Gongyou's been by Big Brother's side forever. Old Zhang knows what kind of man he is!"
Zhuge Liang, seated at the left, set down his brush and placed the freshly reviewed documents into the basket behind him.
Smiling, he said, "The lord was only recalling old times with Gongyou… Xianhe, Zizhong—long time no see. Why are you keeping your hands hidden in your sleeves?"
Everyone present was a core figure under Liu Bei. Even Huang Zhong, the only relative newcomer, had fought alongside them in Jingzhou.
Jian Yong thus openly placed the wooden tablets hidden in his sleeves onto the table.
"I just returned from Jiaozhou when my lord spoke of auspicious signs. I feared petty men were deceiving him, so Zizhong and I prepared a joint remonstrance."
"Now it seems we misunderstood. I am willing to accept punishment for my impropriety."
Mi Zhu also pulled out his memorial, standing beside Jian Yong with his head lowered in apology.
Zhao Yun stepped forward, collected both documents, and handed them to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei skimmed them quickly, then burst out laughing.
"No harm done. Xianhe and Zizhong acted out of sincere loyalty… but this auspicious sign truly does exist."
At that very moment, in midair above the side hall, the light screen slowly unfolded, accompanied by music.
[Hello everyone, I'm Wen Mang! As promised, today we're talking about Shu Han. Since we've already discussed why Cao Wei and Sun Wu lost the realm, it's only fair that Shu Han gets its turn.
The Shu Han segment is a bit longer, so today we'll start with the Battle of Hanzhong—Shu Han's founding war, an all-star war, and the war that earned it the right to contend for the empire!
Since it was a founding war, its significance needs no explanation. After this battle, Liu Bei proclaimed himself King of Hanzhong. The following year, Cao Pi usurped the Han, and Liu Bei declared himself the successor to the two martial founders, ascended the throne, and adopted the reign title Zhangwu.
Of course, you all know what happened later—Lu Xun's fire burned away Shu Han's national fortune. Zhangwu only lasted three years, and after Liu Shan took the throne, the reign title changed to Jianxing. But that's for later. For now, let's rewind back to Hanzhong.]
Jian Yong and Mi Zhu stood there, mouths agape.
The sight was utterly shocking.
The light screen floated in midair without support, without ropes. Voices and music flowed from it, and clear images appeared—of a kindly yet commanding middle-aged man in splendid robes, burning incense with civil and military officials as he ascended the imperial throne.
A true miracle.
There was no other explanation.
"Is… is the High Ancestor Emperor manifesting?" Jian Yong whispered in awe.
"Minister Jian, don't be startled," Zhang Fei said, doing his utmost to restrain his excitement. "The light screen says Big Brother will be posthumously titled Emperor Zhaolie. It's clearly from the future—how could you miss that?"
"Xianhe, Zizhong, sit and watch," Liu Bei said, his face saying look at these country bumpkins, while his hands clenched tightly inside his sleeves.
Mi Zhu was still dazed—but his thoughts were filled with joy.
Liu Bei becomes emperor!
Mi Zizhong truly backed the right man!
I invested in an emperor—this alone guarantees my name in history!
Jian Yong, on the other hand, recovered quickly. As a seasoned persuader who traveled far and wide, he was skilled at adjusting himself—especially since Huang, Zhang, Guan, and Zhao were all sneaking glances at him, clearly hoping to see him embarrass himself.
So Jian Yong relaxed even more and cut straight to the key point.
"My lord inheriting the legacy of two martial founders is indeed heroic. But only three years on the throne? And who exactly is this Lu Xun?"
"I know Lu Xun—" Zhang Fei raised his hand, only to have Guan Yu immediately clamp a palm over his mouth. Zhang Fei struggled and mumbled in protest.
"Inheriting the legacy of two martial founders" meant claiming succession from both Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, who founded the Former Han, and Emperor Guangwu, who restored the Later Han.
To establish Shu Han as the third Han was an ambition of breathtaking scale.
Liu Bei had already made his peace with it.
Zhang Fei talked so much about Lu Xun that Liu Bei could no longer even muster hatred—only regret that such a hero remained in Jiangdong instead of joining him to restore the Han.
"Xianhe, just keep watching."
Sun Qian, who had been thoroughly ignored, quietly shifted to Zhuge Liang's side and began grinding ink, assisting where he could. He earned an approving glance from Kongming.
"Then what does 'all-star' mean?" Mi Zhu asked.
"Stars mean Venus," Zhang Fei muttered, racking his brains. "All-star… all Venuses?"
Zhao Yun said thoughtfully, "Venus governs war and slaughter. This may simply be a linguistic habit of later generations—calling us all martial stars. Since the Battle of Hanzhong allowed our lord to become King of Hanzhong, perhaps it means he was favored by the martial stars."
[Historical records on the Battle of Hanzhong are sparse, but scholars throughout the ages rate it extremely highly. And for us, the highlights are endless!
For instance—old man Cao Mengde once again encountering the Yunmei he could never obtain.
For instance—Yunmei reentering god-of-war mode at Changban, once again carving through Cao's army with seven charges in and seven charges out!]
Everyone in the hall stared wide-eyed.
"Yun… mei?"