While Hou Junji was making a grand show of his abilities along the banks of the Lancang River, Wang Xuance turned back for one last look at the land already far behind him, the kingdom of Gandhara, in what is now eastern Afghanistan.
In his youth he had once sworn to make a name for himself beneath heaven. Even when he had been posted to the remote prefecture of Rongzhou, that ambition had never faded. Yet he had never expected that within a single year he would be recalled to the capital, witness so many strange and wondrous events, and ultimately be ordered by the emperor to travel west together with Master Xuanzang on a mission to India.
Counting the days now, it had been nearly two years since he left Chang'an. And once they passed beyond Gandhara, India would finally be within sight.
When he thought back to his quiet days as a county magistrate in Huangshui two years ago, then compared them with all the dangers and marvels encountered along this journey, Wang Xuance could not help but feel as though an entire lifetime had passed in between.
"If Xuance feels homesick, you can simply say so," Xuanzang's gentle voice drifted over. "This poor monk's lay family comes from Chenliu in Luoyang, and Xuance is also from Luoyang. If we count it properly, we might even call ourselves fellow townsmen. Now that we are in foreign lands, people from the same hometown ought to support one another and travel in unity. Xuance should spend more time in my company. Moreover, the monastery where I took vows, Pure Land Temple, is also in Luoyang. It is not impossible that we passed each other in the streets when we were young. And now we journey together toward India. Could this not be what the Buddha calls karmic affinity? Alas, I have entered the monastic path, otherwise I would certainly sit up with candles through the night and count Xuance a true confidant. Still, along the road I find you possess considerable spiritual insight. Why not read a few more Buddhist scriptures? There is no need to shave your head, simply take their essence. You may gain something from it…"
Wang Xuance's brow twitched violently.
He wanted to interrupt, but Master Xuanzang spoke in a calm, steady stream that somehow contained no pauses for breath, leaving him feeling more suffocated than if he had been the one lecturing.
In the end, he simply shook his head, strode ahead to take the lead, and ignored the laughter of the companions behind him.
A wild wind from the foreign mountains rolled downward, lifting the hems of the Tang travelers' robes.
Riding on that wind came Wang Xuance's characteristically brief reply:
"Walk faster. When we reach India, the road home will finally be in sight."
On the eastern wall of Chang'an during the Han era, Liu Bei stood pointing into the hazy distance and declared loudly,
"The road home will be in sight. The road home will be in sight!"
Zhuge Liang stood beside him with a faint smile, raising a hand to feel the warm wind sweeping across Guanzhong.
"To restore the Han and return to the old capital," he said, "that shall be accomplished this very year."
It was now the fifth month. The new crops had been planted, the season of heavy rains had passed, the granaries were full, the soldiers well trained, the horses strong, the armor polished, Guanzhong secure, Chang'an stable. Generals petitioned daily for battle, and the officials unanimously urged an eastern campaign.
Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Lu Su, and Fa Zheng each handled their duties. Zhang Fei and Ma Chao drilled the troops day after day.
Under such circumstances, the only person left with nothing urgent to do was Liu Bei himself.
After all, when Cao Cao had personally campaigned against Ma Chao two years earlier, he had squeezed Guanzhong dry on the way. The men, women, elders, and children of Chang'an had all suffered through it. Even though life had stabilized now, no one had forgotten.
And when one spoke of Guanzhong's earlier history, four hundred years ago the founding emperor Gaozu had marched east from here, defeated Xiang Yu, and secured the Han dynasty.
Twenty eight years before that, the King of Qin had also marched east from this very region, conquered the Six States, and ascended as the First Emperor.
So now, was it not only natural that the Imperial Uncle should march east in his turn, crush the rebels, and restore peace to the realm?
In such a mood, Liu Bei had no need to give speeches to the people. As the appointed date drew nearer, he simply found himself visiting the eastern wall of Chang'an more and more often.
Zhuge Liang would occasionally accompany him when he found a moment of leisure, as he had done today.
Here he would watch his lord sigh that he had not failed the trust of the people, boast that even the great emperors Gaozu and Wu would have little to reproach him for, yet beneath that pride there lingered something else.
"In the fourth year of Xiping I left home to study," Liu Bei murmured. "Since then I have fought across the land, drifting from place to place. Now it is the nineteenth year of Jian'an. Thirty nine years have passed."
"The road home… how difficult it is."
At such times Zhuge Liang did not need to say anything.
Still, from Liu Bei's expression he sometimes wondered whether his lord was lamenting how the countless warlords of old had dwindled to only a handful, or reflecting on whether he had truly lived without shame before the ancestors of the Liu clan.
Or perhaps, just perhaps, he was remembering the mother who had urged him to leave home to study when he was fifteen.
By the time they descended from the wall, the sun was already sinking westward. After parting from Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang returned home.
The courtyard was small but tidy. In one corner lay a pile of ingenious mechanical tools, some belonging to his daughter Guoguo, others to his wife Yueying. What pleased him most, however, was a miniature canal built along the western wall by his son Zhuge Qiao, modeled after the Yellow River.
So Basong had taken an interest in water management?
Entering the main hall, he saw Huang Yueying carrying a food jar. Zhuge Liang immediately hurried forward, took it from her, set it on the table, and turned to scold her.
"You are already with child. Such tasks should be left to others. Why tire yourself?"
Huang Yueying looked helpless.
"The pregnancy has only just passed its first month. According to Physician Zhang, I need not be overly cautious for another three months."
Zhuge Liang shook his head firmly.
"Physician Zhang specializes in treating colds. One cannot rely on him alone. Better to be careful. Yesterday I already wrote to Wu Pu and Fan A, both disciples of the great physician Hua Tuo. When their replies arrive we can compare their advice with Zhang's."
At this point he even looked slightly regretful.
"I spent so long studying the knowledge shown in the light curtain, yet somehow neglected to search for the medical practices of later generations concerning women."
Huang Yueying watched her once composed husband become unusually fussy, and although she had already gone through this once when carrying their daughter, she still felt a warm sweetness at seeing the famous Sleeping Dragon lose his calm for her sake.
Leaning her head gently against his shoulder, she spoke softly.
"Guoguo will not be coming home for dinner again today."
When the topic shifted, Zhuge Liang instantly returned to his usual confident self.
"Still holding a grudge that I must leave home again?"
Huang Yueying shot him a look.
"That is because even at the dinner table you cannot stop discussing affairs of the realm. Guoguo now swears she will help her father bring peace to the world, so that the father who carries the people in his heart may return home in peace and celebrate with his family."
Zhuge Liang paused, then sighed softly.
"To have such a daughter… that is my fortune."
After speaking sharply, Huang Yueying's expression softened. She leaned back against him and murmured,
"If the world is in chaos, how can a small household be at peace?"
At that very moment, in a workshop north of the Imperial Academy, Zhuge Guoguo rubbed her aching fingers after hours spent drawing mechanical component diagrams.
Only then did she remember something and turn to the woman helping beside her.
"Elder sister, your marriage is not even a month old, is it? Why are you still here instead of going home?"
Li Shu lit the oil lamp and carefully placed it at a suitable distance, the dim room brightening slightly. Hearing the question, she smiled with faint resignation.
"A month ago General Ma Chao insisted on adopting Dexin into his extended clan and calling him brother. Soon after, Dexin was summoned into the army. He is busy every day and does not return home until near midnight. It is only sunset now. There is still time."
Guoguo thought for a moment. She remembered that Sister Li's husband Ma Zhong was from Langzhong, which should have nothing to do with the Ma clan of Fufeng. But then again, since it was General Ma Chao, doing something outrageous like that somehow felt perfectly normal.
In that case…
She frowned slightly.
"Does that mean your husband will march out with the army?"
Li Shu's hands paused. She clasped them together and was silent for a moment before answering.
"Dexin is a good man with great ambitions. Of course he should follow Lord Xuande, eliminate bandits, bring peace to the people, and earn his name. I will simply wait for him."
She then looked at the diagrams before them and added quietly,
"Besides, what we are doing here now… how is it any different from what he is doing?"
Inside that small room, two sighs fell almost in perfect unison.