They watched as Ma Chao, clad in his ostentatious armor, led his army northward.
Huang Quan then shouted orders of his own, commanding the infantry to set out. The troops formally advanced east toward Qishi County, the gateway to Shangdang.
Yet before this infantry force even began its siege of Qishi, a letter written by Ma Zhong had already been delivered into Shangdang.
From Qishi it was relayed deeper inland, passed through Changzi County and Huguan, and finally transferred layer by layer until it reached Lu County, where the governor of Shangdang currently resided.
The courier galloped into the city at full speed. He did not even bother tying up his horse before rushing straight into the county office and heading directly for the governor.
Such commotion naturally did not escape the notice of the three women reading in the courtyard.
"There truly is no peaceful place left under Heaven."
The quiet sigh came from the oldest of the three.
Though called the eldest, she looked barely past thirty. Yet the calm in her expression suggested someone who had already seen enough of the world's suffering that nothing could easily shake her again.
"Sister was in Ye City before this. Was it not peaceful there either?"
The one who spoke wore slightly more ornate clothing, and her bearing clearly showed she was mistress of this residence. The relationship between the two sisters was therefore easy to guess.
Cai Yan listened to her younger sister's question, recalling the turbulent and unpredictable atmosphere in Ye after the Son of Heaven arrived. She shook her head.
"Ye City… may soon see great upheaval."
Cai Zhenji startled at once.
She had long lived in Shangdang. The region was remote and usually far from warfare, which also meant she did not know much about outside affairs.
As far as she knew, ever since the Battle of Guandu, Chancellor Cao had moved the families of his officials and generals to Ye and stationed heavy guards there.
It was said that Cao and Liu had fought bitterly along the Jing-Yu border for a long time, yet even then Cao had not redeployed the guards stationed in Ye.
Then several months ago, the Son of Heaven himself had relocated to Ye. By all logic, it should have been the safest place in the realm. And yet not long after, her elder sister had voluntarily left the city, claiming a family visit, and had now been staying here for months.
"Then… did Sister inform Chancellor Cao of this?"
Cai Yan shook her head. She flipped another page of the book in her hand, On the Observations of the Acidity and Alkalinity of the Nine Provinces, and answered casually,
"Chancellor Cao himself is mired in difficulties. What happens in Ye is not something we can concern ourselves with."
At this moment, the youngest of the three women, who looked barely twenty, chimed in cheerfully,
"Exactly. I told Yang Dan the same thing. The chaos of the world is reaching its endgame now. Those competing at the center are far beyond people like us."
"In times like these, it is better to find a safe place and wait for the turmoil to pass."
Cai Zhenji laughed and tapped her lightly on the forehead.
"So that is why Xianying traveled all this way, leaving Yang Dan to guard Mount Tai alone?"
This was private conversation among women, so the teasing came easily. Xin Xianying's face scrunched up as she sighed dramatically.
"The Yang family's ancestral tombs are all on Mount Tai. Two of his elder kinsmen are posted, one in Ye and one here. How could Yang Dan abandon the family?"
"And besides, Jin'er is still so young. A child cannot grow up without both parents…"
Cai Zhenji could not help laughing again, tapping her forehead once more in mock exasperation.
"You and Sister both thought Shangdang was safe. And yet the flames of war have reached even here."
"I have lived here so long that I find myself missing Ye City's Tea Ridge tavern. Their duck pancakes and sweet fermented wine…"
Xin Xianying leaned back to avoid another forehead tap and protested,
"When peace returns, Sister-in-law should come with me to Mount Tai instead. Before I came here, I heard that in the south they now cook with iron woks. The dishes are said to be unbelievably delicious, far better than any pancakes."
Cai Zhenji had clearly only been speaking casually before. Now she shook her head and stood.
"That can wait until we survive the present moment. I will go ask whether this military news is urgent. If the situation is unsafe, we must prepare carriages at once so the two of you can leave early and avoid danger."
She adjusted her robes and left.
Naturally lively by temperament, Xin Xianying quickly grew bored. Seeing Cai Yan quietly reading without speaking, she finally asked,
"Does Sister also think Ye City is heading for chaos?"
"I passed through Ye for a few days on my way from Taishan Commandery, and even I felt the atmosphere there was unusual."
In truth, Xin Xianying was being modest. Her father Xin Pi was now one of the principal officials in Ye.
Yet during her five-day stay, she had only met him once in passing, and in that single meeting he had warned her not to linger in the city.
Cai Yan did not answer directly. She only said calmly,
"When men harbor killing intent, Heaven and Earth themselves turn upside down."
Xin Xianying nodded, feeling uneasy for a moment. Then she heard Cai Yan ask,
"Books like this… how many more do you still have?"
Xin Xianying's eyes widened at once and she waved both hands rapidly.
"This really is the last one. I swear I do not have any others left."
For once, a trace of regret appeared on Cai Yan's usually tranquil face.
Seeing that, Xin Xianying felt a bit guilty. Cai Yan's life had been filled with hardship, and the only companions that helped her endure the days were books, calligraphy, and the qin.
So she hurriedly promised,
"Once this crisis passes and I return to Taishan, I will do everything I can to collect more of these books for you."
The regret vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Cai Yan lowered her head to read again and said,
"That will not be necessary. Just tell me where these books came from. I can search for them myself."
Xin Xianying scooted back in her chair, letting her feet dangle and swing idly.
"I do not know much either. I only know they were sold by a book society in Taishan Commandery. I even sent someone to ask the proprietor, but he refused to reveal a single word."
"But my guess is that these books mostly came from Liu Bei's territory in Yi Province. I read the sections on acidity and alkalinity. The most detailed parts concern Yi Province. The northern regions mostly quote older texts, and the Jiangdong sections rely on the author's acquaintances. Only Yi and Hanzhong describe firsthand observations."
"So the author is probably one of the strategists under the Left General."
Cai Yan nodded, but corrected gently,
"Not a group. Most likely one person."
"One person?" Xin Xianying nearly slid off her chair. She shook her head.
"I have read all of them. The one on acidity and alkalinity, On Mechanical Principles of Weight and Leverage, Treatise on the Sea of Maps, On Transparent Glass and the Uses of Light, and Reflections on Refining the Dregs from Alchemy. The subjects are completely different."
"Not to mention Wild Speculations on the Yin-Yang of the Cosmos. That one reads like the ravings of a madman. Twenty thousand coins a copy and no refunds. I almost wanted to report them to the authorities."
Seeing the young woman's indignant expression, Cai Yan laughed softly.
"Yet in all these books, the wording, the structure of argument, and the step-by-step reasoning are identical."
"And if several authors had written them, each would have students or associates. Their reputation would surely have spread across both north and south."
"But twenty thousand coins for a single volume?"
Xin Xianying hesitated, then nodded.
In truth, she had also suspected a single author. But it was hard to imagine that someone capable of writing a rigorous treatise on acids and bases and detailed optical analysis of glass would also be obsessed with alchemical methods, and at the same time boldly claim that the earth beneath their feet was a sphere.
What annoyed her most was that the author even used differences in sightlines from mountaintops and foothills to argue the point so logically that she could not refute it.
As for the price of the books, that was actually a minor matter.
"Elder Sister does not understand," Xin Xianying said matter-of-factly.
"The old Yang family of Taishan is not short of money."
Cai Yan looked from the book to Xin Xianying.
For once, her expression could no longer remain calm.