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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Liu Biao Arrives in Xiangyang
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Mid-Autumn of the sixth year of Zhongping (189 AD).
The first news to arrive came from Luoyang in the north.
- Dong Zhuo had deposed the young emperor and enthroned a new one.
- The former emperor had met a miserable end too horrific to speak of.
People dismissed the rumors with disbelief.
But it soon proved true.
Though the imperial family's affairs didn't directly impact the lives of common folk, the news of a minister assassinating the emperor shook the foundations of Han rule—Confucianism itself, and especially its core virtue of "loyalty"—to the core.
The next report carried a glimmer of hope.
- Righteous feudal lords had issued calls to arms to subdue Dong Zhuo.
- Yuan Shao had swiftly rallied the banners of sixteen commanderies.
Outwardly, people cheered the "righteous anti-Dong Zhuo coalition," but their eyes held an unspoken worry.
They knew conscription and plunder would inevitably follow.
Rumors quieted for a time.
Then came word that Luoyang had burned, and the Emperor had been relocated to Chang'an.
After that, news from the north trickled to a halt.
But a single piece of ill tidings from the south rocked the land of Xiangyang.
- Inspector of Jing Province Wang Rui had taken his own life.
Wang Rui, appointed Inspector just a few years prior, had achieved notable feats alongside Administrator of Changsha Sun Jian in subduing bandits in Lingling and Guiyang in southern Jing Province.
Yet rumors swirled that his death was truly Sun Jian's doing.
Wang Rui's demise foreshadowed Jing Province's plunge back into chaos.
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While the Inspector lived, the great clans had at least plundered discreetly from the shadows. But with his death and the resulting power vacuum, they brazenly reared their heads.
The Cai Clan, in particular, had once mustered some pretext against their fellow great clan, the Jin Clan. Now, they dispensed even with that pretense and pillaged openly.
Crash!
Sunju, her vitality sapped by age, was guarded by Duseon and eight-year-old Baek.
Yet as Baek watched them smash vases and rampage, there was nothing he could do.
He simply etched their atrocities silently into his memory.
That was when a carriage and its escort of cavalry burst into the Jin estate's courtyard.
Overwhelmed by the soldiers' disciplined aura, the Cai retainers faltered and couldn't intervene.
"What is this commotion?!"
The man who stepped from the carriage was a burly middle-aged warrior.
His imposing presence silenced the ruffians, who halted their thuggery and held their breath.
Cai Xun, watching from the shadows, slowly rose.
"Who are you to interfere in official matters?"
Cai Xun's words drew a scoff of disbelief from the man.
"Official matters? I heard former Inspector Wang of Jing Province has passed. Who dares call themselves an official now? You fool! Have you no fear of heaven?!"
His booming voice made Cai Xun and his men flinch involuntarily.
Listening, Baek smiled quietly to himself.
'Mentioning the predecessor Wang Rui... That must be Liu Biao.'
But with his face lost before his men, Cai Xun stiffly lifted his chin and prodded Liu Biao's chest.
"I don't know where you crawled from, but defy me in this town, and you won't keep your head. Even if your son comes begging the magistrate after you're quietly vanished, what difference will it make?"
Trusting his local clout, Cai Xun puffed up.
Liu Biao narrowed his eyes and glared.
"They said bandit clans run wild here, but it's worse than the rumors."
The courtyard held its breath in the tense standoff.
"Hold! Cease this at once!"
Then a man entered the estate.
No one in Xiangyang knew not his face.
Cai Mao Dekyu.
With Cai Clan patriarch Cai Feng bedridden, he effectively controlled northern Jing Province.
As he appeared, Cai Xun's demeanor shifted—from cowed to cocky, shoulders squared.
"Brother, this fool's meddling in official business. Let me teach him a lesson!"
Cai Mao silently drew a club from his belt.
Without warning, he smashed it down on Cai Xun's shoulder.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Only after beating Cai Xun senseless did Cai Mao wipe the blood from his face with a cloth and bow politely to Liu Biao.
"Even our household couldn't rein in this troublemaker who failed to recognize you, sir. I am Cai Mao Dekyu."
Watching, Baek narrowed his eyes.
'Cai Xun wouldn't act without Cai Mao's orders. For all his show, Cai Mao's the real puppeteer here.'
Liu Biao eyed Cai Mao briefly before nodding casually.
"Dekyu Gong, your reputation precedes you. I am Liu Biao, succeeding Inspector Wang Rui as the new Inspector of Jing Province. My courtesy name is Jingsheng."
His tone was even, his thoughts inscrutable.
At Liu Biao's name, Cai Mao feigned delighted surprise.
"To meet Jingsheng Gong, a Pure Stream scholar and one of the Eight Marquises—what an honor."
He'd surely known Liu Biao's identity all along, yet acted as if hearing it now.
Baek inwardly tsked at the shallow performance.
"Ha ha, if it's no trouble, I'd like to pay my respects to my mother-in-law after so long."
Liu Biao suggested mildly to Cai Mao, who caught the hint and withdrew with his men.
"You lot, secure the perimeter."
At Liu Biao's command, the soldiers dispersed in perfect order to stand guard.
"Bo Xu, bring your mother."
As Liu Biao spoke, Liu Qi emerged from the carriage, supporting his mother Jin Hui.
The boy was tall and handsome, but his pale face and frail build betrayed his weak constitution.
Jin Hui, whom he aided, looked even more precarious—her steps feeble, her face gaunt with illness.
Liu Biao gently took Jin Hui's hand from Liu Qi and followed Duseon to the main hall.
Together, Liu Biao, Jin Hui, and Liu Qi bowed to Sunju in the seat of honor.
"Mother-in-law, it's been too long."
"You've had a hard journey. What brings you here?"
To Sunju's question, Liu Biao replied with a gentle smile.
"As you've heard, I've been appointed Inspector by court order. The seat is in Wuling, but with bandits rampant there, I came here first to gauge the situation."
Sunju recalled the dozen or so soldiers escorting him and sensed his path ahead would be far from smooth.
"You'll have your work cut out for you."
Liu Biao gave a wry smile.
"I merely follow the court's decree."
Sensing her son-in-law's reluctance to discuss outside affairs further, Sunju held her tongue.
"I'll survey the town and assess things."
"See to it the guest quarters are prepared."
As Liu Biao departed, Sunju sighed softly and approached her clearly ailing daughter.
"I knew your illness was grave from the messages, but it's worse than I feared."
"Mother..."
Even before her mother after so long, Jin Hui lacked the strength to rally.
Only her reddened eyes spoke her affection.
"Duseon, have the guest quarters heated and beds prepared for the children."
"Yes, ma'am."
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That late evening, as the guest quarters' fire just began to crackle, Baek crouched by a water jar in the courtyard corner.
He wrote characters in the dirt with a stick, then erased them, over and over.
'Paper's scarce these days—this is the next best thing.'
Thanks to Sunju's indulgence, he could access the study books, but in this era when books were treasures, he couldn't take them outside.
Then a clear voice came from behind.
"Practicing the Spring and Autumn Annals?"
Baek looked up at the soft query.
Liu Qi gazed down at him.
Baek stood carefully and bowed.
"Yes, young master."
"Where did you learn to write?"
Baek tensed.
In this stratified age, a servant girl's son learning letters could invite trouble.
"The matriarch permitted me to read the books. I memorized them by sight in spare moments and practiced copying now and then."
Liu Qi studied the twig in Baek's hand for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Even adults struggle with the Spring and Autumn Annals. What struck you most?"
Baek thought, then ventured cautiously.
"It chronicles the feudal lords' strife, but every entry ends noting the human cost—the victims of war, famine-struck fields, ruined villages. In the end, isn't it saying the people's lives matter more than grand causes?"
A thoroughly modern take on the classic.
Yet it pierced the essence of this turbulent era.
Liu Qi fell silent, lost in thought.
Staring into space with pursed lips, he finally spoke softly.
"My teacher said much the same. More important than judging right and wrong among lords is ensuring the people below don't starve. I didn't grasp it then, but coming to Jing Province, I think I do now."
Liu Qi smiled warmly and ruffled Baek's hair.
"Keep studying. Knowledge is never wasted."
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With Liu Biao's banner over the Jin estate, even the Cai Clan dared not cross its walls.
Liu Biao, returning from outings, always held the ailing Jin Hui's hand, administered medicine, and showed care for the family.
But his devotion waned with time; his visits grew sparse.
Overnight stays stretched past the month's start, then days, until ten days passed without a glimpse.
Whispers leaked from servants throughout the estate.
"Another feast at the Cai estate, they say."
"How can he be so heartless when his wife's so ill..."
Jin Hui's breaths grew fainter.
Even when her eyes opened, they were unfocused; a single word seemed an ordeal.
Sunju sat silently by her bed each nightfall, watching through the dark. Duseon never left her side.
Days later, even grasping her daughter's hand brought no warmth.
Sunju had to accept it.
It was time to let go.
Duseon wiped tears, gazing pityingly at mother and daughter.
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The next morning, disaster struck the estate like a thunderbolt.
"The young master is gone!"
The gasping servant's cry blanched every face; Sunju gripped the screen with trembling hands.
"Where... in this state, where could he..."
No one knew, so they scoured the village.
Finally, they learned Liu Qi had slipped out alone at dawn, a bundle on his back.
"That frail boy..."
Searches covered the estate, village outskirts, back hills, streams—nothing.
As dusk fell with no word, despair enveloped the estate.
People exchanged silent glances, none daring to speak.