C Chapter 64 – 05. Young Tree【稚樹】

Chapter 64
05. Young Tree【稚樹】

 

In the silent forest, a small girl hurriedly pushed her way through the dense undergrowth. Hidden among the thick foliage, the buzzing insects and small rabbits scattered at the sudden sound of her approach. Perhaps sensing the ominous air, birds took flight in flurries, their chirps ringing out in panic at the sudden intrusion.

Her hair, which would have been neatly braided, was now disheveled. Only a single ornate flower hairpin remained holding her hair in place.

The hem of her skirt was tattered as if torn somewhere, and her face was covered in dirt as if she had rolled on the ground multiple times. Despite her shabby appearance, an unmistakable beauty still emanated from the girl.

Her delicate forehead, prominent nose, and slightly flushed cheeks gave her a striking appearance. Her small, rosy lips were pressed together, biting down on her pearly white teeth, while her dark, glistening eyes—a deep shade like ripened fruit—conveyed a mix of determination and despair.

It was hard to imagine any man who wouldn’t be enchanted by this young girl. It was clear she would one day grow into a renowned beauty across the Central Plains.

“Hah, ha, huff…”

Rough breaths escaped her lips, and cold sweat streamed down her fair face. Her feet, clearly raised in nobility without a single callus, were bare and bloodied with wounds from running through the forest.

As much as her feet moved, her hands constantly pushed through the undergrowth. Though she cleared away branches blocking her path, those she missed sprang back to strike her snow-white cheeks. Red blood seeped from her cheek.

But the girl paid no attention, blindly repeating like someone chased by ghosts.

“Run, I must run…”

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

During the late Han Dynasty, the court was rife with conflict among officials, eunuchs, and the emperor’s family. In such circumstances, natural disasters became frequent, and naturally, disease spread, and people starved.

The desperate common people either abandoned their ancestral farmlands to wander, or one after another, rose in rebellion.

In this situation, a man named Zhang Jue created a religion called the Way of Peace and began absorbing the revolting farmers. Calling himself the Great Virtuous Teacher, Zhang Jue spread the teachings of the Way of Peace while healing those afflicted with disease.

The Way of Peace comforted the hearts of the poor and soon spread across the continent like wildfire. Farmers who had scattered like ants under government oppression united under the focal point of the Way of Peace, becoming an immensely powerful force.

The method to easily handle such a large force was simple. All they needed was to create a common enemy to attack together.

Azure Heaven is already dead. Yellow Heaven should take its place. When the year meets jiazi, great fortune will come to all under Heaven.

「蒼天已死，黃天當立，歲在甲子，天下大吉。」

This prophecy rallied the people under the banner of rebellion against the Han Dynasty.

However, Zhang Jue’s plans were leaked, and Emperor Ling commanded his minister, He Jin, to dispatch troops.

Zhang Jue, now desperate, moved up the schedule. In 184, Zhang Jue and his two brothers proclaimed themselves as General of Heaven, General of Earth, and General of Man, prophesying that they would ascend to the throne in place of the Han dynasty.

They sent proclamations throughout their religious order inciting riots everywhere—at the time, 8 of the 14 provinces were under the Way of Peace’s influence.

The Way of Peace followers all wore yellow turbans, so they called themselves the Yellow Turban Army, while the imperial court referred to them as Yellow Turban Rebels.

In the Hebei region, the Yellow Turbans attacked government offices while calling for the overthrow of the Han Dynasty. In Ji Province, even the government armies fled in fear at rumors of approaching Yellow Turban forces.

Alarmed by this tremendous situation, the imperial court suspended its power struggles and hastily dispatched military commanders to suppress the rebellion.

The chosen generals were Lu Zhi, a former Grand Administrator of Jiujiang and mentor to Liu Bei, Huangfu Song, the former Administrator of Beidi, and Zhu Jun, a former Administrator of Jiaozhi. The emperor appointed them as Generals of the Central, Left, and Right Divisions, respectively.

Zhu Jun, who had the most battle experience, appeared thoughtful for a moment before addressing Emperor Ling.

“Although Your Majesty thinks highly of my abilities and has entrusted me with this grave responsibility, I fear that in my old age and weakness I may not meet Your Majesty’s expectations. Please allow a younger and more talented general to serve as vanguard.”

“Very well. Who would you take? Name the person you have in mind.”

“The general I wish to make vanguard is Sun Jian of Wu Commandery.”

“Ah, I have heard of him.”

Emperor Ling nodded. Sun Jian was somewhat known as the young general who had beheaded the rebel of Changsha who rose up in 174. Pleased with the suggestion, Emperor Ling granted his request.

“Permission granted.”

“Your Majesty, this situation presents an excellent opportunity to develop young generals. There is another promising individual I have in mind and I humbly request permission to bring him along.”

“Who do you want?”

“Yilang Cao.”

“I permit it. I shall grant him the title of Commandant of Cavalry. General Huangfu, I entrust the elimination of these treacherous rebels to you.”

Among the three Five Tiger Generals, unlike the others who competed to recommend someone else for the vanguard, Lu Zhi remained silent. Emperor Ling, finding his silence curious, asked.

“General Lu, do you not have someone you wish to recommend?”

Lu Zhi inwardly clicked his tongue. If only his disciple, Gongsun Zan, were present, he would undoubtedly recommend him. However, Gongsun Zan was currently serving as a Chief Clerk in the Liaodong Commandery and could not abandon the frontier. Thus, Lu Zhi had no choice but to suggest someone else.

“In that case, I will take Yuan Shao of Henan with me.”

It was no surprise that Yuan Shao, along with Cao Cao and Sun Jian, was brought up as one of the advisors. These men, destined to become future heroes, were already radiating brilliance.

However, they weren’t the only ones comparable to these three. There was Zhang Rang’s adopted child, So Dongbaek.

Though young, her fame was indisputable, and her abilities had been proven through two years of service.

Yet none of the three generals considered taking Dongbaek as their subordinate. No matter how excellent Dongbaek’s talents as a general might be, it was natural that they would be uncomfortable with Zhang Rang’s direct or indirect influence through her.

Thus, So Dongbaek’s name went unmentioned as the meeting about suppressing the Yellow Turbans concluded.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

Despite the tumultuous situation outside and these events at court, inside Zhang Rang’s walls was nothing short of paradise.

By 184, Dongbaek had turned 16, and Lily had become 13.

Even in the capital, Luoyang, if one listened carefully, one could hear farmers chanting about Zhōng huáng tàiyī¹ and spreading the doctrines of the Way of Peace. Some soldiers even grumbled that their elderly mothers were endlessly repeating the chants.

Amidst the looming scent of war and bloodshed, Dongbaek stared blankly at the drifting clouds. Though she outwardly maintained her usual serene demeanor, her figure seemed ominous against this backdrop.

Dongbaek didn’t want Lily to witness such troubling realities. Concerned that her own anxiety would spread to Lily, she pretended as though nothing was wrong whenever she was home. Yet, no matter how she tried, the unsettling state of the world inevitably seeped over the walls and reached Lily’s ears.

“I hear things are unsettled outside, with rebellions breaking out everywhere… Will you perhaps have to go to battle too?”

Lily carefully asked while taking Dongbaek’s outer garment. Dongbaek laughed out loud as if the idea was absurd.

“Haha, how could I go anywhere when I must guard the city gates?”

“Hehe, that’s true, right?”

“More importantly, look there, the flowers are blooming so beautifully. It must be spring already.”

Dongbaek pointed to a flowering tree in the back garden. One by one, flower buds were bursting open in the spring breeze.

“You’re right. It’s already flower blooming season.”

Lily smiled, her cheeks turning pink. Her delight over such a small thing made her resemble the very flowers themselves, bringing a smile to Dongbaek’s face.

Even after learning that Dongbaek was a woman, their relationship remained unchanged. If anything, it had grown deeper. Dongbaek cherished Lily, and Lily served Dongbaek with devotion and affection.

As they grew closer, they sometimes played around. Lily often enjoyed prettying up Dongbaek’s hair, and today was no exception.

“My lord is truly the fairest of them all.”

Standing behind Dongbaek, who sat quietly in a chair, Lily braided her brownish-gray hair strand by strand with careful and gentle movements.

Lily, whose embroidery skills were so good that she could recreate the image of a phoenix in flight, had natural dexterity. Having quickly arranged Dongbaek’s hair beautifully, Lily shrugged her shoulders in satisfaction.

“Alright, now that you’re satisfied…”

“Ah, don’t touch it! This is my masterpiece! You must keep it like this today!”

Dongbaek’s hand, which had been reaching to pull down her hair, dropped uselessly at Lily’s scolding.

Though troubled, Dongbaek played along with Lily, not entirely displeased.

“I wouldn’t dream of ruining my lady’s masterpiece. In that case, I should go and show it off, shouldn’t I?”

“W-wait, my lord!”

Before Lily could stop her, Dongbaek acted swiftly. Standing up, she playfully swept Lily into her arms and strode out of the room.

Having grown taller with age, Dongbaek now stood well over 170 centimeters. Even Cao Cao, who occasionally visited, had once been so flustered by Dongbaek’s rapid growth—her height nearly reaching his forehead—that he had shouted in mock outrage.

With her height came muscle, and coupled with the otherworldly advantages she seemed to possess, her strength was no laughing matter. Compared to Dongbaek, Lily was no heavier than a bundle of feathers.

-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-