Liu Bei POV
Yuan Zhi nodded.
“Understood.” She looked at me and said, “I have a plan now.”
“You do?”
Yuan nodded again, “I just hope that–” Yuan Zhu trailed off and swept her gaze past everyone in the room, or about half as she got shy and lowered her head. But I understood what she meant and stood up.
“Alright everyone, listen up.” I said very carefully as I surveyed everyone’s expressions as this was very important, “For the upcoming battle, the broad strategies will be handled by Lord Xu Shu. If you don’t have any disagreement on this, I hope that you can cooperate with her.”
When I finished, the room went silent but soon, someone spoke up.
“Since big brother made a decision, I have nothing to say about it.” Yun Chang said and smiled when she saw me looking at her, “I have no ideas on what to do and since someone has one, I’m willing to go with it.”
“Un, un.” I felt pleased as I nodded. As expected, Yun Chang is very accommodating at times like these. Feng Xian, who sat on the other column, nodded as well as she poured some liquor for herself.
“Alright, thank you both very much for your understanding.” I said as I saluted them, feeling very relieved as the most important trial in appointing Yuan Zhi has now been passed. Now that the 2 main leaders have voiced their approval, everyone else will follow along, for now at least, “Well then. does anyone else have anything to say?”
At this, everyone shook their head and said that it was fine.
“Chen Gong, what about you?” I asked her specifically to which she frowned and stared at me, then at Yuan Zhi. It was clear that she was unsatisfied but she shook her head.
“Un, very good.” I heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Yuan Zhi, “Yuan Zhi, please tell us about your plans.”
“Ah… Un. I have the broad strategies in mind but since we don’t have enough information yet so let’s discuss the specifics tomorrow afternoon.” Yuan Zhi pulled her gown as she said so to alleviate her nervousness, “What everyone should do now is to ensure that troop morale remains high and news that Xuan De is alive does not leak out.”
When she finished, Yuan Zhi looked at me again very seriously, “It’s fine if it ends up leaking out but we must not let the enemy catch sight of you.”
“Ah, un. I understand.”
“In that case, should I lend my lord one of my helmets?”
“Eh?” I was surprised when Zhou Cang offered, “Really?”
“Of course~ It’s just a helmet after all.” Zhou Cang seemed rather relaxed as she tucked her hands behind her head, “I was going to use it for myself when I took it but it’s really too stuffy in battle.”
Un, un.
Yes.
When she said this, practically everyone around nodded in agreement. Now that I think about it, none of them seem to wear helmets to battle. The closest thing to protective head gear seems to be Liao Hua’s hat but the primary purpose of that is for shade.
“Alright, bring it to me tomorrow then.” I said as I nodded at Zhou Cang.
But Zhou Cang’s helmet huh… I wonder if her smell is still there…
“Big brother, what’s wrong?” Yun Chang called out to me when she saw my cheeks turn red.
“Ah, no! Nothing!” I got a shock and nearly fell over.
What the heck am I thinking… How could I be thinking of such things at a time like this!
Ahem, it’s just a helmet.
“Alright, that’s that then. Please gather here tomorrow afternoon and I’ll give more colour on the battle.” Yuan Zhi said to which the rest nodded.
“I’ll send someone to do some reconnaissance.” Liao Hua said.
“I’ll do so as well.” Chen Gong added and rolled her eyes at Yuan Zhi before she continued, “I also want to add that you’re not actually much taller than I am.”
Ah… She’s still bothered by the height issue huh… Looks like I better make sure not mention height when I am speaking with Chen Gong.
“Eh, alright. Everyone is probably full by now so go to bed when you’re done.” I concluded and started keeping the plates after I got up, “Ah, yes. Remember to be careful and not wake up Gan Qing and Mi Zhen as they’re asleep already.”
When I finished, everyone else got up and helped to clear the table. By the way, we do not have any servants here. We had some in Xuchang but the majority of household chores were done by ourselves. Grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning were all done by ourselves based on a roster which was prepared by Zi Zhong.
“Let me help you, big brother.” Yun Chang said as she reached out, “Big brother must be exhausted after everything. Go get some rest.”
“Ah, I’m fine.” I said as I blocked her from taking my stack of plates as I knew that Yun Chang did not have an easy time either, “Go and get some rest if you’re done.”
“Un… Alright.” Yun Chang withdrew her hand and picked up her stack before making her way to the kitchen, “Well then, goodnight big brother.”
“Un, goodnight.” I nodded. I looked at Yun Chang once more and saw that she seemed both worried and sad as she looked at something or someone but she left soon after.
Un? Who or what was Yun Chang looking at? I looked at where Yun Chang was looking and realised why.
Yi De had just gotten up after everyone else did and she was biting her lips and frowning, looking rather pained. She’s been having that expression on for practically the whole night now.
Now that I think about it, Yi De has been sitting quietly there the entire time. When Huang Zu came in, she did not come out and when she talked about Meng De’s troops, she did not say anything either. Even her food was untouched.
Could she have been suffering the entire time? I began to feel worried when I thought about how she had acted like this since I returned. As I thought so, I hurriedly cleared the plates.
“My lord, I’ll be going to bed now.”
“My lord (Liu Bei), I’ll be heading back with my lord (Lu Bu) now.”
“Xuan De, I’ll be leaving first then.”
“Ah, un. See you all.”
I found that everyone was much better and quicker at keeping their plates away then me. Practically everyone was done but I was still trying to stack the plates together.
This really cannot be helped as the plates and bowls of this era are not uniform enough in size even when it’s from the same producer as they are all handmade, which makes keeping them a big hassle.
Yi De too was not done yet. Although she had become a model administrative official, it seems like she’s still a little clumsy in this sort of thing.
Alright, done.
“Zi Long, help me take these away, thanks.”
“No problem.”
I was getting a little impatient and asked Zi Long who was also still keeping her plates to help me take them to the kitchen. Surprisingly, she accepted immediately without saying anything.
When I looked over, I saw that Zi Long was slow as she was wiping some wine that had spilled on her table. Can she really help me when she’s busy herself?
Just as I was wondering if I should just go ahead nd look for Yi De, Zi Long looked up and called out, “Chen Dao, come and help me wipe the table.”
“Ah, alright.” Chen Dao placed her neatly stacked bowls and plates on the table before coming over.
“And also help Xuan De keep his bowl and plates.”
“Ah, alright, alright.”
Eh?! She just handed everything to Chen Dao!
Chen Dao, put up some resistance sometimes. But now that I am in a rush, I am not going to think too much about this.
“Well the, Chen Dao, I’ll be counting on you.” I said as I put my palms together and made my way to Yi De. Chen Dao seemed a little confused by my gesture, which cannot be helped as I only just realised that this gesture probably does not exist yet.
“Lord Zhang Fei, Lord Zhang Fei~” I called out to her while I was still some distance away.
“Ah…”
When she heard my voice, she seemed lost and placed the stack of bowl and plates back on the table. It was a little unsteady and the top few plates shook so she nervously placed her hand on the top of the topmost plate, staining her hands with oil.
“Umm, Lord Zhang Fei, have I done something to offend you?” I was not sure what I ought to say and decided to cut straight to the point.
But Yi De only looked away and seemed troubled, “No, not at all.”
“Then do you feel unwell?”
“Ah! No!”
Compared to her previous answer, Yi De seemed a lot more nervous this time.
Liu Bei POV
Yuan Zhi nodded.
“Understood.” She looked at me and said, “I have a plan now.”
“You do?”
Yuan nodded again, “I just hope that–” Yuan Zhu trailed off and swept her gaze past everyone in the room, or about half as she got shy and lowered her head. But I understood what she meant and stood up.
“Alright everyone, listen up.” I said very carefully as I surveyed everyone’s expressions as this was very important, “For the upcoming battle, the broad strategies will be handled by Lord Xu Shu. If you don’t have any disagreement on this, I hope that you can cooperate with her.”
When I finished, the room went silent but soon, someone spoke up.
“Since big brother made a decision, I have nothing to say about it.” Yun Chang said and smiled when she saw me looking at her, “I have no ideas on what to do and since someone has one, I’m willing to go with it.”
“Un, un.” I felt pleased as I nodded. As expected, Yun Chang is very accommodating at times like these. Feng Xian, who sat on the other column, nodded as well as she poured some liquor for herself.
“Alright, thank you both very much for your understanding.” I said as I saluted them, feeling very relieved as the most important trial in appointing Yuan Zhi has now been passed. Now that the 2 main leaders have voiced their approval, everyone else will follow along, for now at least, “Well then. does anyone else have anything to say?”
At this, everyone shook their head and said that it was fine.
“Chen Gong, what about you?” I asked her specifically to which she frowned and stared at me, then at Yuan Zhi. It was clear that she was unsatisfied but she shook her head.
“Un, very good.” I heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Yuan Zhi, “Yuan Zhi, please tell us about your plans.”
“Ah… Un. I have the broad strategies in mind but since we don’t have enough information yet so let’s discuss the specifics tomorrow afternoon.” Yuan Zhi pulled her gown as she said so to alleviate her nervousness, “What everyone should do now is to ensure that troop morale remains high and news that Xuan De is alive does not leak out.”
When she finished, Yuan Zhi looked at me again very seriously, “It’s fine if it ends up leaking out but we must not let the enemy catch sight of you.”
“Ah, un. I understand.”
“In that case, should I lend my lord one of my helmets?”
“Eh?” I was surprised when Zhou Cang offered, “Really?”
“Of course~ It’s just a helmet after all.” Zhou Cang seemed rather relaxed as she tucked her hands behind her head, “I was going to use it for myself when I took it but it’s really too stuffy in battle.”
Un, un.
Yes.
When she said this, practically everyone around nodded in agreement. Now that I think about it, none of them seem to wear helmets to battle. The closest thing to protective head gear seems to be Liao Hua’s hat but the primary purpose of that is for shade.
“Alright, bring it to me tomorrow then.” I said as I nodded at Zhou Cang.
But Zhou Cang’s helmet huh… I wonder if her smell is still there…
“Big brother, what’s wrong?” Yun Chang called out to me when she saw my cheeks turn red.
“Ah, no! Nothing!” I got a shock and nearly fell over.
What the heck am I thinking… How could I be thinking of such things at a time like this!
Ahem, it’s just a helmet.
“Alright, that’s that then. Please gather here tomorrow afternoon and I’ll give more colour on the battle.” Yuan Zhi said to which the rest nodded.
“I’ll send someone to do some reconnaissance.” Liao Hua said.
“I’ll do so as well.” Chen Gong added and rolled her eyes at Yuan Zhi before she continued, “I also want to add that you’re not actually much taller than I am.”
Ah… She’s still bothered by the height issue huh… Looks like I better make sure not mention height when I am speaking with Chen Gong.
“Eh, alright. Everyone is probably full by now so go to bed when you’re done.” I concluded and started keeping the plates after I got up, “Ah, yes. Remember to be careful and not wake up Gan Qing and Mi Zhen as they’re asleep already.”
When I finished, everyone else got up and helped to clear the table. By the way, we do not have any servants here. We had some in Xuchang but the majority of household chores were done by ourselves. Grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning were all done by ourselves based on a roster which was prepared by Zi Zhong.
“Let me help you, big brother.” Yun Chang said as she reached out, “Big brother must be exhausted after everything. Go get some rest.”
“Ah, I’m fine.” I said as I blocked her from taking my stack of plates as I knew that Yun Chang did not have an easy time either, “Go and get some rest if you’re done.”
“Un… Alright.” Yun Chang withdrew her hand and picked up her stack before making her way to the kitchen, “Well then, goodnight big brother.”
“Un, goodnight.” I nodded. I looked at Yun Chang once more and saw that she seemed both worried and sad as she looked at something or someone but she left soon after.
Un? Who or what was Yun Chang looking at? I looked at where Yun Chang was looking and realised why.
Yi De had just gotten up after everyone else did and she was biting her lips and frowning, looking rather pained. She’s been having that expression on for practically the whole night now.
Now that I think about it, Yi De has been sitting quietly there the entire time. When Huang Zu came in, she did not come out and when she talked about Meng De’s troops, she did not say anything either. Even her food was untouched.
Could she have been suffering the entire time? I began to feel worried when I thought about how she had acted like this since I returned. As I thought so, I hurriedly cleared the plates.
“My lord, I’ll be going to bed now.”
“My lord (Liu Bei), I’ll be heading back with my lord (Lu Bu) now.”
“Xuan De, I’ll be leaving first then.”
“Ah, un. See you all.”
I found that everyone was much better and quicker at keeping their plates away then me. Practically everyone was done but I was still trying to stack the plates together.
This really cannot be helped as the plates and bowls of this era are not uniform enough in size even when it’s from the same producer as they are all handmade, which makes keeping them a big hassle.
Yi De too was not done yet. Although she had become a model administrative official, it seems like she’s still a little clumsy in this sort of thing.
Alright, done.
“Zi Long, help me take these away, thanks.”
“No problem.”
I was getting a little impatient and asked Zi Long who was also still keeping her plates to help me take them to the kitchen. Surprisingly, she accepted immediately without saying anything.
When I looked over, I saw that Zi Long was slow as she was wiping some wine that had spilled on her table. Can she really help me when she’s busy herself?
Just as I was wondering if I should just go ahead nd look for Yi De, Zi Long looked up and called out, “Chen Dao, come and help me wipe the table.”
“Ah, alright.” Chen Dao placed her neatly stacked bowls and plates on the table before coming over.
“And also help Xuan De keep his bowl and plates.”
“Ah, alright, alright.”
Eh?! She just handed everything to Chen Dao!
Chen Dao, put up some resistance sometimes. But now that I am in a rush, I am not going to think too much about this.
“Well the, Chen Dao, I’ll be counting on you.” I said as I put my palms together and made my way to Yi De. Chen Dao seemed a little confused by my gesture, which cannot be helped as I only just realised that this gesture probably does not exist yet.
“Lord Zhang Fei, Lord Zhang Fei~” I called out to her while I was still some distance away.
“Ah…”
When she heard my voice, she seemed lost and placed the stack of bowl and plates back on the table. It was a little unsteady and the top few plates shook so she nervously placed her hand on the top of the topmost plate, staining her hands with oil.
“Umm, Lord Zhang Fei, have I done something to offend you?” I was not sure what I ought to say and decided to cut straight to the point.
But Yi De only looked away and seemed troubled, “No, not at all.”
“Then do you feel unwell?”
“Ah! No!”
Compared to her previous answer, Yi De seemed a lot more nervous this time.
