For several weeks, nothing important happened to me.
This was wonderful.
Cao Mengde remained somewhere east of Luoyang.
Yuan Shao remained farther east.
Miss Yue remained safely west.
Lady Wei continued sending me letters, which I had discovered were much more enjoyable when Qiao’er was not standing behind me waiting for an answer.
Her father still commanded no troops.
I checked.
Twice.
Father continued not to promote him.
And every morning, after breakfast, I attended council.
This was the only serious flaw in an otherwise excellent period of my life.
The first few days, I had assumed council would become easier once I understood what everyone was discussing.
I had been wrong.
Understanding merely allowed me to become bored more accurately.
Appointments.
Taxes.
Garrison numbers.
Court petitions.
Road repairs.
Arguments over whose seal belonged on which document.
One morning, two officials spent long enough discussing the appointment of a county clerk that I began supporting whichever candidate had fewer relatives simply because I wanted the matter to end before lunch.
Father noticed.
That was how I learned not to look interested.
I learned other things too.
Minister Zhao cleared his throat before disagreeing with Father.
One clerk wrote down everything Li Ru said and almost nothing I said.
This showed excellent judgment.
Uncle Min grew impatient whenever tax matters appeared.
Lü Bu could stand completely still for an unreasonable length of time.
And if I positioned my cushion correctly, Father could not tell whether I was sitting respectfully or slowly dying.
Qiao’er discovered the cushion.
Naturally.
“You’re taking that?”
I looked down at it.
“Yes.”
“To council.”
“Yes.”
“Again?”
“It worked.”
Qiao’er held out her hand.
I kept the cushion.
She kept her hand out.
Neither of us moved.
Xu An stood beside the doorway pretending this had nothing to do with him.
Coward.
“Lord Li asked you a question twice yesterday.”
“That is an accusation.”
“You did not answer.”
“I was considering it.”
“Your eyes were closed.”
“Deep consideration.”
Xu An turned away.
His shoulders moved.
I pointed at him.
“You are very close to becoming unemployed.”
“You would have to find another attendant.”
My hand lowered.
He knew too much.
Finding another attendant would involve interviewing people.
Training them.
Learning whether they stole.
Possibly remembering their names.
Xu An was safe for life.
Qiao’er took the cushion from me while I was distracted.
I looked back at her.
“You planned that.”
“Yes.”
She handed it to Xu An.
“Keep him awake.”
Xu An accepted it.
“I cannot.”
“Try.”
I looked between them.
“Both of you are forgetting who pays you.”
Qiao’er adjusted my sleeve.
“Lady Song.”
That was difficult to answer.
I left without the cushion.
There were more soldiers in council now.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Not ordinary guards.
Men Father trusted enough to call inside when the reports mattered.
Uncle Min had become a regular presence.
Niu Fu sat across from him that morning, broad-shouldered and awake in a way I considered unnecessary.
Lü Bu stood near the wall.
Li Ru sat beside Father with several reports open in front of him.
Three officers occupied the lower end of the table.
I chose a place close to the tea.
Experience had taught me where my talents were best used.
A courier was already kneeling before Father.
Dust covered his boots and half the lower part of his robe.
I had developed a personal dislike of dusty men.
They arrived tired, bowed, and then ruined everyone's day.
Father tapped the table.
“Again.”
The courier lowered his head.
“Cao Mengde has gathered armed men around Chenliu and Jiwu.”
My hand stopped halfway toward the tea.
There it was.
Cao Cao.
For several weeks, he had existed at a comfortable distance as a man who had escaped Father and was somebody else's problem.
Apparently he had objected to that arrangement.
Father asked, “How many?”
“The reports differ, my lord.”
“How many?”
The courier hesitated.
“Perhaps five thousand.”
Five thousand.
I slowly put my hand down.
When Cao Cao left Luoyang, he had taken a few servants and another name.
Now he had five thousand men.
His career was developing much too quickly for my peace of mind.
Niu Fu spoke first.
“How many have served before?”
“We do not know. Some are former soldiers. Some came from local households. Many appear newly recruited.”
“Weapons?”
“Mixed. Spears, bows, privately held arms. More are being gathered.”
Uncle Min asked, “Armor?”
“Not enough for all of them.”
Lü Bu finally moved.
“Horses?”
“Several hundred have been seen.”
The questions continued.
Training.
Officers.
Whether the men were gathered in one place or scattered.
How many belonged to Cao Cao's clan.
Whether neighboring families had sent retainers.
I listened.
For a while.
They were talking about soldiers.
Real soldiers.
Men who had spent their lives around armies were sitting three steps away from me.
I had once spent twenty minutes arguing with Little Grey about whether a puddle counted as an obstacle.
There was nothing I could contribute here.
Li Ru lifted another report.
“Members of the Xiahou family are involved.”
Father looked toward him.
“Money?”
“A wealthy man in Chenliu named Wei Zi is said to have provided funds.”
“How much?”
“Unknown.”
“Other supporters?”
“Several names. None confirmed.”
Father looked toward the courier again.
“Is the five thousand one force?”
“No, my lord. Not yet.”
That received more discussion.
How quickly Cao Cao could assemble them.
How long untrained men could remain under arms.
Who might command them.
Whether they were preparing for defense or intending to march.
I reached for my tea.
Father noticed.
“Yu.”
Damn.
I looked up.
“Yes?”
“You have said nothing.”
“I was helping.”
Father stared.
I lifted the cup slightly.
“Quietly.”
Niu Fu lowered his face.
Uncle Min looked away.
Father was not distracted.
“What do you think?”
I looked around the table again.
Lü Bu knew cavalry.
Niu Fu knew armies.
Uncle Min knew Father's western forces.
Li Ru knew almost everything else that mattered.
I knew Cao Cao was dangerous because two thousand years later people bought videogames with his face on the box.
That information had limited value here.
Then my eyes returned to the report Li Ru was holding.
Wei Zi.
Money.
Five thousand men.
Something ordinary bothered me.
Not the battle.
Everything before it.
“I think five thousand men need breakfast.”
Nobody answered.
Father frowned.
“Breakfast.”
“Every day.”
Niu Fu's mouth moved.
Father looked at me as though waiting for the remainder of an argument.
There wasn't one.
“That is what concerns you?”
“It is the part I understand.”
I looked toward Li Ru.
“Who is feeding them?”
Li Ru's eyes sharpened.
I immediately regretted becoming interesting.
He asked, “Why?”
“Five thousand men are expensive.”
I reached for the tea again.
That was the entire depth of my contribution.
Unfortunately, Li Ru had already begun thinking.
“Do we know where Cao Cao is obtaining grain?”
The courier hesitated.
“No, Lord Li.”
“Fodder?”
“No.”
“Who is selling him horses?”
“Several purchases have been reported, but I do not know the merchants.”
“Carts?”
“I was not told.”
Li Ru turned toward Father.
“Five thousand men do not appear when a banner is raised.”
Father watched him.
Li Ru tapped the report with one finger.
“Someone purchases grain before they eat it. Someone buys or gathers horses before they ride them. Weapons have to come from smiths, private stores or local arsenals. Carts have to be found. Draft animals have to be fed.”
He looked at the courier.
“If Cao Cao has five thousand men now, some of those preparations began earlier.”
Father understood.
“So we look before the army.”
Li Ru nodded.
“Large purchases leave witnesses.”
Father turned toward one of the clerks.
“Send word to our people east.”
The clerk prepared his brush.
Li Ru continued.
“Merchants first. Grain dealers. Horse traders. Smiths. Men hiring carts. Ask what has become unusually expensive or difficult to obtain.”
Father said, “Not only Chenliu.”
“No. Yingchuan as well. The roads toward Henei. Any place men opposed to us might gather.”
The clerk wrote quickly.
I drank my tea.
Excellent.
I had asked about breakfast.
Li Ru had created an intelligence network.
This was exactly how responsibility should work.
The courier continued with what little else he knew.
More men were arriving.
Some came through Cao Cao's family connections.
Some because local patrons had provided money.
Others simply because they had heard Cao Mengde was gathering troops.
That was the part Father disliked most.
I could tell.
Cao Cao had not needed to drag five thousand men from their homes.
Enough of them had chosen to come.
When the courier was dismissed, I looked toward the doorway.
No one stopped me.
Promising.
I shifted my weight.
Father pulled another bundle of bamboo slips toward him.
Less promising.
Then he pushed them across the table.
Toward me.
I looked at the writing on the outer slip.
Western properties.
I knew those.
Unfortunately.
“Yu.”
I kept looking at the bundle.
“Yes?”
“You inspected the western stores.”
“Once.”
“You asked for the registered amount, the actual amount and what could move.”
“That sounds like something I would regret saying.”
Father ignored that.
“I want the figures checked again.”
I looked up.
“Why?”
“Cao Cao has five thousand men. We do not yet know who else is preparing.”
That was fair.
I disliked when Father was fair.
He tapped the bundle.
“I want the western household stores checked. Grain that actually exists. Working carts. Draft animals. Drivers. The roads west.”
I waited for the unpleasant part.
It came.
“If conditions east of Luoyang worsen, I want to know what would be required to move your mother's household west.”
I looked at him.
“Mother?”
“Yes.”
“Her entire household?”
“Yes.”
“Grain?”
“Yes.”
“Carts?”
“Yes.”
“Roads?”
Father's eyebrows came together.
“I just said roads.”
“Fine.”
Father waited.
I waited.
He frowned.
“What?”
“What?”
“You’re not arguing?”
“No.”
Another pause.
Father looked toward Li Ru.
Li Ru, wisely, offered him nothing.
Father looked back at me.
“You understand I am giving you work.”
“Yes.”
“And you accept.”
“Yes.”
He seemed almost offended.
I looked down at the reports.
“You want me to find out whether Mother can be moved west with enough food and working carts.”
“Yes.”
“Why would I refuse?”
Father continued looking at me.
“You refuse everything.”
“That is not true.”
“Military service.”
“Dangerous.”
“Riding.”
“Painful.”
“Archery.”
“Also dangerous.”
For one moment, he seemed reassured that the world still made sense.
Then he ruined it.
“Not only your mother.”
I looked up.
Father continued.
“If we prepare, I want the requirements for the rest of the Dong household as well.”
“All of it?”
“Yes.”
That was larger.
Much larger.
Servants.
Guards.
Women.
Children.
Luggage.
Animals.
Possessions Father would insist were necessary and objects Uncle Min had probably owned since childhood and would refuse to abandon.
I considered the bundle again.
Mother was still included.
And west was still west.
“Fine.”
Father waited.
I looked up.
He was watching me again.
“What?”
“You are still not arguing.”
“You already asked that.”
“The assignment doubled.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
I considered explaining that I had wanted my family west since the second day I arrived in this century.
That seemed unwise.
So I gave him a simpler answer.
“If moving everyone is the price of moving Mother, then move everyone.”
Father's expression changed.
Not much.
Enough that I immediately looked back at the report.
Sentiment was dangerous.
I added, “But if Uncle Min owns furniture that needs its own cart, I am leaving it.”
Uncle Min turned.
“What furniture?”
Good.
Normality restored.
Father laughed.
“You are not abandoning your uncle's property.”
“I am establishing limits.”
“You have no authority to establish limits.”
“Then why am I carrying the report?”
“To count what we need.”
“Exactly. I have begun by identifying unnecessary weight.”
Uncle Min said, “You have not seen my household.”
“I am protecting myself in advance.”
Niu Fu looked down.
Father shook his head.
“Use the stewards. I do not expect you to count every sack yourself.”
Relief moved through me so strongly I almost thanked him.
Almost.
“Good.”
“Speak to Chen Bo. Have his daughter check the tallies again.”
Chen Lan.
Ink-stained fingers.
Actual grain.
Movable grain.
At least one competent person would be involved.
That reduced the amount of danger considerably.
Father said, “I want the first figures soon.”
I nodded.
Not because I had developed a love of deadlines.
Because for once, the work Father wanted and the work I wanted were facing the same direction.
West.
I rolled the reports together and placed them beside me.
Li Ru had been watching the entire exchange.
I ignored him.
If he wanted to decide I had hidden motives, he could enjoy himself without my help.
The next report concerned garrisons outside Luoyang.
My usefulness ended immediately.
Uncle Min and Niu Fu disagreed over whether one position had enough men.
Lü Bu answered a question about cavalry readiness.
An officer reported problems replacing several horses.
Someone mentioned patrol schedules.
I drank tea.
At one point Father looked toward me.
I made sure both eyes were visibly open.
Qiao’er had won that battle.
Then hurried footsteps sounded outside.
A guard entered.
“My lord.”
Father looked over.
“What?”
“Another dispatch from the east.”
Everyone stopped.
The guard stepped aside.
A messenger entered carrying a narrow wooden case.
The cord around it had already been cut.
He knelt.
“A proclamation is being copied and sent through the eastern commanderies.”
Li Ru straightened.
“Whose proclamation?”
“Cao Mengde's name appears on several copies.”
Father's face hardened.
The messenger continued.
“Some copies claim secret authority from the Son of Heaven.”
No one spoke.
Father held out his hand.
“Give it to me.”
The messenger crossed forward on his knees and presented the document.
Father read.
Once.
Then again.
The silence lasted long enough that I stopped looking at the report in my hands.
Father passed the document to Li Ru.
Li Ru began reading.
His expression did not visibly change.
Halfway down the text, his eyes lifted.
Toward me.
Something cold settled in my stomach.
Father spoke.
“Yu.”
There was no amusement in his voice now.
I straightened.
“Do you remember what you said when you first asked me for land west of Luoyang?”
I remembered.
Breakfast.
Meat in my bowl.
My estate.
My plan to run away from history while everyone laughed at me.
Father looked directly at me.
“You said if Yuan Shao wanted revenge, he would not say ‘avenge Yuan Shao.’”
Nobody moved.
“You said he would claim the Emperor was coerced.”
My fingers tightened around the bamboo slips.
“You said loyal men must restore order to the court.”
The words had sounded hypothetical then.
An argument I remembered because I already knew what came later.
Now Father pointed toward the proclamation in Li Ru's hands.
“Cao Mengde has said it for him.”
Li Ru laid the document flat.
“He calls upon loyal officials and commanders to rescue the Son of Heaven.”
His finger moved down the text.
“He condemns the death of the Empress Dowager.”
Another line.
“He accuses the Grand Commandant of controlling the court by force.”
He continued reading.
The Emperor.
The Han.
Loyal ministers.
The suffering of the realm.
Traitors.
Justice.
It did not matter whether every copy used the same words.
It did not matter whether the claimed imperial authority was real.
The argument was there.
The one I had warned Father about.
A man who already hated Dong Zhuo did not need much more.
Uncle Min took the document after Li Ru.
“They claim the Emperor ordered this?”
“Some copies do,” Li Ru said.
“The Emperor is here.”
“Yes.”
“Then it is false.”
Li Ru looked at him.
“To us.”
That was enough.
No one needed to believe every line.
They only needed a reason they were willing to repeat.
Niu Fu asked, “How far has it spread?”
The messenger lowered his head.
“Copies are known to have reached Yingchuan and Henei. Others were sent farther east. We do not yet know how far.”
Father stood.
Everyone rose with him.
“Niu Fu.”
Niu Fu straightened.
“Review the western forces. I want their present strength, not last month's register.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Min.”
Uncle Min faced him.
“Check the outer garrisons. Men, horses, grain. I want the numbers before evening.”
“Yes.”
“Fengxian.”
Lü Bu stepped away from the wall.
“Father.”
“Keep the cavalry ready. No large movement until we know where the enemy gathers.”
“Yes.”
Father turned toward Li Ru.
“I want names.”
Li Ru nodded.
“Everyone who answers the proclamation.”
“Yes.”
“And everyone who receives it and refuses.”
Another nod.
“We need to know who is still waiting.”
Father looked toward the clerks.
Orders went out.
Messengers.
Garrisons.
Storehouses.
Eastern roads.
Western forces.
The council that normally took half a morning to decide whether one official should receive another seal suddenly emptied with brutal speed.
That frightened me more than shouting would have.
Niu Fu left first.
Uncle Min followed with two officers.
Lü Bu remained only long enough to receive another instruction from Father before leaving.
Li Ru stayed beside the table.
The proclamation remained open in front of him.
I picked up the western reports Father had given me.
A few weeks ago, I had wanted those numbers because I wanted Mother away from Luoyang.
Now Father wanted them too.
I should have been pleased.
Instead, the bundle felt heavier than it had ten minutes earlier.
I reached the doorway.
Another guard came through so quickly he nearly struck me.
He stopped, bowed once, then looked past me.
“My lord.”
Father looked up.
“What now?”
“A message from Henei.”
I stayed where I was.
Li Ru turned.
Father said, “Speak.”
The guard lowered his head.
“Yuan Shao has begun gathering troops.”
Nobody moved.
Cao Cao had five thousand men.
Now Yuan Shao was moving too.
Weeks ago, Yuan Shao had gone east and I had thought that made the west safer.
I had been looking at it backward.
Yuan Shao had gone east because that was where his army would be.
And now it was beginning to form.