Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 306 The Battle of Heaven and Earth
The library was located inside the East Pavilion, next to Liu Bei's granary and adjacent to the residential area of ​​Liu Bei's family—this was also the safest place, as it was designed to be strictly protected against fire, theft, and infiltration.

At this moment, the last rays of the setting sun are about to sink below the horizon.

The East Pavilion Library was dimly lit.

When Liu Bei entered the library, he saw a slender figure engrossed in reading, looking extremely focused.

Liu Bei knew that people who were focused on their work were most afraid of being disturbed, so he lit a lantern, carried it in his hand, and tiptoed over.

This was out of kindness; it was getting dark, and Cai Yan was working overtime proofreading books, so she should at least have a lamp lit.

Walking behind Cai Yan, Liu Bei silently placed the lantern on the table.

But the sudden light still seemed to startle Cai Yan...

"Hey!"

Cai Yan then noticed Liu Bei standing behind her. She gasped softly, stood up, and turned around, but then realized she shouldn't have exclaimed and quickly covered her mouth.

But after covering her mouth, she immediately turned around and grabbed the brand-new paper 'drawing book' on the table into her arms.

In the ensuing flurry of activity, several sheets of paper were swept under the table.

After picking up the manuscript, Cai Yan probably felt she shouldn't have reacted so strongly, and turned to Liu Bei, looking flustered: "General Liu... General Liu..."

Liu Bei was completely bewildered by Cai Yan's reaction. He had just entered the room, which was dimly lit, and hadn't yet had a chance to see Zhang Fei's latest masterpiece.

Seeing Cai Yan's flushed face and uneasy expression, Liu Bei worried that she might be overworked: "Zhao Ji, are you feeling unwell?"

"No...no, thank you for your concern, General. Yan...Yan should go now..."

Zhao Ji forced a smile and stammered as she tried to run away.

"Huh? Wait a minute..."

Liu Bei held up his lamp and looked at the pages that had fallen to the ground. He bent down to pick up the few pages that had fallen to the ground: "These are newly copied manuscripts, right? Are there any errors... Hmm?!"

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Bei saw the illustration of the seventh technique of the Eight Arts of the Chamber that had fallen to the ground...

Zhang Fei also specially marked the painting with the title: "The Art of War, the Interplay of Heaven and Earth".

Liu Bei immediately understood why Cai Yan was blushing and anxious, wanting to run away...

This young widow has been watching such hot stuff... Even Liu Bei finds this stuff exciting!
No wonder they volunteered to work overtime...

"No...no error found..."

Although Cai Yan wanted to flee, she still had to submit her work reports, as she was reviewing these manuscripts for official business.

Cai Yan turned to reply, but seeing Liu Bei staring at her neck and chest, she quickly turned away and averted her gaze.

Actually, Liu Bei was looking at the manuscript that Cai Yan was holding—it seemed to be the sixth move, but he couldn't see it very clearly.

Cai Yan turned her head, but couldn't help looking at the exciting performance on the ground—Liu Bei was carrying a lantern, and the area under the lantern was the brightest. There were also white paper drawings on the ground, making it the brightest spot in the whole room, which naturally attracted attention.

That was precisely the scene of the most intense union of yin and yang...

Then, Liu Bei picked up the manuscript from the ground and stretched out his claws toward Cai Yan's chest: "These books are printed quite well... Can I see the others?"

Cai Yan withdrew her gaze and subconsciously took a step back, but then realized that Liu Bei only wanted to see the manuscript, and hesitated, unsure whether she should hand it over...

"My lord, I heard from Chengzu that the paper books have been copied? I... sigh?"

Just as Liu Bei and Cai Yan were exchanging awkward glances, Zuo Yuan entered.

Zuo Yuan was so clever. Seeing the strange atmosphere between the man and woman inside, she turned and left, saying, "Ahem... I'll go get some food first. My husband must be hungry..."

Cai Yan was already sweating profusely from panic... even though it was the end of January.

Seeing Zuo Yuan turn and leave, Cai Yan quickly chased after her, intending to run out as well, and even found a way to save face for herself: "Madam Zuo, Yan will go help..."

But Zuo Yuan had good habits; he would close the door as soon as he went out.

"...I'll cook for you..."

The few words Cai Yan didn't have time to finish saying landed on the door panel.

Once the door was closed, the room became even darker.

Cai Yan, while fumbling for the doorknob, glanced back and said, "General, I take my leave... Ah!"

At this moment, the only light source in the room was the lantern carried by Liu Bei. The lantern, positioned from bottom to top, illuminated Liu Bei in the darkness, making him appear as a ghostly figure.

Cai Yan was so frightened that she couldn't help but scream.

Hearing the exclamation from outside, Zuo Yuan thought Liu Bei was committing a crime, so he quickly waved for the guards outside the courtyard to stay away, and then actually went to the kitchen.

At this moment, Cai Yan opened the door like a startled deer and ran along the corridor.

Unaware of the situation, Bian Ji came from the other side of the corridor and bumped into Cai Yan at the corner: "Hey, Zhao Ji, why are you in such a hurry?"

The papers Cai Yan was holding scattered all over the floor again...

The corridor lights were always on, making the visibility much better than inside the house. Bian Ji crouched down to take a look and exclaimed, "Eh... hiss...!"

"...Yan accused of wrongdoing..."

Cai Yan is now too afraid to talk to anyone. After apologizing, she quickly lowers her head and runs away.

In the past few months, Zuo Yuan and Bian Ji have become quite familiar with Cai Yan, Diao Chan, and others. Zuo Yuan is also a big sister figure in the martial arts world, so they don't usually pay too much attention to etiquette when interacting with each other.

Bian Ji glanced at Cai Yan's retreating figure, then picked up the manuscript again, clicking her tongue and shaking her head as she read: "This is truly..."

As they approached the library, they saw Liu Bei carrying a lantern as he came out.

Bian Ji suddenly realized what had happened and turned to look in the direction Cai Yan had run off to, but Cai Yan was already gone. "Ha, my husband actually..."

Bian Ji grinned mischievously, gesturing with the manuscript in her hand at Liu Bei: "Husband, are you thinking of taking a concubine?"

Liu Bei paused for a moment, took the manuscript, and then put his arm around Bian Ji's waist: "Don't talk nonsense... I think this Yin-Yang secret art has much to offer, so let's learn together..."

The two walked arm in arm toward the backyard, where they critiqued and studied the precious Taoist scriptures and practiced the art of Yin-Yang harmony and the interaction of heaven and earth.

……

Cai Yan retreated to her small courtyard and spent the entire night in bed unable to sleep... She didn't know how she would face people the next day.

Are they pretending nothing's wrong?
Should they resign and run away immediately? Or should they leave without saying goodbye?

In fact, Liu Bei's family took good care of her. She also brought several maids and servants from her household. During this time, she wrote a letter to Cai Yong, who then asked her to stay by the emperor's side as a proofreader.

She herself enjoys proofreading books and playing the zither, which has always been her hobby.

If you think about it seriously, the Eight Arts of the Bedchamber are indeed legitimate Taoist texts, a health preservation science that balances Yin and Yang.

Although the illustration for Zhang Fei was visually striking, it perfectly matched the content of the book and was not scribbled.

Cai Yan was working diligently and had no shady relationship with Liu Bei... so there was nothing to be conflicted about.

But... people always tend to overthink...

The next day at dawn, Cai Yan was still debating whether or not to go to work when a maid came to report: "Zhao Ji, Lady Zuo is here to visit."

Cai Yan hurried out to greet them, only to find Zuo Yuan and Bian Ji arriving together, with several large boxes brought over.

All those boxes were decorated with yin-yang symbols...

The box contained Na Cai.

This isn't a formal betrothal; this is a matchmaking inquiry.

Bian Ji acted as a matchmaker. Bian Ji and Cai Yan had a good relationship. They were both skilled in music and often played the zither together.

However, Zuo Yuan did send many gifts, including betrothal gifts, as well as several boxes of copper coins and brocade.

The betrothal gifts and the bride price are different. Generally, the six ceremonies of the betrothal gifts do not include any money or goods.

The dowry for marrying a wife was never money, but rather various symbolic gifts, including wild geese, deerskin coats, silk bundles, and so on.

The bride's dowry will be quite substantial, but it is a financial support from the bride to her daughter and is managed by the wife to ensure that the young couple's new family does not lack funds and that the daughter suffers financial hardship.

The dowry for taking a concubine is usually money and silk, because taking a concubine is a purchase, and the concubine is actually a means of production that the mistress buys to add people to the household.

Originally, the betrothal gifts should have been sent to the bride's family, but Cai Yan was an official, so Zuo Yuan politely sent both the wedding and betrothal gifts.

Of course, this was still essentially taking a concubine.

Because it was a concubine's marriage, Zuo Yuan directly presented the gifts to Cai Yan herself.

In other words, it was up to Cai Yan to decide for herself—she could refuse, and it was perfectly normal to refuse. Not sending it to Cai Yan's home was, in essence, respecting Cai Yan's own wishes.

If Cai Yan herself agrees, Zuo Yuan will then look for an auspicious day and have someone contact Cai Yong to discuss the follow-up.

But when Zuo Yuan came to visit, Cai Yan became even more conflicted...

It wasn't that she didn't want to be a concubine; she was a widow, and given Liu Bei's current status, taking her as a concubine wouldn't be considered unfair to her.

The key point is, that's not how it works...

They were just normal colleagues, but now it seems like they're having an affair...

promise?

It was rather awkward; the emotional connection didn't seem quite there.

Don't agree?
It's quite awkward, since both Lady Zuo and Lady Bian have come. I imagine the two ladies probably think that something happened between them and Liu Bei in the library yesterday... If this gets out, they're really doomed.

……

Liu Bei himself was unaware that Zuo Yuan and Bian Ji had gone to add people to their household.

After studying Taoist secrets with Bian Ji last night, Liu Bei felt that these books were actually quite insightful, and he felt much more energetic. He went to handle military affairs early this morning.

However, the military situation is not optimistic.

At dawn, Xu Huang, who was leading troops to Mount Tai, sent back a military report that he had defeated the enemy's vanguard and was currently stationed in Mu County, northeast of Mount Tai.

However, the enemy's follow-up troops had gathered more than 10,000 men in Fenggao County, the seat of Taishan Commandery, and were continuing to increase their numbers, hoping that Liu Bei would send reinforcements.

Through the prisoners, Xu Huang had already learned about the situation on Mount Tai—it was said that Chang Xi had 'robbed' the Kong family of Lu and obtained a large sum of money and grain… He didn't know how the Kong family's money and grain had been robbed so quietly, but that's what the prisoners said.

Chang Xi is now attempting to install Liu He, the Prince of Pengcheng, as emperor, and is using the emperor's banner to incite rebellion.

However, Liu He, the Prince of Pengcheng, was no fool. Upon learning that Chang Xi had raised the emperor's banner, Liu He fled to Yanzhou.

At present, all counties in Taishan Prefecture are guarding their own territory and not coming out, and it is unclear whether they are friend or foe.

After Chang Xi's vanguard army in Mou County was defeated by Xu Huang, he did not send troops to Qingzhou. Instead, he continued to plunder the villages, gather local militia to form troops, and began to move towards Xuzhou.

Zhang Rao, who was in charge of reinforcing Xu Huang, was worried that Chang Xi would turn around and occupy the entire Pengcheng. He also requested Liu Bei to send more reinforcements to quickly eliminate Chang Xi. Pengcheng already had more than 100,000 Yellow Turbans, many of whom were placed by Zhang Rao. If they were to be coerced again, it would probably trigger a chain reaction.

Meanwhile, Kong Rong and Kong Zhou appeared in the Fenggao area of ​​Mount Tai, which Xu Huang witnessed firsthand, but it is uncertain whether they were besieged by Chang Xi or became Chang Xi's sponsors.

Early in the morning, Liu Bei gathered Jia Xu and Xu Shu to discuss the matter. In Liu Bei's view, it was highly likely that the Kong family was behind the trouble at Mount Tai.

If we consider the unrest in the northern plains and the rebellion of Que Xuan in Xiapi, Xuzhou, this appears to be an encirclement...

(End of this chapter)