Han Ji

"It's snowing." He turned around and called for his personal guards to prepare the horses.

Zhang Fei was warming himself by the fire in the side room when he heard the commotion and came out wearing a sheepskin coat. "Brother, are you still going out in this heavy snow?"

"He's probably at home on a snowy day."

Guan Yu was wiping the rust off the hilt of his Green Dragon Crescent Blade when he heard this, so he put the blade down and stood up. Zhang Fei pulled his coat tighter around himself and stomped his boots twice on the ground. The three of them, along with a dozen or so personal guards, left through the west gate of Xiangyang. The horses' hooves crunched on the fresh snow.

The horse's nostrils puffed out white steam, which condensed into a cloud of white mist in the wind and snow. The rice stubble in the fields was covered by snow, a vast expanse of white. The stream wasn't frozen, but snow foam floated on its surface, flowing very slowly, as if its pace had been slowed down by the wind and snow.

The journey from Xiangyang to Longzhong was twenty li, and the road was slippery due to the snow. The horses' hooves slipped several times on the frozen mud. Guan Yu pulled on the reins several times, and his horse kept shaking its head to shake off the snow from its eyelashes. Zhang Fei rubbed his ears as he walked, his ears turning red from the cold, and cursed the awful weather.

When they arrived at Longzhong Thatched Cottage, the snow was already half a finger's thickness. The vegetables in the garden were flattened by the snow, and only empty bamboo poles remained sticking out of the snow on the clotheslines. A young man in a gray cotton robe stood at the gate, tying straw ropes to the bamboo to prevent them from breaking under the weight of the snow. He straightened up when he heard the sound of horses' hooves.

The man had a round face, narrow eyes, and stubble on his lips; he looked to be under twenty. He put down the straw rope in his hand, walked to the courtyard gate, and bowed respectfully.

"May I ask if you are Magistrate Liu?"

"Indeed." Liu Bei dismounted. "And you are, sir?"

"My name is Zhuge Jun, and Kongming is my second elder brother."

Is Mr. Kongming here?

Zhuge Jun shook his head. "My second brother went out yesterday to visit Cui Zhouping in the South Mountain. The snow is heavy; he's probably stuck in the mountains."

Liu Bei stood under the mulberry tree, looking up at the thatched hut. The heavy snow had completely covered the thatched roof, and a row of icicles hung from the eaves. There was no light inside, and the door was ajar. The yard showed no signs of being swept, and the dirt path between the vegetable patches had been smoothed over by the snow.

Zhuge Jun invited Liu Bei into the house for tea. Liu Bei declined, but instead took out a written bamboo slip from his robes and handed it to him. "Please pass this on to your elder brother."

The bamboo slips were newly written with ink, but the ink had been dampened by the snow, causing some spots to bleed. Zhuge Jun accepted the bamboo slips with both hands and bowed respectfully.

"When my second brother comes back, I will definitely give him the letter."

Zhang Fei remained on his horse. He tucked his hands inside his sheepskin coat, watching Liu Bei and Zhuge Jun talk at the courtyard gate. When Liu Bei turned his horse around and returned, Zhang Fei rubbed his frostbitten nose with his fingers.

"Brother, Zhuge Liang is running around in this freezing weather; he's clearly hiding from us."

Liu Bei glanced at him. "Yide, are you cold?"

"cold."

"Wasn't he cold going into the mountains to visit a friend in the snow?"

Zhang Fei was taken aback. Liu Bei said nothing more and turned his horse back.

On the return journey, the wind and snow intensified. Horse hooves left deep imprints in the snow, which were quickly filled with fresh snow. Guan Yu, walking beside Liu Bei, suddenly said something.

"Brother, this Zhuge Liang might actually be something."

How do you know?

"When Zhuge Jun was speaking just now, I glanced into the room. In his second brother's study, there was a hand-drawn map of the thirteen provinces, marking the garrisons of each prefecture, the granaries of each prefecture, and the mountains and fortresses. A farmer's study doesn't have poems, calligraphy, or paintings hanging on it, but a military map. This isn't some pretentious hermit."

"I know," Liu Bei said. "Come again next time."

It was already dark when he returned to Xiangyang. The city gates were closed, but the soldiers guarding the city recognized him as Liu Bei and quickly opened the gates to let him in. In the main hall of the governor's mansion, the fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the charcoal in the bronze furnace was glowing red.

Zhang Fei took off his sheepskin coat and threw it on a chair. The snow on the coat melted and dripped into a puddle on the brick floor. He squatted by the stove, rubbing his hands, but his fingers were still stiff after a long time. A soldier brought in ginger soup, which he took and drank in one gulp, then put the bowl down on the table, speaking in a loud voice.

"Brother, I've been holding it in the whole way."

"explain."

"Just how capable is Zhuge Liang? We've made two long trips and haven't even seen him. If he's so capable, why doesn't he go to Juancheng to find Cao Cao? Why doesn't he go to Wu County to find Sun Quan? Why does he choose to hide in Longzhong and grow vegetables?" Zhang Fei stood up and walked up to Liu Bei. "Why must you personally invite a mere villager like him, brother?"

Liu Bei sat behind his desk, holding a bowl of hot tea. He took a sip and put the bowl down.

"Yide, do you know Guan Zhong?"

"I've heard of him. He was the prime minister of Duke Huan of Qi."

"Guan Zhong was originally an enemy of Duke Huan of Qi. He shot an arrow at Duke Huan, almost killing him. Duke Huan did not hold a grudge, but personally went to invite him to serve as prime minister. Qi later became the first of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period." Liu Bei put down his teacup. "King Wen visited Jiang Shang on the Wei River, personally pulling his carriage eight hundred paces. What are Liu Bei's three visits to the thatched cottage compared to that?"

Zhang Fei opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Let me tell you, this person is no ordinary talent." Liu Bei stood up. "He can see through the general trend of the world and can predict the next three moves ahead. Zhuge Liang is that person."

Zhang Fei remained silent for a moment. "Brother, how can you be so sure? You've never even seen him."

Liu Bei paused. He couldn't speak of his past life. He looked into Zhang Fei's eyes. "Kuai Yue's insight, Xu Yuanzhi's insight, and Mr. Shui Jing's insight—they are all outstanding figures of our time. They all say that Zhuge Kongming is the Crouching Dragon, and I believe it."

Guan Yu warmed his hands by the stove and spoke, "I'll go with you again next time, brother."

Zhang Fei rubbed his forehead until it turned red. "Alright, alright. If Big Brother says I'll go, I'll go. But if I don't see him by the third time, I'll knock on his door and make him come out."

February of the seventeenth year of Xingping. Xiangyang.

Most of the snow had melted. Meltwater, carrying bits of ice, trickled through the street drains. Shops were open, and steam rose from spring pancake stalls. When Liu Bei left the governor's mansion, it was still dark; the eastern sky was a greyish-blue.

This time, he only brought Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and a few personal guards. The gifts were loaded onto a mule cart: Shu brocade, newly copied scriptures, and a jar of Yizhou aged wine. The cart wheels creaked and groaned as they rolled on the frozen ground of the official road.

Leaving Xiangyang through the west gate, we headed towards Longzhong. Most of the snow in the fields had melted, and tender green tips of wheat seedlings peeked out from the remaining snow, glistening with dewdrops. Snowmelt flowed gently in the roadside drainage ditches, and occasionally one or two sparrows would land by the ditch to drink, only to flutter away at the sight of the approaching caravan.

When they arrived at the thatched cottage in Longzhong, the sun had just risen halfway up the mountain. Sunlight shone on the thatched roof, and the remaining snow reflected a white light. Zhuge Jun was chopping wood in the courtyard. He raised his axe and chopped down, splitting the wood in the middle, the cracks white and sharp. He saw Liu Bei and his party, put down his axe, and came to greet them with an apologetic expression.

"Lord Liu," he said, bowing slightly, "my second brother is back. But he's taking a nap."

Liu Bei dismounted and handed the reins to his personal guard. "No rush. Wait for him to wake up."