On the Lantern Festival, the Gong'an County office gave everyone another day off. But Jiang Wan could not find a single bit of joy in it.
Ever since he attended Liu Jingzhou's banquet over the New Year, people around him had started pointing and whispering more often. Yet every time he looked their way, they all acted as though nothing was happening at all.
Another thing had changed too. The work had always been light. Now it had shrunk down to next to nothing.
"Either they are getting ready to give me something far harder to do, or they mean to send me all the way back home to Lingling."
Jiang Wan did not like either option one bit. Right now, as a clerk, he only had to copy official documents when they came in. The rest of the time he could watch the birds, admire the flowers, or sit by the gate and watch ordinary people selling their goods. It was a simple and peaceful life.
Lingling might be his hometown, but things there were nothing but trouble. You had to bow and flatter the commandery governor at every turn. That was exactly the kind of behavior he could not stand. That was why he came to Gong'an in the first place.
And as for promotion...
The moment the name Zhuge Liang crossed his mind, a look of discomfort settled on his face.
People said the three clerks in his office spent half a day copying what that Military Adviser General finished in a single day. If he were transferred to serve under him...
He let out a soft sigh. Still, it was the Lantern Festival after all. He might as well go out and see what it was like.
People said that in places like Xuchang, Luoyang, and Chang'an, this day was filled with lanterns and fine decorations. But Gong'an County was still newly settled, and there was none of that grandeur here. Only a few vendors sold simple paper lanterns. They were pale white, with rough paintings of the fierce door gods Shen Tu and Yu Lei drawn crookedly on their sides.
Jiang Wan walked past without even glancing at them. He was on his way to watch the great Nuo exorcism ceremony.
A platform had already been built right in front of the county office. The crowd was packed so tight not even water could have squeezed through. Jiang Wan was tall, so he pushed his way through and found a spot with a clear view. He looked out over the gathering and chuckled.
He spotted Ma Youchang, the man he had spoken with at the banquet. Ma Su was wearing a lopsided Nuo mask right now, and looked utterly miserable as he spoke to Zhuge Liang. And Zhuge Liang stood there looking even more handsome and composed than ever.
Time went on and the crowd grew thicker and thicker. Even the rooftops were covered with people, all craning their necks to see. There was not a single empty spot anywhere.
Good thing I came early.
Jiang Wan felt pleased with himself.
When the sun finally dipped behind the hills, all the bonfires and torches around the stage were lit at the same time. The whole area blazed bright as daylight. The crowd grew still and everyone stood watching with full attention.
Jiang Wan watched Ma Youchang take a deep breath and call out in a loud, clear voice that carried far.
"All attendants stand ready. Begin the rite of expelling pestilence..."
Dozens of men and women stepped onto the stage in perfect solemn formation, each wearing a different mask. They moved barefoot, rising onto their toes in the strange rhythmic steps of the Nuo dance.
Among them, one tall figure wearing a bronze demon mask let out a mighty shout, and all the rest joined in the chant.
"...Jiazuo swallows all foul calamity! Yuefu devours the fierce tiger! Xiongbo devours every specter! Tengjian devours misfortune! Lanzhu devours disaster! Boqi devours all evil dreams!"
"Qiangliang and Zuming devour every wicked spirit! Weisui devours every ill omen! Cuoduan devours all giant foes! Qiongqi and Tenggen devour every gu poison! Let the Twelve Spirits..."
The people all around took up the chant in soft unison. Jiang Wan tapped his finger to the steady rhythm and sang along too.
This was the Nuo exorcism chant that every person of the Han people knew well. By singing it, they called upon the twelve divine beasts to consume every form of sickness and disaster that might plague the land.
They repeated the chant twice. Then the twelve masked figures gave chase to those wearing the masks of plague demons. One by one, the evil spirits were driven from the stage, and the crowd burst into loud cheers.
Once the expulsion rite ended, more masked performers stepped back onto the stage. Led once again by the tall figure in the bronze demon mask, they began a new chant.
"...In years past Lord Liu Xuande rose in righteous fury. At the Red Cliffs flames swept across the heavens... and so he brought peace to the land and secured our state. The Han shall stand for generations to come..."
"By this the Grand Protector is pleased. Benevolent spirits watch over our lands. Jingzhou rests in peace. The Son of Heaven dwells safe by the Qu River... all people give thanks to our Governor, wishing him ten thousand years of fortune."
The common folk might not catch every word, but they understood the praise. It spoke of Liu Jingzhou's great victories and how he had saved them from the ravages of Cao's army. So they hummed along happily.
Before the county office, Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu stood side by side watching the ceremony. Guan Yu stroked his beard and spoke.
"I never expected Yide to have such a voice for this."
"Yide's voice booms like a great bell. There was no one better suited to lead this chant," Zhuge Liang answered with a faint smile.
They both looked toward the stage. There stood Zhang Fei in the bronze demon mask, clearly having the time of his life.
After a moment, Guan Yu spoke again, his tone growing serious. "With only Zilong to guard our elder brother on this journey, is that truly enough?"
"Marquis Sun seeks true and sincere friendship. You need not fear, Yunchang," Kongming said calmly. "Besides, Zilong's Zase Qiyi Cavalry, are in no way inferior to the legendary Baima Yicong Cavalry. They move like the very wind. Our lord will come to no harm."
"And there is more..." Zhuge Liang paused, knowing his next words sounded harsh, yet he spoke them anyway. "Zhou Gongjin lays plans for Jingzhou and Yizhou even while illness wears him down. Heaven has not granted him long years. Even such great talent cannot outrun fate. Bearing that burden and sickness both, how can his plans ever come to pass?"
There were other thoughts he kept to himself.
From Zhuge Liang's point of view, the moment Lu Su's secret letter arrived, Zhou Gongjin's plan was already doomed to fail.
Zhou Yu might have been unmatched in talent and strategy, but Sun Quan was hesitant and indecisive. He simply did not have the bold, ruthless drive that Sun Ce once possessed.
Thinking of Sun Ce, of Lu Su who passed away at only forty, and of Zhou Yu whose own time was nearly running out, Zhuge Liang let out a soft sigh.
Was it truly the fate of every great talent in Jiangdong to live such short lives?
"There is one more thing you should keep in mind, Yunchang," Zhuge Liang said gently. "Lady Sun will be arriving soon. She is said to be proud and strong willed."
He was already thinking ahead.
"To help guide and restrain her, I ask that you and Yide make some arrangements. Our lord's household must remain peaceful and orderly."
"Big brother's wife... this..." Guan Yu hesitated. It did not feel quite right to him.
"Think back to the Battle of Xiangyang-Fancheng," Zhuge Liang said, shifting to what seemed like a different subject entirely. "Marquis Sun struck us from behind when we were fully committed elsewhere."
"For ten years he watched our lord take Jingzhou and Yizhou and then Hanzhong. He waited until you advanced toward Xiangyang and Fancheng, and only then chose to stab us in the back."
The moment those words left his mouth, Guan Yu's expression turned dark. To fall to a worthy foe would bring no regret. But to be undone by such a cowardly act...
"At that time, as the light screen showed, your advance had placed a blade right at Cao Cao's throat."
"But that same blade was also pointed at Marquis Sun's own heart. That was what truly broke our alliance."
"It shows one thing clearly. Marquis Sun fears our lord deeply."
"And so Yunchang, you may act as you see fit. Just do not step beyond the bounds of what is proper."
Lately, by thinking through everything the light screen had shown, Zhuge Liang had come to understand the deeper conflicts at play. He saw Sun Quan's situation with perfect clarity.
Even though Sun Ce had placed Zhou Yu in command with his very last breath, Sun Quan had never truly trusted him. Though he himself was of Jianghuai descent, Sun Quan never fully favored either the Jianghuai faction or the Jiangdong gentry.
He seemed to give everyone a place, yet he trusted no one completely.
To him, Sun Shangxiang was nothing more than a piece on the board. He could move her or withdraw her whenever it suited his plans.
Could it be that she is also meant to keep watch over things here in Gong'an?
Up on the stage, Zhang Fei had started the third chant.
"...Spirits of the past year, depart beyond our borders. May cattle and sheep grow fat across the land. May grain rise tall as Tianzhu Mountain. Brothers provide for one another. The young honor their elders. Sisters and sisters-in-law stand together in harmony..."
"Men and women show respect to all. Fathers and sons remain together for generations... Let every youth lift their voice in song. May we all live long as Pengzu himself."
This time Jiang Wan and the whole crowd shouted and sang along together, pouring their hopes for the new year into every word so the spirits would hear them.
Some among them wept.
'A-lang... Father... you can rest easy now.'
Watching the people, their faces glowing in the bright firelight, Kongming found himself asking a question that lingered in his mind.
Does Marquis Sun know of Grand Commander Zhou's condition?