Vol 2 Chapter 14 (2/2)
— Thanks be to your majesty!!!
These fellows… Are the real deal huh.
“Emperor, do I still have to bring the family tree out?” The eunuch from before came out and asked. Emperor Xian of Han nodded and the eunuch clapped in response, and 7 or 8 eunuchs carried the family tree in, which was in several stacks, and set it down in the main hall.
That’s a lot. But come to think of it, the Han dynasty is pretty long in the first place.
“Un, go check then.”
Well, that’s easy to say.
“… Hai~ Fine, I’ll check.” The old eunuch seemed very unwilling and unhappy as he rolled his sleeves up and began flipping through book by book.
I was still wondering why he was so unwilling. Now I know. Looks like he won’t be able to find anything even if he continues checking till tomorrow.
(Why is the family tree so thick~) I asked Meng De beside me.
(I heard that Gaozu had thought of names of his descendents, supposedly all the way up to 2,000 years from then.)
Isn’t he worried about repeating names…
“Liu Bei, Liu Bei (刘备)… Which one is it huh? This one? … Doesn’t seem like it, this is Liu Fen (刘奋).” The main hall was silent but for the old eunuch who was grumbling under his breath. “… Which one is it huh… Forget it, I’m not searching anymore!”
Not searching?! But…
I’d thought that the old eunuch would frantically kneel and kowtow and beg for mercy but he calmly walked to the side of the Emperor and said, “From the experience of your servant, this Liu Yu Zhou should be the King of Zhongshan, the son of the Emperor Jing of Han.”
(TL: The Zhou here refers to state, and Yu Zhou is Yu state. Addressing a feudal lord or governor by [Last name] [State] was a formal and respectful way of address.)
Experience!! He actually said based on his experience!!
(As expected, that eunuch is quite the devious fellow huh. The King of Zhongshan had more than a hundred children so it’s going to be hard to disprove this.)
(But didn’t we all just hear his grumblings?!)
“Oh~~~ Then in that case, you’re my Imperial Uncle then!”
He actually accepted it!!!
(TL: Background on King of Zhongshan – In those years, the Emperor would grant fiefs to his sons who aren’t the crown prince. Feudalism was a very big thing in the Han dynasty. And yes, supposedly he was a super womaniser.)
(TL: In the original, Liu Bei was indeed said to have been descended from the King of Zhongshan but with such claims, one should always take it with a pinch of salt.)
I’m only just 17, and I’m getting called uncle already…
(Say your servant does not dare to a.s.sume that.)
“Your servant, does not dare a.s.sume that.” I bowed as I said so, following Meng De’s instructions.
“Don’t need to be like that– Ah, Achoo~~~ Ah, sneezing sure feels noce~~”
“…”
His mucus nearly landed on my face.
“Ah, I seem to have caught a cold. *Xing*~~ What was that again… Ah, right, Court is adjourned.” Emperor Xian of Han waved his hand and then got up.
All the officials then got down on their knees which I mimicked.
As for Emperor Xian of Han, he merely waved his hand once more and left. After the Emperor left, all the officials then left quietly and orderly… I didn’t think they would be so well-behaved even when leaving.
So the Emperor Xian of Han is a snotty little brat huh. I wonder if he will become better when he grows up. So I thought while I wiped the mucus that had landed on my face.
“… So, Meng De, did you invite me to Xuchang for the sake of letting me meet that (kid)?” I specially lowered my volume when mentioning the Emperor Xian of Han.
“How can that be~” Meng De laughed as she got up.
“But that is…” I was doubtful of her answer as I got up as well.
“I got you to come here solely because I wanted you to accompany me.”
Ah?
“Accompany you??” I asked before I could get up fully.
“Un, n.o.body in Xuchang will chat with me after all.” Meng De was still smiling but the smile seemed to mask a loneliness behind it.
Perhaps it’s really like she said, that she just wanted company. Not only is she a woman who is above all but one, she has also shaped a villainous image of herself. It’s little wonder that she has no friends.
But at the same time, I am 100% sure that it is but one reason of many. Apart from this personal reason, Meng De definitely has more big picture considerations.
“What about your subordinates? You can chat with them right.”
“Haha, about that.” Meng De went ahead and exited the main hall, and I followed. “Because they are my subordinates, they are people who will be fighting for me. I’m afraid that if I chat with them too much, I’ll hesitate to make the right decisions on the battlefield.”
“…”
That is understandable. After all, one cannot be enc.u.mbered by personal feelings on the battlefield. But, that’s not what bothered me about her reply.
As we were talking, we had walked out of the main hall which was the most elevated part of the palace, and thus one could see the entire palace from here.
“And anyway–” Meng De looked at the palace before continuing. “Perhaps it’s a recent problem I’ve been having but I can’t quite trust others on some things.”
“Eh?” I let out a questioning grunt unwittingly.
“Yes, now the only one I can fully trust is myself.” Meng De laughed. “This has probably influenced my personality.”
Paranoia.
This is a necessary trait of Cao Cao. Nothing odd compared to the one I know. But now that I’m right in front of the anti-hero at such a time, I can’t not say anything.
“But Meng De, don’t you know?” I said softly. “By doing this, you will only isolate yourself.”
Meng De looked at me, from her expression I probably have a pained look on myself.
“I know. How can I not know?” Meng De’s smile never fell as she continued, “But when you walk alone, you can go faster right? And I’m confident in the path I choose.”
“That’s not the problem here…”
By walking alone, you can indeed travel faster but if you meet with any trouble then you have to shoulder it all alone.
“You know what’s my recent maxim?” Meng De reached out with one hand to the sky, probably to block the sun.
“I’d rather let the world betray me, than betray the world myself.”
As expected, the Cao Cao before me should be like that.
— Your responsibilities will be heavy and the journey will be long.
“Though I know how you think, do the people know?” I asked a realistic question. “Won’t the people just think that you usurp and control the Han?”
“That is indeed how they think.” Meng De said as she put down her hand. “Besides, even if I try to explain myself, people’s minds can’t be changed that easily.”
“Un…”
As I looked at Meng De’s smile, I couldn’t help feeling hurt for how she must be feeling.
“Forget it. My path will have to be walked by me in the end. The things I do will be judged in the future as a part of history.” Meng De raised her head once more and her signature confident smile floated up on her face again as she walked ahead proudly.
Meng De really is strong.
I laughed helplessly and hurriedly followed her.
(TL: The actual quote is reverse. ‘I’d rather betray the world than let the world betray me!’ Cao Cao supposedly takes shelter in the home of a friend. He happened to overhear the servants sharpening their knives and asking do we tie them up first or no, and he thought they were after his life. He then killed them all only to realise they were talking about cooking.)
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