That night, Yuan Shu ordered the servants to lay out a banquet, and with Xu Gong and Qiao Mao in attendance, they enjoyed wine and made merry. Zhou Yu didn’t dare speak out of turn, so he merely smiled and kept them company. It wasn’t until the meal ended that Qiao Mao grabbed Zhou Yu’s arm and gave him some advice, adding that in the coming days, he would find Zhou Yu for a more detailed chat. Yuan Shu was still clutching his wine cup, tottering around on unsteady legs, requesting a few more drinks together.
Zhou Yu hurried to steady him. But as soon as Xu Gong and Qiao Mao left, Yuan Shu recovered—he was not drunk at all.
“Zhou Yu, come with me,” Yuan Shu ordered.
Yuan Shu was treating him as one of his own, so Zhou Yu followed along into the study in earnest. Yuan Shu first asked in detail how Zhou Yu’s family was doing, so Zhou Yu untied his bundle and handed over Lu Su’s gift. He placed it in front of Yuan Shu.
“This is a little something my mother wanted me to give Uncle.”
“Ah.” Yuan Shu glanced inside, only to see a Night-Luminous Pearl. He waved for a servant to stash it away. Zhou Yu stood silently by Yuan Shu’s side, not saying more.
“How is your study of the Confucian classics?” Yuan Shu asked.
“I cannot allow my father’s legacy to go to waste, so I review them regularly.”
“You’re well-versed in the teachings of Legalism22 as well?”
“Yes,” Zhou Yu replied respectfully.
“Uncle will test you, then.”
Zhou Yu ground some ink for Yuan Shu, and with a swirl of his brush, Yuan Shu wrote a test question. As Zhou Yu expected, the question was regarding the union of “understanding classics” and “understanding laws” that often came up in the regional examinations. As Zhou Yu read it, he understood Yuan Shu was trying to determine what official position would be suitable for him. With that in mind, he took the scroll and sat to one side, lifting his brush as he composed his essay.
At first, when his brush landed, his motions were somewhat choppy, but as time went on he wrote faster and faster, and he finished with an exhale. If this had been an official examination, the test wouldn’t have been combined but split into the two subjects. Confucianism and Legalism needed to be applied together for maximum effect, and the problem Yuan Shu gave him included both. Zhou Yu took the question seriously and answered it as best he could.
Yuan Shu narrowed his eyes, a cup of tea near his hand. He mostly observed Zhou Yu’s expressions instead of his writing.
“You sit up straight, and you are tall. The line of your back is very pretty,” Yuan Shu suddenly said, before laughing loudly.
Feeling awkward, Zhou Yu responded, “Uncle is praising me too much.”
“When you were small, your father disciplined you quite a bit, didn’t he?” Yuan Shu remarked, still laughing.
Zhou Yu chuckled. “Yes, when I was small and learning to write characters and compose essays, my back often met his paddle.”
“Hmm,” Yuan Shu hummed. “Not bad. A handsome, skilled youth. Talent and looks, how lucky.”
Zhou Yu smiled humbly, and the study quieted once more. After a few more minutes, Zhou Yu turned in his response, offering it up with two hands to Yuan Shu. Composing an essay wouldn’t stump him easily, and Yuan Shu only glanced over the beginning before calling someone in.
“Bring this essay to Yang Hong for him to read.”
Yang Hong was an aide under Yuan Shu’s command, and Yuan Shu would basically wait for Yang Hong to assign Zhou Yu a post.
“Why don’t you keep me company as we stroll about the garden?” Yuan Shu said.
Zhou Yu swiftly rose to his feet.
The lamp lights brilliantly pierced the darkness, and Yuan Shu, hands clasped behind his back, walked in front of him, while Zhou Yu followed respectfully. Yuan Shu thought for a while.
“Since the Marquis of Mei fled to Chang’an in the west, how do you see the situation in Luoyang developing?”
Zhou Yu considered this deeply. “Though Luoyang is the capital, in reality, that fire destroyed its importance. Instead, Nanyang’s relevancy has risen, because historically it was a land strategists fought over…”
“You’re correct,” Yuan Shu said. “I’ve sent Sun Wentai to Nanyang. As of now, he is keeping his troops there, awaiting my orders. Luoyang is rubble; it will not be restored to its former glory for a long time.”
“If Uncle is interested in gaining Luoyang, he can order General Sun to press ahead to Yangren County, then split his troops and send a group to conquer Hangu Pass,” Zhou Yu said. “Aside from that Han loyalist Ma Teng in Liang Province, if any of the various marquises wish to mobilize their men against Dong Zhou, they will need to travel through Hangu Pass.”
Yuan Shu sighed. “That Sun Wentai doesn’t listen to orders. It’s not as easy as you say.”
“Are the Sun family’s troops currently stationed in Luoyang?” Zhou Yu asked.
Yuan Shu hummed, mulling over something.
“After Dong Zhuo kidnapped the emperor and fled west, Luoyang instantly lost all value. Xu Province and Jing Province became the regions of strategic importance. As this young nephew sees it, it’d be better to order General Sun to temporarily fall back to Nanyang County,” Zhou Yu supplied.
“Liu Biao will not easily relinquish Jing Province,” Yuan Shu said. “That old fox, in the Coalition Against Dong, refused to go and do battle. Do you think he would surrender if I were to issue a writ of amnesty?”
Zhou Yu shook his head. “Sooner or later, Jing Province will be fought over, but it’s better later than earlier. Liu Biao is of the royal family, and he is insistent on defending his claim to the throne. At the heart of it, he won’t stand on anyone’s side. If we attack now, we would only lose the support of the people.”
Yuan Shu smiled and stroked his beard. Clearly Zhou Yu’s assessment of the battle situation had not met Yuan Shu’s expectations, and Zhou Yu couldn’t help but sigh.
“It is what it is,” Yuan Shu said warmly to him, unwilling to elaborate. “You should rest. Tomorrow, I will send someone for you.”
With that, Zhou Yu and Yuan Shu bowed and bade each other farewell.
✦ ✦ ✦
After returning to his room, Zhou Yu realized he was completely exhausted, and this was only his first day in Shouchun. The servants had brought his belongings in, but instead of unpacking, Zhou Yu immediately went to pen a letter to Sun Ce. He ripped it up, wrote another, tore it up again, then tossed the entire sheet of paper into the brazier and let it burn. In the end, he only wrote a few short, simple words:
Already arrived in Shouchun. Come quickly to meet me.
Fei Yu flapped its way out of Yuan Shu’s residence while Zhou Yu sat beside the window. He was staying on the second floor of a building in a side courtyard, and from here, if he pushed open the window, he could see the entirety of Shouchun buried under the snow, tranquil and elegant.