Chapter 59: Moving Into New Residence
The Prefect’s mansion in Yuzhang Commandery has changed owners several times in recent years like a revolving lantern, and even Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang once lived here; Zhou Yu’s uncle Zhou Shu was one of the prefects.
After Zhou Shu died of illness, Zhuge Liang’s uncle Zhuge Xuan was appointed Prefect of Yuzhang by Yuan Shu. Later, Zhuge Xuan was won over by Liu Biao and defected to him. Considering Yuzhang Commandery unsafe, he sent Zhuge Liang and his brother to live in Xiangyang.
Later, Zhuge Xuan was forced to death by Liu Yao. After Liu Yao died, Hua Xin became Prefect of Yuzhang, followed immediately by Sun Ben.
The prefect’s mansion was expanded once by Liu Yao; just the residential mansion part was extended to twenty mu. Liu Yao paid particular attention to safety; the wall alone was two zhang and five chi high, so even martial artists with high martial arts skills would find it hard to climb in.
General Gan arranged for Madam Yang and her three daughters to live in the West Courtyard of the rear residence. The West Courtyard alone covered three mu. It had previously been the residence of Sun Fu and his concubine; the housing and courtyard were arranged very elegantly, which greatly satisfied Madam Yang.
General Gan also assigned them several maidservants, all left over from the original mansion. These maidservants were official slaves; no matter who became prefect, they were their masters.
There were over twenty maidservants and servant women in the mansion. Now they had a new master, said to be a very formidable young warlord, which made them all worried and afraid.
The previous masters had all been gentle and refined middle-aged scholars. They were very afraid of encountering a cruel and fierce master; beatings and scoldings would be minor, and they could be killed casually with no place to seek justice.
The maidservants and servant women were all uneasy, but Madam Yang felt another kind of unease. Today she discovered that the two inner residence maidservants in the main courtyard were both young and beautiful women; she worried they might steal her daughter’s position.
Madam Yang immediately decided to have her eldest daughter move to the main courtyard to live.
“Mother, I don’t want to move there. Can’t I stay in the West Courtyard?” Da Qiao felt embarrassed to move there and live with General Gan.
“You really are a blockhead. Haven’t you seen the two maidservants in his courtyard? They are about your age and pretty too. General Gan is young and promising; do you think they wouldn’t be tempted? Once the courtyard gate closes at night, who knows what might happen? Listen to Mother and move there; then they won’t dare to act out.”
Madam Yang was experienced; she knew clearly that with General Gan’s conditions, countless women would set their sights on him. The two maidservants would surely climb onto his bed. Her daughter was a silly goose who wouldn’t even know if her man was stolen.
“Mother, General Gan might not agree!”
“Sigh! How could he not agree? What do you think he’s taking care of us mother and daughters for? No relatives, isn’t it because he’s taken a fancy to you sisters? Your younger sister is still young; he won’t take her in for now, but you’re different. You’re his woman; even if he doesn’t touch you for now, the status is set. Listen to Mother; move there today, got it?”
Da Qiao nodded lightly. “Then I’ll ask him first!”
……..
General Gan had been extremely busy lately, not touching the ground with his feet, visiting the major noble families with Lu Su. Although everyone was very polite, General Gan felt the sense of recognition was still a bit lacking.
He didn’t have Huang Zu’s noble family and powerful families background, nor Yuan Shu’s four generations of Three Excellencies, nor Liu Biao’s imperial clan relatives background, nor the widespread recognition of the Sun Family in Jiangdong.
His origins were lowly, and he even had a disgraceful past as a water bandit, so although he was now undeniably the new lord of Yuzhang, he still lacked a little boost to gain widespread recognition from Yuzhang’s upper echelons.
Only then did General Gan realize the importance of legitimacy as Cao Cao had said. If he were the Prefect of Yuzhang appointed by the Imperial Court, his origins and experiences would all be irrelevant.
Lu Su sighed slightly. “Lord, you still need to write a letter to Cao Cao. He should still be waiting for your explanation about Pengze County. Getting the Imperial Court appointment is key.”
General Gan nodded. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll send someone to deliver the letter to Xuchang!”
General Gan returned to the mansion and had just sat down in the study when Da Qiao brought in a cup of tea.
General Gan hadn’t seen her for a long time. Seeing the beauty’s charming smiling face, the depression in his heart dissipated by more than half at once.
“How is it? Are you satisfied with the living quarters?”
Da Qiao said somewhat embarrassedly, “It feels much bigger and more exquisite than in Chaisang. I really like it here.”
General Gan spread out the letter paper but found no ink, so he smiled and said, “Do you know how to grind ink?”
“Yes!”
Da Qiao skillfully poured a little water into the ink stone and slowly ground the ink stick.
“Have you studied?”
Da Qiao nodded lightly. “Father was a military general, but he still did his utmost to let my younger sister and me study. Thanks to studying for a few years, I understand many principles.”
Da Qiao blushed and said softly, “Mother said there’s no one to take care of your daily life here, so she wants me to move over. Is that convenient for General?”
“What about you? Do you want to move over?” General Gan asked with a smile.
Da Qiao blushed and nodded slightly.
General Gan was delighted and took her hand. “Come with me; I’ll find a place for you.”
Da Qiao let him hold her hand; her heart was also filled with sweetness.
General Gan brought her into the courtyard of his own bedroom, right opposite the study. The front of the courtyard had a row of seven rooms, but only one main door.
Entering the door, the center was the living hall, and on the shelf against the wall at the front was a clepsydra for timing.
The living hall had a door on each side.
General Gan pointed to the door on the left. “There are three empty rooms here. You can tidy them up and live here; I’ll live opposite.”
Da Qiao had thought they would live together, but unexpectedly they were to live on separate sides. She didn’t know whether to feel happy or disappointed.
General Gan gently pulled her into his arms and whispered, “Wait until you’re two years older, and we can live together.”
Da Qiao suddenly understood the kindness in General Gan’s heart. Her nose soured, and a warm current surged into her heart. She bit her lip and said in a voice like a mosquito, “I’ll wait for that day!”
General Gan kissed her forehead. “Go pack your things and move over!”
Da Qiao blushed deeply and lowered her head. “I still need to grind ink for General!”
General Gan laughed heartily. “I’d have forgotten if you didn’t say. But you can grind ink tonight. First, get me some food, then pack and move over. I’ll write the letter tonight!”
……..
At night, Da Qiao brought hot water for General Gan to soak his feet, then undid his hair bun and smiled. “You can tell it’s General who tied it himself; so rough. From now on, I’ll comb it for you in the morning!”
General Gan reached out and held her slim waist, laughing. “Then you’ll have to get up early!”
Da Qiao lightly tapped General Gan’s head with the comb and smiled with pursed lips. “Do you think I’m lazy? I get up before dawn every day. I have to help Mother with many things every day. I’ve even gone outside the city to pick firewood.”
“You went to chop wood?”
“Not chop! How could I chop it? I just picked branches. I took my younger sister to pick branches. That was when Father died in battle; the family had no income or savings, so we dismissed all the servant women, moved to a small house, had no money to buy firewood, so we had to pick it ourselves, and also glean wheat ears from the fields!”
“Such a poor child!”
General Gan simply pulled her to sit on his lap, kissed her little face, and said, “I won’t let you suffer grievances anymore.”
Da Qiao buried her pretty face in his arms, extremely shy, but she couldn’t bear to run away.
At that moment, her hand unintentionally touched something, and she was stunned. What was this? She gently pinched it, and General Gan chuckled.
She suddenly realized and instantly blushed furiously. Unable to suppress her inner shyness any longer, she jumped up and ran to her own room.
General Gan laughed heartily behind her.
She leaned against the wall, shyly covering her face, her heart pounding. She had actually pinched it; so embarrassing.
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