Chang Sha Palace

[Liu Bei]

Ba Zeng stood at the front gate along with another guard whose name Ba Zeng really couldn't be bothered to remember - he was too busy pondering what pictures could be made out of the clouds - when the guard had asked why Ba Zeng had abandoned his uniform, Ba Zeng said: "It was too hot for today."

At that moment another man - on a horse, as if they didn't know where the stables were - approached the main gate and dismounted. Ba Zeng then recalled the face to be that of Gongsun Chao. Yes, there was probably not a better looking man in Chang Sha, at one time Ba Zeng would've been envious of his looks, but Ba Zeng was quite content with his feeble appearance, he was usually very easily left unnoticed. A trait that he both loved, but sometimes loathed, mostly loved. It also gave him a sort of ethereal look, and a knowing air.

Whilst Ba Zeng had been thinking these thoughts, he mentally blocked almost all of what Chao had been saying. He then realized that he was staring at Chao with a quizzical look, and he snapped back into reality and caught the ending of what Chao had said.

Of what Ba Zeng had heard, Chao said: "-- man surnamed Xiao -- May you inform the Lord that I recommend him for employment -- Also, I thank you for keeping our great Lord safe. May the Heavens smile upon the good work you do." After that, Chao was off.

Ba Zeng said, before he left: "Yes, I will indeed inform Lord Xuande, have a nice day."

Ba Zeng was almost glad that Chao had came, it gave him another excuse to go touring the palace. He turned to his companion guard, he was about to speak when he realized he didn't know his name, and Ba Zeng just said: "Well, I'll be off then -- my friend." Ba Zeng had improvised. Throughout the day the guard had realized it was another excuse for Ba Zeng to have a break. In fact, most of the staff had forgotten that he was wearing a guard's uniform hours ago, and he was treated like a special guest. Most likely due to his feeble appearance, he would've never been able to do any harm in the first place, and the palace was open to the public.

~

Liu Bei had instantly regretted his decision.

The lord was prepared to be relaxed, his skin smoothed out, and his stress alleviated. This man lied! Liu Bei whined inside his head like a hurt child, there is nothing pleasurable about this! Then again, he had never had a message, maybe it's supposed to feel like this. But, what kind of man would pay for pain? Ding Feng's fingers stuck into Liu Bei's neck like knives, and Liu Bei's face showed an unwilling grimace.

Ding Feng's torture- Uh, relaxing message, had been ongoing for at least one - full - minute until Lao Jun came in. To Liu Bei it was his lifeline. He took a sigh of relief in his head.

"Oh, Ding Feng," Liu Bei said half getting up, talking though his shoulders ached worse then they had been before the message, "I shouldn't keep people waiting over such trivial things!"

He added as an afterthought: "And you may use my Palace for the day, Ding Feng, along with your assistant. Perhaps we shall talk later."

He beckoned Lao Jun to come forward with a wave.

[Lao Jun]

It was a curious site to say the least. Apparently, these men had come to see Liu Bei, ruler of the Shu-Han, in order…to give him a massage? What strange people. They were too obvious to be assassins, yet didn’t seem to be particularly good masseurs either if the look on Liu Bei’s face was any judge. It was very accommodating of Liu Bei to give them the time of day, much less reward them for poor services rendered. He was certainly not lacking in generosity. The rumors seemed correct in that respect.

These unskilled masseurs soon left Lao Jun’s mind, however, as he saw Liu Bei beckon him forward. Walking before Liu Bei, he bowed deeply, ever formal.

“Lord Liu Bei, I thank you for granting me an audience,” he began. “I am Lao Jun, styled Jianyue, former vassal to the late Lord Yuan Shang, son of Lord Yuan Shao. A year ago, my lord was murdered by Gongsun Kang in the name of Cao Cao, Lord of Wei.”

Jun did his best to keep any bitterness or anger out of that last statement. He did not want Liu Bei to think him driven purely by emotion. He was not entirely successful.

“Since then, I have been without a lord and without hope. My family and the clan they served for generations, the Yuan, were destroyed, and the man responsible seemed unassailable. But then, I heard of your defeat of Cao Cao at Chi Bi, of your numerous accomplishments and of your reputation as kind, just lord who cares for his people, and I was given reason to hope again.”

Jun got down on his knees and bowed forward to touch his head to the ground, kowtowing before Liu Bei. The gesture was one of great respect and tradition, one of the highest honors one could give without words.

“So in exchange for the hope you have given me, I humbly ask that you please accept my life in service to you, Lord Liu Bei.”

Though finished speaking, Jun remained kowtowed before Liu Bei, awaiting an answer. Understandably, his heart-rate quickened. Lao Jun was not famed, and he was all alone. He had nothing to offer but his mind and body. Would Liu Bei accept such a man as a vassal?

[Xiao Huan]

The high walls of Chang Sha rose like displaced mountains from the wilderness. Nagamasa's face brightened as the entire city came into view. Finally they had reached the capital of Shu Han. A week of riding had left Nagamasa with a stiff back, though it was nothing fatal.



"Lieutenant, get the men into retinue formation."



He called over his shoulder. Commands were issued behind him and the twenty Azai horsemen of the House of Xiao fell into two columns behind him. Nagamasa rode forward toward the gate and called to the guards.



"I am Xiao Huan of the House of Xiao. I am here upon invitation of Lord Gongsun."



He had hoped that his letter had reached Chao, or else these men may have thought he was an assailant. Nagamasa had come with the hope of meeting the Shu Han ruler, Liu Bei, though he suspected that it would be impossible at the moment. He scanned the battlements and gateway for anyone who appeared to be of noble stature, but none of them fit his mental image of the man called Gongsun. He eased back in the saddle and waited for admission. The guard nearest to him nodded and bade him enter. Nagamasa took a deep breath and dismounted his steed. He motioned to his men to do the same as he imagined there might of been some rule against riding a horse on palace grounds. Again he gazed around for the man who'd sent the letter and saw no one. The sun was still high in the morning sky, and Nagamasa suspected that he'd see Gongsun before the day was through.

[Gongsun Chao]

A very young man clothed from head to toe in white armor, depicting the symbols of dragons and serpents, rode a white horse towards the gate from the fields. Behind him marched hundreds of spearmen, all sweating from the day's training. Each of the spearmen wore white and green cloths over their armor, depicting their allegiance to the Standard of the White Dragon and to the Lord Liu of Shu Han. The banners of the Shu Han and the Standard, a white serpent coiled around a spear, were held high by the flagbearers.

Chao rode ahead of his men when he spotted Nagamasa. He didn't know Nagamasa by sight, but the guard quickly informed him of Nagamasa's name. Chao spoke something to his bodyguard, a hardened warrior though still of Nagamasa's age, and his bodyguard led the Standard division into the city gates, returning to their barracks.

Chao approached Nagamasa, a kind smile on the young noble's face. He bowed his head, putting his hands forth with his left palm over his right fist in the traditional greeting of respect.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance for the first time, Lord Xiao. I suppose you are here to seek employment with the Lord Liu?"

Assuming that Nagamasa responded positively, Chao continued.

"I have already notified the Lord's guards at the palace of your arrival, and they will be glad to accept you. If you wish it I can accompany you to the palace, and give you a tour of the beautiful city of Changsha."

[Xiao Huan]

Nagamasa watched as the troops marched into the city. At their head was a rather serious faced man. He seemed to carry a sort of authority, even though he was no younger than Nagamasa himself.

'Is this Gongsun Chao?', he wondered as he watched the parade of white and green warriors file pass his own blue and black clad soldiers. His concentration was broken by the sudden appearance of a very young man dressed in ornate white plate. The youth bowed and spoke, to which Nagamasa responded in kind.

"Yes", he said in response to the first question. The youth continued to speak and Nagamasa listened attentively. When the warrior had finished speaking Nagamasa smiled and nodded briefly. He removed his tall helm and passed it to the lieutenant.
"That sounds enjoyable.", he smiled and indicated that his men should find lodging. He turned back to the youth.

"What, may I ask, is your name?"

[Ding Feng]

Watching Liu Bei stand up, Ding Feng could hardly contain the laughter that was beginning to burst forth, though he managed to hold himself back. For Liu Bei's comment about the palace, a simple nod was given and he placed his hands in his sleeves. He would have left, but then deciding that he neither knew his way about the palace, and snooping around would not look right, he decided to wait for Lao Jun and Liu Bei to finish their conversation. He was glad however that his plan had at least somewhat worked. Liu Bei was definitely polite, perhaps enough so to avoid giving a critique to his massaging.

He handled it well, I guess I should at least apologize for putting him in pain. Maybe he'll understand I was merely trying to have fun and do my own way of verifying the rumours about him. I'll just wait until their finished speaking... But how do I make this funny? Oh I know, my masseur master is named Chi Nan!

(FYI: Chi Nan translates as stupid man in Chinese)

[Gongsun Chao]

Nov 17, 2009 23:07:57 GMT Xiao Huan said:

"What, may I ask, is your name?"

The young man smiled and bowed his head slightly.

"Gongsun Chao, son of the White Dragon of Ru Nan, at your service, Lord Xiao."

"If you wish it, your men can rest with mine tonight, I had a very large barracks complex built for my Standard. My advisor will take care of their passage if you like."

The young noble raised his hand and another man rode up, this man looking to be Nagamasa's age. Chao spoke to him breifly and the man nodded.

"I am Zhou Xu, advisor to the Lord Gongsun, Commander of the Standard of the White Dragon, and Retainer of the House of Liu. Would you request that your men be given lodging alongside the Standard this night?"

[Xiao Huan]

Nagamasa had to forcibly keep his eyes from widening in surprise. This young man was Lord Gongsun? Nagamasa let a gentle smile cross his features. The youth must of been extremely talented and Nagamasa would not ridicule him for his age, he would respect it.
"I thank you for your generosity, Lord Gongsun.", he said with another short bow.

"My men would be honoured to share your barracks for the night."
Nagamasa looked over the young man again. He thought of the responsibility the boy must have had inherited from his late father. It was a similar responsibility which Nagamasa had recently inherited from his father.

"I look forward to seeing this city."
He added as a final comment.

[Gongsun Chao]

Chao's advisor bowed his head and rode off, making the necessary preparations for the Azai forces to rest in the Standard barracks.

Chao didn't seem to mind if Nagamasa was surprised. Youth was an advantage afterall.

"Do come, then, Lord Xiao. I will take you to the Lord Liu's palace."

The guards parted and allowed Nagamasa and his men to enter the city. As they rode in, Chao rode beside the young Nagamasa.

"So, Lord Xiao, I would be honored if you would tell me of yourself. I know little more than that you are said to be virtuous, I'm afraid."

[Xiao Huan]

Nagamasa watched as his men followed Chao's advisor toward the barracks whilst he and Chao took a different path leading toward the palace. The morning breeze was cool upon Nagamasa's face. It was so strangely soothing that Nagamasa shut his eyes to enjoy it.







He opened his right eye to look at Chao as he inquired about Nagamasa. The young nobleman shut his eyes again, seemingly ignoring Chao. A few moments later he began to speak.















"I am the first son of the Xiao household. My family has distant ties with the Imperial Han. My father, adopted me when I was an 8 year old boy wondering the streets of Cheng Du. It seems like forever ago."







As he spoke the memories slowly edged back into his mind.



"Stealing food, finding shelter from the rain, enduring the beatings of the city guards just because I meant nothing to anyone. Looking back it feels like somebody else's life."







Nagamasa was talking about things that most men of his position would never speak of in the open, but that was something that defined who Nagamasa was. He spoke honestly as to lie about his past would be akin to lying about the man he was now. He continued his tale.







"One day my luck ran out. I'd stolen a loaf of bread and was caught by the merchant. I thought I'd lose my hands as punishment." He said with a light smile.



"But then something incredible happened."


As he said the words, Nagamasa turned his face toward the blue sky. His face was a mixture of adoration, though his eyes betrayed a subtle sadness.



"The merchant was readying his cleaver when a nobleman burst into the store, claiming that I was his son. You can imagine my surprise when he untied me and carried me away."

Nagamasa paused and touched the small medallion around his neck. It was a gift his father had given him that day and he'd never taken it off.

"His name was Xiao Leiu, and he taught me about courage, honor and respect for all people, despite class or wealth."
He looked at Chao again, his expression solemn.

"He was my hero, an endless light against the darkness. He gave me a home and a family ... Until he was stolen by the chaos of the land."
His voice faltered when he spoke of his fathers death. He smiled weakly at Chao and extended his arm.
"As the head of the Xiao family, my name is Xiao Huan. But you may call me by my first name. Nagamasa."