The Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu is good at being filial

Chapter 40

＜ The One Who Flies (1) ＞

Morning.

The House of Lord Wang Yun.

“Hoo hoo hoo, General! Please, eat up.”

Today, Wang Yun’s expression is bright.

“Since Lord Wang has not lifted his spoon, how can I?”

“Haha. Just seeing the lady general eat heartily fills me up.”

Sitting at the head seat, he doesn’t even think to touch the breakfast brought by the servants, merely grinning at me as I chew my food.

Ah.

Of course, Wang Yun took a spoonful first.

No matter how much I might not particularly like Wang Yun, he is not the type to eat before an elder lifts their spoon.

‘What is he, a miser?’

Wang Yun simply watches me eat.

Uncomfortably. Continuously.

“How was it, how did you fare last night?”

“Thanks to Lord Wang’s consideration, I was able to sleep well.”

“Hoo hoo, that is a relief.”

Just yesterday, when I was at the palace, he seemed ready to devour me, but today he welcomes me as if I were on his side.

“Ha ha ha.”

I understand.

“First, I must apologize. That girl, Chosun, was lacking in her service to the general.”

“Not at all.”

It seems that the commotion from yesterday and the events that unfolded until this morning have led to the situation Wang Yun most desired.

“Is Chosun alright?”

“She is fine. Though she fainted, it was her first time. Please be understanding.”

Her first time, he says.

Eating rice in the house of a high official in Luoyang is also a first for me, but there’s no time to savor the taste.

‘The rice is good, so I’ll just endure it for now.’

It feels a bit crumbly, but still, a slight sweetness flows out with each bite.

It seems that rice is quite scarce in the Byungju region, so they had no choice but to buy it from Giju or Yuju.

In fact, it’s called rice, but it’s just millet.

In this era, high-quality improved white rice is something to be unexpected.

When thinking of the average dining table in Nangyang, it’s a feast beyond compare—but—

‘It’s like sitting on a thorny cushion.’

There’s certainly not a grain of sand in the rice, yet the way Wang Yun looks at me feels as grating as chewing sand-mixed rice.

Tap.

It can’t be helped.

I set down the rice bowl for a moment and quench my thirst with the tea beside me.

“I was quite surprised that Chosun bled more than expected.”

“Ah, do not worry. It’s not as if she’s caught a deadly illness.”

As soon as I mention Chosun, a flush of color spreads across Wang Yun’s face.

“Ha ha. It seems I was insufficient to handle the general alone…”

This old man is clearly letting his imagination run wild.

Of course, I understand that yesterday’s situation was ripe for such flights of fancy.

A woman sent to where men wash themselves.

The woman fainted, and blood flowed from her body.

Moreover, that woman has remained fainted since that moment, unable to rise.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have told Chosun to build her strength beforehand. Ha ha ha!”

Objectively speaking, it was merely to save a woman who had fainted in the bathroom.

However, to the eyes of someone with a purpose, it can only appear one way.

“Chosun, isn’t she beautiful?”

“…….”

Having already sent Chosun for that very purpose.

Regardless of Chosun’s personal will, sending a young woman to a man’s room in this era holds only one meaning.

“She is my most cherished adopted daughter.”

“Do you have several adopted daughters?”

“Ha ha, are you interested? I could arrange it right away…”

“No.”

I’d rather not express interest, lest he tries to introduce me to several in his bedroom.

“When working in the court, there are times when I take in various girls. Those without a place to go, or parents who entrust their children. Chosun was one such child entrusted to me.”

“Are you saying she entrusted herself to you?”

“That can’t be. I merely took in an orphan. Among those orphans, Chosun is beautiful, kind-hearted, and intelligent.”

He speaks proudly of having raised children, and indeed, it is something to be proud of.

“She has grown up in our estate since she was young. Rest assured, she has never been in the hands of others.”

“…….”

“She has grown up more gracefully than any noble girl. I even arranged a separate room for her within the estate.”

It is not strange.

The powerful families often take in girls to raise as adopted daughters.

In fact, among those who sent marriage proposals to me in Byeongju, there were some who sought to create a familial bond with me by adopting a daughter.

“Thanks to that, she faced jealousy from other children, but that was simply because she is so beautiful and takes great care of her appearance. Ha ha.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Regardless of the circumstances.

“King Sado.”

When it comes to the woman named Chosun, there is only one thing I must do.

“Please give Chosun to me.”

“Pfft?!”

King Yoon, who was just about to eat and joke around, burst out laughing.

“Excuse me, General?”

“I find her quite appealing. I will take her in.”

I clasped my hands together towards King Yoon.

“Since I have embraced her, I will take her as my own.”

“General, this is so sudden…?”

“To put it simply, I am saying I will take responsibility.”

I feel sorry for Chosun, but King Yoon’s gaze reflects the average perception of this world regarding the current situation.

“If a man takes a woman into his care and does not take responsibility, how can he truly be called a man?”

“Ha, ha ha…!!”

King Yoon chuckles, fiddling with his mustache.

“I thought you had no interest in such matters.”

“I have endured until now because there has been no woman who has caught my eye enough to take responsibility for.”

“You have endured…!”

“King Sado. No, Elder.”

Be a bit more courteous.

For Chosun.

“The nature of the human heart is such that sometimes, with just a small spark, it can ignite like oil catching fire. Elder Sado, I am a man too.”

All I did was support Chosun, but in that moment, I felt like I had just leaped out of the water, my entire body drenched.

The household of Wang Yun, who rushed in at my call, witnessed the situation with their own eyes, so what meaning would there be in speaking the truth?

“Ha, hahaha! How amusing.”

Wang Yun, believing I had truly touched Chosun, was exceedingly pleased.

“I have already given Chosun to my general, so now she belongs to the general! Hahaha.”

It is better for him to misunderstand; that way, Chosun remains safe.

If I were to reveal the truth, Chosun would become ‘useless’ to Wang Yun.

“I never knew the general would take such a liking to Chosun. What is it that you find so appealing?”

“My late father said to cherish a woman who keeps herself well.”

A story separate from the matter at hand.

Neither my father in this life nor my father in the last life ever said such a thing, but surely he would understand my words.

“Chosun, I will take responsibility, no matter what.”

“Hehehe….”

Wang Yun’s eyes narrow.

“That girl has a tendency to indulge in luxuries, but is that alright with you?”

“Luxuries?”

“She insists on washing herself at least once a day.”

“…….”

Luxuries.

It feels more extravagant to wash oneself with clean water than to have a bowl of meat at every meal.

Water is that precious.

‘So there was a reason Chosun endured here.’

Elder Sado Wang Yun is wealthy.

Having entered as an orphan, it would have been difficult to live comfortably anywhere else.

“Besides washing, she often asks for strange items, using them to create peculiar things. Most of them… are a bit hard to find or expensive.”

“That’s fine.”

Eating, sleeping, and washing.

“That’s what I hoped for.”

“Haha, will that be alright?”

“I also spend most of my salary on maintaining my own cleanliness. Washing alone or washing together shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Hahaha!!”

Wang Yoon laughs, slapping the table with his hand.

“It’s a match made in heaven! When my Chosun asked the workers to build a bathroom, I thought it was quite a luxury, but who would have thought it would lead to a connection with this General Ye?”

“…….”

“I’ll tell her as soon as Chosun wakes up.”

“Please do.”

“Haha. Then… let’s enjoy our meal leisurely.”

Wang Yoon beams as he begins to eat, and I too turned my gaze to my own meal.

‘I have to take responsibility.’

Chosun must be embraced.

…It’s not that I must embrace her simply because she is a woman, or because she is beautiful.

Of course, I can’t say there’s no possibility of that, and relationships between men and women can turn out in unexpected ways; life is never so clear-cut, and one cannot force it. But this isn’t particularly strange in this era, and there are those kinds of things to consider—

‘For now, I made soap.’

Chosun has soap.

She possesses the knowledge and ability to create soap.

In fact, compared to modern soap, it feels relatively inferior in quality, but still, there is soap in this era?

‘I found a soap that is much more refined and convenient to use than what I was trying to make.’

Did Chosun give me soap?

No, that’s not it.

‘Rather, she hid it. I discovered it myself.’

Just in case, I searched for it and found it.

Why?

She was presumed to be a modern person, and there was no trace of the peculiar stench typical of people from this era.

To be precise, just before Chosun collapsed, I caught a glimpse of her identity when she last kicked her feet and slapped her hands.

‘At least a person from the 20th century or beyond.’

Thump thump clap.

Thump thump clap.

To the rhythm and melody that automatically echoed in my head, I returned to the bathroom and searched for traces of what had happened while Chosun had fainted.

Was it intentionally left out, or was it hidden away like a treasure?

‘If they made soap, they must be a modern person.’

There was soap in the bathroom!!

To be precise, I could find various peculiar items in the small storage room attached to the bathroom.

A mirror made of bronze, tightly affixed to the wall.

Several neatly arranged soft silks.

A marble cup, presumed to have often held water.

A piece of rock salt next to it, along with a scraper for that salt.

Above all, the slippery soap stored in a wooden box, kept safe from the hands of others.

‘So, you were enjoying this all by yourself? Huh? It’s unfair, but I’m a bit envious.’

I hadn’t found it until Chosun fainted, but these were the traces I discovered when I went back to wash myself after laying Chosun down.

‘If I had just seen the soap, I would have recognized it right away.’

Since you like washing, would you like to try washing with this?

If I had asked and handed over the soap, I would have probably soaked it in water and made bubbles right away.

– Soap… you know about it?

– …perhaps?

As I scrubbed my body with the soap once more, I thought.

Chosun might be someone who reincarnated alongside me, and perhaps she knows a lot about this era.

What Chosun was likely trying to say, even while spitting blood, were clues about this time.

The Three Kingdoms.

Chosun knows information about this era.

‘Completely useless, though.’

I felt sorry for Chosun, but would that knowledge hold any value for me?

Well…

‘No matter how much the protagonists possessed by novels cause a ruckus with the original work, by the time you get to volume 2 or 3, the original is bound to be shattered.’

I wasn’t particularly picky when it came to martial arts stories.

I liked classics, but I also enjoyed martial arts that mixed in some time travel.

‘What’s the point of the original? I’m going to overturn it anyway.’

And that ‘future knowledge’ only seemed to be useful when needed.

Most stories, after a certain point, either fall apart due to the butterfly effect or change entirely as the protagonist takes an active role in twisting the narrative.

Tragedy turns into comedy.

Comedy transforms into an even more extreme form of happiness and wealth.

‘I will determine the milestones of my life.’

This is the perspective of the reincarnator.

And from the viewpoint of someone living in this era:

‘I simply live faithfully in the present, doing my best in the current situation.’

What I wish for Choseon is not information about this era.

It’s the technical knowledge necessary to survive in this time from modern understanding.

Where did they obtain soap?

If they made it, how did they create it?

If securing materials is easy, is mass production perhaps possible?

‘Cleanly in Byeongju, cleanly in Luoyang, cleanly for the entire country.’

If Choseon is here, perhaps I can realize that plan I once attempted alone in Byeongju and failed.

For this green and pure world.

‘If there’s a soap artisan, I must bring them here without fail.’

Tap.

I set down my utensils.

Just in time, I had finished my meal, and Wang Yun had also finished his breakfast.

“Ha ha, was it a coincidence?”

“It was merely by chance.”

“Such humility. It seems we will be eating together often from now on….”

From noble mtl dot com

“If you and His Majesty permit, I would like to continue staying here.”

“!!”

Cutting straight to the point and presenting the answer Wang Yun desired, he was instead taken aback and surprised.

“Will you really do that?”

“Yes.”

A bathroom created using the wealth of high-ranking officials from the modern era.

I cannot contain myself.

While the facilities are naturally incomparable to Byeongju, the mere existence of soap makes it all worthwhile.

“Then—”

“Your Grace!!”

A frantic old man, who could be called a butler in modern terms or a chief steward in martial arts, rushed in.

“What’s all this commotion? It’s noisy from the morning.”

“It seems you must enter the palace quickly. His Majesty has issued a command for all civil and military officials, especially those of the third rank and above, to enter the palace immediately—no, at once.”

“…Has something happened?”

Wang Yun set down his tea and immediately rose.

I too quickly tossed the tea into my mouth, moving it around before standing up.

“That is—”

The chief steward, receiving our gazes, gestured back in a fluster.

The servants had already brought the official robes.

They brought the robes without a word from their master?

That meant it was an emergency.

“It is said that the thousand cavalry sent by Dong Zhuo to attack Yuan Shao have been annihilated.”

“…….”

“And it has just been reported that a proclamation has been scattered around the eastern gate of Luoyang.”

“A proclamation?”

“Yes. The contents are too shocking to speak of….”

“Speak.”

Wang Yun asked, putting on his official robes with a serious expression.

“Quickly.”

“……The false sun rises in the blue sky, so let us clear the dark clouds so that the true sun may rise.”

“…….”

Really, such unnecessarily pedantic expressions.

To put it simply.

“It is a rebellion to not recognize the current emperor and to enthrone a new one.”

A pamphlet.

“……You there.”

I asked as I received the official robes from the approaching servants and changed into my court attire.

“Is Chao Xian awake?”

“That, that is.”

“Answer me.”

“…I have not yet awakened.”

“I see. When you do awaken, let me know.”

I pressed my cap down firmly.

“Do not overthink it; I will take responsibility, so clean yourself up and wait.”

No matter what calamity befalls Luoyang.

Even if a rebel pushes into Luoyang and a situation arises where we must escape from there.

‘I’m sorry to the Emperor.’

The soap technician must be taken to the military without fail.

….

If, on the way, we must also take the Emperor and escape, then so be it.

* * *

Moments later, the Imperial Palace.

“Is it even conceivable that the imperial army has been defeated by the rebels!”

The court is a place where even a single weakness can be viciously attacked.

“Minister Dong! Speak up!”

“…….”

A middle-aged official shouts at Dong Zhuo, veins bulging in his neck.

“Though they are an army from Xiliang, they are the Emperor’s forces dispatched under the imperial decree! How will you take responsibility for this!”

“Right now, Xiliang is….”

“That is not the point! What matters is that the Xiliang cavalry, which you so proudly boasted about, has been defeated!”

Perhaps he had long harbored grievances against Dong Zhuo; he unleashes his fury indiscriminately, using the defeat of the imperial army as an excuse.

“What shall we do! The rebels are so arrogant that they are scattering wooden boards inscribed with this dreadful phrase before Luoyang!”

Amidst the lined ministers, there are numerous boards with words carved into their bark.

Among them, several of the cleanest wooden boards are placed on the Emperor’s desk.

The traces of the rebels.

What I heard from the servant before leaving Wang Yun’s house was only a small part of it.

“All you officials, listen.”

The Emperor speaks.

The official who had been pouring words toward Dong Zhuo tried to open his mouth to say “Your Majesty,” but as soon as he caught my gaze, he immediately bowed his head.

“I will read for myself what the rebels are saying.”

The emperor lifted a wooden tablet.

“The current King of Jin, Liu Xie, is a false emperor established by Dong Zhuo.”

A statement that warrants beheading just by mentioning it.

And it was none other than the emperor who uttered it.

“Dong Zhuo has led his soldiers and seized control of the court. The court officials have knelt in submission to Dong Zhuo’s sword. They are trying to frame me, Yuan Shao, as a traitor to kill me, so I have escaped the false capital.”

“Huh, huh…!”

Everyone was in a situation so embarrassing that they could hardly listen.

Above all, it must be utterly absurd.

“A parricidal son who abandoned his family and fled…!”

The one making that statement was none other than Yuan Shao himself.

“Your Majesty! Please spread the truth about Yuan Shao immediately, so that he can no longer deceive the people…!”

“Still, there is one page left.”

“Ah… Yes.”

The middle-aged official, who had hurriedly tried to advise the emperor, stepped back, and the emperor picked up another wooden tablet.

“…Where is the hero who will save this country? Although there is that Ye Bong-seon in the capital, the emperor is buying sympathy with his age, and the court officials are trying to pull Ye Bong-seon into their side by making him their son-in-law.”

“Haha…!!”

“…….”

“The treacherous ministers have seized control of the court and corrupted the heroes. Heroes, patriots, come here.”

Tap.

“…Dong Taewi.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the emperor’s call, Dong Zhuo stepped forward.

“The Taewi is one of the three dukes responsible for the affairs of state, particularly governing military matters.”

If I were to think of the most similar modern position, it would probably be the ‘Minister of Defense.’

“Dong Taewi, as Taewi, eradicate the traitor Yuan Shao and those who share his ambitions.”

“…….”

“Taewi. It is the emperor’s command. What is your answer?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Dong Zhuo lowered his head, his face twisted like chewed sorghum.

The way he kept his head bowed clearly showed the anger and irritation simmering within him, yet all Dong Zhuo could do was follow the imperial decree.

“I, Dong Zhuo, shall eradicate the traitorous faction and proclaim the majesty of His Majesty the Emperor to the world.”

“Mm.”

“However, before we subdue the traitors…”

Dong Zhuo straightened his back and swept his hands across both sides.

“We must conduct a thorough investigation to ensure there are no traitors colluding within the imperial palace.”

“Listen here, Grand Chancellor Dong!”

Chae Ong stepped forward.

“Who do you think doesn’t know that you’re trying to label anyone as a traitor using the people of the Grand Chancellor’s office?!”

“…Chae Shijung. Are you raising your voice at me now?”

“Raising my voice? Ha, who? In the court? How dare you?”

Chae Ong spoke in a low tone, just shy of crossing the threshold of the Emperor’s voice.

“Whether someone is a traitor or not—”

“I, Wang Yun, will take full responsibility for the investigation.”

Before Dong Zhuo could raise his voice, Wang Yun stepped forward and bowed to the Emperor.

“I stake my position as a minister to root out the traitorous faction within the court.”

“Minister.”

The Emperor alternated his gaze between Wang Yun and me.

Knowing that I had entered the palace alongside Wang Yun, various thoughts must be troubling him.

Is Wang Yun trustworthy?

No, he is not.

But at least he would be safer than Dong Zhuo.

“Minister Wang. You intend to use your people to find the traitors? Why? Just because you have the treasured sword, do you think you can wield it and cut them all down in an instant?”

“The treasured sword, you say.”

Wang Yun straightened his posture, alternating his gaze between me and the Emperor, smiling slyly.

“Do I appear to be such a shameless person, trying to oust my political rivals using my own people?”

Words may differ in nuance, but that phrase ‘my own people’ slightly irked me.

It felt like the rice I had eaten in the morning was stuck in my throat.

‘People seem to resemble the garden a bit.’

Is it just my imagination that the garden seems to overlap behind Wang Yun?

‘Could it be that he’s mistakenly thinking I’ve become his ally because of Chosun?’

It’s a reasonable misunderstanding.

After all, even if she is a stepdaughter, if he’s willing to embrace such a daughter and even hold a banquet, then he’s essentially become the ‘father-in-law’ that Dongtak desired.

“Your Majesty. May I, Wang Yun, stake my position to recommend one person?”

“Recommend… you say? Wang Sado. Are you not the one seeking the traitor?”

“There is a suitable talent available.”

All eyes immediately turned toward me.

Chaeong frowned at Wang Yun, Dongtak smiled as if he had seized an opportunity, and the Emperor openly displayed his discomfort.

Everyone’s gaze was filled with concern.

I felt the same.

‘That old man.’

Though we hadn’t met before, he thinks he can use me as a hunting dog just because he embraced a daughter?

Is he trying to wield me through Chosun?

In just a day?

‘Is he trying to use the soap artisan to turn me into a political tool?’

How dare he?

“He is.”

Wang Yun grinned at me.

“General of the Entire Army, Cao Cao.”

He called out the name of someone other than me.

“And Your Majesty, it seems you must fill the current vacant position.”

“Vacant position?”

“Yes.”

Wang Yun glanced at me and then clasped his hands together, bowing before the Emperor.

“Appoint the female general as the Wei General, and let her lead the Eoryeong army to protect the palace.”

“The Wei General, you say.”

The Emperor closed his eyes for a moment.

“…We cannot bind the female general to an existing position.”

“Excuse me?”

“To General Ye, I shall bestow the title of ‘Flying General.'”

“……?”

Was there such a title?

“Under the Grand General, create a new position of general specifically for General Ye. A position that even the Grand General cannot arbitrarily command, solely for General Ye.”

“Your, Your Majesty!!”

“Not one who merely guards the palace, nor one who only protects the borders, …not a position that serves only the Emperor.”

The Emperor clenched his fist tightly, surveying the ministers with a firm voice.

“I command that you become a general who can freely traverse the world like a bird in the sky, to protect what must be protected.”

The Emperor declared.

“Only the Flying General shall have the authority to issue commands to the Flying General, to himself alone.”

＜ The One Who Flies in the Sky (1) ＞ End