“Yellow Sky”: Crisis for the Han Dynasty sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne

“Yes, I thought it was too much of an act of pointless mischief to be beyond even you, Mengde,” Yuan Shao suggested.
Cao Cao smiled silently.
“Hundreds, they’ve arrested now… hundreds, for a bit of nonsense written on a door!” Yuan Shao complained.
“Hardly ‘nonsense’, Benchu,” Zhang Miao suggested. “An accusation of murder, with the names of the suspects added for good measure.”
“I’ve often thought that the best way to prove your innocence of a crime was to become very aggressive and have any and everybody detained and violently interrogated,” Cao Cao said with amusement, “What else would work?”
Xu Yòu laughed and said, “Agreed! Hopefully, they will antagonise people enough to finally want rid of them; although… are there any heroes left to actually remove them, now…?”
The five young men were silent for a minute.
“…I’d better go,” Xu Yòu sighed. “See you all soon enough!”
The five youths exchanged bows of respect, and Xu Yòu departed for home.
“I should go also,” Wei Zi said. “But if there’s any fun to be had, don’t forget about me, okay, Mengde…?”
“I shall find you,” Cao Cao promised.
The four youths exchanged more bows of respect, and then Wei Zi left his friends.
“…He’s right,” Zhang Miao suggested.
“Who, Wei Zi…?” Cao Cao said with confusion.
“No, not him! Xu Yòu,” Zhang Miao said.
“Oh,” Cao Cao murmured.
“Who is there now?” Zhang Miao wondered. “What heroes remain…?”
There was another short silence before Cao Cao said, “I don’t imagine that the Songs will be like the Dous, and stand up to the eunuchs; they’ll be grateful for the elevated status, and agree with whatever they are told.”
“…I wonder,” Yuan Shao said suddenly, “if… … …never mind.”

“Just say it, Benchu,” Cao Cao sighed. “Whatever it is that you want to say, it must have been important, and presumably very risky. Did you want to admit sympathy with the ‘partisans’, since you did not rebuke me earlier… did you perhaps want to admit that-”
“My home is safe,” Yuan Shao interrupted. “Please, follow me, both of you.”
Cao Cao and Zhang Miao exchanged bemused glances and followed Yuan Shao.

“…As you know, I am one day to be the head of my clan,” Yuan Shao began once the three teenagers were sat together in the garden house in Yuan Shao’s opulent family home.
“All this will soon be yours…!” Cao Cao said theatrically.
“Please, Mengde, enough,” Yuan Shao sighed. “Father has instilled in me the need for seriousness in such matters, and-”
“As has mine, Benchu,” Cao Cao interrupted miserably. “I simply wished to lighten a needlessly dark discussion. What you wanted us here for is obvious enough; your family is protecting the ‘partisans’, and you wanted to know if we were of a similar mind.”
Yuan Shao nodded silently.
“My father is a strange man in some ways… my respect for him is boundless, but at the same time, he is a mystery and more to me,” Cao Cao admitted. “He is the adopted son of a eunuch that has, by some, been cited as being no better than the likes of Wang Fu. I cannot say; Grandfather Teng died when I was little more than an infant, so I never knew him… but Father is a different matter altogether. He loves and respects our way of life, and yet… well…”

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