Shifting Ground
"I'm not sure whether I should be amused or disappointed at what little brother did." Zhuge Xin mused, leaning back in her chair. Guan Yu didn't need to ask who she was referring to. His Young Mistress only had two younger brothers and she always referred to the Very Young Master Huang in combination with his twin sister.
"What has Zhuge Liang done, Young Mistress?" Guan Yu asked, on cue. The Poison Phoenix did this from time to time in private, sharing her thoughts out loud and expecting him to play along. Whether she just wanted an audience or actually desired his opinion was immaterial.
"Instead of taking the Bountiful Lotus Elixir I gave him, Liang went and used it up to try and replicate the recipe!" Zhuge Xin snorted. "Typical alchemy obsession. After the Abyss, I thought I was starting to get through to him - but now he might be returning to form."
In Guan Yu's experience, reaching Blooming Knight when barely past three decades was staggeringly swift by the standards of the average cultivator. But he said nothing. Zhuge Xin was not only his mistress but had taken him in - a loose cultivator fleeing unpleasant circumstances from a neighboring barony - and helped him reach the Knight realm (when Yu had been in his eighties and sorely certain Soldier was as far as he would go).
If she said black was white, then that was that.
"The Baroness did forbid him from advancing his realm until further notice." Guan Yu said, in an evenly respectful tone as he usually did during these sessions, observing facts without challenging her opinions.
Zhuge Xin hummed. "True. And I do respect his gumption in trying to recreate a Lord-level recipe. Especially since he did sort of succeed, enough to impress Brother Jiang."
Guan Yu raised his eyebrows. That was a feat worthy of note, and if Lord Zhuge Jiang approved, Zhuge Liang's creation would likely be quite valuable to the Zhuge Clan. "It sounds as if you've made up your mind, Young Mistress." Another rote line, but not wrong.
Xin's lips curved into a small smile. "Yes, Yu. I think I'll give him an atta-boy this time around." She clapped her hands and rose. "Okay, break's over. Those beasts won't cull themselves!"
Guan Yu rose as well, casting the conversation from his mind. In the future, when certain individuals sought to bring up the subject of Zhuge Liang, he would flatly state the man's efforts were praiseworthy and refuse to discuss the matter further. This would be noted.
—
In the Crownlands, only those who sought to get ahead were worth a lick. As an elder of the Miao Clan, Miao Mei held this as a truism. It wasn't like she was placing undue expectations on her people. Even if you lacked the talent to push your cultivation, you could contribute to the clan and uphold its ambition. Even if the Zhuge Clan would forever rule as top dogs of the province (the one time they were deposed having proved a short-lived aberrant fluke), the Miao could still claim more holdings, more wealth, more status, and one day the glorious prestige of being first among the Zhuge vassals.
Which was why she had been on board with supporting Haoran Ying's push to… correct the actions of Zhuge Liang. The boy, riding high on his Knighthood, had expelled her dear cousin Lingling, whom dutifully shared her largesse with the clan. And being able to push their overlords to overrule one of the baroness' own children, was a mark of influence nobody overlooked. She'd shared concerns with the clan head, made the right noises at the right times…
Now, two years later, the letter on her desk left Miao Mei was feeling quite uneasy. An invitation for a small soiree in one of the Haoran towns, with a guest list that just happened to only include members and friends of the Silver Grass senior alchemists. A strategy meeting in all but name, likely called in response to the banquet. A banquet which had been weighing on Mei's mind since her attendance the last month.
The Zhuge thwarting the intrigues of the Kasjan, well and good. Young Master Zhuge Liang sitting in a position of pride with a significant portion of the credit for doing so, much less good. Arguing a man didn't understand how to run an organization sounded much less credible when he'd just triumphed in a major battle of bureaucracy.
Yes, you could point out an alchemy pavilion was a different kettle of fish, but it lacked persuasiveness. Moreover, it showed Zhuge Liang was not the soft target she'd thought him to be. Doubling down might still work, but it was risky, too risky. Besides, in the end Miao Mei was merely an elder - the others would be dubious about associating the Miao name with this any further. Lingling did not have the status in the Miao that Ying did in the Haoran, so their face was not at stake. And if she personally persevered and it failed, that viper Duan would try to depose her again, with greater chances of success.
Time to cut her losses. Mei brought out paper and ink, and penned her reply. Many apologies, sudden but absolutely necessary work (she'd come up with the precise thing to bury herself in later), etc. Ironically, the banquet offered her the perfect face-saving excuse for an about-face: principled doubts that thankfully now assuaged. Silver lining, if the Haoran pushed and stumbled, the Miao could pivot to gain at their expense.
Only those who sought to get ahead were worth a lick, but you didn't need to be stupid about it.
—
The paintbrush traced lines of brown upwards, a lighter shade than the layer beneath it. Zhuge Lushan was glad to have taken it up as a hobby. He found it relaxing, even meditative, even if the tree on the canvas looked little better than a trained mortal's work. But he was a cultivator, not a mortal - he had nothing but time to improve. The relief from the headaches of managing the Zhuge Clan's affairs mattered far more.
At least young Liang would not be one of them. Yahui's third child had long given off the impression of being competent but lackluster. His cultivation while… not bad, came off poorly in comparison to the genius of his older sister, and his interests in alchemy had not been particularly productive. Giving him control over the Silver Grass Pavilion had been more to fob him off if he couldn't make something of it.
Of course, the lad had decided to pick a fight with the senior alchemists in his pavilion. The far more worldly Lushan wouldn't have bothered. The skim stayed within acceptable levels, and allowing their vassals a few sinecures was a small but effective way to reward their loyalty.
Maintaining good vassal relations were an essential part of ruling a province. Not only was it a matter of face, but the Era of Disaster had come about in part because tyrannical Zhuge behavior made their retainers susceptible to offers from outside parties.
But, Zhuge Lushan and his fellow elders were cultivators, not mortals, and so did not suppress Zhuge Liang right away, instead placing some onerous requests on the young man as a test. The Zhuge were back on the rise, and much would depend on the baronial heirs. If Liang met the challenge, that would be worth some sore feelings from the Haoran.
Zhuge Liang had pushed through the requested documents, then focused on continuing his reforms. Not the most politically savvy decision, as it left the accusations to accumulate backers and momentum. But not necessarily flawed, in hindsight, given the lessons he'd taught to apprentices and the Kasjan alike.
Most praiseworthy, but insufficient to swing the Silver Grass matter in his favor. But then, he'd followed up with this Rusted Lotus Elixir. While only Zhuge Jiang had seen it, nobody doubted the judgment of the eldest son, so his endorsement was all the proof required and the dispatching of scouts thoroughly approved. A cultivation aid possessing half the potency of a Lord-realm product yet only a tiny fraction of the price was an asset scarcely heard of.
Now, it seemed his third cousin intended to demonstrate his leadership and stamp his position thoroughly in place by overseeing the pavilion itself improve the existing formula.
Of course, Zhuge Lushan and his colleagues were cultivators, not mortals. They would wait another year or two, to make sure this venture showed continued progress before rendering a verdict. The test was still ongoing, after all.
But if their bright alchemist succeeded, well… The Zhuge were the masters of this province, not the Haorans. When delivered properly, a reminder as to the limits of their influence could have a salutary effect.
Hmm. Perhaps one day he might do a watercolor of the future Lotus Plantation.
—
Haoran Ying gritted his teeth. Everything had been going well. His united front had been approaching the level necessary to force a decision against this upstart and return things to how they'd properly been.
Instead, the Poison Phoenix apparently came out in support of the brother she'd reportedly disdained. That two-faced bitch Miao Mei stopped answering his missives. The Zhuge elders had grown steadily chilly in the last few months, and the respect his juniors in the pavilion should have shown was diminishing by the day.
It made no sense. How had this happened?
