Light and Shadow

Chapter 8 - A Decision

He walked down the long hallway that had six room entrances, three on the left and three on the right, before entering the large room that was situated in the middle of two of the rooms on the right side of the hall. The room was full of fifteen desks that were situated in a square shape around the center of the room, three large ornately carved windows were positioned around the room enabling it to be well-lit well into the late hours of the evening, two potted plants were sat on each side of the doorframe at the entrance door, and plain red curtains were tied back beside each of the windows with red and gold colored rope. Three ministers were seated at their respective desks and greeted Xun Yu as he entered.

Xun Yu politely greeted them back as he did his best not to grimace due to the intense throbbing sensations that he was feeling in his head and stomach. The three ministers that were present included Xun You, Jia Xu, and Cheng Yu. All three of them were wearing their proper attire, which included black paofu with intricate gold thread detailing on the shoulders, a wide black belt to hold the paofu closed, and a black gaoshan guan situated over top of the bun of the hair, covering the entire top of the head and featuring two red strips of cloth on both sides that stopped at the shoulders. As Xun Yu sat down behind one of the desks, Xiahou Dun ran into the room, inhaling sharply as he attempted to catch his breath. He then bowed and properly addressed each minister in the room.

"I apologize for my tardiness. Our Lord ordered that I attend this meeting." Xiahou Dun stated apologetically as he bowed to Xun Yu, who was the head of all ministers.

Although Xun Yu refused to officially accept the title of Imperial Counselor from Cao Cao, he carried out the duties that the role entailed diligently, for he did not seek reward or renown. Cao Cao trusted only Xun Yu with these duties, as he knew that he was capable of fulfilling them and he knew that he could place unconditional trust in him.

"General, please, there is no need to apologize. You're not late, I just arrived myself. Please, take a seat." Xun Yu replied.

Xiahou Dun thanked the man and sat down next to Cheng Yu, who was situated closest to him and near the entrance. In this meeting they planned to discuss the financial stability of the Provinces under Cao Cao's control, as well as address the spy situation to avoid any accidental leaks of information. As the ministers discussed the financial welfare of the Provinces, Xiahou Dun felt somewhat bored and was struggling to keep his eye open. He had his head propped up on his left hand and had to force his eye open every few minutes. I wish that I had two eyepatches, so I could cover up this eye and take a nap. How can these guys discuss such boring things all day? Eh, I guess someone has to do it. I'm glad that it's them.

As the ministers spoke about various issues, Xun Yu listened attentively and wrote down notes on a blank bamboo scroll that was positioned on top of the desk before he arrived. Although they only spoke for a little more than half an hour, it felt like several hours to Xiahou Dun. As they finally switched topics and began to discuss the spy situation, Xiahou Dun became somewhat more attentive and sat up straight to listen to what the four men were going to say. Xun Yu began the discussion, briefing the ministers on the situation in Xu. The three men were stunned that seven spies were able to infiltrate the city without meeting any resistance.

"Someone in our midst must be aiding them." Jia Xu stated thoughtfully.

The others nodded in agreement.

"But who would do such a thing?" Cheng Yu inquired.

Silence washed over the room as they pondered the answer to Cheng Yu's question. Is there truly a traitor in our midst? Who could it be? Xun Yu thought silently to himself. Perhaps it could be one of the soldiers, or maybe... No, I doubt that he would do something like this. He would not do something so insidious. It has to be someone from outside of our forces leading this operation, and someone within our army is likely helping them by allowing them to freely roam about and get detailed information on the city. Again though, who could these people be? I have a general idea about who the leader could be, but I am not certain who in our ranks would help them, or if they would even consider doing something like this.

"Minister Xun, do you think that one of the other warlords is in charge of this operation?" Xun You asked.

"It's a possibility. I do not think that one of our own would need to spy on affairs within Xu, especially since our Provinces are doing rather well this year, both in terms of finances and provisions," Xun Yu replied, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I suspect that an outsider is working with someone here in Xu to collect intelligence with little resistance."

The four men nodded, taking Xun Yu's words into consideration.

"Minister Xun, do you think that Yuan Shao could be behind this? Our showdown with him is inevitable and draws near with each passing day." Xiahou Dun stated.

Xun Yu frowned slightly. He hoped that it was not him, but Yuan Shao was the primary one that Xun Yu suspected to be behind it. While it comforted him to know that he was not the only one who suspected Yuan Shao, the thought of him being behind it caused him to feel uneasy. He took in a few breaths to steady his nerves. The one experience that he had with Yuan Shao was not a pleasant one and hearing the man's name brought back unpleasant memories. Xun Yu opened his mouth to speak, but nothing would come out, so he simply nodded his head affirmatively. Xiahou Dun gave Xun Yu a sympathetic look as his expression morphed back into its calm and unfazed state.

"General Xiahou Dun, you should join us for these meetings more often. You're pretty good at this!" Cheng Yu gushed happily as he smiled and turned to look at the man seated beside him.

Xiahou Dun gave him a smile and politely declined his offer. I could not stand to be cooped up in this room all day and talk. I love training my troops and being outside in nature. The group then talked about how to avoid allowing the spies to uncover any important information, and Xun Yu told them not to speak about anything important while out in the open, such as finances, political plots, where troops were placed and their numbers, and any hostilities that were held between officers or other ministers. He also said that they should avoid discussing such things in general unless they were at a meeting. The four nodded in agreement and Xun Yu then dismissed them. Xun You and Jia Xu left the room together, walking side by side. Cheng Yu and Xiahou Dun lingered behind in the room.

"I apologize if the meeting was rather boring, General. Thank you for your input, it is definitely something that we need to take into consideration." Xun Yu said.

"It's okay, no need to apologize. I'm glad that I was able to contribute somewhat. Are you planning on coming with me back to Mengde's room? Or would you be interested in hanging out together after I deliver my report to him?" Xiahou Dun inquired.

Xun Yu looked over at Cheng Yu.

"I'm afraid that I have to decline your offer. Cheng Yu generously offered to walk me home, and I don't want to keep him waiting or keep him out too late. Maybe some other time?" Xun Yu replied.

Xiahou Dun nodded. He then stood up and bowed to the two before leaving to report to Cao Cao. Xun Yu and Cheng Yu then stood up and walked to meet each other in the center of the entrance to the room. I'm glad that the strange pains I was having have gone away, but why did they occur to begin with? I'm probably just tired and need to rest.

"Xun Yu, I would have been okay with waiting if you wanted to meet with Xiahou Dun and our Lord." Cheng Yu stated as they walked out the door and into the hallway.

"I could not do that in good conscience. Your time is valuable, and I do not wish to waste it." Xun Yu replied.

"You're such a sweet talker." Cheng Yu mumbled, earning a smile from Xun Yu.

The two walked to Xun Yu's place without incident and stopped in front of the entrance to his home. Xun Yu invited him in for dinner and Cheng Yu declined, saying that his wife likely had dinner ready at home. Xun Yu nodded, and the two exchanged goodbyes. Cheng Yu offered to walk Xun Yu home again tomorrow, but he politely declined. This led to Cheng Yu giving him a concerned look, but he did not comment on it before leaving. He suspected that Xun Yu felt guilty for taking up his time and for not going with Xiahou Dun to report on the issues that were discussed at the meeting. Cheng Yu sighed sadly as he continued walking to his home. Xun Yu, the pain that you feel is almost palpable. 

The sky overhead was tinged orange and pink as the evening sun began its slow descent to rest on the horizon. Xun Yu gingerly opened the front door to his home and walked inside, closing it behind him. He leaned against the door for a few moments before walking into the kitchen and preparing himself a cup of herbal tea. I know what I must do, but I will wait awhile before I make my move. I don't want anyone to follow me or notice that I am missing. I don't want to risk putting anyone in danger.