Light and Shadow

28 - Forest Encounter

Six days had passed by, and on one of those days Sima Yi was able to convince Xun Yu to rest. He did so begrudgingly; however, it appeared to help him tremendously as he was quite energetic and jubilant the following day. He even dusted their Lord's room for him and neatly organized the scrolls that had accumulated on his desk while he was away. The two now stood side by side along the stone path of Xu city's stone road that led to the palace. Xun Yu and Sima Yi, along with 25 officials, a few minor generals, and various guards and soldiers stood bowed in the early hours of the morning sun as they awaited their Lord's return.

"Do we really have to stand like this until he gets here? My neck and arms are a bit sore." Sima Yi whispered quietly to Xun Yu.

"Yes, this is standard protocol." Xun Yu replied dryly.

"Well, this sucks." Sima Yi mumbled.

Xun Yu grinned slightly, but soon stopped. The thundering of horse hooves could be heard in the distance, and he felt himself fill with anticipation. Sima Yi glanced over at Xun Yu, then looked at the stone path in front of him. The sound grew closer, and the horses slowed to a trot as they entered through the city's large stone gate. Slowly they approached, and Sima Yi playfully hit Xun Yu with his elbow, earning a glance from him that seemed to say, 'Please behave yourself." Xun Yu held his breath for a moment as the hooves of a jet-black horse stopped in front of him. He then bowed deeply and properly greeted the man, congratulating him on his victory.

"Thank you Minister Xun, but this victory would not have been possible without loyal retainers such as yourself. Please, rise and look at me," Cao Cao said in a voice that was both firm yet gentle. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he laid eyes on Xun Yu's face for the first time in months, and he wished that they were alone. "I trust that you did not run into any issues while I was away?"

"No, my Lord. Any issues that I encountered were minor and swiftly taken care of." Xun Yu replied.

"Good," Cao Cao stated as he glanced over to see that Sima Yi was standing next to Xun Yu. "I see that you have also befriended Sima Yi while I was away. Tell me, what do you think of him?"

"He is blessed with a quick and insightful mind. He would make a great advisor and strategist." Xun Yu replied firmly.

Sima Yi glared at Xun Yu from his bowed position. Why did he recommend me to him? I don't want to serve him; I would rather work under someone like Cao Pi or maybe even one of his other children. Please don't hire me to work for him. Aiya, of course he will; Xun Yu was the one who recommended me. He felt his eyes fill with unhappy tears as the man turned his attention to him.

"Very well, he will now serve as a Minister and advisor," Cao Cao stated, causing both Xun Yu and Sima Yi to look at him in shock. The man then looked at Xun Yu with a serious and grim expression. He doesn't know of Guo Jia's passing yet, I need to tell him. "Yu, meet me in my chambers after the party, we need to talk."

"Yes, my Lord." Xun Yu replied with a bow.

He stood next to Sima Yi with a somewhat nervous expression as he gazed at the stone walkway. The horses resumed their advance and Sima Yi tapped Xun Yu's elbow.

"Are you going to tell him?" Sima Yi whispered.

"Yes, I will tell him later today." Xun Yu replied quietly.

"We also need to talk," Sima Yi said quietly. He waited for a few moments until most of the major generals passed by. "I can't believe that you recommended me to him. What is wrong with you?!"

"I'm sorry. It would be a waste if you didn't use your talent, and with your help, our Lord has an even greater chance of bringing an end to this chaos." Xun Yu whispered softly.