Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Zhuge Jin, slightly hunched over, paced back and forth in the courtyard, still not returning even as the moon hung high in the sky.

Since Zhuge Jin returned to Chengdu with Zhuge Liang four years ago, he has relinquished all official positions in Wu and refused all titles and honors from Shu Han. He now lives as a commoner in his younger brother Zhuge Liang's residence in Chengdu.

Seeing Zhuge Jin pacing back and forth in the courtyard, the steward Li Chang couldn't help but sigh softly. He stepped forward and gently advised, "Lord Ge, don't wait for the Prime Minister. It's getting chilly at night. You should take care of yourself. If you catch a cold, we will still be scolded by the Prime Minister."

"It's alright, you go and rest. I'll wait for Kongming here." Zhuge Jin, thin and frail, stopped and stood with his cane. "You don't understand. Kongming went to the palace today and hasn't returned yet. There must be some trouble in the court."

"Cough, cough." Zhuge Jin coughed a few more times.

Li Chang had no choice but to bow and reply, "If Lord Ge is willing to wait, then I will wait here with Lord Ge."

After the two stood silently for another quarter of an hour, the sound of a carriage approached from afar, becoming exceptionally clear in the night.

This must be Zhuge Liang returning.

Since the Prime Minister's residence lost its function as the central government, Zhuge Liang's household was not large and there were not many servants, so it could not support such a large area of ​​living space, and it appeared empty and desolate.

Zhuge Liang repeatedly suggested to Liu Shan that they move to a smaller residence, but Liu Shan explicitly refused. The Prime Minister's relinquishment of his official duties was already a noble act; if even his residence had to be reduced from large to small, it would likely disappoint those both inside and outside the government, and demoralize the people.

The waiting servants opened the gate, and Zhuge Liang walked in slowly. He saw Zhuge Jin and Li Chang standing in the courtyard, as if they were waiting for him. He then waved his hand, signaling the servants accompanying him to leave.

Upon seeing this, Li Chang silently bowed and turned to leave, leaving the entire court to the two brothers.

Zhuge Liang stepped forward, his tone tinged with reproach: "Brother, why haven't you gone to bed yet? How long have you been waiting here?"

Zhuge Jin coughed a few more times, his voice sounding slightly hoarse: "I didn't wait long. This morning, before you left the manor, I heard you say that the Wei Kingdom had made some moves in Xiling, so I was uneasy. I also heard that you hadn't returned for a long time after entering the palace, so I waited here a little longer."

"Returning home so late, is something important happening?"

"Yes." Zhuge Liang had been busy all day, and his health was gradually declining. His voice was full of fatigue. If the courtyard were brighter, Zhuge Jin would have seen his brother's bloodshot eyes. "Hu Ji came from Baishui and said that the grain transport in Chencang Road of Wei State has been continuous since the end of April. After the scouts reported the news, Wang Ping was uneasy, so he sent Hu Ji back to Chengdu to report."

"Warnings came from both the Xiling Mausoleum to the east and the Baishui River to the north at the same time, which seemed to indicate that something big was about to happen, so I stayed in the palace a little longer."

"Brother, you should rest..." Zhuge Liang said, standing with his hands on his hips. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zhuge Jin grabbed him again.

"Kongming, do you think Yuanxun will come with the Wei army if they attack again?"

Zhuge Liang was exhausted and only wanted to go back to his room to rest. Without thinking, he said, "Yuan Xun probably won't come. Two years ago, Cao Rui entrusted Xu Yuanzhi to write to me to reminisce. Didn't the letter mention that Yuan Xun had become the Chancellor of Hejian, the fiefdom of Cao Zhen? Cao Zhen was old and frail and had left the capital early, even relinquishing his position as Grand General. He wouldn't go on campaigns again, let alone Yuan Xun, the Chancellor?"

"Indeed." Zhuge Jin sighed again and continued, "Kongming, if the Wei army launches a large-scale attack this time, can Yizhou be defended?"

Zhuge Liang grew increasingly impatient. In recent years, his health had gradually declined, and physical fatigue greatly amplified his mental exhaustion. It was already midnight, and being at home, Zhuge Liang had no desire to continue chatting with Zhuge Jin.

“My brother has commanded troops for many years and understands military affairs perfectly. If I tell His Majesty in the palace that I can defend the country completely, should I give my brother the same answer when I return home? All I can do is do my best and wait for fate. I believe that Heaven will not abandon the Han dynasty.”

"I'm exhausted and won't say any more to you, brother. We'll talk again tomorrow morning."

After saying this, Zhuge Liang waved to Zhuge Jin and then walked towards the bedroom without looking back.

"Alright." Zhuge Jin watched his brother's departing figure, stood for a long time, and then strolled back to his room.

He had also experienced the fall of a kingdom, so how could he not understand the key points in what Kongming had just said?
If one is so confident that there is absolutely no fear, why would one say something like "I believe Heaven will not abandon Han"? It is simply that one is bearing the weight of a nation and doing one's best.

However, to be fair, having the opportunity to do one's best is already the best one can hope for; it's better than being a person from a fallen kingdom.

After returning to his bedroom, Zhuge Jin ground ink and picked up his brush under the oil lamp, intending to write some military strategies that could benefit his younger brother. After much thought, he finally realized that his military skills were no better than Kongming's.

He wanted to write something to his eldest son, Zhuge Ke, who was serving as an official in Hejian, Jizhou, and to his third son, Zhuge Rong, who had been moved to Luoyang and was temporarily without an official position. However, he thought that they would never have the chance to see it. He picked up his pen and put it down, but he could not write a complete text. He only left patches of ink on the bamboo slips.

As for Sun Deng... He had heard some time ago that Sun Deng had led troops to Jiaozhou but then fled back, so he had no hope for this son of his former master and was unwilling to leave him with even a single word.

After much thought, I decided to leave something for my younger brother. After writing the four characters "Take good care of your health," the pen felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, slipping from my trembling fingers. Had I really lost control of the pen today?!
Seeing this, Zhuge Jin became even more dejected. He knelt before the table, speechless and choked with sobs. Then he gradually began to weep, his sobs turning into low wails. Tears slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the bamboo slips, leaving small water stains. Then he lay completely on the table, without making a sound.

As the night passed and dawn broke, Zhuge Liang came to find his brother to continue their conversation from the previous night, only to discover that Zhuge Jin's body had already stiffened and he was lifeless.

On the bamboo slips spread out on the table, the four slightly crooked characters "Take good care of your health" were still written...

As noon approached, Liu Shan waited in the palace for Zhuge Liang for a long time but he did not arrive. So he sent Dong Yun, the Chamberlain, to the Prime Minister's residence to inquire about him.

About an hour later, Dong Yun returned to the palace, his face filled with sorrow as he bowed and said:

"His Majesty……"

Liu Shan suddenly became alert, quickly took two steps to stand in front of Dong Yun, and asked loudly, "What has happened to you, Prime Minister?"

Dong Yun wept, saying, "Zhuge Ziyu passed away last night. The Prime Minister only discovered this morning when he went to speak with him. Overwhelmed with grief, the Prime Minister has been sitting motionless in Zhuge Ziyu's room for half a day. According to Li Chang, the steward of the Prime Minister's residence, the Prime Minister vomited blood this morning..."

Liu Shan asked anxiously, "How is the Prime Minister's health now?"

"It's hard to say." Dong Yun looked troubled. "Jiang Lingjun, Fei Hujun, and Yang Junshi have all gone. I also sent the imperial physician on my way here. With the three of them there protecting the Prime Minister, there shouldn't be any mistakes. I need to report back to His Majesty, so I'm returning first."

Liu Shan was visibly flustered. He paced back and forth in the hall for a moment before saying to Dong Yun, "Quickly prepare the carriage. I'm going to the Prime Minister's residence to visit my father!"

Dong Yun hesitated for a moment, then advised again, “Your Majesty, Jiang, Fei, and Yang have all gone, and the imperial physician has also gone. Your Majesty’s going will not be of any benefit. Moreover, the deceased was Wu minister Zhuge Ziyu. Although he was the Prime Minister’s elder brother, Your Majesty’s going would be a breach of the etiquette of a monarch.”

"This is what Lord Jiang also told me, saying that Your Majesty need not come. The Prime Minister is still in grief and does not speak to others. Your Majesty's arrival would only cause disturbance."

"Then what should we do?" Liu Shan frowned. "My father has vomited blood, how can I do nothing?"

Dong Yun said, "The Prime Minister is grieving too much because of his elder brother's passing. Your Majesty might as well grant him posthumous honors to comfort him a little."

"Alas." Liu Shan sighed deeply, "Now that the Prime Minister is filled with sorrow, even if I don't go now, I will definitely go tonight."

"Attendant Dong, convey my decree: Zhuge Ziyu was once the King of Qi and Grand General of Wu. Because of the alliance between Han and Wu, the court bestows upon him gold and the honors of a king, and will give him a grand burial in Chengdu as a sign of mourning."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Dong Yun bowed and slowly withdrew.

Dong Yun, without stopping, drafted the imperial edict, affixed the seal, and arrived at the Prime Minister's residence to announce it. Involving his deceased brother, Zhuge Liang did not refuse the honor bestowed upon him by Liu Shan, but rather accepted it with complete numbness.

As former members of the Prime Minister's staff, Yang Yi took the initiative to handle Zhuge Jin's funeral arrangements. Fei Yi stayed by Zhuge Liang's side, offering kind words of comfort. After a few hours, Jiang Wan left the Prime Minister's residence to return to the Ministry of Personnel to continue her official duties. Of the three, Jiang Wan bore the heaviest burden and was the most indispensable.

The imperial physician's diagnosis was sent back to the palace. According to the physician, Prime Minister Zhuge was weak both internally and externally, and had been overworked. Furthermore, excessive mental strain had damaged his lungs and internal organs, leading to vomiting blood. The physician added that there was no quick cure for this condition; besides slow and gradual treatment, the only option was for the Prime Minister to calm his mind and gradually return to a normal, gentle state.

Upon seeing this diagnosis, Liu Shan was filled with sorrow and grief. At such a critical juncture, if something were to happen to the Prime Minister, how could he possibly maintain order?
Last night during the meeting, it was said that Wang Ping relies on Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. How could the emperor not rely on him as well? It's just a pity for the prime minister.

In the evening, Liu Shan finally couldn't contain himself and prepared to take a carriage to the Prime Minister's residence, but unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang took the first step and personally rode into the palace.

"Your Excellency truly worries me!" Liu Shan stepped forward in three quick steps, forcing himself to remain calm: "Your Excellency, please take care of yourself! I hope you will not grieve too much; your health is of utmost importance."

Zhuge Liang bowed deeply and said, "On behalf of my elder brother, I thank Your Majesty for the bestowal of this honor."

Liu Shan shook his head and helped Zhuge Liang up: "Besides these things, I have nothing else to say to comfort you, Prime Minister. Are you feeling any better, Prime Minister?"

"There is no danger now, and it will not delay the affairs of state." Zhuge Liang's voice was calm, but his weakness was still evident: "Your Majesty, I have come to offer some advice."

Liu Shan asked, "What would you like to say, Your Excellency?"

Zhuge Liang said, "Your Majesty, this is truly a critical moment of life and death. We should emulate the late Emperor's campaign against Hanzhong. Men throughout the Han Dynasty should fight, and women should transport supplies. We should begin preparations to meet the enemy immediately!" (End of Chapter)