Chapter 8: Morning and Evening Attendance

Returning to the Governor’s residence, Liu Feng did not go directly to see Liu Bei but first headed to the backyard.

As a devoted filial son, Liu Feng was renowned for his filial piety and naturally dared not neglect it in the slightest. Since childhood, he had maintained a fixed routine of paying respects twice daily—morning and evening—to his grandmother and mother.

Liu Feng’s mother was Liu Bei’s legitimate wife, whom he had married in Zhuo County. She had always been frail and historically had passed away before Liu Bei took control of Xuzhou. However, perhaps due to Liu Feng’s careful care and spiritual comfort, this ailing Lady Tian survived and her health improved considerably compared to when she was first seen.

With this, Liu Bei lost the opportunity to remarry, and Liu Feng’s position as the legitimate heir became even more unshakable.

“Grandmother, Mother!”

Unexpectedly, as Liu Feng reached the backyard gate, he saw two women waiting there, surrounded by several maids.

The elder woman was Liu Feng’s grandmother, Lady Wu, Liu Bei’s birth mother. Beside her, a delicate and slender woman was Liu Feng’s mother, Lady Tian, Liu Bei’s lawful wife.

Also present was a younger, fair-skinned, and beautiful young woman attending to them—Lady Gan, Liu Bei’s concubine and the future mother of Liu Chan.

Originally, Lady Gan held considerable influence in the backyard because Lady Tian was often bedridden due to poor health, and Lady Wu, being elderly, had limited energy.

Thus, Lady Gan was effectively the real power in Liu Bei’s household.

But after Liu Feng made a name for himself in the northern territories, the situation shifted. Lady Wu’s affection for Liu Feng grew, and Lady Tian’s health gradually improved, leaving Lady Gan in a somewhat awkward position.

However, Lady Gan neither competed nor fought for power; she was content to serve quietly without contention.

This surprised Liu Feng greatly and won his favor. In turn, he granted her authority again, since his affairs outside were already numerous and he had neither time nor inclination to meddle in the household’s internal power struggles.

Thus, the backyard returned to Lady Gan’s control, though she showed even greater respect and deference to Lady Tian.

Liu Feng approached and stopped, respectfully bowing to greet the two elders.

Upon seeing him, Lady Wu and Lady Tian immediately beamed with smiles, stepping forward to embrace him and inquire warmly after his health.

Liu Feng, of course, cleverly flattered them with kind words, delighting the two women immensely.

After escorting Lady Wu and Lady Tian into the main hall, he turned to Lady Gan and asked, “Has Master Yuanhua come by today?”

Having traveled all the way from the plains to Tancheng, it was inevitable that Lady Wu and Lady Tian fell ill given their conditions.

Fortunately, the doctor Liu Feng had invited to attend them was none other than Hua Tuo.

At this time, Hua Tuo was living in seclusion in Xuzhou and was a renowned physician there.

It must be said, Hua Tuo was truly a great doctor of his era. After examining the two ladies, he did not resort to harsh medicines but prescribed gentle herbal remedies combined with some fitness exercises, which surprisingly restored Lady Wu and Lady Tian to good health.

Liu Feng observed those exercises and guessed they were the embryonic form of what would later be known as the Five Animal Frolics.

Hua Tuo, meanwhile, was greatly surprised, for Liu Feng had already secretly taught the groundbreaking health exercise known as the Ninth Set of Broadcast Calisthenics for the sake of his grandmother and mother.

Because of this, Lady Wu and Lady Tian accepted Hua Tuo’s Five Animal Frolics readily, and in turn, the broadcast calisthenics moves were revealed to Hua Tuo.

Upon learning that Liu Feng was the source of these exercises, Hua Tuo was deeply astonished and grew eager to discuss and explore further with Liu Feng.

Liu Feng politely humored this, inwardly pondering how to bind Hua Tuo firmly to the Liu family.

Everyone knew that the late Eastern Han period was an era of heroes, with countless fierce generals and wise men vying for supremacy.

But few realized it was also one of the darkest times for plagues and disease in Chinese history.

Medical knowledge was rudimentary, and resources scarce.

Continuous wars, famines, locust swarms, and floods led to massive civilian casualties and unleashed a devastating plague lasting decades.

This pandemic began with Emperor Ling’s reign and was a factor behind Zhang Jiao’s Yellow Turban Rebellion, as it rallied the people's support.

It persisted intermittently until the end of the Jian’an era, spanning over fifty years.

The plague ravaged the central plains, including the regions of Yan, Yu, Qing, Xu, and Jing—the most fertile and densely populated areas of the Eastern Han.

What year was this now?

The second year of Xingping.

The following year would mark the first year of Jian’an.

The peak of the plague was still to come. Having a renowned physician nearby would provide immense reassurance.

Moreover, Hua Tuo was a master of both internal and external medicine. He had performed surgery on Guan Yu, pioneered the invention of anesthetic powder, and even cured Chen Deng’s parasitic infections. Truly, his skills were extraordinary.

After recent interactions, Liu Feng had begun formulating a comprehensive plan to secure Hua Tuo’s loyalty.

Thinking this through, Liu Feng sighed once more.

The primary reason his various plans had yet to unfold was finances.

No endeavor could succeed without sufficient grain and funds.

Next, he would have to seek out Mi Zizhong for a serious discussion.

Upon receiving Lady Gan’s reassurance that the remaining medicine sufficed for three more days, he did not visit again.

Liu Feng nodded and focused on chatting leisurely with his grandmother and mother, keeping them in high spirits.

Only when a servant arrived to summon him for urgent matters from Liu Bei did he rise and leave.

“Father.”

Liu Feng removed his shoes and socks, then stepped into the main hall.

Liu Bei was deeply engrossed in reading bamboo slips and silk manuscripts on the desk. He only looked up when Liu Feng quietly called him.

Seeing Liu Feng, a smile involuntarily spread across Liu Bei’s face.

He was exceedingly pleased with his eldest legitimate son.

Liu Bei had never expected that this child, raised in their hometown by his mother and grandmother, would turn out so remarkable.

Not only had he gained early fame in Youzhou, but he had also united many hearts on his father’s behalf.

Such an outstanding eldest son was treasured and a source of pride for Liu Bei.

“My son has come.”

Liu Bei set aside the bamboo slips and beckoned, “Come sit by your father.”

Liu Feng responded and quickly approached the desk, kneeling before Liu Bei.

“Father, have you summoned me to entrust some task?”

Liu Feng was somewhat surprised; his father was almost always accompanied by his second and third uncles, yet today he was alone.

This unusual circumstance piqued his curiosity about the purpose of this summons.