Within the Light Screen, the plaque above the side hall bore the inscription "Sincerity Pierces Metal and Stone." Beneath it sat a statue clad in golden robes.
A dark face, thick lips, and round eyes. One couldn't exactly call him handsome, he was "unforgettably ugly" in a way that defied description.
Guan Yu cast it a casual glance and said lightly, "Third Brother, the name is written beside it. Read it."
""Zhang... Fei?" Yide's eyes bulged until they were as perfectly round as the statue's.
Yunchang nodded inwardly: Well, at least the eyes are a seventy-percent match.
[Light Screen]
[The center of the left side hall belongs to the fierce General Zhang Yide. His modern image is a composite of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel and traditional opera archetypes.
On stage, actors can't walk around with their names on their backs, so they need high visual shorthand. Thus, Yide was historically assigned two primary traits: 'Black' and 'Ugly.'
Generations of artistic evolution turned him into the version we see today.]
"What kind of nonsense is this!" Zhang Fei grumbled in indignation. "I, Zhang Fei, have done nothing to offend them. Why did they have to make me look like a monster?"
"I actually understand the logic behind this," Kongming said, stepping forward. He was trying to lift Liu Bei spirits with a bit of academic diversion. "Yide, if we had to summarize the appearance of everyone in this room with only two words, how would you describe us?"
The group exchanged glances. In truth, each had already begun to consider it inwardly.
Zhang Fei looked from one to another.
Big Brother, Second Brother, and Old General Huang? Easy, very distinct features. Lady Huang? Best to skip that one.
But the others? Kongming was elegant. Gongyan was dignified. Zilong was striking. Ma Liang was heroic.
Then what about him?
Yide felt like he was about to cry. Is everything that isn't 'pretty' just considered 'ugly' by default?
[Light Screen]
[According to the official histories, Third Master Zhang was likely not so unsightly. In the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Zhang Fei's image is closer to that of a 'Scholar-General.'
Moreover, the Han valued appearance. That Zhang Fei's two daughters successively became empresses to Liu Shan suggests that their father's looks could not have been so outrageous.]
Liu Bei's expression became a bizarre cocktail of relief, helplessness, and "I-have-so-much-to-say-but-won't."
Zhang Fei, however, brightened at once. "See! I told you the future generations were sensible! And wait... I have another daughter? What a blessing! Truly a blessing!"
"Third Uncle…" Guan Ping hesitated. "A country can't have two Empresses at once. For both sisters to hold the title..."
The implication hung heavy in the air. Either it was a case like Emperor Ling and Empress Song.
Either one had been deposed and replaced, or one had died early and another was installed.
One outcome was bad; the other was worse.
Yide's face turned from red to white. He reached out as if to grab his Spear, but his hand caught only empty air.
Catching the looks from his elder and second brothers, Zhang Fei forced an awkward laugh.
A-dou is already four. My daughter is a bit older than him, so they aren't exactly a 'perfect match'... Brother, why don't you go find a nice girl for A-dou ahead of time?"
Liu Bei didn't answer. He just stared at his younger brother for a long moment before dropping a single sentence:
"Just don't hit A-dou behind my back."
"Brother! What kind of man do you think I am?" Zhang Fei protested, though he silently crossed "punching the nephew" off his mental to-do list.
[Light Screen]
[Accompanying Zhang Fei in his hall are his direct descendants. The military figure is his son, Zhang Bao. The civil figure is his grandson, Zhang Zun.
Zhang Bao's statue has no beard because he died young, likely before he was twenty.
Zhang Zun, however, died on the battlefield. After Zhuge Zhan and his son fell, Zhang Zun charged into the enemy ranks and died with the state. He was around forty.
This is why the grandson's statue actually looks older than the father's.
Taking into account Zhang Fei himself, who was murdered by his own guards, one might say that the Zhang family is another version of 'A Family of Loyal Martyrs.']
"…Heh…" Zhang Fei opened his mouth as though to shout something, yet in the end he closed it again, saying nothing.
Now it was Liu Bei and Guan Yu who looked upon their third brother with concern.
Zhang Fei showed no sorrow. There was even a trace of pride in his tone.
"Bao'er is still young. Besides, we have Physician Zhang now. He'll take care of any 'early death' nonsense."
"As for Zun'er, that lies far in the future. Dying for the country is better than...…" He coughed lightly. "In any case, it is a worthy end."
"Plus, we're definitely not going to let Zun'er fall into a 'nation-ending' scenario anyway."
Liu Bei gave a cold snort. "They shall not."
"We will certainly destroy the traitors of Wei," Guan Yu added.
As for being "murdered by his own guards," Zhang Fei made a mental note. He cursed internally: Was it just the Wei rebels? Did Sun Wu dogs learn these filthy tricks too?
From earlier, Huang Yueying had been signaling repeatedly to Kongming, having noticed the mention of "Zhuge Zhan and his son falling in battle."
A high-ranking figure of Shu Han, bearing the surname Zhuge, whose descendant could it be?
Yet Kongming gave no response. Only after Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei had finished speaking did Kongming turn, smile, and gently take his wife's hand.
Yide is right. We don't know exactly who this Zhuge Zhan is to us, but we can ensure they won't meet such a fate today."
Only then did Huang Yueying feel some relief.
[Light Screen]
[Opposite Zhang Fei's hall is naturally the Hall of the Guan Sheng.
Because of the many titles he has received over the ages, he is now honored as the Guan Di Sheng Jun (Sacred Emperor Guan). Thus, his statue is dressed in the robes of an Emperor.
The plaque reads "Righteousness Reaching the Heavens." On either side stand his officers Zhou Cang and Zhao Lei, and his two sons, Guan Ping and Guan Xing.
Zhou Cang is a figure created in the Romance, a loyal follower unto death. Guan Xing, on the other hand, was Zhang Bao's partner in tragedy, he also died of illness, and he also passed away before the Prime Minister]
Guan Yu and Guan Ping, the father and son both stern of countenance, showed little reaction. Guan Yu merely studied the imperial attire upon his statue with slight dissatisfaction.
"This attire does not accord with propriety. Yunchang is a general. How could one clad thus take to the field and slay the enemy?"
Zhang Fei chuckled. "Second Brother, what is a set of robes? When they style you an emperor, it is because they hope for your protection even in the realm beyond."
Yunchang gave a small, dry laugh and said no more.
The Light Screen shifted, pulling away from within the temple and slowly turning to present a full view of the Zhaolie Temple.
[Light Screen]
[Standing in the main hall and looking back, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stand to either side, while the corridors of civil officials and military generals extend in order. The arrangement is as though the court of Shu Han were still in session.
At the end of these corridors stand the two memorials that shine through the ages: the Former and Later Memorials on the Expedition.]
Shining through the ages!
Without realizing it, everyone straightened their posture. The Light Screen had mentioned this more than once. None could remain indifferent.
Even Kongming sat upright unconsciously, feeling as he had in his youth when answering his teacher, both tense and expectant.
The Light Screen slowly advanced to the end of the corridors. There, ancient stone steles came into view. The image moved, revealing the entirety of the inscriptions.
Ma Liang raised his head. His hand did not cease moving as he began to recite:
"The Former Emperor, in the midst of founding his enterprise, passed away before it was complete…"
Soon, Jiang Wan, Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, and even Guan Yu and Guan Ping joined in.
[Light Screen]
[First, of course, is the Former Memorial on the Expedition (Chu Shi Biao), the one most familiar to us. After all, it is something students are required to memorize.
The prose flows smoothly, the reasoning is clear, and its literary style is refined without being ostentatious.
Reading it now, one can almost see the Prime Minister, with gentle patience, instructing A-Dou.
He sets forth the policies of Shu Han, the principles of employing men, speaking earnestly and with deep sincerity. When one considers the rise and fall of Shu Han alongside the fate of the Prime Minister, it is difficult to read without tears.]