The garden under the sun (open)

[Fu Sheng]

Spring had arrived. The Fu estate stood mighty on it's stone walls, though it was an old manor and signs of it's long age were already revealing themselves on the worn paint of it's columns. The midday sun shone it's rays upon the green and flowery lush that now covered the estate. A mixed scent of essences from a wide variety of aromatic flowers filled the air of the estate. Leaves covered the trees that were once naked and the garden was suddenly filled with life.
Sheng was seating under a blossoming cherry tree appreciating nature's rebirth whilst sipping a cup of tea he had prepared with a couple of leaves he had collected from his garden. The land was sinking further into chaos, with emperor Ling dead and with the rise of a new one to serve the interests of a greedy lord so began an endless struggle for power. Sheng had managed to conserve his own piece of heaven so far but he knew chaos would knock on his door soon enough. Huo Jin, Sheng's loyal servant, saw the concern on his master's eyes and asked:

"Is something wrong my lord?"

Sheng remained silent for awhile then looked at his servant with a smile and said:

"No. I was just thinking to myself."

He glared at the horizon, the sky was clear as the sea, it contrasted with the garden's exuberance. He kept his stare fixated and carried on:

"These are troubled times Jin, the chaos that consumes this nation and it's people is at our doorstep. Caution must be taken for the future holds many unpleasant surprises..."

Sheng trusted Huo Jin more than anyone else as he knew his intentions were not deceitful. This trust was shared by Jin himself, beyond that of a servant to his master. Sheng trusted him well enough to call him by his first name whenever he talked with him.
The servant looked back at Sheng and said in a concerned tone:

"Why do you say so my lord? Surely there is no need to see things in such a bad away. Our emperor knows better than to leave its people in harm's way."

It had occurred to Jin that the land was not recovering as it should and that they too could be affected by the crisis that was settled, but it was not in his nature to see things in a negative way. Fu Sheng smiled and said back to the servant calmly:

"Your positive spirit always brought joy to my heart in dark times Jin, but I'm afraid this time there is no good side to be taken from such dire situation..." - he made a brief pause and changed the subject to ease Jin's mind -"Ah, beautiful day isn't it?"

Jin made a quick reply, yet concerned for his master's state of mind but relieved the subject had now changed:

"Indeed it is my lord."

[Sun Jian]

As predicted, the chaos had continued even after the demise of the yellow turbans and now the decaying of the Han with the new threat of regional lord Dong Zhuo, and as before, though there remains the main threat, there are still the Bandits, the pirates and tribes of the land to worry about like the Shanyue.

Though Sun Jian had many capable officers, he still needed talent to ensure his determination to pacify the land and to end chaos would be successful, which is why he travelled all the way to Bashu to meet a famed scholar in the area known as Fu Sheng.

As he came nearer, he came off his horse and tied it onto the wooden fence, before entering the gate and knocked onto the door of the estate while admiring the surroundings.

[Fu Sheng]

At the sight of the Sun clan's general, Xian's personal guard greeted the general and asked him to leave his weapon aside. Fu Sheng was no fool and had started realizing that dangerous times were nearing, so in exchange for a favour, the local governor dispatched him a full platoon of swordsmen to watch over him.
As Sheng sipped his tea quietly in the backyard, a servant approached him and Huo Jin to announce the guest's arrival.

"My lord, lord Sun Jian is here to pay you a visit." - He bowed as he awaited his master's command.

Sheng putted his tea cup down, now empty, he putted his right hand over his beard and said to the servant:

"Hmm lord Sun Jian say you? Very well, tell the cookers to prepare a bigger meal, surely our guest must be tired after a long trip from Jiang Dong."

Sun Jian was a name that did not go by unnoticed. One of the participant generals in the Luo Yang skirmish during the Yellow Turban Rebellion era, he had a reputation of being a fierce commander in the battlefield. Sheng was impressed with the fact of having a visit of such merit and was eager to know him in person.
He dismissed the servant, got up and headed back inside the manor. He walked trough a series of halls and walked trough a narrow corridor leading to the estate's front entrance, escorted by his loyal servant, where the land lord awaited for his presence. As he made his way trough, the guards infront of Jiang Dong's land lord stepped away. He made a profound bow as he said:

"Lord Sun Jian. I am honoured by your visit." - He lifted his torso and faced the general with a serene expression on his face "Tell me my lord, what would a man of your merit seek from a noble scholar such as myself?"