NOVPUBChen Xi turned right as he left the house and, before he had even left the inner courts, he ran into the composed Zhuge Liang, who seemed to hold the wisdom of the world in his Confucian robe.
"Kongming, if you’re not studying in the house, what brings you here?" Chen Xi asked, calming his mind. He had always treated Zhuge Liang with leniency.
"Learning for the sake of application; hearing that Marquis Chen has urgent matters, Liang wishes to take on some responsibilities," Zhuge Liang said with a faint smile on his face, making him quite likable.
"Drop the ’Marquis Chen.’ Calling me that feels distant, just ’Zichuan’ will do. I’m planning to go to Qingzhou, are you willing to go too?" Chen Xi raised an eyebrow in question. He was puzzled by Zhuge Liang’s decision, knowing he preferred tranquility over action.
"Hearing that the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou have been subdued, the studies of Liang surely have a place for action. I wonder if you would grant me the opportunity to volunteer," Zhuge Liang’s demeanor remained serene, his calmness almost affecting Chen Xi too.
"Taking you along is fine. Although you are young, history has seen Gan Luo become chancellor at twelve. You, Zhuge Kongming, will certainly not be inferior to him. Since you wish to go, then let’s go together, but it’s quite possible that our destination may not be Qingzhou," Chen Xi nodded in agreement. Unlike with Mi Zhen and the other girls, he had almost no control over Zhuge Liang, letting him do as he pleased.
"Thank you," Zhuge Liang said to Chen Xi, giving him a fist salute.
Chen Xi nodded and led Zhuge Liang away under the envious gaze of Mi Zhen and the other maids. Little did Chen Xi think that Zhuge Liang’s desire to accompany him was entirely to avoid the harassment of these people.
Ever since Chen Xi, Li Youu, and others had gone to Xuzhou, Zhuge Liang’s days of suffering began.
In the Chen Family’s inner courtyard, apart from Chen Xi and Zhuge Liang, there were no other boys. Initially, Chen Xi, with good intentions, let Zhuge Liang also live in the inner courtyard, but once Chen Xi left, Mi Zhen, Zhen Mi, and the others arrived, and the lone Zhuge Liang living in the inner courtyard began his bad luck. Without Chen Xi’s oversight, including the maids, their characters grew wilder, and the group showed no consideration towards Zhuge Liang.
With Li Youu gone, Zhuge Liang was unable to stay with him as before, and being too courteous himself, he could not propose moving out before Chen Xi returned. Thus, these past months were quite challenging for him. To avoid being tormented for another three months, Zhuge Liang thought it better to accompany Chen Xi. After all, traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books!
"Zichuan, seeing the sword at your waist, are you mobilizing troops? Those with the power to start a war won’t do it now, and those without the courage wouldn’t dare. There won’t likely be a rebellion inside; is there trouble somewhere else?" Zhuge Liang asked, scanning Chen Xi after he got into the carriage.
"Since Lord Xuande is not here, I must personally handle troop deployment," Chen Xi sighed and said, "We need to go directly to Qingzhou port, call Gan Xingba to the rescue in Lujiang; the Lul Family has already caused trouble."
"The Jiangdong Lul Clan?" Zhuge Liang asked, puzzled, "What relationship does this clan have with us?"
As Chen Xi explained the entire situation to Zhuge Liang, he pondered how to resolve any unexpected issues that might occur. After all, due to his oversight, the intel had been delayed by five days, and by this time, perhaps Lujiang had already been taken.
"So it is, just as you often say, ’The love of a beautiful woman is a poison for a hero.’ This time, you really did go too far." For someone as meticulous as Zhuge Liang, this kind of mistake was nearly intolerable for Chen Xi.
"It couldn’t be helped. You’re not married yet. You’ll understand in time. But what’s done is done, we need to figure out a solution. Let’s just hope it’s not too late. If things go south, we might even need to clash with Sunx Bofu." Chen Xi sighed and said, regarding Sunx Ce, how could one put it? Without Zhou Yu, he’d be easy to deal with, but with Zhou Yu, he’s like a protagonist straight out of central casting.
"Sunx Bofu? Wasn’t it Yuan Gonglu?" Zhuge Liang had been recently focusing on his studies at home, except for matters concerning Cao Cao and Liu Bei, he hadn’t been much in touch with the grand scheme of the world, and was obviously somewhat unclear on the various characters involved.
"Yuan Gonglu’s subordinate Sunx Bofu. However, compared to Yuan Gonglu, Sunx Bofu is truly outstanding, and I favor him even more." Chen Xi explained the relationship between Yuan Shu and Sunx Ce in detail to Zhuge Liang before concluding.
"In that case, to deal with a man like Sunx Bofu, who values faith and righteousness, the best option would actually be to let Yuan Gonglu corner him, leading to a split between the two. With Yuan Gonglu’s power, taking down Sunx Bofu before his wings are fully grown is not an impossibility." Zhuge Liang seemed somewhat eager to try.
Obviously, having been cooped up at home studying military strategy and political tactics, Zhuge Liang felt a strong urge to soar to greater heights once he was set free.
"That probably won’t work. Without Gongjin, it’d be a good strategy, but with Gongjin, such a plan would only play into his hands. Look, Yuan Gonglu doesn’t have a single capable strategist under him. Ji Ling may be a competent general, but he’s also struggling alone. Even without Gongjin, Ji Ling alone wouldn’t stand a chance against Sunx Ce." Chen Xi paused to think before speaking, trying not to dampen Zhuge Liang’s enthusiasm.
"Kongming, hear me out. It’s like this, Sunx Bofu resembles King Xiang, not just in personality, but also in strength, and more importantly, in his bold spirit. And Zhou Yu, he’s pretty much a perfect incarnation, in mind, spirit, intelligence, capability, finesse, even his wife is top-notch. But the most crucial point is, Sunx Bofu is Zhou Yu’s sworn brother and trusts him implicitly." Chen Xi said with a sense of helplessness. Sunx Ce’s character had significant flaws, but Zhou Yu’s presence made up for them.
"I see…" Zhuge Liang drew out the word contemplatively, actually wanting to say, how could such perfect people exist? 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
"That’s the reality. When I get a chance, I’ll show you the intelligence on both of them, and then you’ll see the kind of destructive force these two can create together." Chen Xi reassured, acknowledging Zhou Yu’s exceptional capabilities.
Zhuge Liang fell silent. Before coming to Mount Tai, he thought himself unmatched in the world, but it was only after arriving at Mount Tai that he realized how vast the world truly was.
Perhaps after he grew up, Zhuge Liang might be able to look down upon the world, but that was just a "perhaps" and only in the future. Moreover, it was at this moment, when he hadn’t yet stepped onto the "world’s stage," that he lived in an era full of shining stars, and Chen Xi before him was one of the brightest.
"Don’t worry about him. In six or seven years, when you’re his age, you will shine even brighter. You are Zhuge Kongming, after all!" Seeing the change in Zhuge Liang’s expression, Chen Xi smiled and said, notwithstanding that there was no such thing as the "three bouts of anger" by Zhou Yu in history, Zhuge Liang’s genius was still astonishing.
[Do I care about him? What I care about is you…] Zhuge Liang thought resignedly, looking down. The longer he stayed with Chen Xi, the more he felt amazed by him, this seemingly omniscient presence filled Zhuge Liang with a sense of longing. He hoped that one day he could be like Chen Xi, as if all the calculations in the world could not escape his grasp. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
