NOVPUBLul Xun watched Zhuge Liang with bitterness. The youth before him, only two years his elder, seemed to possess an overwhelming intellectual advantage. Lul Xun had exhausted all his questions, and Zhuge Liang had sparked insights with each answer. What caused Lul Xun even more discomfort was Zhuge Liang’s indifferent demeanor, which never changed regardless of the question; Zhuge Liang maintained the same impassive expression.
"Do you have any more questions?" Zhuge Liang calmly asked as he put down the "Weit Liaozi" that Cai Yan had silently written, looking at Lul Xun who was staring intently at him. It wasn’t because he was multitasking, but rather that Zhuge Liang’s mind wasn’t on the book. The questions Lul Xun asked were also enlightening for Zhuge Liang, and as for the book, Zhuge Liang had read it countless times already.
"How can you know everything!" Lul Xun exclaimed through clenched teeth.
"No, on the contrary, there is much I don’t know," Zhuge Liang said, his gaze deep as he looked at Lul Xun, his expression still detached.
"But you have an answer for everything I ask," Lul Xun argued, his childish temperament completely overriding his usual mature rationality.
"That’s because your questions are too simple," Zhuge Liang remarked candidly, delivering a fatal blow to Lul Xun, "Arithmetic, investigation of things, you seem to have a talent for these, but even though I’m not proficient in them, in reality, you have a long way to go."
When he said this, Zhuge Liang’s eyes couldn’t help but appear somewhat vacant. The notions Chen Xi had explained to him, referred to as Famous Family, also called Investigation of Things, and occasionally physics, were akin to a Heavenly Book. As for so-called advanced mathematics, seemingly boundless, at least to Zhuge Liang, they were entirely beyond comprehension. Afterward, Zhuge Liang came to realize he probably had no talent in that area.
Lul Xun clutched his heart, overwhelmed. The arithmetic and investigation of things his grandfather Lul Kang had taught him took considerable effort to surpass both his grandfather and the tutors he hired. Yet, in the presence of Zhuge Liang, he felt a heavy blow.
"Regarding the Chief Secretary’s accounting work, your talent is not bad either," Zhuge Liang continued in his assessment. He was emulating Chen Xi, who would start by giving newcomers a comprehensive evaluation before educating them.
Zhuge Liang turned to look outside the cabin. Speaking of accounting, his thoughts inevitably drifted to Liu Ye and Chen Xi, the real masters of accountancy.
Liu Ye would occasionally indulge in crafting fraudulent accounts, which was even more outrageous when, upon spotting these, Chen Xi handed them over to Zhuge Liang, challenging him to identify the discrepancies in the deceitful accounts. Initially, Zhuge Liang could spend an entire day without detecting any issues.
However, after being drilled by Chen Xi over time, he barely managed to learn to spot the crux of the problem at a glance. Of course, Zhuge Liang knew that if Liu Ye were to dedicate his mind to fraud, it would be tough for him to see through it, but in such a case, Chen Xi would catch it during the year-end audit.
"But that’s just it, not bad—your forgery skills aren’t up to par," Zhuge Liang added nonchalantly, just as Lul Xun was beginning to show interest. "At least make it so I can’t spot it at a glance. I gave you an account to falsify at will, yet you made it so obviously counterfeit."
Zhuge Liang’s words carried a hint of helplessness, thinking of the people he had met. From Lub Su to Fa Zheng, although they did not frequently deal with accounts, if they put their minds to it, Zhuge Liang would struggle to uncover the truth in a short period, at least not ones as easily detectable as these!
Lul Xun’s head subconsciously lowered as Zhuge Liang instantly spotted the issues, then immediately pointed out all the falsified parts. Lul Xun was indeed shocked, and in a fit of defiance, wrote another account for Zhuge Liang to falsify; yet, to this day, Lul Xun still hadn’t detected any problems.
"Next is Political Strategy. Your understanding of military governance is mediocre, and your level in civil governance is average. Even Fa Xiaozhi knows to adapt measures to local conditions, yet you don’t even understand this," Zhuge Liang said, at a loss for words, as he looked at Lul Xun.
To be honest, Zhuge Liang now really felt that Chen Xi was making a big deal out of nothing. Fa Zheng lazed about every day, never getting out of bed before Chen Hour, and seldom dedicated much time to studying governmental affairs. After being dispatched to Qi State, he knew to first look for Qi’s specialty products, then examine the geography, considering whether to build roads or develop waterways, whereas Lul Xun just rigidly applied whatever he was taught.
"Fa Xiaozhi is already the Prime Minister of Qi State, and besides, he is widely known as a man of talent and wisdom..." Lul Xun whispered, yet he was pleased that Zhuge Liang compared him to Fa Zheng despite the loss; being defeated by such a distinguished and unique figure was not shameful but rather an honor.
"When you go to Mount Tai, I’ll remember to convey these words to Fa Xiaozhi. He will probably be very pleased, but speaking of military governance, compared to civil where you only apply things mechanically, your military formation shows adaptability. I am puzzled. If you can adapt in military matters, why can’t you do the same in civil? You should be able to generalize from one to another!" Zhuge Liang said, rubbing his forehead, feeling almost injured by Lul Xun’s wooden-headedness.
Lul Xun buried his head even deeper, feeling a sense of shame from Zhuge Liang’s words.
"Considering your youth, I’ll give you a barely passing grade for military governance. Although the direction of your adaptability is akin to seeking death, adaptability suggests potential for improvement, and you still have room to grow," Zhuge Liang sighed.
Knelt before Zhuge Liang, Lul Xun was close to tears. His strongest suit, Military Strategy, had only just managed a pass. Although it was true he had been thoroughly outwitted by Zhuge Liang and had nothing to say in his defense, it was still deeply heartbreaking. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Now, let’s talk about enriching the people. The fact that I didn’t give you zero points is out of consideration for your youth and ignorance. I’ll find you a book on enriching states to read," Zhuge Liang sighed. "No matter what, this aspect must be learned. If nothing else, at least master the macroeconomic regulation contained within political economy; don’t end up collapsing your entire jurisdiction."
Lul Xun, with his head lowered, truly didn’t know what to say about this aspect; he had no experience in it. As for the things Zhuge Liang mentioned, he hadn’t even heard of them, only aware that Zhuge Liang had brought up several highfalutin concepts.
"Next, Drilling Soldiers. Alright, let’s skip this one; you aren’t familiar. Encampment, you haven’t dealt with it. Marching, no experience either..." With each item Zhuge Liang mentioned, Lul Xun’s face grew redder with embarrassment. For the first time, he realized just how much he hadn’t even touched upon.
"Codes, intelligence... okay, you might have some experience with these, but they’re overly simplistic. Anything that can be deciphered at a glance isn’t really interesting," Zhuge Liang said with an indifferent expression, causing Lul Xun to feel unable to raise his head.
Thinking Zhuge Liang wouldn’t notice, and to vent the frustration in his heart, Lul Xun directly wrote "Zhuge Liang is an idiot" in code, only to learn the hard way that he was no match for Zhuge Liang who understood the message at a glance, then read it out with an unfazed expression, not even changing his face...
"Overall, you have much to learn; start with the basics," Zhuge Liang said, shaking his head silently at Lul Xun, whose head was now practically touching his thighs. "By the way, if you can’t master these quickly, I will ask Zichuan to let someone else teach you, so you better put some effort in, at least to make me understand why Zichuan values you so much." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), and monthly tickets are appreciated. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
