“Kongming… you…” Zhuge Xuan still wanted to say something…
Zhuge Liang immediately interrupted. "There is no time to consider so much now. You immediately go down to the cellar, I will deal with Cao's army!"
Saying that, Zhuge Liang turned around and led everyone towards the cellar.
Tap, tap… the sound of continuous footsteps.
But at this moment.
"Dong" a muffled blow landed directly on the back of Zhuge Liang's head.
Everyone was startled and turned to look. It turned out that the third brother, Zhuge Jun, had picked up a wooden stick and knocked Zhuge Liang unconscious…
"Jun'er? You…" Zhuge Ruoxue's delicate eyebrows furrowed deeply…
"I trouble Uncle and Elder Brother to take Second Brother into the cellar first, and let me wait for Cao's army in the mansion!" Zhuge Jun's tone was unusually solemn. At this moment, the eight-year-old boy seemed to have grown up a lot, matured a lot.
"But… Cao's army doesn't want you, they want your brother Kongming!" Zhuge Xuan said loudly…
Heh heh…
Zhuge Jun smiled heartily. "From now on, I am Kongming, I am Zhuge Liang. Whether in life or death, Second Brother is me, and I am Second Brother! Without further ado, Brother, Uncle… hurry up and take Second Brother into the cellar!"
This…
The sound of agile horses' hooves had already reached the mansion gate. "Alas… alas…" Zhuge Xuan had no choice but to lead everyone towards the cellar.
In the vast mansion, only Zhuge Jun was left alone, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.
That thread-like voice slowly emerged.
"Second Brother, I, your brother, am the most dull-witted of our Zhuge clan. How could I pass Mr. Shui Jing's assessment, and how could I win the trust of Miss Huang? The path of officialdom in Jingzhou is too difficult. For our Zhuge clan to prosper, it still depends on you, Second Brother!"
With these words, in Zhuge Xuan's eyes, that glimmer of light became even more resolute, as firm as a rock!
"Alas!"
Approaching the cellar, Zhuge Xuan sighed long and deeply again, "If Hidden Dragon were still here, he would surely find the best strategy to break the deadlock for my Zhuge family! Alas…"
With a long sigh, within the entire Zhuge clan, only Zhuge Xuan and his late elder brother, Zhuge Gui, had seen "Hidden Dragon."
With just a few words from that fifteen-year-old teenager, the Zhuge clan had leaped over the Mi family and Lu family to become the richest in Xuzhou!
But… in a year, where could one find any news of Hidden Dragon?
In times of national crisis, one thinks of good generals. At this moment… Zhuge Xuan missed Hidden Dragon the most. If he were here, no matter how far, they would have to find him and ask for his strategy that seemed to reveal the secrets of heaven!
This way, they would surely be able to devise a more meticulous plan than Kongming, to help the Zhuge family overcome this calamity.
"Alas… alas…"
With repeated sighs, Zhuge Xuan closed the cellar door. The Zhuge family's cellar had a secret passage. Unless one was a member of the clan… very few people could detect it, let alone open it.
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ps: (I see some readers commenting that they don't want to see Zhuge Liang and the protagonist in opposition. You can rest assured, according to the outline, they will not be in opposition. Zhuge Liang joining the protagonist's faction has exclusive plotlines. If it were so easy to get past, he wouldn't deserve the name "Zhuge Liang." Besides… who would marry that ugly wife? In short, there will be many, many interactions between Zhuge Liang and the protagonist.)
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"Clang…"
Not long after, the gate of the Zhuge mansion was pushed open, and only Cao Ren and Niu Jin walked in.
The other knights were arranged to guard the entrance. This was to be polite before resorting to force. After all, according to Lu Yu's instructions, if the "Zhuge clan" could be "invited" to Yanzhou, they should be "invited"!
And at this moment, Cao Ren was somewhat astonished. Where were the people?
Why was there only one young boy in the main hall of the entire mansion, who seemed not very old, perhaps eight or nine years old? However, he was handsome, especially his eyes, which revealed courage and determination everywhere, making people dare not underestimate him.
"Who are you?" Cao Ren asked…
"I am from Langya, Xuzhou. My surname is Zhuge, and my given name is 'Liang,' courtesy name Kongming!" Zhuge Jun replied calmly…
"You are Zhuge Liang?" Cao Ren was surprised. It seemed… he was a bit young. According to Lu Yu's description, Zhuge Liang should be around eleven or twelve years old now… Looking at him, he felt the boy in front of him was a little too young.
"How old are you?" Cao Ren asked tentatively.
"I was born in the fourth year of Guanghe, and I am twelve years old this year!" Zhuge Jun recited as if he were recounting treasures. He was all too familiar with his second brother's birth date.
Seeing the certainty in his eyes and the firmness in his words, Cao Ren pondered… could it really be him?
"Why are you the only one left in such a large mansion?" Cao Ren continued to ask, still harboring some doubt in his heart.
"They heard that the General wanted to 'invite' us to Yanzhou, so they fled…" Zhuge Jun remained composed.
"Then why did you stay?" Cao Ren's eyes narrowed, and he asked patiently.
"The entire Langya Commandery belongs to Lord Cao. If I didn't stay, how would the General let my clansmen go! Even if the General pursued them to the ends of the earth, they would still be brought back by the General!"
Zhuge Jun recounted Zhuge Liang's words with slight modifications.
Hiss, this made Cao Ren find it a bit interesting. Very clever. At this moment, Cao Ren was more inclined to believe that this was Zhuge Liang, but he looked younger!
However… to be able to say such words and do such things at a mere twelve years old, he was indeed worthy of being someone Lu Yu had specifically asked for. Not simple!
Cao Ren felt that the boy in front of him was quite good, and he had a few more points of admiration in his heart.
Just then… "Swoosh," Zhuge Jun drew his sword, which truly startled Cao Ren.
But upon closer inspection, the sword was not aimed at Cao Ren, but… placed at his own throat.
"What are you doing?" Cao Ren quickly asked…
"Liang knows that General Cao wants to take Liang back to Yanzhou, and Liang dare not disobey General Cao's wishes. However… Liang hopes that the General can spare the other clansmen of my Zhuge family, otherwise…"
Reaching this point, Zhuge Jun paused. After all, he was young. Compared to his second brother, he was more timid.
"Otherwise, what?" Cao Ren continued to ask with great interest.
"Otherwise… even if the General takes 'Liang' back to Yanzhou, it will only be 'Liang's' head!" Zhuge Jun said this, but in fact, his legs were trembling. He even felt the urge to urinate. If not for his strong willpower and the fact that he was protecting his clansmen, his pants would have already been wet.
Heh… Cao Ren rested his chin on his hand. If he couldn't be sure before that the boy in front of him was Zhuge Liang, then now, he was basically certain.
The person Young Master Lu wanted must have extraordinary qualities, and this kid in front of him was quite interesting.
"Hahahaha…"
Immediately, Cao Ren burst into laughter. "As you wish. I am a man of my word. Can you put down your sword?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jun put down his sword, his chest heaving. After all, he was guilty…
"Hahahaha…" Cao Ren was too happy to notice these details. He turned around and instructed Niu Jin, "General Niu, escorting Zhuge Liang safely back to Yanzhou is your task. This is the person Young Master Lu wants, be polite, and be careful along the way!"
"Your subordinate will surely not fail the mission!" Niu Jin took the order and went out to make arrangements.
Zhuge Jun gave Cao Ren a meaningful glance, and a name surfaced in his mind: Young Master Lu? Who was this Young Master Lu mentioned by General Cao Ren?
Young Master Lu wanted Second Brother? What was the reason for this?
Speaking of which, this Young Master Lu could command Cao Cao's cousin, the vanguard general Cao Ren… What great status!
…
…