In Chenliu Commandery, Yan Province, within the Cai family estate.
Lu Yu lay on a bamboo chair, listlessly gazing at the sky. He felt as if his entire body had been hollowed out during this period.
He had a bold thought: he couldn't be learning "postures" every night anymore, ah, no, it was "knowledge"... his small body truly couldn't take it. But the crucial issue was that whether he learned knowledge or not didn't depend on him; it depended on the mistress of the house, Sister Zhaoji.
This was rather awkward!
At this moment, Cai Zhaoji was also sitting in the courtyard, taking out a bamboo slip and reading in the sunlight. She was refined and elegant, occasionally nodding slightly, as if the words within the slip always resonated with her.
Lu Yu glanced at Sister Zhaoji out of the corner of his eye... Sometimes, he truly admired this sister. Give her a few books, and she could spend the entire day reading, completely unbothered by anything else.
To put it nicely, she was a talented woman; to put it not so nicely, she was... a bookworm!
This was quite similar to her father, Cai Yong.
However, Cai Yong's greatness lay in his storytelling. His tales were captivating and full of life, always subtly weaving profound truths into simple narratives.
"Sister Zhaoji, I just remembered a story Old Cai told... it perfectly matches my current mood."
Lu Yu used this as an opening...
A story? Told by his father? This immediately piqued Cai Zhaoji's interest. She slowly put down the bamboo slip and turned her head with a look of curiosity.
"What has Brother Yu thought of?"
"I thought of the story your father told about Zhuangzi's self-entrapment..." Lu Yu blurted out.
Hmm... Cai Zhaoji recalled slightly.
This was a story her father often told, about Zhuangzi's predicament of self-entrapment.
The antecedent was that Zhuangzi was lecturing his disciples when he suddenly leaned his back against a wall, sighed at the sky, his expression dejected.
His students asked him why he was so sad. Zhuangzi replied, "I lament the loss of my self! What you see is merely my body; I am not myself. I have lost myself..."
Of course, these words were very Zhuangzi-like, very Zhuang Zhou!
Imagine a fellow who constantly proclaimed, "The butterfly is me, and I am the butterfly," "Heaven and Earth were born with me, and all things are one with me," and "Death, a beautiful sleep, worthy of a song, la la la la..." It wasn't strange for him to propose any bizarre theories.
It was just that... what Lu Yu wanted to express was:
"Sister Zhaoji, I feel like I've also lost myself..."
"Ah..." This sudden remark startled Cai Zhaoji. "Brother Yu, don't scare me!"
"Uh... that's not what I meant," Lu Yu explained. "I mean, can the nightly 'filling the room' maiden ritual be reduced a bit... They exhaust me daily, I feel like I'm no longer myself, I've lost my soul, I've lost myself!"
With such things, too much is as bad as too little...
Who knew that Old Cao would station four or five maidservants here every night, each one different. Initially, Lu Yu found it novel, but after such a long time... ah... they say the land cannot be worn out, but this hoe loses durability!
This...
Cai Zhaoji's face instantly flushed. Mentioning this matter made her somewhat shy. However, this was arranged by her brother, Cao Cao.
She had never refused her brother's kindness, and she didn't expect her younger brother to be like this.
Cai Zhaoji gracefully stood up, putting on a lecturing demeanor. "Brother Yu, for a boy to become a man, he must go through this process. Young masters of great families are all like this; you'll get used to it slowly!"
Heh heh... Lu Yu responded with a "heh heh."
Sister Zhaoji spoke of the process for a boy to become a man. If Lu Yu wished, he could directly refute her and list one hundred and eight ways to turn Sister Zhaoji, this young maiden, into a young married woman!
"Ahem..." With a slight cough, Lu Yu continued, "Sister Zhaoji, what I mean is, it doesn't have to be so frequent... I am still young, still growing, you see. With so many maidservants like wolves and tigers, they drain me. My soul has already departed, leaving only this handsome shell!"
"Pfft..." Cai Zhaoji suddenly burst into laughter. "Alright, alright. I'll pay attention from now on. We can't accept all the maidservants my brother sends without question. You wouldn't know... the eldest young master Cao Ang from the Cao mansion next door envies your situation!"
Alas... this sort of thing is like a besieged city... people outside want to get in, and people inside want to get out. Some are parched to death, while others drown in floods... Those who understand, understand.
Lu Yu smiled, thus changing the topic.
Just then.
The sound of footsteps "tap-tap-tap" approached from outside the courtyard... Lu Yu and Cai Zhaoji were drawn by the footsteps and turned to look.
They saw a burly general, led by Cao Xiu, gracefully entering the area, and along with him... a boy of eight or nine years old.
That burly strongman was Niu Jin, and the eight or nine-year-old boy was Zhuge Jun.
"Your subordinate Niu Jin greets Young Master Lu!"
Niu Jin immediately bowed. This was instructed by Cao Ren.
This Young Master Lu before him was the grand ancestor of tomb raiding. Regardless of seniority, Niu Jin's bow was not a loss.
Niu Jin? Lu Yu's eyes darted... This name was not unfamiliar.
However, Lu Yu only remembered him as Cao Ren's deputy general, possessing immense strength and fearless valor... He had a few glorious moments and had made some contributions!
"General Niu, there's no need for such politeness. Here at the Cai mansion, we are all family!"
Lu Yu helped Niu Jin up...
Instantly, he felt like he was lifting Dian Wei, his body was so solid!
"As per General Cao's military order, I have specially brought Zhuge Kongming of Langya to Yan Province... and to Young Master Lu's residence." Niu Jin presented Zhuge Jun, who was by his side...
Ah... ah...
Lu Yu was a little bewildered. This delicate young boy... he... he is Zhuge Liang?
Why does he look... a bit unintelligent?
Most importantly, he lacked that unique charm and demeanor... He didn't have the presence from the TV dramas, where facing armies, with a feather fan and silk cap... he remained calm and composed, shouting, "I have never seen such a shameless person!"
Most importantly, he looks a bit young...
"General Niu Jin? He... is he really Zhuge Liang?" Lu Yu immediately asked...
Zhuge Jun spoke first... "My surname is Zhuge, and my given name is Liang, with the courtesy name Kongming. I am genuine!"
Uh... if he says so.
Lu Yu wasn't going to doubt Cao Ren's judgment. With Cao Ren's intelligence, it wouldn't be possible for him to mistake a person, right?
Of course, looking younger could also be understood. Before his transmigration, some ageless male gods were fifty but looked like they were in "the rainy season of eighteen years old"...
As for lacking some aura, it might just be because he was too young and hadn't fully developed yet!
"Zhuge Kongming..."
Cai Zhaoji murmured to herself. "Brother Yu, he is a member of the Zhuge clan of Langya Commandery..."
"That's right!" Lu Yu replied reflexively...
Oh... Cai Zhaoji's eyes darted. She knew that her Brother Yu had specifically asked Cao Ren to search for someone in Langya Commandery, but she hadn't expected that the person her brother was looking for would be a member of the Zhuge clan!
Speaking of which, when she went south to find Brother Yu's father those five years, they had some contact with the Langya Zhuge clan and had received their kindness.
Lu Yu noticed Cai Zhaoji's doubt and immediately turned to her with a smile. "Sister Zhaoji... this Zhuge Liang is very clever. From today onwards, could you teach him the Four Books and Five Classics? It could also help relieve your boredom during your leisure time..."
Ah...
Cai Zhaoji was stunned.
Lu Yu nodded, deciding it was settled. Before he could finalize Zhuge Liang's upbringing plan, it wouldn't be bad for him to learn poetry and prose from Sister Zhaoji. If he went astray, he could still become a literary scholar and write a proclamation for him in the future.
At this moment, Zhuge Jun remained silent...
Or rather, he dared not speak. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make, and he feared revealing himself with every word.
After discussing Zhuge Liang, Lu Yu eagerly inquired of Niu Jin.
"General Niu, the situation in Xuzhou is very favorable now, isn't it? Duke Cao will likely return victoriously soon..."
Uh... Niu Jin was startled.
Very favorable? Favorable for what?
Instantly, Niu Jin's expression darkened.
"Young Master Lu is joking. The situation on the front lines is very bad, it can even be described as... fraught with danger!"
Ah...
Lu Yu was taken aback. What was going on? It was already fraught with danger? Cao Gong and Xi Zhicai's combination, without even massacring cities, couldn't even deal with Tao Qian?
For a moment, Lu Yu felt that he had either overestimated Old Cao or underestimated Tao Qian. In short, the front lines had encountered major trouble.
...
...