"Clink!"
In a secluded wing room of the White Horse Marquis's manor, a crisp sound echoed. It was very clear and pleasant to the ear.
"Is this good enough?" Cao Mu lowered her head, her cheeks flushed.
"Almost, but you need to aim a bit more precisely, otherwise it won't go in..." Zhuge Jun said, fumbling with something.
"But it's a bit short!" Cao Mu asked doubtfully.
"It's not small, Sister Mu? Haven't you heard of 'four ounces repelling a thousand pounds'?" Zhuge Jun's voice carried again.
Finally, after a moment...
"It's in..."
Zhuge Jun exhaled, as if he had used all his strength.
"Blood!" Cao Mu murmured.
"How could you be so careless!" Zhuge Jun asked with feigned concern, standing up.
But then, with a "clang" behind him, the wooden ladder Zhuge Jun was holding broke again...
It turned out that Zhuge Jun, who was skilled in a hundred crafts, had fashioned a simple wooden ladder from materials in the wing room. Although the room was sealed, the eaves were not, and there were windows on the eaves that allowed one to climb onto the rooftop.
However...
Due to the limited materials, the connections of the wooden ladder were very short. And because he had used too much force, the connection between the two sections of the ladder had pinched Cao Mu's fingers, drawing a little blood.
Zhuge Jun rushed to help Cao Mu bandage it.
Cao Mu, however, looked shyly...
After hesitating for a long time, she finally said,
"Thank you!"
Gratitude and guilt intertwined within her.
Once he confirmed her fingers were fine, Zhuge Jun reconnected the ladder. "Why thank me? Hurry and get out... Sister Mu, you don't need to look for Master. He... he never intended to send you to the Xiongnu. As for who he would send... that's a secret... I can't tell you."
This...
Upon hearing this, Cao Mu bit her lip.
"Why would you tell me this? You could have lied to me..."
"Heh heh..." Zhuge Jun chuckled. "I just want you to have the right to choose..."
At this point, Zhuge Jun paused and continued, "Saying to add more food when they eat, and to remember me when they are apart. You can't be this willful anymore. If you have something, you can ask me!"
As he spoke, Cao Mu jumped out of the window on the rooftop. Zhuge Jun handed the ladder to her. "Quick, before Master finds out, hurry and leave!"
Cao Mu felt a warmth in her heart... tears welled up in her eyes.
"Kongming, I'm sorry!"
Though Zhuge Jun's eyes were also teary, he smiled. "It is I who should thank you. Not everyone in this world knows how happy it is to like someone. Hurry and go... if Master catches us, we'll have no excuse!"
Cao Mu cast a lingering glance at Zhuge Jun, quickly set up the ladder, climbed down, and with the strength she had gained from years in the forge, she handled these tasks skillfully.
However, as a branch brushed past her hair, she subconsciously remembered what Zhuge Jun had said earlier when he was drunk!
—"If you hit me, I'll take it!"
—"Seeing you every day is enough to fill my stomach!"
—"If you're carrying Master's child, fine, I'll take his surname!"
—"I have a congenital problem with my nose, so no matter how smelly your feet are, I won't smell them!"
*Puff...*
A faint smile appeared on Cao Mu's lips.
"This guy... he dares to say anything when he's drunk, but when he's sober, he does nothing! Truly cowardly!"
She murmured softly, then leaped down the ladder. Just a few steps from the ground, she jumped, as gracefully as a butterfly alighting, her sleeves billowing in the wind. Fallen blossoms from the trees scattered with her descent.
In a shower of petals, Cao Mu looked back at the wing room again...
*Tap, tap...*
She took two steps forward, and after only two steps, Cao Mu bit her lip again.
"Lu Ziyu!"
She uttered Lu Yu's name, followed by a long silence.
Ten breaths, twenty breaths... thirty breaths...
Cao Mu seemed to understand something.
"Lu Ziyu, I suddenly... can... can understand your intentions!"
Saying this...
Cao Mu immediately turned around, her heart hardening, and climbed back up the wooden ladder. She re-entered the wing room and leaped once more...
Zhuge Jun was still lost in melancholy when he suddenly heard a sound from the rafters. He looked up and saw Cao Mu had jumped down. Zhuge Jun quickly went to catch her, but Cao Mu landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground.
It hurt...
But Zhuge Jun's handsome smile shone in the morning light, and Cao Mu felt as if she had plunged into a sea of flowers at that moment.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to suffocate.
"Your Master's plan has succeeded!"
Cao Mu bit her red lips...
She abruptly pushed Zhuge Jun, who had finally managed to sit up, back down!
"Unlike your Master, at least... you will never lie to me, right?"
"I..."
Before Zhuge Jun could answer, he was met by the scorching morning sun and the most brilliant night before dawn!
...
...
Jingzhou, outside Xiangyang City, the bridal chamber.
This was a new room, decorated in a festive manner. Huang Yueying, who had been holding a silk fan and wearing a beautiful dress, suddenly widened her eyes.
Her long red skirt trailed on the ground, and the sounds of music faintly echoed from the front hall, the lights flickering...
The "true Zhuge Liang" instinctively lowered his head, as if avoiding something.
The atmosphere was exceptionally tense...
"You... you're saying the person I married is not Zhuge Jun, but... but Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Kongming?"
"That... that..."
Huang Yueying's voice was hesitant, choked with emotion, as if she had been greatly shocked.
Her eyes remained wide, and the expression in them grew increasingly incredulous.
"That's right." Zhuge Liang nodded. "The one who surrounded Xuchang City and brilliantly used fire to annihilate Liu Xuande's thirty thousand troops was my third brother, Zhuge Jun. And I am his elder brother, Zhuge Kongming!"
Zhuge Liang had been recounting past events to his newlywed wife, Huang Yueying...
Including how Cao Ren had once gone to Langya to capture him, Zhuge Liang, and how Zhuge Liang, predicting chaos in the Central Plains, had proposed that all his family members go south or north. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Jun had knocked him out, and from that moment on, he became "Kongming," while the real Kongming became "Zhuge Jun"!
And to avoid further pursuit by Cao's army, their names had been continuously switched.
What an incredible secret!
"Cough... cough cough..."
Huang Yueying suddenly coughed, seemingly unable to accept this fact for a moment.
After a long while, her emotions calmed down a bit.
After all, even if the name was fake, the person was real. The one who had accompanied her all these years was real.
"You brothers? Just... how many more secrets are you hiding from us?"
Huang Yueying continued to ask.
Zhuge Liang turned and stood by the window, his hands behind his back.
"This is the only secret!"
He sighed and continued, "Yueying, believe me, staying in the Central Plains back then... was a disaster! But who would have thought that Jun's younger brother would achieve so much using my name! Mu Niu Liu Ma, the Deputy Leader of the Jiangbei Alliance, surrounding Xuchang City. Now, the name 'Kongming' is known throughout the land!"
*Hoo...*
Huang Yueying let out another breath, her lips pressed together. "Then... then... Jun... no, Kongming... will you brothers ever switch your names back?"
"I don't know." Zhuge Liang shook his head. "I haven't corresponded with Jun for a long time, and I don't know what impact revealing the truth would have on him, so... I hope!"
"Kongming, don't worry!" Huang Yueying, with her keen intellect, nodded. "Then... then we'll continue to keep it a secret, unless... unless Jun tells the world!"
"It can only be this way." Zhuge Liang nodded.
*Hoo...* He took a deep breath, then opened the window and looked up at the sky.
Having spoken his mind, he felt a long-lost sense of relief.
However...
Jun's younger brother had been too powerful all these years, like a "descending deity"! Now that his name "Kongming" was also "famous throughout the nine provinces," as an elder brother, the true Zhuge Kongming felt a little embarrassed.
"The world is unpredictable. Under the moonlight of the past, who could have predicted today's situation!" Zhuge Liang sighed, his mind filled with a thousand thoughts!
Given the current situation...
Next, Jingzhou and Cao Cao would inevitably clash. What would Zhuge Liang do then?
...
...
The familiar White Horse Marquis's manor, the familiar wing room.
A night had passed, and it was now Chen Shi (7-9 AM). Sunlight streamed into the wing room through the windows.
Zhuge Jun lowered his head, his eyes dark from staying up all night.
Cao Mu, however, seemed to have heard something shocking.
"You... you're telling me now that you're not Zhuge Kongming? You're Zhuge Jun? The third son of the Zhuge family of Langya? Zhuge Jun..."
At this moment, Cao Mu felt like she had been hit by a truck.
At this moment, she was stunned. She didn't even know who had accompanied her last night!
Zhuge Liang? Zhuge Jun?
How could she still be confused?
"I... I didn't want to lie to you..."
After stammering for a long time, Zhuge Jun finally spoke. He anxiously reached for Cao Mu's hand, but Cao Mu shook it off. Zhuge Jun said, "I... I wanted to explain last night, but... but you didn't give me a chance!"
Cao Mu sneered, "You've been by Lu Ziyu's side for at least seven or eight years, if not ten! And now you're telling me... you didn't have a chance to explain! I @#@%!"
*Hoo... Hoo...*
Cao Mu's chest heaved. She was truly infuriated.
"Like master, like disciple. It seems... the master is a liar, and the disciple is no good either!"
"I... I... I really..."
Cao Mu wanted to say, "I'm really screwed."
But feeling that the phrase was unrefined, she swallowed it back.
She trembled with anger.
Zhuge Jun anxiously explained, "I... I didn't want to! But... but General Cao Ren wanted to capture my second brother without asking for reasons! I... I had no choice but to resort to this. I was afraid that if... if Master found out the truth, they would continue to capture my second brother! And take it out on him!"
Oh...
Cao Mu suddenly stood up. "Yes, and then you would marry me, Cao Mu, on behalf of your second brother? In the end, I, Cao Mu, wouldn't even know if my husband was human or a dog?"
Zhuge Jun hurriedly shook his head... "I... I didn't mean that. The one marrying you is naturally... naturally me!"
Cao Mu was furious.
"I'm done playing! I'm not playing anymore!"
With a flick of her long sleeves, and without bothering to tidy her messy hair, Cao Mu stormed away.
Their conversation naturally did not escape the ears of the officials from the School Affairs Office.
Zhuge Kongming is fake!
This...
This...
*Gulp* A group of officials involuntarily swallowed. What was all this about!
...
...
Xuchang City, School Affairs Office.
Lu Yu carefully handed a scroll to Xu Chu.
"I'll trouble General Xu to deliver this bamboo slip to Prime Minister Cao. This is the strategy for the northern expedition that Mr. Guo, Mr. Ju, and Mr. Xu and I have discussed and finalized!"
"Prime Minister Cao will understand at a glance!"
Since the Marquis's manor wedding, Lu Yu had begun formulating the northern expedition plan.
Although Ju Shu was gone, he had left many suggestions before his death. Guo Jia and Xu Shu were both meticulous individuals. Lu Yu had put forward some ideas, and the specific strategy had already been drafted by Xu Shu.
Actually...
It all boiled down to one point: patience.
Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang had fallen out, and Yuan Shang had dispatched troops to attack Yuan Tan... At this time, it was not Lu Yu who should be anxious, but Yuan Tan.
Just as they had dealt with Yuan Shu, Lu Bu, and Liu Bei in Xu Province under complex circumstances in the past...
The current situation was much clearer and simpler.
And the strategy formulated by Lu Yu and his strategists was even simpler: to open the Suiyang Canal. This canal would connect modern-day "Kaifeng, Henan" all the way to Guandu, forming a waterway.
If they were to completely pacify the region north of the Yellow River, they must dig this canal to open up water transportation, which was crucial!
"By the way... from Qiaoxian to Junyi County, one needs to pass through Liang Province..." Lu Yu suddenly thought of something. "The tomb of Lord Qiao, Qiao Da Gongzi, is located there... Old Master Qiao has been kind to Prime Minister Cao, so Prime Minister should go and pay respects to him!"
"Alright!" Xu Chu nodded. "I will report the Marquis's words to the Prime Minister verbatim... However, there is one more matter that I am unsure how to report?"
Xu Chu changed the subject...
Lu Yu looked up and asked, "What does General Xu mean?"
"Prime Minister's eldest daughter, Cao Mu, entered the White Horse Marquis's manor last night..." Xu Chu began. "This..."
Clearly, Xu Chu knew something.
"This matter..." Lu Yu smiled slightly. "General Xu, just report it truthfully... Prime Minister and I discussed this matter earlier. Although the Zhuge family of Langya is not as prominent as the Wang family of Langya, they are not completely unknown! Moreover... Kongming has made many military achievements for Prime Minister, so he is someone worth entrusting!"
Before Lu Yu could finish speaking...
"Report..."
A School Affairs officer rushed into the School Affairs Office. He was about to speak, but upon seeing Xu Chu, he swallowed his words.
Lu Yu's eyes darted.
"General Zhongkang is one of us, so speak your mind."
The School Affairs officer then reported, "This morning, Miss Cao Mu had a big argument with Zhuge Kongming. She stated that Zhuge Kongming is not the second son of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Liang, but... the third son, Zhuge Jun!"
Originally, it was nothing...
But when the name "Zhuge Jun" was uttered, "What..." Lu Yu suddenly stood up, his expression filled with disbelief.
It was as if an electric current had passed through his forehead...
After a long silence.
"No wonder, no wonder..." Lu Yu kept repeating the words "no wonder."
It was as if...
He could understand everything now.
He had heard of the "raccoon for a prince" trick, but he never expected that what happened around him was... a cobbler replacing the real Kongming!
And the cobbler had made the title "real Kongming" so resounding!
Heh, he truly hadn't grown crooked!
Of course, that wasn't important. What was important was that Lu Yu had keenly sensed something amiss...
Zhuge Liang was now in Jingzhou, and Liu Bei was also in Jingzhou. This was about to become a "three visits to the thatched cottage" situation!
...
...
Bing Province, below Hukou Pass.
The sound of hooves *clop-clop*!
Lu Bu, mounted on Red Hare, held his Fangtian Huaji, which flashed with a cold, sharp light under the sun.
However, there was no joy on his face. On the contrary, he was fully alert and exceptionally serious.
Behind him followed Gongsun Zan, Qu Yi, Zhang Yan... even the newly arrived Dian Wei was by his side.
Each of them was mounted, seemingly heading to a special place.
Ju Shu stood on the pass, glanced at them from afar, and shook his head.
Ju Shu knew what had happened here.
However, what goes around comes around. Blood debts must be paid with blood!
"General Ying!"
Just then, Lu Lingqi rode up...
"General Ying, why didn't you inform your daughter before setting out? Although my archery and horsemanship are not as good as General Ying's, I can still contribute a little!"
Lu Lingqi's sword-like eyebrows were raised, and she was clad in armor, looking exceptionally heroic.
And she addressed Lu Bu as "General Ying," as Lu Bu had instructed her to.
"You stay here!"
Lu Bu's cold voice echoed.
Without further explanation, he surveyed the group.
"Depart..."
*De de de...* *Da da da...* Accompanied by the neighing of everyone's warhorses and the urgent sound of hooves, the group rode away.
Only Lu Lingqi remained standing blankly below Hukou Pass...
"This direction..."
Lu Lingqi bit her lip. She suddenly understood something.
...
...
Xuchang City, White Horse Marquis's manor.
Zhuge Jun knelt before Lu Yu, his head lowered, looking like a child who had done wrong.
Lu Yu stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is this what you wanted to say?"
"Yes, please punish me, Master!" Zhuge Jun still kept his head lowered.
*Tap, tap...*
Lu Yu walked to his side, picked up a wooden stick that had been prepared on the desk, and with a *swoosh*, raised the stick.
*"Crack..."*
The stick fell, but it was like thunder without rain.
This strike on Zhuge Jun's body was very light...
"Alright, the punishment is over now!" Lu Yu's tone was very calm. "However, this matter is not over!"
"Your disciple listens to Master's teachings."
Zhuge Jun was as if he had received a general amnesty...
In fact, when Lu Yu raised the wooden stick earlier, he had prepared for the worst, perhaps even death. But even if he were to die, he did not want to be expelled from his master's tutelage.
*Hoo...*
Heavy gasps followed.
Lu Yu's voice rang out again. "Now that you are the Prime Minister's son-in-law, on behalf of the Prime Minister and on behalf of Master, go and invite your second brother, 'Zhuge Kongming'? This shouldn't be difficult, right?"
As soon as he said this...
Zhuge Jun suddenly raised his eyes. He looked at Lu Yu.
And Lu Yu continued,
"Regardless of who among you is Zhuge Liang and who is Zhuge Jun, your Zhuge family brothers will be entrusted with important responsibilities by my Long Xiao Camp. Do you understand?"
*Hoo...*
Zhuge Jun let out a long sigh.
After a moment of contemplation, he cupped his hands. "Master, please rest assured, Jun... will not fail in this mission!"
Lu Yu patted his shoulder. "Go early and return soon. Be careful on your journey!"
"Yes... yes..." Zhuge Jun's voice was somewhat choked. He had never expected that his master would not only not blame him but would also entrust important responsibilities to his second brother.
...
...
Xuchang City, Prime Minister's Manor.
Cao Cao sat in a pavilion, resting with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps, and his brow furrowed, his eyes snapping open.
"Zhongkang, why are you in such a hurry? Has Mu'er already caused a great disaster?"
Cao Cao's heart clenched, and he asked quickly.
He had only learned this morning that Cao Mu had sneaked into the White Horse Marquis's manor last night...
This was going to cause a huge problem!
Therefore, Cao Cao had sent Xu Chu to investigate early... But... but in the meantime, Cao Cao's heart was filled with unease!
"Prime Minister, Miss Mu has indeed caused a great disaster."
Xu Chu replied truthfully.
*Gulp...* Cao Cao's heart sank. "She slept with him?"
"Yes!" Xu Chu nodded.
*Bang!* Cao Cao slammed his fist heavily on the table in front of him. For a moment, he wished he could slap Cao Mu severely.
But now was not the time for anger.
"Can the news be suppressed?"
Cao Cao asked urgently.
"I'm afraid not. Many people have witnessed it!" Xu Chu replied truthfully.
Uh...
Cao Cao suddenly felt a sense of helplessness and speechlessness. Many people had witnessed it, this... this...
Instantly, a pain surged in his forehead.
His body felt unsteady, and his legs were a little shaky.
"This morning, Miss Cao Mu had a big argument with the... young master of the Zhuge family and stormed out. It seems that the young master of the Zhuge family told the truth afterwards, saying that he was not Zhuge Kongming, but the third son of the Zhuge family of Langya, Zhuge Jun!"
Uh...
Upon hearing the name Zhuge Jun, Cao Cao was not so concerned!
However, the other meaning of Xu Chu's words made his heart clench again.
"What did you say?" Cao Cao asked urgently.
"Zhuge Kongming is not Zhuge Kongming, but Zhuge Jun!" Xu Chu said.
"The previous sentence!" Cao Cao continued to ask.
"Miss Cao Mu last night with that Zhuge Jun in the wing room..."
Xu Chu did not finish his sentence.
"Ha..."
"Hahaha..."
Cao Cao suddenly burst into hearty laughter, his demonic laughter echoing throughout the Prime Minister's manor.
Zhuge Kongming?
Zhuge Jun?
Did it matter?
Not at all important!
As long as Mu'er didn't sleep with Yu'er, nothing else was important!
Hahaha...
Hahahahaha!
Zhuge Jun, good child, good child... He has made a contribution this time, he should be rewarded, rewarded!
...
...