Chen Xi was initially overjoyed, but his brow soon furrowed. "Kongming, since your brother, Zhuge Ziyu, knows why I'm here, why didn't he come down?"
Seeing Zhuge Liang come down alone, Chen Xi already knew what had happened, but he still asked, unwilling to give up.
"We are a noble family, and in this generation, there are not many outstanding individuals," Zhuge Liang replied with a bow, his words revealing all the helplessness of their situation.
"May I meet him?" Chen Xi asked, feeling somewhat resigned. Being part of a noble family not only meant holding onto knowledge and unending glory but also shouldering a responsibility that someone had to bear.
Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly. "I consider myself no weaker than my brother. He has chosen his path, and I have chosen mine."
Zhuge Liang's demeanor reminded Mi Zhu of Lu Su's benevolence and Chen Xi's wisdom. His calm expression and composed tone, neither humble nor arrogant, left Mi Zhu astonished. Chen Xi was right—this young man might surpass Fazheng in talent.
"Then so be it," Chen Xi said reluctantly. "Will you stay here, or move to live with us?"
"I will leave. Once I'm gone, my brother will also return to Xu Province, Langya," Zhuge Liang replied calmly, showing no confusion or sorrow at parting from his family.
"Alright, from now on, you will assist me in handling governmental affairs. If I am ever unavailable, you can find someone else to help," Chen Xi said, looking at Zhuge Liang.
"Very well. I also need a lot of practical experience. But are you so confident that I can handle it?" Zhuge Liang's eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity.
"If things go wrong, they go wrong. We've all been through it. I just had a setback myself," Chen Xi said nonchalantly. "Mount Tai can handle a few bumps. I believe any losses will be compensated for elsewhere, so it's all fine."
This was how Chen Xi treated Zhuge Liang. With others, he would have been more cautious before saying such things, or at least taken the time to educate them. But with Zhuge Liang, there was no need. As a symbol of wisdom through the ages, once Zhuge Liang made a mistake, he wouldn't make the same one twice. Except for overworking himself or occasionally misjudging people, everything else was minor.
"Zichuan!" Mi Zhu signaled with his eyes but saw no reaction, so he called out to Chen Xi in a low voice.
"Kongming, you stay here. I need to speak with Zizhong about something. The promises I made to you won't change," Chen Xi said with a smile, knowing what Mi Zhu wanted to discuss. He, too, hesitated about Zhuge Jin but ultimately decided against it.
"Zichuan, are you really going to give up on the older one upstairs? This Zhuge Kongming shows such maturity at such a young age. In a few more years, he won't be any less talented than Fazheng. How can we let such a genius fall into someone else's hands?" Mi Zhu said grimly, clearly frustrated with Chen Xi's decision.
To Mi Zhu, securing talent like Zhuge Liang was crucial for building an empire. After seeing Zhuge Liang, he realized that Zhuge Jin, also hailed as a genius by Chen Xi, should not be allowed to slip through their fingers either. He had to be kept within their grasp.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Chen Xi replied helplessly.
"Why not? We can force him to stay. With so many of us here, we should be able to persuade him," Mi Zhu said angrily, seeing this as Chen Xi's failure to act.
"First of all, we can't hurt him, right? We can't harm him, and we need to treat him well, both because of his talents and because of Kongming. You agree with that, don't you?" Chen Xi shrugged.
"I'll take care of all that," Mi Zhu said, patting his chest confidently.
"It's not that simple. Because of Kongming, we can't harm his brother. If we imprison him, sooner or later there will be a lapse, and Kongming will help him escape," Chen Xi sighed. "This would go against his brother's wishes. And if we restrict Kongming, we'll push him away. You wouldn't want to kill his brother, would you?"
Hearing this, Mi Zhu's expression became conflicted. He realized that trying to imprison Zhuge Jin after recruiting Zhuge Liang was impossible. Killing Zhuge Jin wasn't an option either. Not only would Liu Bei never allow it, but it would also discourage other talents from joining them. This would go against Liu Bei's interests.
"Are we really just going to let him leave?" Mi Zhu asked bitterly.
"That's how noble families operate. But we've already secured the finest talent. Just treat Zhuge Ziyu with respect, ensure his safe departure, and send him on his way," Chen Xi said with a smile.
These ancient noble families excelled at hedging their bets, never putting all their eggs in one basket. After Chen Xi's marriage, more and more noble families would begin to support Liu Bei. Soon, Liu Bei would attract many scions of these families.
Although Chen Xi knew that the talents coming to Liu Bei would not be the best, they would still be capable individuals, more than qualified to serve as county or district officials.
Even if noble families despised Liu Bei, they would still hedge their bets. If Liu Bei had a chance to unify the realm, these families would ensure they had some connection to him. That way, even if the most talented generation failed, as long as a branch of the family survived with its knowledge intact, it could rise again—it would just be a matter of time.
"Letting him go like this—I can't accept it!" Mi Zhu's eyes burned with anger. "After seeing Zhuge Kongming, I know you weren't exaggerating. If someone like him ends up working against us, it would be better to eliminate the threat now!" A cold glint appeared in Mi Zhu's eyes.
"Zhuge Kongming is the essence of the Zhuge family. His brother is excellent, but not as much as him. Leave room for others, and don't expect perfection. Securing Zhuge Kongming is already a stroke of luck. Let's end it here," Chen Xi said firmly.
Chen Xi glanced at Mi Zhu. He didn't want Mi Zhu, who was usually kind-hearted, to come into conflict with Zhuge Liang for Liu Bei's sake. With Zhuge Liang's abilities, any hostile move from Mi Zhu would be detected, making things difficult for Liu Bei. It would be better to treat Zhuge Jin with courtesy and deal with the situation later.
Mi Zhu sighed deeply. He knew he had been impulsive. Capturing the brother and killing him was not something a benevolent ruler could do. And Liu Bei was exactly that kind of ruler. Even knowing that Zhuge Jin might oppose them in the future, Liu Bei would still choose righteousness and cut any ties that bound them.
"Well, let's hope you're right. I hope Kongming really is the finest of the Zhuge family," Mi Zhu said, trying to dispel his thoughts.
"I know you're thinking of the bigger picture, but some things just can't be forced," Chen Xi said with a sigh. When he saw Zhuge Liang come down alone, he realized why Sima Lang and Sima Yi hadn't wanted to show themselves to him.