C19

On the morning of the second day, Lu Que and his father went to the Hundred Treasures Hall to meet Zhuge Ju and Zhuge Yan. Although this Hundred Treasures Store was owned by Lu Que, it was also his first time here. The four of them asked for a private room and ordered a pot of fine Cui Xi Cloud Mist Tea. Zhuge Juyi did not hide anything from Lu Que and his son Zhuge Yan and told them the reason for their return to the capital.

Wu Yong Hou Ning Dafong transferred to the mountain shadow army, the former commander of the Gale Army, Zhuge Juping, transferred to the Sky Fire Army. As a former advisor to the Star Division, he didn't feel repulsed by the transfer. In fact, he was overjoyed. A dozen years ago, four generals of the Skyfire Army had walked out. Including Lu Chun, there were five of them. Being able to return to the Sky Fire Army after ten-odd years and even become a commander in command gave Zhuge a feeling of returning home in glory.

But after taking over the position of commander-in-chief, Zhuge Ji was rather stupefied. The soldiers of the Star Flame Army from the past were no longer a force to be reckoned with. The Star Flame Legion and the invincible army that he remembered now, apart from their titles and banners, he couldn't find anything familiar about them. After further questioning, he found out that those soldiers had not died in the last ten or so years due to the battle that occurred outside of Snowfall and Hanshan. It was because of his age and illness that he had withdrawn from the army and returned to the village.

After knowing all of this, not only did Zhuge Ju admire the former marshal Ning Dairong, he actually used such an army and guarded the northern border for six years. He also felt that it was very troublesome because his good friend from back then left him such a mess.

As the new commander-in-chief, after getting familiar with the Skyfire Army's affairs, Zhuge Ju naturally had to retrain the army. However, at this time, the emperor's decree requested that the Sky Fire Army, while protecting the Floating Snow and Cold Mountain, also allocate their forces to assist the Dragon Slayer Army of the Marquis of Wuan, Bai Yi, in their expedition to the north. To the Skyfire Army who had nearly 40% of the recruits, this kind of order was like a joke using the lives of soldiers. Zhuge, who came from the Zhuge family, would never risk the lives of soldiers.

After quarreling a few times with the Marquis of Wuan, Bai Yi, Zhuge Ju asked the Sky Fire Legion to gather troops and train on the spot. Without his own army order, the tiger talisman was not allowed to leave the camp. He brought two or three followers back to the capital.

Yesterday, when he entered the palace, the two officials left on bad terms. Zhuge thought that this was not a good time for the conquest of the north. The position of the Coiling Stone army's commander had not been decided until now. There were two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers of the Coiling Stone army, the largest legion of the twelve men. Each of the three groups had their own candidate, so it had not been more than a month since the last battle. At this time, what was the point in relying on Bai Yi's 120,000 soldiers? He had to face the entire people of the prairie, the Scarlet Dis.

"Little brother, are you arguing with His Majesty in the Extreme Violet Palace?" Lu Chun was slightly surprised. He could never have imagined that the cautious Zhuge Ju would actually quarrel with the Emperor.

"Big Brother Lu, you don't know how far the Skyfire Army has declined." Immediately, his face changed and he angrily said, "Right now, the Sky Fire Army is no longer around for you, big brother. There are only 40% new soldiers in the army, and we are not familiar with attack and defense formations, and we also need to change our military equipment. The north wall of Snowfall Pass needs to be repaired, and defending it is a bit difficult, not to mention fighting with the Scarlet Dis in the wild." Speaking to this, Zhuge Ju picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp. He said a bit irritably, "Who isn't raised by mother's biological parents, who came out of a rock?" Your majesty and Bai Yi, those bastards can push these new recruits to their deaths, I can't f * cking do that. "

Lu Que and Zhuge Yan exchanged a glance and looked at Zhuge Ji in surprise. It was difficult for Lu Que to relate this person to the advisor his father had mentioned, who was as gentle as jade and had come up with all sorts of ingenious plans. It was also the first time that Zhuge Yan had seen his father act in such a way. To think that his father, who had always been a solemn and calm person, would actually scold people behind his back.

"I told His Majesty at that time to either have the Skyfire Army defend the Floating Snow Mountain and Cold Mountain and train on the spot. They would only be in charge of the rear roads of the Dragoneers and the provisions of the grain. They would not be involved in the war on the north. Or just get rid of me. I don't want to do it anymore. "

Seeing that Zhuge was like this, Lu Chun just comforted him with a few kind words. He switched the topic back to the interesting things that happened in the past. The four of them ate lunch at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and chatted for another two hours before leaving. However, whether it was Lu Chun or Zhuge Ju, neither of them brought up the previous topic again.

When they parted ways, Lu Chun walked to Zhuge Ju's side, and said in a voice that only two people could hear, "Kind brother, what a good move to retreat in order to advance. This should be the old Prime Minister's intentions, right?"

Seeing that Zhuge just smiled and cupped his hands, Lu Chun sighed and took Lu Que back to the Duke's Mansion.

The scorching sun was scorching the earth, but the public roads that should have had very few people on them were filled with carriages and horses. There was only less than a month left before the exam was due to begin, and all the candidates were rushing towards the imperial capital, Qian Yuan City.

During these three months, besides studying in the study room every day, Lu Que would occasionally use the Flame Emperor Cauldron to chat with Little White. Sometimes, Yu Tian Xiang and Zhuge Yan would also go out to play with Lu Que. Over the past few months, Lu Que had become more than half familiar with the massive Qianyuan City. In fact, even Yu Tian Xiang had accompanied him for more than half of the tour around the imperial palace. The Qianghuang Yu Xiang had even given him a token to allow Lu Que free access to the Imperial Book Collection Vault.

In May, Grand Princess Yu Tian Xiang brought back the Nine-petaled Red Deer Flower. The hospital had to verify many ancient books before they were able to concoct the medicine. The little princess' strange illness, Wu Yu's scent, had improved. Although she still couldn't eat meat, she could still eat ordinary rice noodle soup. Consort Xian found out that it was because of Lu Que's help that she was able to find the Nine-petaled Scarlet Deer Flower. She also heard that this new prince loved to read books, so she specially collected some solitaire books from her parents and sent them to the Duke of Wei's estate to express her gratitude.

Seeing that the test was about to start, Lu Que, who had stayed in the manor for a long time, decided to go to the West Mountains to play. It had been a few months since he had arrived at the capital and had yet to go to the West Mountains.

"I say, Lu Que, you invited me here on such a hot day, yet you didn't even take a bow. Aiyo, I'm so tired. I really can't walk anymore. Let's rest for a while." Zhuge Yan gasped for breath. While unbuttoning his collar, he took out his water bag and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. After burping a few times, he let out a long sigh.

Looking at Zhuge Yan's expression, Lu Que shook his head in amusement. Through these few months of contact, Lu Que knew that this young master of the Zhuge family, who was known as Young Master Rao Rao by the people of the imperial city, was merely acting carefree on the surface.

This Zhuge Yan spent an extra penny just to buy items. She was like a street hoodlum, quarreling with the stall owner for half a day without using her identity to pressure others. He could also be like the young master of the Wealthy Class, spending a great deal of money in the brothel's music shop. He could even redeem a few notorious cleaners, but he had never done anything beyond that.

"Who told you to carry a bow and carry a saber. I invited you here to play. I didn't say that I was going to hunt, but you misunderstood me. How could you blame me?" Lu Que said snappily.

"You can't be right. A few days ago I told you that the western mountain is flourishing with vegetation, and there are many birds and beasts. It's a good place to hunt. Today you invited me here to actually tell me that it's for sightseeing?" Zhuge Yan removed the longbow, arrows, sabers, and daggers one by one from his body before tossing them to the side one by one and walking up to a limestone. Not caring about the moss, fallen leaves, and ants on the stone, he laid down on the ground and took out a folding fan from an unknown place. With a flick of his finger, he twirled it around a few times before flicking his wrist confidently and unfurling it with a "Pa" sound. In the blink of an eye, the fan had changed to look like a rainbow, and the entire set of movements were as smooth as the clouds and the water; it was extremely beautiful. As the fan's surface turned, Zhuge Yan even glanced at Lu Que complacently. Seeing that Lu Que was not looking at him, the corner of his mouth broke, and he finally took the fan handle and fanned himself.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Lu Que saw that Zhuge Yan had retracted her juggling demeanor. The corner of his mouth twitched as he turned around. In these past few days, Lu Que had seen too many of Zhuge Yan's bizarre and eccentric hobbies. Let alone fanning, he could even play with a chopstick. On one of the occasions when the two of them went to the worship pagoda and saw a little girl performing, the four paper umbrellas became extremely flexible and beautiful. He had to entangle her for a long time and teach her a lesson. In Zhuge Yan's words, this was a tireless pursuit for the beauty of the world.

"Birds and beasts have souls and they play in the middle of plants and vegetation. They have sex and grow in mountains and rivers. Apart from their mouths, they cannot speak or move. What difference is there between them and us?" If he recklessly destroyed wounds like others, was it to show off his martial arts, or was it for the desire to eat? "Since you and I are not lacking in either of these aspects, isn't it perfect to feel the coolness of this forest under the scorching sun?" Lu Que looked at the lush forest and smiled. He had lived in the mountains since he was young and felt a natural warmth towards such an environment. In his hand was a green bamboo that he didn't know where he had found it from. He was carefully observing the green bamboo's texture to see what it could be made into.

"Ugh, looks like this Qianyuan City can't hold you anymore, you're about to become an immortal." He knew that this person in front of him was naturally indifferent, but he had not expected this person to be indifferent to such an extent. Immediately, his eyes turned as he said, "Since you said it was so extraordinary, I have personally witnessed you eating meat. In the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, you have eaten quite a lot of bear paws and venison, and according to you, this bear deer is also intelligent.

"I'm growing. I can't afford to lose meat." Lu Que said matter-of-factly, "Besides, the Beardeer didn't die by my hands. Since the blame has already been borne by others, I can naturally eat it. It's easy to do it. You and I may be nobles, but we can't waste it either."

"Hey, you, the reason outside this place is all yours." Zhuge Yan slapped his thigh and pointed at Lu Que.

"Then, Brother Zhuge, is there anything wrong with what I said?" Seeing Zhuge Yan's expression, Lu Que's smile became even more radiant.

"Alright, at least you have your reasons. Since the logic belongs to you, the one feeling hungry right now is me, your brother. Since you invited me here, have you prepared some meat and wine pastries?" Clutching his stomach, Zhuge Yan unhappily rolled her eyes.

"But I don't have any meat and wine pastries." Lu Que's eyes darted around as he replied, "But I have the essence of the mountains and rivers, and I want to share it with brother."

"The essence of nature? He was indeed the eldest son of the princess. To think that he would have such a great treasure. He was truly blessed today. Lu Que, take it out quickly. I'm starving to death. " Joy was written all over Zhuge Yan's face as he urged her to hurry up.

Lu Que took out a few ball-shaped objects from his robes and threw them to Zhuge Yan. He wiped his hands on his clothes and took a bite out of them, nodding his head in satisfaction.

Zhuge Yan frantically grabbed the item thrown at him by Lu Que. As he focused his eyes, the smile on his face couldn't help but freeze. This is the Mountain Spirit? " Seeing Lu Que's head, he could not help but reveal an expression of disbelief, "This, I am not wrong, this should be a mountain and plum right? You said that this thing is a spirit of nature?"

"Isn't it? This tree was a tree that grew in the mountains, but these fruits were not eaten by animals. One could tell how lucky this tree was. Everyone has said that peaches are everywhere, and now that the period is over, Li Zheng, although these plums don't look too good, they can still be used as wood essence. " Lu Que looked at the dazed Zhuge Yan with a mischievous expression.

"You ~ ~ I ~ I ~" Zhuge Yan opened his mouth wide for a long time, but he did not manage to utter a complete sentence. He knew that he had been eaten to death by this brat today, so he was unwilling to accept this outcome. He casually picked up a plum and put it into his mouth without even looking at it. Although the fruit was gone, the juice was still in its mouth and it spitted a few more times.

"What a good Lu Que! Pei, you actually gave me such a sour plum. Pei, this young master is so sour." Zhuge Yan said while spitting out saliva. After a while, he felt that his teeth were aching. He could feel a wave of uneasiness just by touching his upper and lower teeth.

"Who told you to not look when you're eating? Drink two mouthfuls of water first." Lu Que shook his head, looked up at the sky and said, "It should be raining in the evening. We still need two hours to get back to the city. Let's go down now."

"I'm not going, I'm hungry, I can't move." Zhuge Yan drank a few mouthfuls of water and washed up a few times. Only then did she feel slightly better.

"Wait until we go to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to eat in the city. I've heard that a ship's sea cargo is coming to the capital."

"Is that true?" Before Lu Que could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Zhuge Yan.

"What do you think?" He glanced at Zhuge Yan.

Seeing the clouds gathering in the sky, Lu Que said, "Arrive at the Hundred Treasures Hall in two hours. I will treat you to dinner."

"Then what are we waiting for?" "Let's go, let's go." Zhuge Yan hurriedly stood up, picking up the bow and dagger from the ground, and pulled Lu Que down the mountain.

"There are really a lot of students taking the Beijing college entrance exam this year." After an hour, the two of them were on the way back to the city. Seeing the carriages filled with students, including ox-cart and donkey cart, Lu Que exclaimed in admiration.

"These are the students from the neighboring counties. They will be escorted into the capital by the relay stations. The students from the distant counties will have to wait for a few more days before they can arrive." They will have a ship specially built to sail two, two, two, and four canals into the capital. " Zhuge Yan seemed to have thought of something and her expression turned slightly ugly.

"What's the matter with you?" Feeling the heaviness in his good friend's heart, Lu Que felt a little strange. He really couldn't think of anything that could really affect Zhuge Yan's mood.

"Lu Que, do you know that today's Qian Yuan Great Examination is the one with the largest number of people since the founding of the Great Gan Nation?"

"I've heard my mother mention it before. But so what? With your talent, Brother Zhuge, you shouldn't have to worry." Lu Que was baffled. No matter how many people there were, they wouldn't be able to affect Zhuge Yan. Not to mention his family background, even if he had the talent, he would still be able to handle the test.

"Sigh ~" Zhuge Yan let out a long sigh and fell silent. It wasn't that he was afraid of failing the examination, but that he was afraid of not being in the top twelve. He assisted the country's Duke of Zhuge's family, passing on his family's teachings through poetry. His grandfather was the prime minister of the dynasty, a great minister; his father was the commander-in-chief of the army and was in charge of the country. Right now, the might of the Zhuge family far surpassed that of the Duke of Wei, the Lu family. Many pairs of eyes were staring at the Zhuge family. Grandfather and Father didn't say anything about this year's test. However, Zhuge Yan knew that if he didn't obtain a good ranking in this exam, there would definitely be rumors circulating around the world to undermine the prestige of the Zhuge family. Entering the top 12 was the lowest standard he could set for himself, but even with that standard, he didn't have much confidence.

Today was the first time in a long journey that there were so many talented people in the Chanyang exam. The eight great dukedoms had thirty-six civil and military dukedoms, and each had a member of their family participating in this year's great exam. In addition to the various aristocratic families and Humble Classes, the heroes were like crucian carp that had crossed the river. Other people aside, the protector of the nation, Bai Fuguang of the Bai family, and the wise and resourceful man of the Ning Kingdom were all on par with him. Lu Que, who was standing by his side, was even more monstrous. There was also Le Miaomiao from the nine great families, Wu Jia's daughter, Wu Yunchang, Qu Xingran from the Qu family, and the Yan family's righteousness. Even Zhuge Yan, who had the title of a prodigal son, could feel the pressure that was as heavy as a mountain.

"Lu Que, you want to study in that school?" Thinking of this, Zhuge Yan looked at Lu Que, who was playing with the bamboo shoot as he walked.

"Me? The Phoenix's Cry Palace. " Lu Que said indifferently.

"Why is it the Phoenix's Cry? Do you know that the Phoenix Cry School has the least number of spots in the Nine University Palace? " Zhuge Yan was slightly surprised. He had always thought that a person with an indifferent disposition like Lu Que would be the most suitable for him in the Vault of Clouds.

"Because it's close to home."

Hearing Lu Que's answer, Zhuge Yan was stunned for a moment before laughing out loud. This was exactly what he had told his grandfather before. The dark clouds that had filled his heart also disappeared because of Lu Que's words.