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Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 720 - 684: Beautiful and Intelligent
"This is the direction leading to the camp’s gate, does that mean among the group of people including my father-in-law and my wife, there are three individuals with a certain skill perfected to the level of Cai Yan?" Zhuge Liang was slightly surprised. People who mastered a skill to the pinnacle, like Cai Yan, were no less difficult to come by than those who reached the top like themselves.
Unlike his previous life when he moved to Jingzhou, in this life, Zhuge Liang only knew he was betrothed, but as for who his fiancée was, what she looked like, what kind of personality she had, he was completely clueless.
However, that’s how it was in ancient times: the command of one’s parents and the matchmaker’s words were most important. The desires of those directly involved mattered not at all, just like when Chen Xi married Fan Jian. No matter whether he held a high position or something else, he was bound by the betrothal his father had arranged over a decade ago.
That is also why Chen Xi said he felt sorry for Chen Lan. From the viewpoint of modern people, Chen Lan could be considered the one who genuinely shared Chen Xi’s troubles and stayed by his side through thick and thin. Although Chen Xi had changed on the inside, his feelings for Chen Lan were more of affectionate attachment, while towards Fan Jian, it was largely a sense of responsibility.
That’s the substantive difference between Chen Xi’s feelings for Chen Lan and Fan Jian. Of course, over time, whatever the emotion, it eventually settles into the bond of familial affection, which is also the foundation of marital stability in ancient times.
After all, compared to love that can arise from a moment’s passion, a warmth that develops slowly through mutual support based on responsibility and duty, eventually solidifying into true kinship, is a bit more reliable. After all, in this era, there was no such thing as divorce, only mutual support for a lifetime.
That is also why Zhuge Liang showed an excited expression upon learning that Huang Chengyan was coming. Even though Zhuge Liang was aware that, like it or not, his wife would definitely be Huang Yueying, being able to meet her in advance would give him a better grasp of how to get along in the future.
Zhuge Liang’s heart was indeed in a flurry at the moment, not because he was worried about whether Huang Yueying was ugly or beautiful. After all, I, Zhuge Liang, Grand Chancellor of Shu Han, have long since reached the level of disregarding external appearances to pursue inner essence. His current worry was whether his future wife and he would lack common topics of interest.
The closer Zhuge Liang walked, the clearer his feelings became, and he also realized that his earlier feelings were a bit off. Among them, two were almost exactly like Cai Yan’s, but the other was different from any he had encountered before.
"Indeed, the world is so vast, full of wonders. Besides Spiritual Talent, there are other talents, and even stranger, there are so many types of them." Zhuge Liang sighed deeply, quickening his pace a few steps more.
"Well, look who it is, if it isn’t Kongming coming to pick us up. Come and meet your father-in-law," Jian Yong called out with a smile from a distance, having spotted Zhuge Liang.
To the side, upon hearing Jian Yong’s words, curiosity flashed in Yueying’s eyes. She did not show much shyness, but instead stared in the direction of Zhuge Liang’s approach, sizing him up. After nodding her head, she followed with a sigh. Judging by her expression, Zhuge Liang seemed to have passed muster, albeit barely satisfactorily.
Upon seeing Jian Yong, Zhuge Liang also caught sight of the three people behind him and was momentarily taken aback. The old man was undoubtedly his father-in-law, Huang Chengyan, and the woman who appeared frail, with golden hair, was definitely his future wife, Huang Yueying.
Zhuge Liang could tell that he was being sized up too, and soon afterward, he calmly quickened his pace, "Nephew Zhuge Kongming greets Uncle Huang, greets Miss Huang, and also greets this gentleman."
"So you are Zhuge Kongming." Huang Chengyan looked at the handsome young man in front of him and smiled, "Your uncle has not stopped praising you, I was skeptical before, but now I believe him; it is good that you can achieve this."
Zhuge Liang was slightly taken aback and bowed respectfully to Huang Chengyan, "Uncle, your praise is unwarranted. Initially, I rashly missed out on your teachings. May I ask how uncle has been in Jingzhou?"
"He’s been doing well in Jingzhou, but not long after losing this old friend of his, he will be moving to Yizhou. The Zhuge Family has produced another prodigy, and he seems to have fulfilled his mission," Huang Chengyan said with a smile, stroking his beard.
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In reality, Huang Chengyan’s gaze never left Zhuge Liang’s expression while he spoke. Seeing a trace of dimness on Zhuge Liang’s face pleased him even more.
"So that’s how it is," Zhuge Liang sighed inwardly. Could he not understand Zhuge Xuan’s intentions? Unlike the younger generation of aristocratic family members filled with ambitions of achieving great deeds, the elder generation valued family lineage continuity more.
"This is Chief Shang’s disciple, Jiangh Gongyan. Chief Shang had previously wanted to take you, Shiyuan, and someone named Xu Yuanzhi as disciples, but alas, fortune did not favor us, so I brought him instead," Huang Chengyan said, pointing at Jiangh Wan, who, it so happened, was slightly older than Chen Xi.
"Lord Pang De’s disciple, Jiangh Wan of Lingling." Jiangh Wan bowed to Zhuge Liang, who returned the bow. In this short exchange, Zhuge Liang felt that Jiangh Wan was a bit rigid, yet an aura of dignity emanated from him.
"This is my daughter, Yueying," said Huang Chengyan, gesturing toward Huang Yueying.
"I, Huang Yueying, greet you... Young Master," spoke Huang Yueying, who for the first time felt that meeting Zhuge Liang before marriage might not be such a good thing. She couldn’t bring herself to call him ’My Lord’ directly like Fan Jian and Jiangg Ying, but calling him by his name seemed a bit improper. She hesitated for a moment before speaking up boldly, relieved that as the legitimate son of the Zhuge Family, addressing him as ’Young Master’ posed no issues.
"Greetings, Miss Huang," Zhuge Liang said smoothly, following her lead.
Zhuge Liang was now starting to cheer inwardly. The thing he had worried about most had not come to pass; not only was his wife not ugly, but she was also exceedingly beautiful. Moreover, her beauty was not merely for show. The nearly Spiritual Talent-like power she exhibited clearly stated a fact: she was not a mere beauty with nothing within. She truly embodied both beauty and intelligence.
[Now I’m not worried at all that we won’t have anything in common to talk about. I wonder what she uses her Spiritual Talent for.] Zhuge Liang felt fortunate, but completely forgot that he was currently in the middle of receiving the Huang Family, and spacing out could lower their good impression of him.
"Ahem, Kongming, take me to Zichuan first, and then find a place for the three to stay. We’ve had a weary journey," Jian Yong coughed twice, bringing Zhuge Liang’s attention back to the present.
[This man is going to be my husband, no way, he looks so wooden.] Yueying kept a gentle expression, but couldn’t help crying out in her mind after noticing Zhuge Liang starting to zone out as soon as he saw her.
[Eh, this is a Qin Crossbow.] Embarrassed by Zhuge Liang’s stare, Yueying slightly turned her head and then noticed a crossbow mounted on the military camp fence. Almost immediately, the image of the Qin Crossbow she had seen was reconstructed in her mind, and she instinctively started to mentally disassemble it. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)