Chapter 143

Zhuge Ge realized he was different from others from a young age.

“To know what you know and to know what you don’t know, that is true knowledge.”

If someone had heard it, they might have called it metacognition, but Zhuge Ge awakened this self-awareness at the mere age of five.

Normally, such abilities develop naturally with age. But Zhuge Ge possessed extraordinary insight even as a child, surpassing many adults.

This alone was impressive, but Zhuge Ge’s talents didn’t stop there.

Memory, reasoning, linguistic ability, perception speed—Zhuge Ge’s intelligence was far superior to others.

To sum it all up, Zhuge Ge was undoubtedly a genius.

With his exceptional self-awareness, Zhuge Ge realized he was a genius and thought,

“I’m different.”

A prodigy.

A term used for those who display genius at a young age, proving abilities superior to adults.

From a young age, Zhuge Ge was always accompanied by this title. There were countless anecdotes showcasing his astonishing genius.

One day, Sun Quan brought a donkey to mock Zhuge Ge’s father, Zhuge Jin, by writing “Zhuge Ziyou” on its face. “Ziyou” being Zhuge Jin’s courtesy name, it was a jest implying the donkey was Zhuge Jin.

At that moment, Zhuge Ge asked for permission to add two more characters. He wrote “Zhilü,” changing the meaning to “Zhuge Jin’s Donkey.”

The crowd, amused by the son’s wit in defending his father, praised him.

Sun Quan, the instigator of the joke, was impressed by Zhuge Ge’s talent and filial piety, gifting the donkey to Zhuge Jin. He praised Zhuge Ge, saying,

“They say jade is born in Lantian, and indeed, it’s no empty saying.”

This is where the saying “Nanzhen Shengyu” (Jade Born in Lantian) originated.

Zhuge Ge was only six years old at the time.

From then on, Zhuge Ge continued to stand out.

When Sun Quan asked who was wiser between Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Ge cleverly replied that Zhuge Jin was superior because he knew whom to serve, while Zhuge Liang did not.

He also repeatedly won verbal battles against Zhang Zhao, a senior minister of Wu.

The only one who could stop Zhuge Ge’s unchecked brilliance was Zhang Sheng, the eldest son of Zhang Zhao and his brother-in-law, who was 25 years older.

Zhang Sheng, who had defeated Zhuge Ge multiple times, earned his respect and loyalty.

Zhuge Ge, though arrogant due to his talent, was not entirely self-centered.

However, his standards were so high that others perceived him as arrogant, akin to combining the worst traits of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in interpersonal relationships.

Zhuge Ge showed respect only to a select few: his lord Sun Quan, his father Zhuge Jin, and Zhang Sheng, who had bested him.

Concerned, Zhuge Jin confided in Zhang Sheng, who shared his worries.

Zhang Sheng, also concerned about Zhuge Ge, engaged in many conversations to reform his character.

“Brother-in-law, the world is vast, and there are many who surpass you.”

“I know, brother-in-law. With my father, uncle, and you, how could I not know that?”

The value of wisdom that comes with age.

The gap in knowledge due to the difference in time.

Zhuge Ge understood and accepted all of this, acknowledging that there were individual differences.

“That’s not it. I’m saying there are those your age who are even more remarkable. So always remain humble and learn to lower yourself.”

“Hmm…”

Zhuge Ge struggled to fully accept Zhang Sheng’s words, prompting Zhang Sheng to bring up a name.

“Have you heard of Chang-ran?”

“Ah, the one Governor Zhou wanted to recruit?”

Zhou Yu had passed away not long after Zhuge Ge received the story of “Nanzhen Shengyu.” Though Zhuge Ge had little interaction with Zhou Yu, he acknowledged his greatness.

“Lady Son recently stopped Liu Bei’s son from being taken.”

Even after hearing about Chang-ran’s feat, Zhuge Ge remained unimpressed.

“Well… it’s just a fight among women, isn’t it?”

“That child joined the battle in Nan Commandery at your age. It’s not something to dismiss.”

“She went with Zhang Fei, right?”

“Yes.”

“What’s so great about that? Cao Cao took his ten-year-old son to the battlefield too. Cao Cao lost, and Zhang Fei won thanks to Governor Zhou. It’s just reputation. Otherwise, he’d be a laughingstock like Cao Biao.”

At the time, Zhuge Ge regarded Chang-ran as nothing more than a fleeting topic of conversation. It seemed impossible for a woman to continue such feats.

At best, she’d end up like Lady Son, involved in political marriages and internal schemes.

But Zhuge Ge’s complacent expectations were completely off the mark.

Three years later, Chang-ran reignited her fading reputation in the Yi Province battle.

Four years after that, she achieved a great victory in Hanzhong, defeating Cao Cao and establishing her name across the land.

For Zhuge Ge, Chang-ran’s life was a series of shocks.

It was also an expansion of his worldview.

While he could accept that there were elders with talents not far behind his own, he had been confident that no one his age could match him.

Chang-ran shattered his narrow perception.

The two-year gap between them was too small to blame on time.

When Zhuge Ge was appointed as a military advisor at the age of 20, Chang-ran had already killed Zhao Chang and saved Guanzhong, rising to the ranks of the most famous generals.

Two years is a long time.

Two years is a lot.

It was enough time for the alliance between Shu and Wu to collapse and for Wu to ally with Wei.

It was more than enough time for an individual to rise rapidly.

Yet, Zhuge Ge couldn’t be certain. Despite his strong self-confidence, he couldn’t guarantee he could match Chang-ran in just two years.

Chang-ran. Chang-ran. Chang-ran.

Her name echoed everywhere.

Not only in Wei, which had suffered multiple defeats, but also in Wu, where her name constantly rose and fell since the Jing Province battle four years prior.

For the first time, Zhuge Ge felt inferiority.

“Me? Zhuge Ge? Inferior to someone?”

But Zhuge Ge, still a passionate 20-year-old, wasn’t one to crumble under mere inferiority.

Rather than succumbing to frustration, he burned with enthusiasm, finally finding a true rival.

Zhuge Ge researched, studied, and analyzed everything about Chang-ran.

Even the Wei officials tasked with understanding her under Cao Cao’s orders hadn’t gone this far. Zhuge Ge’s actions bordered on obsession.

The more he learned about Chang-ran, the deeper his interest grew.

In the end, Zhuge Ge realized:

“She is a genius equal to me.”

Zhuge Ge believed it without a doubt.

So, when he heard of the marriage proposal between Chang-ran and Liu Yan, his first feeling was displeasure.

His doubts about Lu Xun and the scheme behind the proposal were irrelevant to him.

“Chang-ran marrying that weakling?”

He couldn’t accept it.

Such heavenly talent shouldn’t be wasted.

Soon after, when Zhuge Jin was sent to Jing Province in place of Lu Xun, Zhuge Ge expressed his desire to accompany him.

Despite Zhuge Jin’s objections, Zhuge Ge persuaded him with eloquent words and even obtained permission from Sun Quan, who had appointed him as the tutor to the crown prince, Sun Deng.

Everything went smoothly.

Sun Quan sent Zhuge Jin to Jing Province to use his friendship with Shu to prevent attacks.

Of course, there was an unshakable trust that Zhuge Jin would never betray him.

Whether it was the marriage proposal or the restoration of the alliance, it was obvious Zhuge Jin would send an envoy to Shu. Zhuge Ge wanted to be part of that envoy.

Though it was unexpected for the envoy to become a condolence delegation, skipping the middle steps and meeting Chang-ran directly was even better.

Zhuge Jin opposed again, but couldn’t refute Zhuge Ge’s logic.

“As a brother, I’ve only exchanged letters for too long. I miss my brother’s face dearly. I won’t cause any trouble for you, Father, so please allow me to meet him.”

Zhuge Ge was arrogant, but he wasn’t heartless toward his family.

He genuinely respected his father, Zhuge Jin. Knowing this, Zhuge Jin, despite foreseeing that his son might one day ruin the family, couldn’t stop him out of love.

Once again, Zhuge Jin, burdened with worry, allowed Zhuge Ge to accompany him.

“You must adhere to the etiquette of an envoy and never leave without my permission.”

Zhuge Ge readily accepted the conditions.

Finally, Zhuge Ge saw with his own eyes the person he had only read about.

“I am Zhuge Ge.”

As he bowed his head, Zhuge Ge noticed a slight tremor in Chang-ran’s eyes.

She knew of his existence.

How could she know of Zhuge Ge, still a mere scholar?

‘Chang-ran’s talents are truly threefold.’

Threefold: martial prowess, beauty, and insight.

Strong, beautiful, and perceptive.

She had seen it. The talent Zhuge Ge possessed.

The only one who could rival her.

So delighted, Zhuge Ge smiled.