Chapter 1212: Truly Outstanding

Wei Yan, Xu Chu, and Wu Anguo all looked at Yu Jin with surprise. As inner energy experts, they had yet to achieve a military formation ability, but Yu Jin, who hadn’t even crossed that threshold, had already earned this highest honor for a general.

“Is that how it works?” Gan Ning said, somewhat in disbelief. The military formation ability wasn’t a gift bestowed upon inner energy experts by the heavens after all.

“In fact, Ju Yi and Gao Gongzheng also possessed military formation abilities, but they were overshadowed by the overwhelming power of their army souls,” Hua Xiong thought for a moment before saying, “We never really paid attention to it before.”

“Alright, Wen Ze, congratulations! I’ll host a banquet for you later,” Liu Bei clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention. “This reminds me of something Zichuan once said. I’d like to share it with you all.”

Everyone turned their eyes to Liu Bei, while Yu Jin stood up, a mix of relief, excitement, and regret washing over him. If only he had pushed himself harder, with more confidence back then, he might have taken that final step to break through the last barrier of his mind.

“Zichuan once told me that for most people, the hardest thing to see clearly is themselves. If you don’t push yourself, you’ll never know your true limits. Let this be a reminder to all of you,” Liu Bei said earnestly.

While Liu Bei was giving his motivational speech to the generals, Chen Xi had gathered all the civil officials for a meeting on the expanded world map.

In essence, he had called in everyone he could find, preparing them mentally for what was to come. However, unlike Liu Bei, who could easily assemble many generals, there weren’t as many high-ranking civil officials.

“Is something big happening?” Xun Yue frowned as he glanced around at the gathered crowd. He had hurriedly escaped from his house, where Xun Shuang had been lecturing him, under the pretense of attending Chen Xi’s banquet. But seeing the atmosphere here...

“Come sit over here,” Man Chong, who shared a revolutionary friendship with Xun Yue, waved him over. The two sat together and immediately began discussing how to inscribe characters onto a ceremonial cauldron, a decision that had been dragging on for a while.

Liu Ye watched Man Chong and Xun Yue chatting with a sense of sadness. Man Chong used to be his only friend, so how had Xun Yue suddenly appeared and become his best buddy? It seemed that legalists just naturally had more to talk about with each other!

“Is there some big announcement today?” Xu Shu asked with a smile, glancing at the crowd in the main hall. Despite his outward smile, his eyes held no mirth. The fact that this group had gathered suggested something serious was brewing, far from the casual gathering Chen Xi had mentioned.

“Hmm, you could say that. Take a seat first,” Chen Xi said, gesturing for Xu Shu to sit nearby.

“This must be serious!” Even Liu Yan, who normally wasn’t concerned with politics, had been summoned by Chen Xi. Despite his lack of interest in governance, there were matters of such importance that someone of Liu Yan’s status had to be informed.

“It concerns the company you’ll keep in the future,” Chen Xi said, rolling his eyes at Liu Yan, who had spent the past month traveling around with a group of scholars observing the people's livelihood.

“Are we having a feast?” Qu Qi asked curiously, having been dragged from his house where he had been busy researching fertilizers.

“Just sit here and wait,” Chen Xi said, his tone laced with irritation.

“Zichuan, is something major happening?” Mi Zhu, who had been running himself ragged with work lately, was also pulled away from his duties. “Is this about commerce? If not, I’d like to get back to work. I’ve been swamped lately!”

“Sit down and listen first. If you still need to leave, Zijing will handle your work later,” Chen Xi replied, estimating Mi Zhu’s workload and realizing it was about time to start annual audits. He decided that he could pawn some of Mi Zhu’s tasks onto Lu Su.

Lu Su gave Chen Xi an annoyed look. When things were going smoothly, Chen Xi wouldn’t step in, but now he was shifting responsibility onto him—what was that about?

Finally, Zhuge Liang and Jiang Wan, who had traveled from the farthest distance, arrived. For some reason, despite only having met a few times, the two had become quite friendly.

“Why is Jiang Gongyan here?” Fa Zheng whispered to Chen Xi. He could understand why Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang were invited, and it made sense for long-serving ministers like Liu Yan and Mi Zhu to be here too. But what did Jiang Wan have to do with this?

“Do you think he’s unworthy?” Chen Xi asked, keeping his eyes forward.

“Of course! Wang Shu and the others are far more qualified than Jiang Gongyan,” Fa Zheng grumbled. “The people involved in this need to be those who can be trusted to keep their mouths shut. Does Jiang Gongyan count?”

“I think he’s worthy,” Chen Xi said, rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to admit that he had only asked someone to invite Zhuge Liang, and Jiang Wan just happened to come along. However, there was no way he was going to admit that now.

“...” Fa Zheng’s face twisted in displeasure, but seeing that no one else seemed to care, he dropped the subject.

Jiang Wan, meanwhile, began to realize that he might have come at the wrong time. He had been chatting with Zhuge Liang at home when a soldier had shown up, inviting Zhuge Liang to Chen Xi’s residence.

Zhuge Liang had asked if something important was happening, and the soldier had replied, “Lord Chen is hosting a banquet and said he has some new snacks. He invites Master Zhuge to try them.”

Zhuge Liang, knowing that Chen Xi often asked people to sample his latest culinary experiments, hadn’t thought much of it. He and Jiang Wan had been having a pleasant conversation, so he decided to bring him along. Chen Xi never minded people bringing guests, and Zhuge Liang had spent several months living in Chen’s household before, so he was familiar with the place.

But as soon as they walked in and saw almost all of Liu Bei’s top civil officials gathered—except those who weren’t in Ye City—Jiang Wan realized this was no casual banquet. The atmosphere was more like that of a strategy meeting before a major conflict.

This made Jiang Wan feel quite out of place. However, Chen Xi noticed his discomfort and gestured to an empty seat next to Zhuge Liang, saying, “Gongyan, just sit here. No need to be formal. What we’ll discuss here is important for the future, so listening will do you good.”

Hearing this put Jiang Wan somewhat at ease. He adjusted his mindset and sat quietly at the far end of the table, preparing to listen carefully to what was about to be discussed.

[Jiang Gongyan is indeed promising. He’s worth cultivating,] Li You thought to himself. He had also paid attention to Jiang Wan and found him to be a well-rounded talent. However, Zhuge Liang’s brilliance had somewhat overshadowed Jiang Wan, making it hard to focus on others.

Jiang Wan had no idea that when he calmly sat down, many of the others in the room regarded him with admiration. Although many in the room were close to him in age, they had grown up in vastly different environments. The fact that Jiang Wan could adjust so quickly was a testament to his exceptional qualities.

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