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Chapter 684: Inner Beauty and Outer Elegance
🕑 Added 2024-10-03 07:21:21 +0000 UTC"This is the direction towards the camp's entrance. Does this mean that among my father-in-law, my wife, and their party, there are three people like Cai Yan, who have brought a certain skill to the pinnacle?" Zhuge Liang was slightly surprised. Achieving such mastery in any skill, as Cai Yan had, was no less difficult than reaching the pinnacle in their own disciplines.
Unlike in his previous life when he moved to Jingzhou, in this life, Zhuge Liang only knew that he had a marriage agreement. As for who his betrothed was, what she looked like, or what her personality was like, he had no idea.
But this was typical of ancient times, where parental orders and matchmaking were paramount, and the wishes of the individuals involved mattered little. Just like when Chen Xi married Fan Jian, despite his high status and power, he still had to honor the marriage agreement made by his father over ten years earlier.
This is why Chen Xi would often say that Chen Lan was the one who truly shared hardships with him and never left his side, whereas his relationship with Fan Jian was more about responsibility. Although Chen Xi had changed inwardly, his bond with Chen Lan was more about shared experiences, while his connection with Fan Jian was driven by duty.
This was the fundamental difference for Chen Xi between Chen Lan and Fan Jian. However, with time, all feelings would eventually settle into a bond of kinship, which was the foundation of stable marriages in ancient times.
After all, compared to the fleeting passions of love, a relationship built on responsibility and mutual support, which eventually grew into warmth and then into genuine kinship, was seen as more reliable. In this era, there was no concept of divorce, only a lifelong commitment to each other.
This is why Zhuge Liang felt a surge of excitement upon learning that Huang Chengyan had arrived. Even though Zhuge Liang knew that, regardless of his feelings, Huang Yueying was destined to be his wife, meeting her beforehand would help him understand her better and ease future interactions.
At this moment, Zhuge Liang felt a mix of emotions—not because he was worried about Huang Yueying being unattractive or overly beautiful, but because the great Chancellor of Shu Han, Zhuge Liang, had already reached a point where he looked beyond physical appearance and valued inner substance. His concern was whether his future wife would share common interests with him.
As Zhuge Liang drew closer, his senses became sharper, and he realized that his initial perception had been slightly off. Two of the presences were almost identical to Cai Yan's, while the third was different from anything he had encountered before.
"As expected, the world is vast and full of wonders. It seems there are abilities beyond spiritual talents, and there are many different types," Zhuge Liang sighed, quickening his pace.
"Hey, Kongming, it's you coming to meet us! Come, meet your father-in-law," Jian Yong called out, spotting Zhuge Liang from a distance with a wave.
Beside him, Huang Yueying, upon hearing Jian Yong's words, showed a hint of curiosity but not much shyness. She scrutinized Zhuge Liang as he approached, taking him in from head to toe. First, she nodded, but then she sighed. Judging by her expression, Zhuge Liang seemed to have passed her assessment, though only just.
When Zhuge Liang saw Jian Yong, he also noticed the three people behind him and was immediately startled. The older man was undoubtedly his future father-in-law, Huang Chengyan, and the frail-looking, golden-haired woman had to be his future wife, Huang Yueying.
Zhuge Liang realized that she was evaluating him, and he quickly composed himself, stepping forward with a calm demeanor. "Nephew Zhuge Kongming greets Uncle Huang, Miss Huang, and this gentleman."
"You are Zhuge Kongming?" Huang Chengyan looked at the young man before him, who was quite handsome, and smiled. "Your uncle often praises you. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do. You're quite impressive."
Zhuge Liang paused slightly before bowing respectfully to Huang Chengyan. "My uncle praises me too much. I was rash and never sought his guidance. How is he faring in Jingzhou?"
"He's doing well in Jingzhou, but without this old friend, he will soon move to Yizhou. With another genius from the Zhuge family, he will have fulfilled his duty," Huang Chengyan replied with a chuckle, stroking his beard.
In fact, as Huang Chengyan spoke, he kept a close eye on Zhuge Liang's expression. Seeing a trace of sadness on Zhuge Liang's face, Huang Chengyan was even more satisfied.
"I see," Zhuge Liang sighed inwardly. How could he not understand his uncle's intentions? Unlike the younger generation of aristocratic families, who were filled with ambitions of achievement, the older generation was more concerned with the continuation of their lineage.
"This is the disciple of Shang Chang, Jiang Gongyan. Shang Chang wanted to take you, Shiyuan, and a man named Xu Yuan as his disciples, but it was not meant to be, so I brought him here," Huang Chengyan said, pointing to Jiang Wan. Jiang Wan was actually slightly older than Chen Xi.
"Disciple of Pang Degong from Lingling, Jiang Wan," Jiang Wan introduced himself with a bow, and Zhuge Liang returned the gesture. Just from this brief exchange, Zhuge Liang could tell that Jiang Wan seemed a bit rigid but exuded a certain authority.
"And this is my daughter, Yueying," Huang Chengyan said, gesturing towards Huang Yueying.
"I am Huang Yueying. Greetings… Sir," Huang Yueying said, feeling that meeting Zhuge Liang before marriage wasn’t as great an idea as she had thought. She couldn’t bring herself to address him as “husband” like Fan Jian and Jiang Ying had done, but calling him by his name felt too informal. After a brief moment of hesitation, she gracefully chose to call him "Sir," feeling relieved that Zhuge Liang was the eldest son of the Zhuge family, making this form of address appropriate.
"Greetings, Miss Huang," Zhuge Liang responded, following her lead.
At this moment, Zhuge Liang was elated. His worst fears had not materialized—his future wife was not only not unattractive, but she was actually quite beautiful. And she wasn’t just a pretty face; the near-spiritual talent she possessed indicated that she was truly wise and talented, a perfect combination of inner beauty and outer elegance.
"Now I have no worries about not having anything in common with her. I wonder what her spiritual talent is used for," Zhuge Liang thought happily, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be welcoming the Huang family. This lapse in focus could potentially make a bad impression.
"Ahem, Kongming, take me to see Zichuan first. Then find a place for the three of them to rest. We've had a long journey and are quite tired," Jian Yong coughed lightly, snapping Zhuge Liang back to attention.
"This guy is my husband? No way… He seems so absent-minded," Huang Yueying thought, maintaining a gentle expression but internally groaning at the sight of Zhuge Liang’s distracted state.
"Oh, is that a Qin crossbow?" Huang Yueying, feeling a bit embarrassed by Zhuge Liang’s gaze, glanced sideways and noticed the crossbows mounted in the camp. In the next moment, her mind automatically reconstructed the Qin crossbow she had seen before and began habitually deconstructing it.
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