Chapter 489

"Eh?"

Zhuge Xuan and the others were stunned; clearly, they didn't expect Su Xuan to be so knowledgeable about their family.

Even knowing about Zhuge Jin.

"Uh..."

Zhuge Xuan hesitated and replied truthfully: "Reporting to the Governor! My nephew Ziyu met General Sun Jian on the way, and having gained his appreciation, he has already joined General Sun Jian. I hope the Governor will forgive us."

This matter was indeed not very honorable.

Because Su Xuan had long ago sent Shadow Guards to find them and communicate with them, and even sent people to escort them all the way.

As a result, Zhuge Jin ran off to join someone else first, which was hard to justify.

Su Xuan frowned slightly, nodded, and said: "Is that so? I understand! What a pity! Sit down first!"

Su Xuan immediately invited Zhuge Xuan and the others to sit.

Then, Su Xuan asked: "I imagine that on your journey here, you have seen many warlords and the situation in their territories!"

"And you have been in my Jingzhou for a few days! You must have learned a lot about the situation in my territory during these days;"

"How do you feel?"

Zhuge Xuan sighed with emotion: "Hearing of a name is not as good as meeting the person!"

"To be honest, before coming to Jingzhou, most of what we heard were the bad names of the Governor;"

"Many gentry said that the Governor implemented new policies to suppress and persecute the gentry and powerful families;"

"It was for this reason that I arranged for Ziyu to join General Sun Jian on the way, just to leave a backup plan for the Zhuge family."

"Regarding this, I ask for the Governor's forgiveness; if you want to blame someone, blame me! This has nothing to do with Ziyu or Kongming."

Su Xuan shook his head: "It is human nature; there is nothing to blame!"

"Furthermore, I did send people to invite you and escort you, but that cannot dictate your thoughts and choices; wouldn't that be holding a favor to demand a return?"

"So, don't mention this again!"

"At least, your honesty makes me very happy."

"So, now that you are here, it seems you have already changed your views and prejudices against me?"

"That's right!"

Zhuge Xuan nodded firmly and sighed: "Before coming, I was both respectful and fearful of the Governor, but since I was invited, I had to come;"

"But after arriving, I only have respect left for the Governor!"

"The Governor's new policies seem to be suppressing and targeting the gentry and powerful families, but that is not the case;"

"The Governor's new policies are actually to give all common people and gentry a fair chance to survive; there is no suppression!"

"It is just that in the past, the gentry and powerful families were not restrained, acting recklessly, wantonly expanding land and rights, and encroaching on the living space of the vast number of common people;"

"Now, the Governor has clearly restrained these violations, so naturally, they are unwilling!"

"So, it is not strange that I heard slanderous words about the Governor before!"

"Originally, I had deep misunderstandings about the Governor because of this, but after deeply understanding Jingzhou these days, especially the reform results of the new policies in Nanjun and the living conditions of the common people, I finally understand the greatness of the Governor;"

"I have been deeply convinced by the Governor; if the Governor does not find me unworthy, I am willing to serve you with all my strength!"

With that, Zhuge Xuan stood up and bowed deeply to Su Xuan, looking at him with anticipation.

Clearly, he was sincere.

Zhuge Liang on the side was also looking at Su Xuan with a sharpness and maturity beyond his years, his eyes revealing admiration and curiosity for Su Xuan.

"Haha!"

Su Xuan laughed heartily, stood up, helped Zhuge Xuan up, and said: "To gain the loyalty of Yinyi, I am overjoyed! How could I find you unworthy?"

"It is precisely because I value your family that I specifically sent people to find you and escort you!"

"Your family, not only is Yinyi a great talent, but Ziyu and Kongming are also great talents!"

"I actually wanted to catch you all and take you for my own use;"

"Alas! It's a pity that Ziyu ran away! My heart is very regretful."

Zhuge Jin might not be as good as the fully-grown Zhuge Liang, but he was much better than Zhuge Jun.

He was also a great talent not inferior to Lu Su and the others!

To think he ran off to Sun Jian's side.

How could Su Xuan not feel regret?

"I just hope there will be a chance to bring him under my command in the future!"

Su Xuan thought to himself.

Because, according to the intelligence gathered by the Shadow Guards in Yangzhou and Yuzhou, Yuan Shu and Liu Biao had already secretly united to target Sun Jian, preparing to surround and kill him.

We will see what choices Zhuge Jin and Sun Ce make when the time comes.

Zhuge Xuan could only smile awkwardly.

Don't mention it; he actually regretted letting Zhuge Jin join Sun Jian.

If he had known the real situation here with Su Xuan, he would never have done such a thing.

Outsiders might be hostile to Su Xuan because of family relations.

But he was the exact opposite; he saw an infinite future in Su Xuan's new policies and development.

He was now more optimistic about Su Xuan's future, and joining Su Xuan was also a bet on Su Xuan.

Compared to Su Xuan, other warlords seemed much worse.

Zhuge Xuan believed that the world would likely belong to Su Xuan in the future.

Even if Su Xuan had offended most of the gentry because of the new policies, it was the same.

This could be seen just from the speed of Jingzhou's development, the speed of change, and the tip of the iceberg of Su Xuan's powerful army.

At this time, Zhuge Liang also stood up and bowed to Su Xuan: "Governor! In my opinion, you have no need to feel regret for my brother; I am confident that my future talent will surely surpass my brother's a hundredfold. When the time comes, if I join you, Governor, wouldn't that be better than my elder brother coming?"

"Oh?"

Su Xuan raised an eyebrow, looked at Zhuge Liang with a smile, and was about to say something.

"Kongming! Do not be presumptuous!"

At this time, Zhuge Xuan glared at Zhuge Liang, scolded him, and then bowed apologetically to Su Xuan: "My Lord! Sorry! This child Kongming has been a bit spoiled! Please forgive his wild words."

Zhuge Liang felt very unconvinced.

He was confident that his intelligence was indeed far superior to his elder brother's.

This was something his elder brother and uncle had admitted themselves.

How did it become wild words when he said it himself now?

Wasn't this bullying a child?

And what did talent have to do with age?

He still wanted to show his face in front of Su Xuan, perform, and strive to leave a good impression, so that he could be loyal to Su Xuan in the future, be reused, and participate in the new policies under Su Xuan's rule...

He had also learned about those new policies.

In his view, these were the good policies that could truly bring something different and bring vitality to this decaying world.

Compared to Su Xuan, other warlords were all a pile of dog shit.

They were purely for fighting for power and profit, not to truly change the world and make it better.

Zhuge Liang deeply despised such behavior for selfish desires.

Of course, Su Xuan's new policies were not easy to implement, and he would inevitably face resistance and hostility from many gentry and powerful families in the future.

But having difficulty was what made him, Zhuge Kongming, interested and motivated!

If there was no difficulty, wouldn't that mean anyone could do it?

Then what would they need him for?

"Yinyi, there is no need for this!"

Hearing Zhuge Xuan's words, Su Xuan waved his hand with a smile, looked at Zhuge Liang, and said: "I actually think Kongming's words reveal full confidence; combined with my understanding of Kongming, I believe he indeed has this talent and ability!"

"However, before that, I hope Kongming, you can go to Jiangling Academy to study well for a few years;"

"After you graduate, then come out to work for me and display your talent and ambition. How about that?"

Kongming was indeed very smart now, but he was still too young, and Su Xuan hoped he could settle down and study for a few more years, accumulate and improve well, and then it would be the time for him to enter officialdom.

"I dare not disobey!"

Zhuge Liang was very moved and immediately bowed to accept the order.

When even his uncle chose to scold him, Su Xuan was willing to believe in a child under 10 years old and even gave a very good plan and arrangement, which showed Su Xuan's respect and emphasis on him.

It showed Su Xuan's thirst for talent and his attitude. ===== CHAPTER 491 =====