Why are you running in such a hurry?

The man's smile was gentle and kind.

The boy seemed to want to get closer, but he restrained himself and carefully concealed his thoughts: "Teacher, I've succeeded!"

The man hummed in agreement: "As expected."

The boy waited a while but didn't hear any more praise. His expression fell, and he said somewhat dejectedly, "In your opinion, sir, do these things lose their novelty because they represent a predetermined future?"

The man replied, "I do not possess the ability of a prophet."

The boy asked directly, "If that's the case, why don't I see any joy for me, sir? My eldest and second brothers have both passed away, and their unfavored mother went with them. Now, my mother is the most favored concubine of the King, and I am the most favored son."

His eyes burned with undisguised ambition.

“Naturally, I am now closer to the throne.”

Because Lady Mi, a gentle and understanding woman, had enjoyed Wu Xian's favor for many years, she was best able to understand his thoughts. Her two sons were also adept at acting cute and charming, making Wu Xian feel the long-lost warmth of marital affection and fatherly joy. Over time, he also began to devote some attention to these two illegitimate sons. Although Lady Mi's two sons were not as good as the two legitimate brothers, compared to the other illegitimate children who rarely saw Wu Xian, the two brothers received much more preferential fatherly love, which was truly enviable.

Did the former experience a deep father-son bond during his childhood?

The latter, relying on his non-threatening status as an illegitimate child, received more than he received, and most importantly, he did not have to bear Wu Xian's high expectations.

Without any expectations, any progress he makes is a pleasant surprise.

In his early years, Lady Mi's repeated and earnest teachings had some effect, and he would listen and not dare to have any disrespectful thoughts towards his elder brother—a junior member of the clan should do his duty! However, Wu Xian's favoritism allowed his ambition to sprout.

The Queen has only the title; the real power in the inner palace is in the hands of her birth mother, Lady Mi. Her birth mother's rank is second only to the Queen; she is only one title away from being the Queen! The eldest brother is mediocre, disliked by the court officials, and disliked by the King. How can he secure the position of Crown Prince? As for the second brother, he has both courage and wisdom, but unfortunately, his eyes are only on the eldest brother, and he never treats his half-brothers well in private.

If the eldest brother were to ascend the throne, he would undoubtedly venerate the Queen as Queen Dowager. Given the Queen's vengeful and vicious nature, his own mother, Lady Mi, would likely become the next Lady Qi. If the second brother were to ascend, not only would their mother suffer, but also all their half-brothers. After careful consideration, both brothers were rejected!

His elder brother, born of the principal wife, was not good enough, but he stood out among the illegitimate children.

If he can be a major branch, why should he be relegated to a minor branch?

His mother's admonitions about brotherly love and respect were nothing but the shortsightedness of a woman. She had lived in the inner palace for a long time and only knew how to please her father. How could she know the cruelty and complexity of the court? However, he did not dare to openly disobey his mother and always played the role of the most obedient son with her.

Having ambition alone is not enough.

His mother had no family to support her, and he himself had no reliable uncle; everything the three of them had was built on their father's favor. If their father were to take back all that, the three of them would be utterly destroyed. He had to build his own network of connections.

Previously, he could use his supposed "distant relative" status to maintain contact with the Xu family and win their support, but now that the Xu family has entered Kang State, he is left without any support. Openly bribing court officials is definitely not an option.

The king was very sensitive to this behavior.

You need to have someone you can trust to help you.

He initially set his sights on his future in-laws, after all, he was of marriageable age, and his father had already chosen a suitable candidate. However, the Yue family was of high status, but they were lukewarm towards him, showing more affection to his second brother. He didn't want to act rashly, lest he alarm his second brother.

Just when you're at your wit's end, a new path opens up.

Relatives from the mother's side came to the door looking for her.

He had initially thought it was some down-on-their-luck person trying to freeload, but the newcomer was surprisingly elegant and refined, a true gem of character. A monogrammed seal hung at her waist; her aura was understated, and her gaze remained unmoved by the allure of courtly wealth.

Only after a detailed conversation did I learn the whole story.

My mother had several sisters and two brothers.

That year, a severe drought struck, the fields yielded no harvest, and heavy taxes crushed the family. His two eldest uncles were conscripted—one to transport grain as a labor service, and the other to join the army. His maternal grandfather, the only male able-bodied man, fell ill and never recovered.

Life is becoming unsustainable.

He had no choice but to sell his daughters to buy food.

The daughters had both good and bad luck.

The bad ones need no further explanation; beauty fades and bones remain.

Those who were lucky, like Lady Mi, not only survived but also enjoyed more than a decade of wealth and luxury. Another sister was not so fortunate, but she was not far behind. She was sold into a wealthy family as a lowly maid and grew up alongside the lady of the house.

The family was kind and generous, and seeing her talent, they made her a companion to the queen. Later, due to some reason, the entire clan moved to the southwest.

The boy listened, stunned.

So—should I call you Aunt?

"Young Master is a member of the royal family; this humble commoner dares not presume to associate with him."

Lady Mi scolded playfully, "What's with all this talk of commoners? An elder is an elder. Behind closed doors, we're all family. Why all the formalities for someone of humble origins? Quick, call her Aunt."

The last sentence was said to her son.

Why didn't my aunt go to Kangguo to seek a high-ranking official position?

Female officials found it relatively easy to be promoted in Kangguo.

He was wary of this aunt who had suddenly appeared, but after a conversation, he discovered that she was very talented, with excellent manners and upbringing, comparable to high-ranking officials.

Why did the other party suddenly come looking for their relatives?

Could there be some kind of conspiracy or trickery involved?

My aunt, however, said: "You mustn't go."

He asked in confusion, "Why?"

My aunt smiled and said, "This humble one came out to refine and perfect the path of a scholar. Young man, you should know that perfecting the path of a scholar requires fulfilling certain stringent conditions. However, such opportunities are rare, and I don't know how many years I'll have to spend away here. So I decided to return to my ancestral home to pay respects to my ancestors and comfort them. I expected to see only a few lonely graves, but unexpectedly, the graves are brand new and impressive. That's why I inquired my way here."

It is a blessing for sisters to meet again.

He realized: [Is my aunt leaving?]

She nodded: "I'll set off after catching up for a few days."

He recalled what his aunt had said before, and was slightly startled—it is not easy to even have the way of a scholar, let alone to make progress to perfection!

This aunt was such a pleasant surprise!

He then asked what the conditions for a satisfactory outcome were, as he didn't have much real power, but he was, after all, his father's beloved son, and perhaps he could help his aunt. In reality, he was testing the waters to see if it was true or not.

His aunt looked at him with a strange and unpredictable gaze.

[Young man is probably not suitable.]

He frowned: [What's inappropriate?]

The aunt merely glanced at Lady Mi and said nothing more.

Lady Mi hosted a banquet for her relatives.

He was absent-minded during the banquet.

Finding an opportunity to press for the answer, the aunt said, "I just spoke with my sister, and she only hopes that my son will be an ordinary member of the royal family, without any ambition. Therefore—he is not suitable."

Upon hearing the word "ambition," he became wary again.

Because his mother earnestly invited him to stay, his aunt stayed a few more days, and he frequently visited his mother to show filial piety, thus increasing his contact with his aunt. He tested his aunt by discussing the political situation at court, and his aunt always managed to analyze the pros and cons incisively, enlightening him.

The helper he needs is right in front of him, isn't he?

His maternal aunt was his closest blood relative!

He also helped his mother try her best to persuade his aunt to change her mind.

My aunt spoke bluntly: "Although you are my elder sister's child, if you have no ambition, you are just wasting my time."

He said: "Everyone has ambition."

The aunt's words were startling: "Yes, everyone has ambition, that's true, but what about the ambition to seize the country from your brothers? My son, you don't have it, and you can't have it. Your elder sister has walked on thin ice all these years, everything she's done is for your brothers' safety and prosperity. The three of you, mother and sons, have too shallow a foundation; just seek stability."

The usurper...

Ambition?

Those few words stunned him.

Seeing this, the aunt did not reveal any further details.

When he came to her door for the third time, the young man's eyes were filled with undisguised ambition. He said emotionally, "Aunt, to not fight is to die. Mother always thought that if she was good to others, they would reciprocate. Little did she know that in her current situation, whether she fights or not is not up to her. Aunt, please help your nephew!"

My aunt asked, "Have you thought this through?"

He said decisively, "Of course I've thought it through."

There are too few capable people at our disposal.

If we can make use of this aunt, we'll do so for now.

He's revealed his hand, now it's his aunt's turn.

This card naturally represents her scholarly way.

The aunt didn't hide anything, sighing, "He who steals a hook is punished, he who steals a kingdom becomes a lord. To fulfill the path of a scholar, all one needs to do is kill a petty thief and then assist someone in stealing a small kingdom. Any kingdom will do, but my origins are humble, and these past years I've faced setbacks everywhere, never finding a position of importance."

He then realized what was happening.

Is my aunt here because of me?

The aunt frankly admitted: "At first, yes. But my elder sister didn't want you brothers to get involved, lest you be ruined, so I had to give up the idea. There are over a hundred countries in the world; if the big ones don't work, the small ones will. So we planned to try our luck elsewhere..."

His mind raced.

He knew how difficult it was to perfect the way of the scholar.

Opportunities are fleeting.

If what my aunt said is true, she will definitely help me wholeheartedly, but it cannot be ruled out that she may be lying or hiding something.

Out of caution, he planned to proceed slowly.

With his aunt's help to fill the gaps, he gained a more stable position in the court and became more favored by his father. While his eldest and second eldest brothers were fighting fiercely, he gradually won over a group of inconspicuous scholars and minor officials, and barely managed to build his own faction.

They seized several opportunities and successfully expanded.

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman is the one who ultimately benefits.

By now, it has gained some traction.

These are enough to make him proud.

But someone managed to suppress his smugness: "You're closer to the throne? You've only taken a step or two forward, barely giving you a chance to compete with the other illegitimate sons."

He was speechless and unable to refute what was said.

It was an undeniable fact that he and his mother were favored, but it was also true that his other brothers and their maternal clans were powerful. Having favor without real power and connections meant that even if his father truly passed the throne to him, he couldn't hold onto it. Thinking of this, he felt somewhat defeated, but he wasn't discouraged.

“Taking a step or two is still taking a step or two.” A mocking glint flashed in the young man’s eyes. “It’s much better than them standing still. By the way, sir, this happened in court today…”

He recounted the entire war situation on the He Yin side.

Somewhat annoyed: "I don't know which of the two did it."

He wanted the complete Gao Kingdom, not to be a ruler of a destroyed one. The destruction of Gao, or its weakening, was something he didn't want to see. This move was utterly self-defeating: "Sir, who do you think authorized this?"

That's so unethical!

The king was so angry that he almost chopped up both of their coffins.

My aunt said, "Whoever benefits the most will be the one."

He lowered his eyes in thought: "But both of them are dead."

It does nothing but leave a mess behind.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him: [Could this be a feint by the Northern Desert? Using the Gao Kingdom to tie down some of the Kang Kingdom's forces?]

This approach allows us to sit back and watch the tigers fight!

My aunt said calmly, "Perhaps. Keep a low profile these days. He's been driven to the brink of collapse by your elder brothers' coup. If he senses anyone threatening him, even you could be abandoned. Be more filial and temper your arrogance."

He nodded: "Yes, I've got it. But—isn't this period of political turmoil a perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters? If we keep a low profile now, our brothers' maternal clans won't."

My aunt said, "They're not discreet, so your father will shut them up. Without their heads, they'll naturally back down."

He then asked the other party for advice.

[War has broken out between the two countries, and my father is personally leading the army. What about me...?]

His aunt saw through his plan at a glance: "He won't, because he currently has no trustworthy regent. None of his sons can be fully entrusted to him, including you."

Without a regent, he dared not rashly lead a personal expedition.

However, this battle is one that we have no choice but to fight.

Unless they are willing to cede territory in exchange for peace talks and to settle the matter peacefully.

But Wu Xian wouldn't do that.

It wasn't that he had any "unyielding" stance; it was simply because the conflict between Kangguo and Beimo hadn't reached a conclusion. What if Kangguo lost? What if both sides suffered heavy losses? Wu Xian's hasty cession of land to negotiate peace might become a laughing stock.

Forced into a gamble by the circumstances, Wu Xian became a gambler.

He wanted to gamble on the fate of the Three Kingdoms.

Losing results in losses, but winning brings huge profits.

As her aunt watched her nephew disappear into the distance, she raised her teacup and took a sip of the already cold liquid, a smile playing on her lips—by making a deal with the gods, Wu Xian now had a lot of confidence.

"He who steals a hook will be punished, he who steals a country will become a prince."

"Without benevolence and righteousness, there is no law and reason."

She drank the rest of the tea in one gulp.

The teacup made a sound as it fell onto the table.

The wind rose and leaves fell, and the person was nowhere to be seen.

Border counties of Gao State.

Although no large-scale direct conflict has officially broken out between Kang and Gao, the population here is noticeably smaller. The streets are mostly populated by the elderly, women, and children, with very few young men. These young men have either fled to other places after receiving the news or have been conscripted into the army.

The once prosperous Tianhai is now desolate and cold.

Tianhai and Heyin are separated by towering, majestic city walls.

The city wall winds and undulates along the mountain range.

In the mountains and forests, a down-on-his-luck scholar was running with his wounds, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Although there were no pursuers behind him, judging from his solemn expression, he was not yet out of danger!

ヾ(ゞ)

I struck it rich today! The annual tournament's operating fund came through, and I even started a monthly pass thread! (Entering my eleventh year in the industry, this is the first time I've been this wealthy!)

P.S.: If you have monthly passes, you can reply to this post to participate in the voting.

P.S.: Regarding this "aunt," I think her identity is quite easy to guess. Here's a hint: she's not an ally; she's appeared a few times and comes from the southwest.