In truth, as soon as Wang Chong stepped into the conference hall, he had already noticed Zhao Jingdian. However, before all the elders in the hall, Wang Chong couldn't possibly rush over recklessly to acknowledge Zhao Jingdian.
Furthermore, even though he remembered Zhao Jingdian, Zhao Jingdian might not remember him.
In his previous life, he wasn't able to step into the conference hall to get to know Zhao Jingdian. It was only many years later when they met and exchanged names that he realized that their grandfathers were master and servant. From then on, Zhao Jingdian became his best brother, and he would never abandon him until the very end … the final battle!
This was the only regret in Wang Chong's heart. And in this life, he had finally made up for this regret.
"Good brother!"
Even though Zhao Jingdian was shocked, Wang Chong was overjoyed. This was probably the happiest moment of his day.
"Hmph! No! I don't want to acknowledge you as my young master! — — "
Just as Wang Chong and Zhao Jingdian were about to acknowledge each other, the piercing voice of a young lady suddenly sounded. In an instant, the entire conference hall fell silent. Everyone turned their gazes toward the source of the voice.
Not far away, there was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Her face was exquisite and beautiful, and her hair was tied in a ponytail. Her expression was arrogant and stubborn, and she was struggling to break free from her grandfather's grasp.
"Ping-er, listen to me and stop fooling around! — — "
Being stared at by a group of people, including his old brothers, Old Ye's expression became embarrassed. His face turned red, and there was no need to mention how embarrassed he was.
"I said that I don't want to! Look at him! — — "
The young lady who was addressed as' Ping-er 'suddenly raised her jade-like finger and pointed at Wang Chong. In an instant, everyone's gazes moved from' Ping-er 'to Wang Chong.
"With such a low cultivation realm, Origin Energy Tier 5 or Tier 6? How can I, Ye Yinping, acknowledge a weakling as my young master? "
Ye Yinping pointed at Wang Chong with disdain and contempt on her proud face.
"This is awkward!"
Wang Chong was also speechless. This big sister's Eyes of Fire and Gold were actually able to see through his cultivation with a single glance. Even his breakthrough to Origin Energy Tier 6 couldn't escape her eyes.
Wang Chong couldn't refute the fact that he was being looked down upon in public. This was because Wang Chong knew that in his past life, he was an existence that he could only look up to.
He did have the right to speak like that!
In his previous life, Ye Yinping was one of the few talented ladies in the Great Tang Army. Of all of grandfather's old subordinates, including the Wang Clan, there probably aren't many whose talent can compare to this peacock-like proud young lady.
Her younger sister, Wang Xiao Yao, might be able to slightly surpass her, but her younger sister had been practicing martial arts for three days and drying the net for two days. With this kind of drive, she probably wouldn't be able to catch up to her in this lifetime.
Cousin Wang Zhu Yan's cultivation was indeed higher than hers, but she was older as well!
Old Man Ye's granddaughter was a true genius. Not only was she talented, she was also very hardworking. Wei Hao could be considered to be working hard, but he was incomparable to Ye Yinping.
That was because the other party only slept four hours a day, and she spent her nights cultivating. Thus, even though she was only sixteen to seventeen years old, she had already reached True Martial realm, a feat that even Yao Feng couldn't match up to.
If not for the fact that only males were ranked according to seniority in the capital, Ye Yinping would have already made a name for herself.
"Ping-er, how can you speak like that! Young Master Ye is Duke Jiu's grandson, hurry up and apologize! "
Old Man Ye panicked and reprimanded with a stern face.
The reason why he brought this child over to meet with Duke Jiu this time was so that the Ye and Wang Clan could continue the friendship of the previous generation. Furthermore, Wang Chong was a decent child. Of the many descendants of Duke Jiu, he was the only one whom he and his brothers were most satisfied with.
They were still thinking of how to groom him in the future. Never did they expect that they would smear a black mark on Young Master Chong's face right from the start. How were they going to groom him in the future?
In front of so many old brothers, where would he put his old face?!
"Hmph, I don't know what that lad said to bewitch all of you. In any case, I don't understand a single word he said. It's impossible for me to acknowledge him as my young master. "
The stubborn and haughty young lady harrumphed. With a fling of her ponytail, she ignored her grandfather, turned around, and walked away by herself.
She left Old Man Ye standing there awkwardly. His face turned purple, and he raised his hand several times before putting it down. He couldn't bear to hit her!
It was undeniable that this child was arrogant and rebellious. She wouldn't listen to his advice at all. However, her talent was really high. Moreover, as a girl, she was really hardworking. She didn't even need to be urged. She just practiced on her own and forgot to eat and sleep. Even as her grandfather, he couldn't find any fault with her.
There were many times when he saw her working so hard that her hands were bleeding, but she didn't make a sound at all. His heart ached for her.
"Sigh, I really don't know what to do with her!"
Elder Ye's heart ached and he was angry at the same time. He turned around and looked at his old brothers, speechless. The conference hall fell silent for a moment before a deafening laughter burst out.
"Hahaha, Old Man Ye, to think that you would have such a day. To think that you would be unable to subdue a sixteen to seventeen year old granddaughter! "
"Dragons give birth to dragons and phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. With that old fellow's personality, it's no wonder he gave birth to such a temperamental granddaughter! Hahaha! "
"Hahaha, after knowing that old fellow for so long, this is the first time I've seen him so embarrassed!"
"That old fellow can't bear to hit her. I wonder who will be able to tame the Ye Family's phoenix daughter in the future?"
"That child sure has character. I wonder if she's compatible with our Young Master Chong?"
…
Initially, the elders in the conference hall were still mocking Ye Dong, but for some reason, the topic suddenly changed to Wang Chong.
Wang Chong's face reddened in embarrassment!
"Young Master Chong, I'm really sorry. Ping-er has been spoiled by me since young, and she's getting more and more lawless. I'll teach her a lesson when we return! "
Having embarrassed Wang Chong so greatly, Elder Ye hurried over to apologize.
"It's nothing, Old Man Ye, you don't have to mind it."
Wang Chong waved his hands casually, not paying the matter any heed. He had interacted with Ye Yinping in his previous life, so he knew what kind of person she was.
Even though she was talented in martial arts, she was just like other girls. She was innately uninterested in politics. When he spoke about the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganate and tariffs, she was probably completely clueless. Even if he asked her whether the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu were in the east or west, she would probably still be at a loss.
It would be a miracle if his previous performance won her respect.
A headstrong girl like Ye Yinping would only submit to an expert stronger than her. Just like what she said, how could an Origin Energy Tier 5 or 6 weakling be worthy of her calling him young master?
"Since you refuse to submit, I'll beat you into submission. One day, you'll willingly acknowledge me as your young master."
Wang Chong chuckled.
In his previous life, he suffered under Ye Yinping's hands. This talented young lady of the Ye Family seemed to despise her grandfather for being inferior to the old master, and she was unwilling to lower her head before the Wang Family.
Thus, in his previous life, she tried her best to find trouble with him.
However, in this life, if Ye Yinping still wanted to regain her sense of existence from him, it wouldn't be that easy.
With such thoughts in mind, Wang Chong turned around and walked out.
It was a huge harvest for him to get to know his brother from his previous life, Zhao Jingdian. However, Wang Chong didn't show too much enthusiasm. After all, the current Zhao Jingdian still didn't know why he felt so close to him.
"Wait a moment!"
Outside the Erudite Pavilion, just as Wang Chong was about to walk to a fake mountain, a voice suddenly sounded behind him.
Hearing this voice, Wang Chong's footsteps abruptly halted.
"Why are you helping me?"
A voice sounded behind him.
"What?"
Wang Chong turned around and stared in astonishment at Cousin Wang Li, who was looking at him with a dark expression.
"Hmph, you can't be thinking that I'm really that foolish that I can't even remember what I said, right? Besides, I have never rested on a fake mountain. You might be able to fool others, but you can't fool me. "
Cousin Wang Li said.
As he had fallen from a fake mountain when he was young, he had a trauma in his heart. Even though he didn't fear a fake mountain when he grew up, from then on, Wang Li didn't like climbing on fake mountains.
Wang Li didn't tell anyone about this matter.
At the start, when Wang Chong said that he had heard it from him, he had almost believed it. However, when he heard that he was resting on a fake mountain, he knew that it was all nonsense from Wang Chong.
"Hehe, is that so? Then I might have remembered it wrongly. Perhaps, I heard it from somewhere else. "
Wang Chong chuckled. He didn't change his words.
In an instant, the surroundings of the bamboo forest fell silent.
Wang Li stared deeply at Wang Chong. His eyes flickered, as though he was meeting this cousin of his for the first time. But soon, Wang Li's expression turned cold, and he reverted back to his usual self.
"Hmph, don't think that I will appreciate your favor just because you helped me. You think that you're so smart! "
Wang Li said coldly, but his expression was much gentler. He wasn't as distant as when he first met Wang Chong.
With that, he turned around and quickly disappeared into the bamboo forest.
"You're still as cold on the outside but warm on the inside! … "
Wang Chong chuckled. Looking at his cousin's departing back, a surge of warmth flowed through his heart. He was exactly as he remembered. Even though his cousin's view of him had changed, he would never admit to it.
Thinking so, Wang Chong turned around and walked toward his mother.
…
At the same time, in another room of the Erudite Pavilion, after the grandchildren and Wang Chong left, the subordinates of the old masters gathered in another room and did not leave.
"What do you think of Duke Jiu's grandson?"
Elder Ye was the first to speak.
As brothers of several decades, they could tell what each other was thinking just by looking at each other. Without a doubt, after this meeting, everyone wanted to gather together to discuss the matter.
"Smart, quick-witted, insightful, and courageous! More importantly, he has a heart that loves his country to the core! "
Elder Ma said.
He recalled Wang Chong's words in the main hall. It didn't matter what Wang Chong said or how he said it. What was more important was that he could sense a patriotic heart from Wang Chong.
When he spoke of the 'regional commanders' system and the 'Hu people' system, perhaps even he himself didn't realize the sincerity he unintentionally revealed, the sympathy he felt for the common people, and the worry he felt for the empire's crisis.
From the interaction in the conference hall, Wang Chong could tell that Duke Jiu's grandson was smart, quick-witted, courageous, strategic, and talented in leadership.
However, these talents could be used for both good and bad. For example, a sword could be used to harm others, but it could also be used to harm oneself.
Compared to courage, talent, and leadership, what they valued more was Wang Chong's courage and the sincerity of his patriotism.
Wang Chong couldn't have known that the reason why everyone acknowledged him wasn't because of the regional commanders system or the Hu system, but because of his patriotism.
To the weather-beaten elders, this was more precious than anything else.
"At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the divination master Xu Shao met Cao Cao and said that he was a capable official who governed the world and a treacherous hero in troubled times. At the very least, with Young Master Chong's talent, we don't have to worry about him becoming a treacherous hero!"
Elder Sun said. Of everyone present, he was the last to acknowledge Wang Chong.
The elders in the hall nodded their heads in agreement.
Quick-Witted, courageous, insightful, and talented in leadership. Furthermore, he had a patriotic heart, and he wouldn't bring disaster to the empire.
In the eyes of the elders, this was the person whom the Wang Clan could truly unite and acknowledge. After more than a decade of disappointment, all of Duke Jiu's descendants had finally found a person whom they could follow!
"Duke Jiu has a successor!"
"He's passed our test. However, the true test has only just begun. Whether he can win the acknowledgement of Duke Jiu's old friends or not will depend on his performance in the future. This is the true test, and no one will be able to help him on this point! "
"Listen to his words and observe his actions! What he says isn't important, what's important is what he does! The one testing him this time will be the talents of the world. Duke Jiu is already old, and I hope that this child can pass the test. This way, our Central Plains will be able to produce another talent, and the Tang Dynasty will be able to continue on for another hundred years! … "
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