Zhuge Jin tried to steer the conversation away while also thinking of a way to make his escape. He had no interest in joining Yuan Shu. He had spent a considerable amount of time in Yuzhou, thoroughly examining Yuan Shu's situation, and had silently decided against joining him. Although Yuan Shu had a solid foundation, Zhuge Jin believed that Yuan Shu was not fit to be a ruler; he was better suited to be a gallant figure, one who valued loyalty deeply. But as a ruler, Yuan Shu would eventually ruin his own base.
As for Sun Ce, Zhuge Jin had also studied him extensively. In Zhuge Jin's view, Sun Ce was fit to be a valiant general, one akin to Xiang Yu, but not to be a ruler. Like Yuan Shu, Sun Ce was deeply loyal, and he had even more of the martial prowess that made him better suited to be a heroic figure than Yuan Shu.
This was why, after spending a long time in Yuzhou, Zhuge Jin ultimately decided to leave and head towards Jiangdong.
The Central Plains were definitely no longer a safe place. The great war in the north was inevitable, visible to anyone who wasn't blind. So the only option was to flee south.
The aristocratic families in Yizhou were notoriously insular, so Zhuge Jin naturally wouldn't seek trouble there. Although the families in Jiangdong were united, with the fall of the Lu family, the original power structure of the four great families had collapsed, making Zhuge Jin see new possibilities.
Currently, Zhuge Jin was not alone. When he fell out with the Zhuge family, he had taken a group of people with him, and since those clansmen were willing to follow him, Zhuge Jin would not neglect them. His plan was to head to Jiangdong and, while the three remaining great families were still at odds, seize the opportunity. With his wisdom, Zhuge Jin thought it possible to establish a new Zhuge family.
To put it into perspective, when Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong moved to Jiangdong, their original intention was to rely on the Zhang family of Jiangdong. But when one of the four great families fell, Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong used their talents to successfully absorb the Jiangdong Zhang family, even though they had to relinquish their Xu Province Zhang family banner.
Naturally, Zhuge Jin had a similar idea. During the chaos among the aristocratic families of Jiangdong, he could find a way in, and with his intelligence, he might not only secure a place to live but also rebuild the Zhuge family quickly.
Although Zhuge Jin appeared refined and smooth in manner, it didn't mean he lacked resolve. He also had his pride. In fact, every top figure had their own pride. Zhuge Jin was usually gentle in his guidance, but that didn't mean he was always going to be the nice guy. This time, he intended to capitalize on the turmoil among the Jiangdong families to carve out territory for himself.
Pang Tong stood silently to the side, just listening to the conversation between Zhuge Jin and Zhou Yu. He couldn't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude. He had already told Zhou Yu that Zhuge Jin was an extraordinary talent, but Zhou Yu was still confident he could convince him. The result was now evident: Zhuge Jin was leading the conversation far and wide, leaving no opportunity for Zhou Yu to steer it back on track.
Sun Ce, standing to the side, was getting a headache. He was completely lost in the conversation. Zhou Yu and Zhuge Jin were discussing things that had nothing to do with what was currently happening. Sometimes they talked about history, other times about customs—none of which were topics Sun Ce wanted to hear.
"Gongjin, what are you even talking about?" After a long while, Sun Ce couldn't take it anymore. It was driving him crazy to listen to a conversation that was clearly sophisticated but completely incomprehensible to him. Out of desperation, he spoke up.
Zhuge Jin's expression shifted slightly before his face turned stern as he glanced at Sun Ce with apparent displeasure. "I was having a delightful conversation with Brother Gongjin—why would you interrupt us?"
"What you're discussing is completely incomprehensible," Sun Ce said as he scratched his ear. He could see that Zhuge Jin had no intention of helping him, so he decided to be more casual about it. After all, if Zhuge Jin wasn't someone he needed, why bother tolerating him?
"Just because you don't understand doesn't mean Brother Gongjin doesn't. And just because you don't understand doesn't mean it's useless," Zhuge Jin responded coldly, with a clear trace of annoyance in his voice. He might as well have been saying that Sun Ce was unworthy of his time.
"At the very least, I'm literate and have received systematic education, yet I don't understand a word of this. How can the common people understand it?" Sun Ce retorted. "If the common people can't understand it, then what use are you?"
"Well, that's an interesting perspective," Zhuge Jin said, his expression shifting slightly. "Since you have such a view, let me ask you: does the world belong to the aristocracy or to the common people?"
"The aristocracy is also the people," Zhou Yu quickly interjected, answering on Sun Ce's behalf as soon as he heard Zhuge Jin's question. If Sun Ce were to answer, he would surely say the world belongs to the people, which wouldn't be the right answer in this context.
"Does what he says count?" Zhuge Jin asked, seeing Sun Ce's moment of hesitation.
"It counts. What Gongjin says is as good as if I said it myself. I'm responsible for executing, and Gongjin is responsible for planning!" Sun Ce, no longer hesitant after Zhuge Jin's probing question, responded with a cold smile.
"And what if his plans go wrong?" Zhuge Jin asked, his interest in this person growing.
"Hmph, if it's wrong? If it's wrong, then it's still my doing. What's the big deal?" Sun Ce said arrogantly, with an attitude that suggested he didn't care if he made mistakes.
"..." Zhuge Jin fell silent. He realized that Sun Ce was indeed different from the rest. If nothing else, that statement alone was enough to qualify him as a leader. Reflecting on how Zhou Yu had intercepted Sun Ce's response earlier and seeing that Sun Ce showed no signs of dissatisfaction, Zhuge Jin recognized that Sun Ce was remarkably tolerant of his subordinates.
"Alas, it's a pity that your sense of loyalty is too strong, and Yuan Gong's loyalty is too strong. You'll never repay that debt of gratitude. Otherwise, just based on what you said earlier, you could become a great leader," Zhuge Jin sighed.
In this era, rulers who dared to take responsibility for their subordinates' mistakes were exceedingly rare. Even the likes of Cao Cao, as a brilliant leader, often had others take the fall for mistakes. Very few leaders dared to shoulder the blame themselves. Sun Ce's previous statement clearly indicated that he was willing to take the blame for his subordinates' mistakes, regardless of the consequences. It was an attitude of accepting all the blame, no matter how serious.
"Yuan Gong has already fully entrusted the military affairs of the three provinces to Bofu, and I am assisting him in handling administrative matters," Zhou Yu quickly added.
"..." Zhuge Jin was taken aback. He then unconsciously clenched his hands together, squeezing his right hand tightly with his left before slowly releasing them, as if nothing had happened.
"I want to know how Yuan Gong's son died," Zhuge Jin asked after observing Zhou Yu for a long moment. He was intrigued now. Having a lord who would take the blame was a good thing. At least such a ruler was loyal, and it made risky ventures less daunting.
"It had nothing to do with us," Pang Tong interjected. "You should trust me on this—it was entirely an accident, and the process was extremely bizarre. The way things unfolded to reach this point was also incredibly strange."
"I believe you," Zhuge Jin nodded. Then, to Sun Ce's bewilderment, Zhuge Jin began tidying his clothing. Before Sun Ce could grasp what was happening, Zhuge Jin made a formal bow toward him. "Zhuge Ziyu pays his respects to my lord."