Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

In fact, Lu Zhi did not know about the Cuju match at first.

Little did they know that their disciple Liu Quan, upon his arrival, would become the dream of countless young ladies in Luoyang.

These days, Lu Zhi is so busy that he doesn't have time to rest. He spends six out of the twelve hours a day in the East Pavilion.

The so-called "Dongguan" was actually a library within the Southern Palace of Luoyang.

But this was no ordinary library; it was an institution in the Eastern Han Dynasty court for storing archives, collating books, and compiling history.

From the reign of Emperor He (92 AD), renowned scholars such as Ban Zhao, Liu Zhen, Li You, Liu Yi, Bian Shao, Cui Shi, and Fu Wuji were successively ordered to compile the national history at the Eastern Pavilion.

It took more than a hundred years to complete the book "Han Ji".

However, the "Han Ji" is not yet complete, and it is currently being updated by contemporary Confucian scholars such as Ma Ridi, Cai Yong, Yang Biao, Han Shuo, and Lu Zhi.

Updating the Han Dynasty Annals was an extremely tedious task, requiring the consultation of a large amount of material and the verification of its accuracy.

Every day before dawn, Lu Zhi would set off from his residence, ride his horse to the Southern Palace in Luoyang, and immerse himself in the mountains of old papers.

Bamboo slips, wooden tablets, silk books, and leather scrolls—a diverse array of items from all over the country—each with its own unique script. Some were even damaged by insects and water, their characters blurred and difficult to decipher.

He needs to compare, proofread, and verify every word, separating the true from the false, and piecing together the scattered historical materials into a complete narrative.

As everyone knows, the "Eight Trigrams" are most afraid of busy and focused people, so they are helpless against Lu Zhi.

However, the "Eight Trigrams" did not give up and adopted a roundabout strategy.

Compared to Lu Zhi's focus and diligence, Cai Yong was much more relaxed. He worked until late afternoon every day and went home on time, never working more than five hours a day.

However, Cai Yong's efficiency was no less than Lu Zhi's, which stemmed from his extensive knowledge and memory, as well as the richness of his family's book collection.

Some materials that cannot be found even in Dongguan can be found in the Cai family's library.

To paraphrase Cai Yong, "Going home to read is also going to work."

Just yesterday.

Lu Zhi arrived at Dongguan early in the morning as usual.

"In the fourth year of Jianchu, at the White Tiger Hall Conference, scholars examined the similarities and differences of the Five Classics, and the Emperor personally presided over the decision..." Lu Zhi held a fine brush and wrote stroke by stroke on the bamboo slips.

"Zigan, Zigan!" Cai Yong's voice came from outside.

Lu Zhi looked up in surprise. Why was Cai Bojie here so early today?

"Bojie, what is it?" he asked.

Cai Yong had already pushed open the door and walked in, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hands, his face full of displeasure.

"Zigan, you don't know this," Cai Yong knelt down behind the table opposite Lu Zhi, placed the bamboo slips on the table, and sighed, "My eldest daughter has become increasingly outrageous lately."

Lu Zhi picked up the tea that had gone cold from the table, took a sip, and waited for him to continue.

"She calls me 'Jade Gentleman' all day long, reciting 'He can kill one man in ten steps and leave no trace for a thousand miles,' and saying things like 'Only such a man is a good match.' When I said a few words to her, she started arguing with me!"

"Tell me, is this even reasonable? She's arguing with your father over a man she's never even met! And she calls him a 'good match'? She doesn't even know what he looks like, what his character is like, or whether his family background is respectable!"

Cai Yong became more and more excited as he spoke, his mustache twitching.

Lu Zhi put down his teacup, his lips twitching slightly as he suppressed a laugh.

Cai Yong knew about his eldest daughter. She was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. She could distinguish the sounds of the zither at the age of six and compose poems at the age of nine. She was known as a "talented woman" in the aristocratic circles of Luoyang.

Cai Yong cherished his daughter like a precious gem, praising her wherever he went, and even gave her a courtesy name, "Zhen Ji".

"Bojie, it's only natural for a young man to be attracted to someone," Lu Zhi advised. "Didn't you do the same back then, for someone..."

"Zigan!" Cai Yong exclaimed in a huff, slamming his hand on the table. "I'm serious! You have no idea, that girl actually wrote a poem yesterday, something like... something like 'I'd be the northwest wind, chasing my jade-like lover a thousand miles away'! What kind of nonsense is that! Chasing my jade-like lover! How could a young girl say such a thing!"

Lu Zhi finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Bojie, who exactly is this 'Jade Gentleman' you're talking about?" Lu Zhi asked casually, his tone not serious.

He assumed it was some powerful family in Luoyang paving the way for their sons, fabricating some captivating stories to stir the hearts of young ladies.

Such things happen every year throughout the Han Dynasty; it's not unusual.

Cai Yong glanced at Lu Zhi and said meaningfully, "It is said that he comes from Youzhou."

"Huh?" Lu Zhi was taken aback. "Youzhou?"

"Yes, he's from Zhuojun in Youzhou, surnamed Liu, and his given name is... something like Liu Quan."

"It is said that he amazed everyone at a football match held at the foot of Goushi Mountain a few days ago."

"It is said that he also has a handsome appearance and has earned the title of 'Jade Gentleman'."

He also composed a five-character poem called "Ode to a Knight-Errant," which spread throughout Luoyang.

"Those young women, I don't know where they heard it from, they've all gone mad."

"However, I never expected that my Wan'er would also follow this turbid trend."

Cai Yong was still talking non-stop, but Lu Zhi was no longer listening.

Liu Quan?

A native of Zhuojun?

My disciple?

Lu Zhi was deeply impressed by Liu Quan the first time he met him.

That appearance truly possessed the beauty of Zidu, making her unforgettable at first sight.

But as they spent more time together, Lu Zhi's assessment of the young man was: calm and polite, with a profound understanding of the world.

I felt that this child was not the kind of person who was all show and no substance.

He was quite pleased to receive a letter from Youzhou informing him that the three Liu brothers would be coming to Goushi Mountain to study.

These days, students need their teachers to make them famous, and teachers need their students to embellish them. Lu Zhi also hoped to have more outstanding students so he could boast about them to his friends and colleagues.

But he never expected that this "calm and polite" disciple would stir up a storm in Luoyang City in just a few days, and that the storm would even blow into the women's quarters.

"Bojie," Lu Zhi put down his teacup, unable to suppress a wry smile, "that Liu Quan you mentioned seems to be my disciple!"

"Good!" Cai Yong slammed his hand on the table again. "I had a suspicion before. He came from Youzhou, from Goushi Mountain, and he was hanging out with your prized student Gongsun Zan. He really is your disciple."

He didn't get up, but crawled on his knees to Lu Zhi's desk, grabbed his collar, and sneered, "Zigan, what do you say we do about this?"

Lu Zhi spread his hands. "Bojie, what do you want me to do?"

"Uh!" Cai Yong was stunned for a moment.

But he quickly snorted, regained his composure, and glared, asking, "What kind of character does your disciple possess?"

"Excellent character!"

"What do you look like?"

"Extremely good-looking!"

"How is your talent?"

"Exceptionally talented!"

"Fine, Lu Zigan, I'm telling you the truth, are you just trying to fool me?!"

"This is by no means a perfunctory statement. If Bojie is looking for a son-in-law, this young man is truly a good match."