Chapter 1735 – A Bit Square…
Sun Lan’s path to officialdom wasn’t just about performing well; he needed to refine his knowledge and learn the ins and outs of networking.
In the past, official circles relied heavily on noble lineage for connections, but that had changed.
Old Man Sun Wen had lived over fifty years and had a keen eye. While others were still scratching their heads, he had already spotted the link between Golden Scales Academy and future officialdom. If the talent nurtured by Golden Scales Academy mostly entered the civil service, then the influence of noble bloodlines would be weakened. Instead, relationships formed through classmates, faction, and alumni would become the mainstream in the bureaucracy. Sun Wen didn’t want his grandson to hustle too hard, but in the treacherous world of officialdom, nothing beats having good connections to support you.
If Sun Lan aimed to serve the people and realize his ideals through an official career, the first thing he needed to do was to ensure his own safety to have a shot at his dreams. Having been there himself, Sun Wen understood some things clearly and naturally hoped his grandson could avoid a few detours with his guidance.
Sun Lan didn’t find it as complicated as his grandpa thought, and merely nodded in agreement.
Only to say, “Grandson can’t bear to part from Grandpa.”
“How old are you? Still being spoiled,” Sun Wen thought with delight, but he had to feign indifference. Then, recalling something, he smiled and said, “Remember to be clever after you return. Do you know the saying that our lord often loves to quote?”
“What saying?”
“First to the water tower gets the moonlight. It’s a pretty concise and intriguing saying,” Sun Wen replied, “This Wen Zheng, your future father-in-law, is notoriously hard to handle. So, it’d be smart to start with his daughter. If you can win the favor of the fair lady, Wen Zheng will have a harder time playing dumb. Oh, and one thing you must keep in mind: never be reckless, and never overstep boundaries. If someone from the Sun family goes back on their word, Grandpa won’t let you off easy.”
Sun Wen encouraged his grandson to pursue the girl he liked and to navigate clever ways to deal with a tough future father-in-law, but it didn’t mean he was promoting his grandson to be a scoundrel. If Sun Lan truly did something inappropriate before marriage, considering Qi Guanrang’s protective nature, there’d be no friendly faces when that facade shattered. Sun Wen was old, and he had no idea how many years he had left. If he were gone, would Sun Lan be able to stand up to Qi Guanrang?
Haha…
He’d end up getting torn apart by that old fox in no time.
Having spent two years in the military, Sun Lan wasn’t the naive kid he once was. He understood some adult conversations now, including what his grandpa was hinting at. Feeling nervous, his original demeanor crept back, and a faint blush crept into his slightly darker complexion.
“Grandpa, what are you saying… I’m not that kind of person…”
Sun Wen snorted, “I hope not; otherwise, this old man really fears sending off a white-haired person to their grave before their time.”
Sun Lan: “???”
Sun Wen asked, “Do you know how many ‘juns’ Qi Guanrang’s daughter can pull now?”
Sun Lan had a bad feeling about this.
Qi Guan Jinghui had formidable strength since she was a child, but that was quite normal; girls often had more power than boys at that age.
“How many juns?”
“Jun and shi are both units of weight; one jun equals thirty pounds, and four juns equal one shi.”
The so-called ‘thousand-jun strength’ refers to a figurative strength exceeding thirty thousand pounds; it describes immense power.
The look on Sun Wen’s face was hard to describe with words, gazing at his grandson with a hint of pity.
“Five juns! And considering how young she is now, it won’t be long before that number goes up even more.”
What does that even mean?
It means if his grandson really married her and there’s a spat, she could easily lift him and toss him out!
If Sun Lan genuinely liked her and wanted to pursue her, then he better take it seriously and treat her well once he won her over.
Not to mention Qi Guan Jinghui had a notoriously difficult father; just her personality alone would give Sun Lan a run for his money.
Sun Lan: “!!!”
Five juns?
One hundred fifty pounds?
Sun Lan didn’t even weigh that much!
The shock lingered until the next day, affecting his work with a pile of typos.
Thank goodness important military matters were written on bamboo paper; if it were on bamboo slips with a knife, one typo would take ages to correct.
Feng Yi noticed he was out of sorts, causing chaos in the tasks at hand, and asked with concern.
“What’s got you frowning? If you’re feeling unwell, you should just take some time off to rest.”
Sun Lan hesitated, recalling what his grandpa had said.
She’s only going to grow stronger in a few years? How could that happen? Jinghui didn’t look like someone with innate super strength…
Most of the girls in the female class at Golden Scales Academy were like that; Qi Guan Jinghui wasn’t even the strongest among her peers… she barely ranked in the middle…
Barely ranked… in the middle?
Doesn’t that mean there are girls even stronger than Qi Guan Jinghui who can pull even heavier bows?
Sun Lan had only heard that the lord, Jiang Pengji, pulled over one shi when she was twelve, roughly around five juns.
But, but wasn’t that innate super strength?!
Why are the girls from Golden Scales Academy all so ridiculously strong?
“Rong Li… you’ve been in touch with Changsheng, right?”
Before going to the military, the unreliable Feng Zhen had given the son a solid name for his coming-of-age ceremony.
People who knew him would refer to him affectionately by that name.
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
Sun Lan inquired, “Do you know… Changsheng’s strength… seems to also…”
Feng Yi’s expression remained calm. “I know. But what’s odd about it?”
Sun Lan sulked. “I struggle to pull a one-shi bow; what if Jinghui doesn’t like me…”
Feng Yi replied, “Each has their strengths and weaknesses. Why bother with comparisons? If you’re not as strong, just be smarter instead.”
Sun Lan: “…”
Brother, you have such a laid-back attitude.
But would the young girl like someone who’s weaker than herself?
Having spent a long time in the military, Sun Lan, while not suffering from typical ‘male chauvinist’ thoughts, still thought that bigger guys were more appealing to girls.
To bulk up, he tried hard to gain weight, grow taller, and make himself look darker and more masculine…
The results…? Ehhh…
Most likely, in the future, it would be Qi Guan Jinghui carrying him in a princess carry instead of him carrying her; just thinking about it made him so sad.
“Rather than obsessing over this, maybe consider whether there are any other people eyeing Jinghui during your absence of two-plus years…”
Sun Lan felt a pang of dread.
Qi Guan Jinghui was two years older than Changsheng; if you calculated the time, she’d reach womanhood around spring of next year.
A young lady now; would no one keep an eye on this blooming flower among her peers?
“Lan and Jinghui are childhood friends, innocent as can be… Could anyone possibly compare to that?”
Sun Lan clenched his fists, but that argument lacked weight.
Feng Yi said, “That’s true; wish you good luck.”
There wasn’t a hint of sincerity in those words, rather a concealed amusement, as if waiting for a good show.
Sun Lan took a deep breath, wanting desperately to pack up and head back to Wanzhou right away to return to Golden Scales Academy.
To keep up with his studies, they’d been sending new textbooks from Golden Scales Academy for him and Feng Yi over the past two years, allowing them to keep studying in their spare time. Returning to school now might make it tough to maintain his spot in the top three of his class, but surely he wouldn’t drop out of the top fifty… right?
Sun Lan felt anxious.
If he turned into a poor student, he’d be even less appealing to others.
“Oh right,” as he carried a pile of documents out, Feng Yi glanced at his best mate with a semi-sarcastic smile, “A while back, Changsheng sent me a letter. It mentioned that Jinghui thinks boys who are fair-skinned are more appealing.”
Sun Lan felt like he’d been stabbed, returning home that night to rummage through boxes.
Upon returning from his evening stroll, Sun Wen almost dropped right there.
“What are you looking for?”
Sun Lan was half-buried in a big box, not even turning to respond, “Grandpa, what happened to that whitening pearl powder you prepared earlier?”
I need to make sure I look fair before I go back!!!
