Back when Chen Xi first laid out his plans, the one with the slowest progress was Jian Yong. While others had accomplished significant feats and earned their reputations, Jian Yong still hadn’t seen his project come to fruition. This sometimes made him feel embarrassed to show up with the likes of Chen Xi and the others, who had all made notable achievements. However, being easygoing and humorous by nature, Jian Yong didn’t let it get to him, and he remained cheerful as ever.

Now, however, his project had finally made some headway. In addition, Liu Yan, who, despite being celebrated across the land, sometimes felt a bit uneasy, often lent him a hand. After all, the credit for papermaking was something Chen Xi had strongly attributed to Liu Yan. For someone as self-aware as Liu Yan, claiming such an achievement felt inappropriate, so he also wanted to accomplish something tangible on his own. The fame associated with papermaking was too great for him to bear.

Due to this, Liu Yan and Jian Yong had teamed up. It was worth noting that very few people in the world knew that the perfected bamboo paper wasn’t Liu Yan’s invention, thanks to Chen Xi’s tight control over the information.

While Liu Yan might not excel in all areas, he had strong connections, and with his efforts, many great scholars had joined the project to trace the origins of languages and writing systems. All were highly motivated, aware of what such a project could mean if completed. Success would earn them recognition akin to that of the founders of the Hundred Schools of Thought, leaving a lasting legacy. With such aspirations, their enthusiasm was boundless.

However, by the time the project reached the point of analyzing the transition from Clerical Script to Small Seal Script, and then to Large Seal Script, the scholars had begun to diverge in their opinions. The writing system had started to fracture by region and locality.

In fact, these divisions had already emerged during the study of Small Seal Script. While the characters still looked somewhat similar, there were dozens of variant forms for each character. By the time they reached the study of Large Seal Script, the differences were even more pronounced.

Yet, as the project advanced to this stage, even those scholars who had initially held a deep resentment for Qin Dynasty’s legalistic policies now found themselves admiring the boldness of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The unification of writing was simply too important!

Currently, Jian Yong was grappling with the direction of the research. Although there had been some progress, much of it was based on the myth of Cangjie creating characters. But even this was better than having no progress at all.

In short, Jian Yong was diligently working to complete his task. The elimination of variant characters and the creation of a comprehensive dictionary were already well underway. As for phonetic annotations, Chinese characters did have their system of pronunciation.

These achievements were already impressive enough, but being surrounded by exceptional individuals made Jian Yong feel pressured. Compared to them, he felt that if he couldn’t complete his entire plan, he might as well wait until after his death to release his unfinished work. He couldn’t bear the thought of doing so while still alive, fearing it would tarnish his reputation.

This was the pressure of working alongside extraordinary people. As long as you could withstand the pressure and keep up with them, you would find yourself ahead of many others without even realizing it, simply because you were striving to keep pace with the best.

“Gongyan, as we traveled, I’ve come to see that you possess great potential. Would you mind if I acted as your introducer?” Jian Yong said with a smile to Jiang Wan.

During their journey, Jian Yong, who initially thought Jiang Wan was just an average talent, gradually recognized another side of him—a well-rounded individual, though not as specialized as Chen Xi or Li You. Nevertheless, Jiang Wan was still a talent worth introducing.

“It is my earnest desire, and I wouldn’t dare ask for more,” Jiang Wan replied with a smile.

Jiang Wan wasn’t blind. Along the way, he noticed that while Jian Yong might not be as renowned as the initial generation of old ministers in Taishan, his familiarity with languages, scripts, and customs of various regions was astonishing. Jiang Wan couldn’t help but marvel at this. Perhaps it wasn’t that Jian Yong wasn’t strong, but that his companions were so overwhelmingly powerful that they overshadowed his brilliance.

Jiang Wan himself was a classic example of a late bloomer. He respected geniuses but felt a kinship with those who, like him, continued to work hard. With them, he believed in mutual support and growth. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Jian Yong chuckled. “Geniuses are not just born with innate wisdom; they become so by finding the right path and working hard. I’ve never believed in those who are ‘born wise.’ If I haven’t seen their effort, it doesn’t mean they haven’t put it in.”

With that, Jian Yong strode into the tent. “Zichuan, long time no see. Let me introduce you to someone. This is a true talent from Jingzhou. Though he’s not yet at the pinnacle, I believe he will one day astonish the world.”

“Jiang Gongyan from Lingling greets Lord Chen and the General,” Jiang Wan said as he entered, instantly recognizing Chen Xi as the one seated at the head of the table.

“Jiang Gongyan from Lingling?” Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing who he was. “Jianhe, if you vouch for him, I won’t need to test him further. Gongyan, are you willing to join the army?”

It wasn’t that Chen Xi looked down on Jiang Wan; it was just that his current status no longer allowed for the same casual interactions as during Taishan’s early days.

Back then, he could have a carefree chat with someone like Lu Su. But now, even if he tried to be informal, only those who had already achieved greatness would dare to follow suit. Others, unless they were foolish, wouldn’t dare show any disrespect. The few who could step outside the norms and engage with Chen Xi as equals were those familiar faces from the past; the rest simply lacked the courage and the right.

Jian Yong smiled, pleased with the respect Chen Xi had shown him. He turned to Jiang Wan, “Gongyan, will you join the army?”

“I am honored by Lord Chen and Mr. Jian’s regard, but I am more skilled in administration and assessment. While I’m not entirely ignorant of military matters, I fall short of the standards here. I fear I would disappoint you both if I were placed in a military role. It might be better to find a position where I can fully utilize my strengths, rather than wasting the generosity shown to me,” Jiang Wan replied, making the most prudent choice.

Jiang Wan hadn’t expected Chen Xi to offer him a military role right off the bat. He had been prepared to start as a low-ranking official and work his way up.

Jiang Wan was genuinely ready to climb the ranks from the ground up. He knew that under Liu Bei’s enlightened rule in the politically clean Taishan, with his efforts, he could reach a high position within thirty years.

Jiang Wan had never dreamed of becoming Chancellor. His goal was the Nine Ministers, which was already ambitious. For this, he had been working hard. Only when he finally reached the position of a Minister did he realize he had underestimated himself. Jiang Wan, the late bloomer, had finally come into his own!

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