My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 176 The Two Lius
The light snow mixed with drizzle made the ground exceptionally muddy.

A carriage was slowly traveling towards Loufan County.

The knights in front of and behind the carriage were suffering greatly from the wind and snow, huddled up and exhaling mist from their mouths.

The weather in the north is truly unpredictable. In places like Mayi and Loufan, it's already snowing lightly, the temperature has plummeted, and there are hardly any people to be seen on the roads. Even the villages in the distance are completely silent.

Inside the carriage, there was a gaunt old man who was gently rubbing his hands, which were trembling slightly.

He wore thick clothes, completely covering himself. He was tall and slender with a short beard, but his eyes were particularly clever.

Another person sat down next to him, but seemed to be in much better condition, and was explaining the situation here to him.

"Lord Liu, Loufan is a vast and sparsely populated place, but it has many good spots. There are many horse farms, all established by the imperial court, specifically for raising warhorses. There are also mines and the Eagle Banner Prefecture. Although the county town is not large, it has improved since the Duke took office."

It was Manager Liu who spoke.

The man sitting in front of him looked up and smiled at Steward Liu, "Governing a large prefecture is nothing special. Only by governing a place like Loufan can one truly see the Duke's abilities. The Duke is a true pillar of the state and a pillar of the nation."

This man's name was Liu Zhuo. He was Liu Xuan's friend and classmate for many years.

This man was also a genius, and he was famous for his talent at a young age. When he was a child, he studied with Liu Xuan, but Liu Xuan always surpassed him and was better than him in every way. Liu Zhuo was not jealous, but just learned humbly. Later, Liu Xuan became famous and debated with people everywhere. He was recommended by someone and became an official.

Liu Zhuo continued his studies, burying himself in compiling documents for nearly ten years without ever leaving his home. His family was extremely poor and they couldn't even afford food. Liu Xuan tried to persuade him several times, saying he was willing to introduce him to someone of high status, but Liu Zhuo refused and just kept studying.

During the Kaihuang era, Liu Zhuo finally stepped out of his study. At this time, the senior brother who used to follow Liu Xuan around and was mostly just a background figure became somewhat different.

He passed the imperial examination at the county level, achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, and was appointed as an assistant general. However, he truly became famous in the sixth year of the Kaihuang era. At that time, the Luoyang Stone Classics were transported to the capital. Due to the wear and tear of the characters, they were difficult to decipher. The emperor then summoned famous scholars from all over the country to conduct research.

During the research, Liu Zhuo finally showed his talent. He almost single-handedly defeated all the great Confucian scholars in the world, leaving them speechless and unable to compete with him. He truly became famous throughout the world. Even his junior brother Liu Xuan was shocked. How did his senior brother reach such a level?

However, while this made him famous, it also made him the target of hostility and ostracism from many people, ultimately forcing him to resign from his official post.

After his second stint in office, he was forced to resign again because of Liu Xuan.

Like Liu Xuan, Liu Zhuo began to take on many disciples after returning to his hometown. He had far more disciples than Liu Xuan, after all, his reputation was much better than Liu Xuan's.

Many renowned scholars from all over the world would come to him for help when they encountered problems they could not solve.

Liu Xuan and Liu Zhuo each had their own strengths in terms of talent and learning. Because Liu Xuan had served as an official in the local area, he was better able to connect scholarship with governance. He wanted to integrate the doctrines of the North and South, eliminate erroneous governance concepts, and formulate a new governance model for a new era.

Liu Zhuo had no experience as a local official, but through diligent study, he excelled in fields such as astronomy, calendar science, and other areas.

His method of stabilizing qi has reached its pinnacle, surpassing the achievements of his time by a thousand years. He even precisely calculated the precession of the equinoxes and measured the prime meridian, which is ridiculously powerful.

Of course, Liu Xuan was no less remarkable. He annotated almost all the classics of the past, writing three books a year, a feat unmatched by anyone. Many of his annotations were adopted by later generations, influencing the mainstream thought of classical studies in the new dynasty. He pioneered a free debate system of classical studies and made a great contribution to breaking down the previous chaotic academic trends.

So much so that later generations lamented that there were only two great figures in the Sui Dynasty: Liu Xuan and Liu Zhuo.

Liu Xuan and Liu Zhuo had a good relationship. After Liu Xuan was given an important position by Li Yuan, he wanted to help his senior brother, so he recommended him to Li Yuan. Li Yuan then sent someone to bring Liu Zhuo over, and even sent Steward Liu to go in person.

Manager Liu was quite pleased to hear Liu Zhuo's words.

This great scholar was truly different from his junior brother. Unless he needed something from someone, Liu Xuan was always arrogant, cursing everyone he met and not taking others seriously. You would never hear anything nice from him.

This Mr. Liu was clearly more courteous, treating everyone with politeness.

They really don't seem like fellow students or even close friends.

Manager Liu secretly felt sorry for this Lord Liu. It must be very difficult to get along with such a friend.

However, Manager Liu also had some concerns.

Although Liu Xuan was also old, he was lively and healthy, while this Liu Gong looked sickly. He didn't dare to let him travel in this season, but Liu Zhuo insisted on going.

The carriage officially entered Loufan territory, and before they even reached the county town, someone came out to greet them. The person who came to greet them was naturally Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan, leading a group of disciples, stood there. Upon seeing the carriage arrive, he ignored the others and quickly climbed into the carriage. As soon as Liu Zhuo stood up, Liu Xuan pressed him down.

"It's windy outside, so you should sit here. Let's keep walking and get to the city sooner!"

Manager Liu had no choice but to leave first, giving the two of them a chance to catch up.

"Uncle Guang".

Liu Zhuo looked at Liu Xuan without the slightest blame on his face. Even though he had lost his official position because of Liu Xuan, he didn't think much of it. Seeing his junior brother so robust, Liu Zhuo laughed, "You were so frail when you were young, how come you've become so robust in your old age?"

"Could it be that you're secretly practicing martial arts in addition to your studies?"

"I've heard you're skilled in hammer fighting; why didn't you tell me before?"

Liu Zhuo's eyes were full of mockery.

Clearly, he had heard quite a bit from Manager Liu.

Liu Xuan remained calm and said, "Since Shi Yuan did not give me tuition, I naturally did not inform him."

Liu Zhuo teased Liu Xuan about how he had tricked the young master, and Liu Xuan countered by teasing him about the matter of tuition fees.

Liu Zhuo and Liu Xuan were a real couple, because Liu Zhuo also valued money quite a bit. He took in many disciples and then asked them for tuition fees.

This is different from Liu Xuan. Liu Xuan teaches if you pay him, but this guy teaches more if you pay more and less if you pay less, treating people differently.

This caused Liu Zhuo's reputation to suffer to some extent, and many people were disappointed in him.

Liu Xuan then joked about it.

Then, the two of them laughed together again.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Liu Zhuo's spirits improved considerably.

"You told me you were going back to your hometown to write more books, and I looked forward to receiving your work every day. But the book wasn't even finished yet, so how did it end up with the Duke?"

"The book can be written later, but some opportunities cannot be missed."

"Shiyuan, you should be able to see the current state of the world. Great chaos is imminent. Without a safe place to stay, you will surely be a wanderer, with no fixed abode."

Liu Zhuo remained silent for a moment, then gently shook his head.

"To be honest, my health is not as good as it used to be. Even if things really get really chaotic in the future, I'm afraid I won't live to see that day."

Liu Xuan's heart skipped a beat, unsure how to answer.

Liu Zhuo then asked, "There's no need to elaborate on that. I just want to know, is the treatment at the Duke's mansion really as good as you say? Do they really pay that much money?"

The slightly somber atmosphere vanished instantly. Liu Xuan looked up, saw his senior brother's bright eyes, and laughed again.

"So that's why you were in such a hurry to come over, all for the reward!"

"Don't worry, the Duke is very generous. I'm currently teaching the Third Young Master, but once you arrive, I can make you his teacher. It's a great position! I'll explain the details to you when we meet the Duke!"

Liu Zhuo nodded slightly.

"The Duke originally intended to come and greet you in person, but something came up at home and he couldn't come. Sigh, I'll tell you the details later."

(End of this chapter)