"Shiji."
"Since ancient times, the world has never lacked capable ministers."
"It is just that these capable ministers could never find an enlightened ruler who would put them to good use, so they either met an untimely end along the way or lived out their lives in mediocrity."
"The favor His Majesty shows you today is something no other minister has ever received. His trust in you even surpasses his trust in those who followed him earliest, and his extraordinary gifts rival those of Emperor Gao and Guangwu."
"You have the talent to pacify the realm and the extraordinary ambition to achieve great deeds, and you have even met a Sage King worthy of your service."
"This is your good fortune."
Zhong Yu lay on his bed, looking at Zhong Hui beside him, his expression inexplicably excited.
"You must not let this convergence of the right time, the right place, and the right people slip away... do not let His Majesty down!"
"I can no longer clean up after you..."
"You have always been impatient. If I am gone, you absolutely must not act recklessly and insist on having your way. Think more carefully about the consequences..."
Zhong Hui sat solemnly beside him, staring straight at his elder brother without saying a word.
Zhong Yu had already given his many heirs his final instructions.
They were now kneeling outside the door, weeping.
Zhong Hui was the last person he received.
Yet even now, Zhong Hui had shed no tears.
Perhaps doing so would have ill befitted the bearing of a famous scholar.
Zhong Yu's voice grew fainter and fainter.
Then, in a single instant, Zhong Yu suddenly became spirited again. He struggled to sit up, and Zhong Hui placed a pillow behind his back for him to lean against.
Zhong