Chapter 352

What's it like to have a cousin who's better than you in every way? Xie Xuanji was born into a family of small officials. His father was just a humble official in the government office, but his parents' greatest hope for him was to become a higher ranked official. Nevertheless, Xie Xuanchen was born in the capital. His father was a general, his mother was a noble daughter of a good family and Guo Rong nurtured him carefully, treating him like his own son.

Xie Xuanji could only be the Emperor among the children as a child in a small alleyway, but Xie Xuanchen frequented and accessed the military camp at the age of 12, led the army and became a Marquis at the age of 15 before controlling half of the imperial court's soldiers and forces at the age of 16. When Xie Xuanji first came to the capital and was still trembling, struggling to fit into the tense atmosphere of the capital, Xie Xuanchen had already walked in front of the imperial court and became a part of this magnificent imperial atmosphere.

When he was a child, Xie Xuanji's mother would whisper in his ear, saying how prominent and rich his uncle's family was when they could only spend their days crowded in the cramped alley. Xie Xuanji hadn't realised or thought of his home as shabby until he came to the capital and saw Xie Xuanchen's expenses.

He was stimulated, so he secretly tried hard to catch up with Xie Xuanchen whereas Xie Rui and his wife were also stimulated, comparing the prodigy with him all day long. Xie Xuanji tried his best to practise martial arts, but found that no matter what he did, it was impossible for him to reach a tenth of Xie Xuanchen's level.

With no other choice, he had to give up on martial arts and concentrate on writing. However, the accumulation of a good understanding when it came to literature needed both effort and time. Hence, how could Xie Xuanji's temporary determination compare with Xie Xuanchen's knowledge that he polished ever since childhood? It's just that Xie Xuanchen's brilliance in martial arts was too dazzling to the point where it overshadowed his other achievements. Everyone only knew that Xie Xuanchen had made great military achievements, but they didn't know that the boy was just as good when it came to literacy.

Xie Xuanji took advantage of this loophole, which could be regarded as him gaining a foothold. However, compared with Xie Xuanchen, this little advantage seemed to be nothing more than a cold start shining beside the burning sun. In just a moment, the star's brilliance was covered entirely.

It wasn't until Xie Xuanchen encountered an accident and gradually disappeared into the background that Xie Xuanji finally felt like he had a chance to breathe. He originally thought that everything had changed and it was him who became just as outstanding. He longer wanted to have the apex cousin, Xie Xuanchen, in his mind again.