Of the three Lu Clan members who remained, Lu Xun looked composed. Lu Ji was young, but he showed no fear.
Only Lu Jun, the eldest, could not hide his alarm.
"General Zhou, why have you asked us to stay?" Lu Jun asked, forcing himself to speak.
The smile vanished from Zhou Yu's face. "The Lu Clan of Jiangdong has quite an extensive network of connections."
Lu Xun cupped his hands. "Thank you for the compliment, General Zhou. The noble clans of Jiangdong have been bound by marriage for generations and are as close as family. When one faces trouble, the others come to its aid. That is only natural among kin."
"That is why I killed Zhu Ze," Zhou Yu said evenly. "I eliminated the witness for you and gave the Sun Clan a way to save face."
In truth, everyone present knew that Lu Jun had discussed surrender and that the servant Zhu Ze's accusation was true.
But sometimes, the truth did not matter.
If Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had acted on Zhu Ze's accusation, killed Lu Jun, and wiped out the Lu Clan, the noble clans of Jiangdong would surely have turned against the Sun Clan and hampered it at every turn. Beset by enemies within and without, Sun Ce would have stood no chance against the Prince of Yan's army. He would have fallen along with the Lu Clan.
So believing Zhu Ze offered them nothing.
By contrast, siding with the Lu Clan and killing Zhu Ze would appease the clan and give them a chance to draw on its Popular Support in Jiangdong. The benefits were many.
Children worried about right and wrong. Adults weighed costs and benefits.
Lu Xun caught the unspoken meaning. He cupped his hands and said, "A servant who betrays