Lan Tian entered the Longbian Prefecture Office and finally took his seat in the wooden chair at the head. Jiaozhi and Guangzhou had close trade ties, and new-style furniture such as tables, chairs, and benches had spread widely throughout Jiaozhi. The common people chose whatever was comfortable; the custom of kneeling seating had been completely abandoned in Jiao Province.
Shi Zhi and Shi Xun stood below, awaiting their "disposition." The colossal clan that the brothers had spent decades building came crashing down in this instant.
"Lord Weiyan fell from his horse in a fit of rage. The military physician who accompanied the army has just finished examining him. His life can be saved, but his legs will never again allow him to stand or walk. He can no longer serve as Prefect of Jiaozhi."
Lan Tian's tone was even, without a trace of mockery or ridicule. Shi Zhi and his nephew Shi Xun could not fathom what he meant, so neither responded at once.
"Since the Eldest Young Master has returned from Jiangdong, why don't you take my place and govern it?" Lan Tian said meaningfully.
"Am I suitable?"
Shi Xun was deeply surprised. He knew his own abilities were mediocre. Had Hu Ke not looked after him during his time in Jiangdong, he and his wife would have died in a foreign land. After arriving in Guangzhou, the real Sun Bu had been arrested, while the fake Sun Bu had traveled with him first to Hepu and then Jiaozhi. Shi Zhi had warned him not to oppose Lan Tian; in Lan Tian's eyes, the Shi Clan were no more than ants.
The scene of his meeting with Lan Tian in Guangzhou surfaced in his mind. Lan Tian had begun with Shi Xun's experiences in Jiangdong, thoroughly dissected Sun Quan's