Song Chen clasped his fists and replied, "Before the Prefect departed, he asked this humble general to request a favor from Your Majesty. General Lu's wife is Sun Shao's full sister by the same mother. He begs that Sun Shao be allowed to remain in Jianye."
Liu Bei was first taken aback, then laughed heartily. "It seems Ziyu thinks highly of Lu Boyan. Not only did he seek merit and rewards for him, he even wishes to preserve this wife's elder brother. Ziyu has always been detached and asked for nothing, so of course I will grant his request. Since I have entrusted him with handling Sun Quan's relatives, people like Sun Shao are naturally included. Tell Ziyu to decide for himself when you return."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Song Chen rose and clasped his fists.
"Minister Song, quickly, take your seat. You must also have rendered great service in this campaign to destroy Wu. Sit down and tell us properly how it happened. The memorial was far too brief—I did not enjoy reading it nearly enough." Smiling, Liu Bei swept his gaze around the room.
Zhang Fei bared his white teeth and chimed in, "It has only been a few days since we last saw Ziyu, yet he has stirred up such a huge affair. I heard he was still dealing with Shi Xie before destroying Wu—how did he suddenly poke a hole in the heavens? That does not quite fit his cautious nature."
Fa Zheng added solemnly, "General Lan usually plans before he acts. He must have prepared for the destruction of Wu for a long time; he would never have acted rashly."
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Song Chen nodded and slowly began, "Not long after the Prefect took control of Jiao Province, he began laying plans against