"Sir, I came on behalf of my king to invite you!"
Only a few days later, Li Si arrived at Chen Manor. He spoke to Chen Cuo with earnest sincerity: "My king thirsts for worthy men. Knowing you possess great talent, he refused to delay another moment. He knew we were acquainted, so he sent me to invite you!"
As he spoke, he realized he had left something unexplained and hurried to add, "The reason no invitation came before was that Lü Buwei stood in the way. Now that he has taken his own life out of fear of punishment, the king can finally send someone without further concern. I imagine you had your own reservations about Lü Buwei's repeated invitations, which was why you refused him each time. Now that my king invites you in his capacity as Lord of Qin, many of those concerns can be laid to rest."
Across from him, Chen Cuo took a sip of tea. Instead of answering, he said, "Li Si, you've changed a great deal since those days."
Li Si froze.
"When you were on your way to Guanzhong, you passed through Chenggao and spent a year here. You treated me with respect, but you still held firm to your convictions and kept your teacher Xunzi's lessons close to heart. Whenever I put forward an idea, you might not have opposed it outright, but you often argued your case to make your views clear. When did you ever swallow your pride like this?"
He shook his head and sighed. "Was it the King of Qin's overpowering authority, or did the ups and downs of official life wear down your spirit?"
Shame crossed Li Si's face, but he quickly hid it. "From the sound of it, sir, I'm afraid this visit was for