Xi Chao suddenly abandoned his steady, measured approach and began making unexpected moves, catching everyone somewhat off guard.
At this point, only Huan Wen could properly respond.
The lord of Jingzhou slowly removed his cloak and took off his brocade robe. A gust swept in from outside the tower, abruptly clearing his head, and he finally realized-this boy was talking nonsense.
For no other reason than that, although Liu Tan had died, Yin Hao, Sima Yu, Xie Shang, and Xie Yi were still around. He had not cut off contact with them, so how could he not know how they behaved? Even Wang Xizhi, Xie An, and Xi Yin-did he not know exactly what those fellows were like? Rivers and mountains could change, but a person's nature was hard to alter. How could they have completely reversed course after just a few years?
If they really had become practical-minded and devoted to the country and its people, why not first give up the estates they had enclosed in Kuaiji?
Still, there was certainly something to that Shangsi letter, enough that even he had to regard it warily and weigh its implications.
And judging by what Xi Chao had just said, as well as Liu Cheng's earlier dealings with his younger brother and son, these two probably were rising talents from Kuaiji, alongside Wang Shu's son Wang Tanzhi. So there should have been nothing wrong with that final part.
Only, those words still seemed a little impetuous. In the end, he was a boy of fifteen or sixteen. But... wasn't that all the better? Who would dare employ a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old monster?
At that thought, he could not help glancing at Liu Cheng-this boy not only came from a lowly background but also seemed far too slick.
Could it be