When Liu Cheng returned to the Orchid Pavilion, Gao Rou was already waiting. Naturally, the two talked by candlelight deep into the night, but to the latter's surprise, although Liu Acheng had only arrived that day, he already had a rough grasp of the recent pressing affairs in Kuaiji.
They then sorted through them, and after going over everything, both agreed that Wang Xizhi's holding a séance at home rather than offering condolences to Wang Shu was the "biggest" matter at present.
This was, of course, only the "biggest" from the perspective of Kuaiji's little turtle pond. But since Liu Acheng wanted to reenter Kuaiji's circle of celebrated scholars and then carry out further work, the best and quickest approach was to use this matter as his opening.
Next, Liu Cheng directly proposed a bold plan concerning the matter, catching Gao Rou off guard.
"Does it have to be so drastic?" Beneath the candlelight, Gao Rou looked distinctly uneasy.
"It doesn't have to be, of course, but being a little drastic has its advantages..." Liu Cheng then recounted the series of matters involving his marriage alliance with the Shen Clan, his request for a manor in Jingkou, and the current circumstances of the Liu Clan of Jingkou behind that manor. "If we handle this matter a little more forcefully, perhaps we can settle the manor business along with it."
Gao Rou was somewhat bewildered. He was rather surprised that Liu Cheng had ultimately chosen a marriage alliance with the Shen Clan, which was still a punished family, but once the latter explained the situation of the Liu Clan of Jingkou, he understood.
He really had spent years as a member of an isolated northern migrant family. That experience... tsk, tsk.
Besides, understanding was like that: once you understood the beginning,