"I was such a fool. Truly."
In early May, beside Mirror Lake outside Shanyin City, Liu Cheng clasped Wang Tanzhi's hands in farewell, his words sincere. "I thought driving that charlatan out would leave Right General Wang no excuse to refuse, but I never imagined it would anger him instead. This was entirely my responsibility..."
It was rare for Liu Acheng to bow his head before him, yet Wang Tanzhi felt not the slightest sense of victory. Quite the opposite: he had to console him and express his gratitude, sincerely at that.
"You must be joking, Yulong. If even this can be laid at your door, would a defeat in this Northern Expedition have to be blamed on your wager with Xie Wanshi too? Right General Wang prides himself on his lofty lineage and looks down on our family. Before you came, he would not offer condolences despite living in the same city. Since arriving, you have done all you could, even offending him for our sake. I will certainly remember this kindness."
As he spoke, he repeatedly shook the hands of the man before him, as though their earlier encounter in the carriage at Jingkou had been a heart-to-heart rather than a scolding.
Things were much the same on the other side. As a filial son, Wang Shu was preparing to escort the coffin north and was bidding everyone farewell in turn at the landing. Those from Kuaiji who had come to see him off all seemed somewhat ashamed, though none were as shameless as Liu Acheng, who pretended to shoulder blame while actually claiming credit... Wang Shu himself, by contrast, appeared quite openhearted, sincerely thanking each of Kuaiji's distinguished men.
He even stepped out of order specifically to shake Liu Cheng's hand, leaving a certain someone rather surprised.