Liu Cheng did not attend Xie Shang's evening banquet, but not because he was unqualified to attend.
After that affair in Jiankang last year, he, Liu Acheng, counted as someone of consequence no matter how one looked at it. In Shouchun, apart from those three men, it was not that no one supposedly outranked him, but at most they surpassed him in age, seniority, and birth. Considering that he was still Huan Wen's envoy and a proper guest, there was even less reason to speak of any restrictions.
Liu Cheng did not go simply because he had found Liu Huzi.
On the way back, he had noticed a young staff officer among those welcoming Xie Shang back to the city who clearly enjoyed considerable trust and favor. Upon learning that he was Secretary-Aide Yuan Hong, he went straight to him to ask. The secretary-aide, who at first glance looked like a version of Liu Jili improved in every respect, had a spare, unaffected manner. Although he had no intention whatsoever of making Liu Cheng's acquaintance, he directly provided the location where Five-Hundred Commander Liu Jian was stationed.
And so Liu Acheng took his leave of Xie Shang on the spot, turned around, and boarded a boat. Following the Fei River downstream, he reached the ferry landing across the Huai River before dark and found Liu Huzi and his troops stationed there, their ranks full of familiar faces.
Liu Huzi was naturally delighted by Liu Cheng's sudden arrival. He slaughtered a sheep in camp for them to share.
The next day was the Shangsi Festival. With spring warmth and flowers in bloom, there was no need to go inside a tent. They set up a row of iron cauldrons out in the open to stew the meat, adding only a large