At Liu Cheng's challenge, neither of the two men in the cabin said a word.
Wang Biaozhi was unused to being questioned like this. There were, after all, differences in their standing, pedigree, and age. Even though Liu Cheng had already shown some political ability and strength, he could not possibly grow accustomed to such condescending interrogation. Xie An, meanwhile, was dodging it. He dared not answer. If he did, he could already imagine Liu Cheng rolling up his sleeves at some critical moment in the future, pointing at his nose, and demanding-Xie Anshi, have you forgotten your promise aboard the boat on Mirror Lake?
Not to mention that both men knew perfectly well that their affairs of state and Liu Cheng's affairs of state were not necessarily the same thing.
Instead, Wang Xizhi, who had listened attentively to the three of them and kept quiet for half the day, seemed rather moved by these words and answered at once. "It's only natural for Yulong to have such concerns... We simply aren't united enough among ourselves. If everyone could act as one, if the affairs of family and state could both be settled in one stroke, why would there be any need for such worries? Yulong, you said it's common for each of us to be entangled with the others, and you think that's precisely why none of us can give our all to affairs of state... But I'd say we aren't entangled enough!"
Wasn't that just it? If all under heaven belonged to one family, naturally there would be family and state as one. Just look at Yao Xiang establishing a state in Luoyang now-who would dare say his family and state were not one?
Only, their Great Jin was not such a tiny state. However far Wang Xizhi's