Wang Linzhi fell silent for a moment, then answered earnestly, "To be frank, General of the Vanguard, Father is in Kuaiji, so here in Jiankang I could only consult a few of my uncles. But strangely, unlike most of them, who merely nodded and gave evasive answers, the two who took a clear position had completely opposite attitudes..."
"Which uncles took a clear position?" Liu Cheng looked slightly surprised. "Who exactly supported it, and who opposed it?"
"My uncle serving in Sizhou-the General Who Pacifies the North who recommended Prefect Shen-was very much in favor. He even held my hand from his couch and told me I must carry on your policies, following your established rules as Cao followed Xiao's, and do the job well. That way, he said, I would earn a different reputation and prospects from my brothers in the future." Wang Linzhi explained earnestly, "My elder uncle, my father's own elder brother, Duke Anshou, the Marquis of Duting, was the only one against my accepting the recommendation. I couldn't very well press him, so I found it very strange."
In other words, Wang Huzhi supported it, while Wang Pengzhi opposed it.
That ran somewhat against common sense. After all, Wang Pengzhi was one of the two brothers Wang Dao had complained about in a letter, saying they were no good and he could only count on Wang Xizhi. He was Wang Biaozhi's elder brother, but unlike Wang Biaozhi, who was a late bloomer, he genuinely had achieved nothing and had a troubled official career. He did not even have a son; Wang Linzhi counted as the younger relative closest to him.
By comparison, Wang Huzhi was clearly more than one degree further removed. Although his father's generation's involvement in the Wang Dun Rebellion had made him something