Chen Caozhi was astonished to hear that Liu Shangzhi had resigned. For a commoner's son who had only just received an official ranking, securing a subordinate post at the Governor's Residence was no easy thing; it was experience that would count toward future promotion. Moreover, when Liu Shangzhi had last accompanied Yang Quan, the renowned physician from Yangzhou, to Chen Family Cove, he had spoken with considerable satisfaction of serving as an Administrative Clerk under Commissioner Lu. Why had he suddenly resigned?
Seeing the question in Chen Caozhi's eyes, Liu Shangzhi sighed. "Zizhong, you haven't heard, have you? Commissioner Lu's beloved son, Lu Changsheng, passed away on the seventeenth of last month."
"Ah!" Chen Caozhi could not help feeling sorrow. Lai De and Ran Sheng had reached Wu Commandery on the ninth of last month and returned with news that Lu Changsheng was gravely ill. He had never expected him to die just a few days later. Although Chen Caozhi had known that Lu Changsheng would not live long, hearing of his death still shocked him; it felt so sudden. He had met Lu Changsheng several times in Wu Commandery. His face had resembled withered wood, his spirit had seemed elsewhere, and he had scarcely spoken. They had formed no friendship, but thinking of Commissioner Lu's anguish at losing his son and Lu Weiwei's grief at losing her elder brother, Chen Caozhi could not help feeling downcast. "I knew nothing of this. Otherwise, even if I couldn't have gone myself, I would have sent someone to offer condolences."
"Don't grieve, Zizhong," Liu Shangzhi said. "Your elder cousin Chen Shang has already gone to offer condolences. He also brought money, goods, and cloth to help with the funeral, and accompanied Young Master Changsheng's coffin to the burial ground in Huating as