Chen Caozhi and his Sixth Uncle, Chen Man, went to the county seat to settle Chen Liu's funeral affairs. Gu Kaizhi, Xu Miao, Liu Shangzhi, and Ding Chunqiu went along as well. Wang De Yi ordered Wu County Commandant to send ten foot archers to protect them, lest Chen Caozhi and the others suffer another assault by members of the Lu Clan. Lu Clerk was dead, and Lu Jun had been detained. The once overbearing Qiantang Lu Clan had lost its mainstay, while Chu Wenqian had also lost his composure and could offer them no support. After only a little questioning, Chen Liu's wife, of the Pan Clan, freely confessed to her adultery with Lu Clerk. She also admitted that Chen Liu's three-year-old son was of Lu blood-
Chen Man was so furious that he cursed the Pan Clan woman as a whore. Until then, he had still been thinking of taking Chen Liu's son home, but now the sight of that fair, plump, adorable three-year-old boy filled him with disgust. Under the household statutes of the Jin Code, the Pan Clan woman was to die. The Lu Clan refused to take in the boy, so he was placed in the care of the Pan Clan woman's natal family, with the Lu Clan required to allot thirty mu of land to the Pan family for his upbringing.
Chen Man still had affection for his son, Chen Liu. He stroked the corpse and wept bitterly, only to discover a bloodstained final letter tucked inside Chen Liu's robe. Chen Liu expressed profound remorse for having listened to the instigation and encouragement of the Lu and Chu clans, schemed to seize his younger clansman's land, and sabotaged his rank assessment. He had failed the Chen Clan ancestors and his parents. His only plea