While Chen Shang, Chen Caozhi, and Liu Shangzhi accompanied Gu Kaizhi to a banquet at the Gu Residence, trouble suddenly erupted at the Lu Residence in Hengtang.
Chen Caozhi had entered Jiankang amid such fanfare and had even been received into the Prince of Kuaiji's residence. How could Lu Shi, Minister of the Five Armies, not have heard? He was furious. He had never met Chen Caozhi and had no intention of doing so. He did not believe Chen Caozhi possessed any extraordinary bearing or talent; he believed only that the northern gentry clans had deliberately raised Chen Caozhi so high to suppress his Lu Clan and make a laughingstock of them. Lu Shi had always deeply resented northerners crossing south to compete with the people of Wu for land and profit. Though he held an important court post, he had many criticisms of court affairs and showed little respect even for the powerful minister Huan Wen. He therefore regarded Chen Caozhi as the northern gentry clans' advance pawn in their challenge to the people of Wu, one who had to be struck hard head-on-
That afternoon, Lu Shi heard from his son Lu Qin that Chen Caozhi had entered Jiankang in the company of Zhang Mo and Zhang Wenwan. Rumors in Jiankang claimed that the Lu Clan had already consented to Chen Caozhi's marriage to Lu Weiwei and that their betrothal would soon be settled. This sent Lu Shi into a towering rage, and he stormed off to question his sister-in-law Zhang Wenwan-
The residences of the brothers Lu Shi and Lu Na stood side by side, linked by a covered lane that allowed them to visit each other without going through the main gates. Bringing two young attendants, Lu Shi entered his third brother Lu Na's residence through