When Lu Qin saw his father Lu Shi mention Wei Rui's marriage, he immediately rose to kneel upright. "Father, Third Uncle, there is something I must report-"
Lu Shi asked, "What is it?"
Lu Qin first spoke of how Sima Yi, Prince of Langya, had dispatched him to Xuzhou to convey his regards to Lu Song. Lu Shi nodded. "Good. To earn the Prince of Langya's trust and employment, you must be diligent in Wang's service."
Lu Na said, "Lu Song's fraudulent tricks were exposed in Taiji Hall, leaving his reputation in ruins. It is your duty as Friend of the Prince to remonstrate frankly with the Prince of Langya and urge him to keep away from such a charlatan. Do not flatter him blindly and lose your backbone."
Lu Qin bitterly disagreed. All I want is to win the Prince of Langya's trust, yet you want me to offend him with frank remonstrance. Wouldn't that ruin my prospects? And how is Daoist Master Lu a charlatan? He hurriedly said, "Father, Third Uncle, I have another important matter to report, concerning Sister Rui. Over the past month, Sister Rui has often gone to Waguansi to meet Chen Caozhi. Rumors have swarmed up as a result, and the talk is exceedingly ugly."
Lu Shi's thick brows bristled. "Such a thing has happened?" he demanded in a deep voice.
Lu Qin said, "I saw it with my own eyes. That Chen Caozhi is utterly arrogant, as though marrying our Lu Clan Lady were a certainty, something he could accomplish without lifting a finger."
Suppressing his anger, Lu Shi asked Lu Na, "Third Brother, did you know about this?"
Zhang Wenwan had told Lu Na that Wei Rui was going to Waguansi to copy the murals, and at the time he had thought