That night, Chen Caozhi went to Wuyi Lane again to bid farewell to Xie An and Xie Wan, and asked when Xie Xuan would leave for Jingzhou. Xie Xuan said, "Zhang Xuan Zhi has been appointed Western Campaign Clerk and will set out with me, probably around the middle of this month."
Xie Daoyun said, "Duke Huan has ordered me to recruit Gu Kaizhi into the Western Headquarters. Zizhong, ask him for me whether he would like to travel with you the day after tomorrow."
Chen Caozhi nodded. "All right. I'll ask Chang Kang when I get back and give you an answer first thing tomorrow. Chang Kang enjoys company, so I imagine he'll want to travel with me."
After another lengthy conversation, Chen Caozhi took his leave. Xie An and Xie Wan saw him out into the courtyard. Watching Chen Caozhi disappear into the night, Xie Wan asked Xie An, "Third Brother, will Chen Caozhi be able to accomplish anything on this journey?"
Xie An said, "Di Qin has many outstanding men. Wang Meng possesses great talent, Yao Chang is valiant, Fu Jian can be called a formidable ruler, and Fu Rong also has strategic ability. Ruler and ministers are of one mind, and their nation grows stronger by the day. For Caozhi to maneuver among such men and achieve something will be difficult indeed! Yet from what I've observed of Caozhi, his conversation shows a very thorough knowledge of the temperaments and preferences of Di Qin's ruler and ministers, such as Fu Jian and Wang Meng, while he knows little about the generals of the Two Huai Regions. Truly strange!"
Xie Wan said, "This young man really is an extraordinary talent. His discourse on the mysteries is profound, and he has practical strategies for worldly affairs. Even A'e