To placate Chen Caozhi, early the next morning Fu Jian ordered Eunuch Meng Feng to deliver four beauties to him as a reward, along with a quantity of jade objects and silk. All four beauties wore splendid makeup and dazzling clothes and were quite attractive. Two were Han women, born in troubled times, whose parents had died early; they did not even know their surnames. The other two were Xiongnu women whom the Right Worthy Prince of the Xiongnu, Liu Weichen, had presented to Fu Jian after submitting to Qin-
The four beauties stood in the small hall of the Court of State Guest Quarters, their heads lowered as they listened to Palace Eunuch Meng Feng speak with the Jin envoy Chen Caozhi. Their hearts were uneasy: how would their new master arrange their lives?
Chen Caozhi politely declined the rewards from Fu Jian, King of Qin. He ordered Ran Sheng to accompany Meng Feng in taking the beauties and silk back, and submitted a memorial to Fu Jian stating that, with the peace negotiations still unresolved, he dared not accept any rewards.
At three quarters past the start of the Hour of the Dragon that morning, Chen Caozhi met with Qiu Teng, Pushe of the Department of State Affairs of Di Qin, in the Chancellery of the Book of Documents' council hall. In the half month since arriving in Chang'an, Chen Caozhi had learned in considerable detail about the temperaments and feuds of Di Qin's high-ranking officials. The old Di man before him, his hair and beard grizzled, was at odds with Wang Meng and often disparaged him before Fu Jian, much to Fu Jian's displeasure. But because Qiu Teng had contributed greatly to his accession, Fu Jian had not punished him-
Casting aside his usual refined image of