On the twenty-second day of the eighth month, Feng Mengxiong, magistrate of Qiantang County, hurried to Chen Family Cove bearing an imperial summons from Emperor Sima Yu. Chen Caozhi dared not delay. Dressed in plain hemp mourning clothes, he set out for the capital-
Early in the eighth month, Chen Caozhi had gathered his clansmen and announced his ten-year plan: clearing new land to the south, opening a canal from Jingkou to Qiantang, and building a harbor and great ships in Qiantang Bay. Chen Man of the North Tower and his son Chen Chang, who managed the clan's property, immediately pointed out that all three undertakings would cost enormous sums. Although the Chen Clan's rice, tea, papermaking, weaving, ironware, and other businesses had grown rapidly in recent years, bringing in nearly ten million cash annually and almost rivaling such centuries-old great clans as the Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang, clearing land to the south was one thing; digging a canal and building a seaport and great ships ought to be the government's business. The Chen Clan could scarcely bear the demands on its manpower and finances-
"I will discuss the canal with Prefect Zhu of Wu Commandery and Neishi Diao of Jinling," Chen Caozhi said. "As for money and supplies, neither the land clearance to the south nor the harbor and shipbuilding will draw on clan funds. I have other sources of funding. I need only the necessary manpower from the clan. Daoyun will oversee all three undertakings."
After hearing this, what objections could Chen Man still have? Xie Daoyun had long been accustomed to appearing in public and was exceptionally capable, so neither Chen Man nor the others thought there was anything improper about Chen Caozhi putting her in charge of these three undertakings.
Murong Qinchen still wanted to