Ever since Wang Xun of Langya, courtesy name Yuanlin, had met Chen Run'er, he had been so captivated by her beauty and talent that he would marry no one else. On this visit to Chen Family Cove, he had invited his paternal uncle Wang Shao to accompany him. Wang Shao was now Chief Clerk to the Situ. Back when Chen Caozhi had been mourning his mother, the Chu Clan had plotted to frame him to prevent the Chen Clan from entering the Gentry Register. Wang Shao, then Neishi of Yangzhou, had upheld justice and thwarted their scheme, so Chen Caozhi owed him a considerable debt of gratitude. A lofty scholar from a distinguished family, Wang Shao had never imagined that the poor young man who had built a hut beside his mother's grave and studied so diligently would now be a third-rank high official, a Kaifu Yitong Sansi, outranking even himself. Back then, Chen Caozhi had been at his wits' end over his pursuit of the Lu Clan Lady; now he had married daughters of great clans from both north and south. It truly was a miracle!
Wang Shao supported his nephew Wang Xun's wish to marry Chen Caozhi's niece. Chen Caozhi's present prestige and standing were no less than Huan Wen's had been after conquering Shu. Moreover, he enjoyed Emperor Sima Yu's deep trust and maintained good relations with the gentry clans of both north and south. He would certainly be a figure of decisive influence at court for the next thirty years. A marriage alliance with the Qiantang Chen Clan offered the Langya Wang Clan every advantage and no disadvantage-
After learning that Wang Shao and Wang Xun would soon arrive, Chen Caozhi spoke with his sister-in-law Ding Youwei and his niece Run'er that evening. Run'er asked, "Once