Although the gentry of Wu Commandery looked askance at the northern aristocratic clans who had moved south, they took a keen interest in Dr. Xu Zao's lectures on Sun Yan's Phonetic and Semantic Explanations of the Erya and Li Deng's Categories of Sounds, as well as Luoyang-style Chant, and urged their sons to diligently study Luoyang Standard Pronunciation. Yet the northern aristocratic clans clustered around Jiankang and Kuaiji had never required their sons to take men of Jiangdong as teachers to learn the Wu dialect. This offered a glimpse of the difference in standing between the northern and southern gentry.
Thus, on the morning of the ninth day of the tenth month, following a day off, attendance at the Xu Clan School's lectures was once again at its highest. Lu Qin and Chu Wenbin had both come. Lu Qin now ignored Chu Wenbin entirely. He had heard something of the private feud between the Chu Clan and Chen Caozhi, and knew that Chu Wenbin had meant to provoke him that day and use him to strike at Chen Caozhi. Striking at Chen Caozhi was no matter, but being used by Chu Wenbin left him thoroughly displeased. Lu Qin still brooded over Chen Caozhi's rudeness. In his eyes, this boy from a humble family ought to have treated him with the utmost deference.
Yesterday, Lu Qin had been very surprised to see his uncle Lu Na summon Chen Caozhi. Later, after questioning the steward, he learned that Chen Caozhi had gone to Cherished Garden to save Jade Edition. Lu Qin assumed that Chen Caozhi had come expressly for the Chrysanthemum Jade Edition, and could not help growing furious, while contempt also rose in his heart. *This Chen Caozhi was putting on such airs the other day, saying, "I won't treat your