At the hour of Xu that night, Chu Jian, the Assistant Prefect of Wu Commandery, saw his son Chu Wenbin return reeking of wine. Naturally, he assumed Lu Qin had kept the appointment, the misunderstanding had been cleared up, and host and guest had enjoyed themselves. To show how relaxed and unruffled he was, he did not ask Chu Wenbin a single question, merely waving him off to wash and go to bed.
Chu Wenbin had a bellyful of grievances to pour out to his father. Denied the chance, and with the wine surging to his head, he washed haphazardly, fell into bed, and sank into a stupor. When he awoke early the next morning, the more he thought, the more uneasy he grew. The resentful glare Lu Qin had given him before leaving made him tremble with fear. He first sought out his older paternal cousin Chu Wenqian to discuss it. Chu Wenqian was dumbstruck by his account and hurriedly told him to see his uncle Chu Jian.
Chu Jian was preparing to go to the Commandery Office to preside over official business. Hearing his son's stammering account, he all but spat blood in fury on the spot. He struck the wretched boy hard on the head with the jade handle of his Dust-Tail Fan and snapped, "Stay behind closed doors and reflect on your faults. You are not to set so much as half a step outside!"
Chu Jian steadied himself and went to the Commandery Office to handle official business as usual, but his thoughts were a tangled skein. When Governor Lu Na saw him, he seemed much colder than usual, making Chu Jian even more uneasy.
Near the end of the hour of Si, as the officials left the hall to return to their residences, Chu