He had already made up his mind. Upon entering the capital, he could either leverage Shao Yunduan's connections to cultivate relationships with officials, or he could choose to "switch sides" and align himself with those who had a bone to pick with Shao Yunduan. Either way, Shao Yunduan was a factor he had to contend with.
Didn't he understand that the first branch of the family was despicable, and Shao Yunduan was despicable too? Didn't he realize that he would eventually settle the score with them? But was now the time to provoke them?
His parents were utterly inept!
He wasn't inherently conniving, but he had a penchant for stirring up trouble repeatedly. He was reckless and frivolous. If it weren't for the fact that traditional mourning customs mandated three years of mourning for either of them, he might even wish for their demise—just to rid himself of the entanglement.
