For Claudius's part, the heat of fury shifts to something less righteous, with a flush creeping up the back of his neck. "Yes, well," he says with a resigned sigh. "Thou shouldst know, for me, there are herbal remedies as effective as a truth spell. They make a man more relaxed and voluble. I saw Shen Qingqiu partaking in a remedy for relaxation -- an experiment, to see if it changed how he behaved around others¹. He was quite different from when we saw him. I joined him, and told him ..." He thinks this over. "One or two facts about every man I know and how they behave in love affairs. I spoke of thee as one example." And he's certain he's correct about Lan Wangji, but perhaps that's less than relevant.

¹ Was that what it was for ...?