Zhuge Jin, while trying to appease Yuan Shu, was looking for a way to escape. He had zero interest in joining Yuan Shu. He had spent a long time in Yuzhou, had delved deeply into understanding Yuan Shu, and had quietly given up on him. Although Yuan Shu had a solid foundation, Zhuge Jin thought that he was not cut out to be a Monarch, but more suited as a heroic figure with profound loyalty. As a Monarch, Zhuge Jin believed that Yuan Shu would eventually ruin his own foundation.
As for Sun Ce, Zhuge Jin also had a thorough understanding of him. However, in Zhuge Jin's view, Sun Ce was more suited to be a valiant general—a general like Xiang Yu—rather than a Monarch. He shared the same deep loyalty as Yuan Shu, but Sun Ce also possessed a martial force more befitting of a hero than Yuan Shu did.
This was also why Zhuge Jin decided to leave Yuzhou after a long stay and head to Eastern Wu.
