Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

If straight lines don’t work, try curves.

The next day, Sun Xiaohu, who had just been married for two years, heard the messenger say this. Without thinking too much, she agreed to what Xue Zong, Lu Mao and other ministers said. After comforting her husband, she entered the Jianye Palace as soon as possible.

When the princess entered the palace, the first thing she did was to find her mother and explain everything to her.

Unexpectedly, Sun Luyu heard a piece of news from his mother.

"My elder sister is in Shouchun?" Sun Luyu asked in surprise, "How did the queen mother know this?"

After Sun Quan ascended the throne, he did not establish a queen, but everyone in the palace called Bu Lianshi the queen. Even Sun Quan himself did not deny this news after learning of it, which was a disguised acknowledgment of Bu Lianshi's secure position.

Since she was just chatting with her daughter, Bu Lianshi was more relaxed and calm. She half leaned on the couch and replied softly, "Of course I heard it from your father. I live in the harem all day, otherwise how would I know?"

"Chen Changwen, the governor of Yangzhou in Wei, sent a letter to Duke Lü Ding after the New Year, saying that your brother-in-law had come to Shouchun in Yangzhou to celebrate the New Year. The letter also said that your sister had come with him." Bu Lianshi smiled softly again, "The prince born by Da Hu, who was named Cao Yan, stayed in Luoyang and did not come with us."

There are some things that cannot be said between husband and wife, as saying them will create distance between them, but they can be said between mother and daughter.

When Bu Lianshi and Sun Luyu talked about Cao Rui, they often called him "your brother-in-law", and Sun Luyu often called him that. Of course, they didn't dare to mention him like that in front of Sun Quan.

For Bu Lianshi, who has become the queen in middle age, although she feels a little regretful about not having a son, her husband is the emperor, her eldest daughter's son-in-law is the emperor of the enemy country, and her youngest daughter has married a very good woman. What else can she ask for?

Sun Luyu laughed along with her mother, but after laughing, a hint of sadness appeared on her pretty face:
"I haven't seen my sister for several years. I really don't know when I can see her again. Mother, have you heard about the recent events in the court?"

Master Bu Lian was also able to keep her composure: "What's going on in the court?"

"It's about Prime Minister Gu and Zhu Lang being confined." Sun Luyu said quickly, "Hasn't mother heard about it?"

"What does the affairs of the court have to do with a woman like me?" After Bu Lianshi finished speaking, she looked at her daughter with a suspicious look in her eyes and said, "Are you going to ask your father for mercy? Why are you wearing the clothes you wore before you got married?"

Sun Luyu bowed his head slightly: "Zhu Lang is under house arrest and cannot go out, and he cannot even see his subordinates. The school official Lu Yi comes to interrogate him once in the morning and once in the evening. Even if he doesn't get anything out of him, he still comes every day!"

"Of course I'm going to ask my father for mercy!"

Master Bu Lian sighed, "Your personality is similar to your sister's. You look weak on the outside, but you always insist on it on the inside. Xiaohu, if I advise you not to go, you will definitely not listen, right?"

"Zhu Lang is really pitiful!" Sun Luyu defended.

"Xiao Hu, go out. I don't care about this matter. It's up to you whether you go or not." Bu Lianshi shook her head, then turned her face away and no longer looked at Sun Luyu.

"My daughter is gone." Sun Luyu stood up and bowed.

After Sun Luyu found Sun Quan in the palace and told him the truth he had repeated many times in his mind, Sun Quan did not speak, but just looked at Sun Luyu's clothes repeatedly. Today, Xiaohu is as bright and pretty as she was a few years ago. Sun Quan even vaguely saw some shadows of Dahu in Sun Luyu.

Sun Quan sighed: "Even Xiaohu has been married for more than two years now. Time waits for no one."

Sun Luyu knew that it was the clothes she wore when she was still a bride that had an effect, and she then asked softly and coquettishly, "Daughter, please have some mercy on me, father, and be more tolerant of Zhu Lang. The school officials come to the mansion every day, and Zhu Lang is so overwhelmed by the questions that he can hardly cope with it."

Sun Quan came back to his senses and looked at Xiaohu's face several times before responding to Sun Luyu's question:

"Xiao Hu, let me ask you a few things first."

"Please ask, father." Sun Luyu nodded.

Sun Quan asked, "Who wrote the letter that your servant Zhang Jiuzhuan presented to you last night?"

Sun Luyu looked up in astonishment and looked at her father: "What letter? I don't know."

Sun Quan did not pause and asked, "Was it written by Xue Zong or Lu Mao? Or Kan Ze, or Ji Liang, Qu Huang, and Puyang Yi?"

Sun Luyu was torn between her conscience and her desires for a long time before she timidly replied, "I dare not lie to you, father. This is written by Lu Shangshu. The letter mentioned that the school was too excessive and unfair to Zhu Lang. I asked you to persuade your father."

"You have deceived me." Sun Quan's tone became colder: "Do you know who sent Lu Yi?"

"My daughter doesn't know." Sun Luyu replied.

"Is it true?"

"I don't know."

Sun Quan knew how scheming his own Xiaohu was. Seeing that she insisted on saying that she didn't know, it meant that Zhu Ju had not told her all the truth. Zhu Ju dared to let Xiaohu enter the palace to plead for mercy, which was really hateful! Sun Quan stared at Xiaohu's eyes with long eyelashes and said in a low voice: "Since you married into the Zhu family, people often call you Princess Zhu. Xiaohu, are you Princess Sun or Princess Zhu?"

"I..." Sun Luyu was finally frightened at this time. She looked at her father in panic with her beautiful eyes, and there were even a few tears in them.

"Wei Ze!" Sun Quan took a long breath and shouted loudly.

"I'm here!" The Shizhong, the Left Law Enforcement Officer, and the Right Commander Hu Zong and Hu Weize walked quickly from outside the door.

Judging from the time Hu Zong reacted, he should have been standing close to the palace door and walked in in just a moment!
"Wei Ze, draft an edict for me."

"Yes."

"Dismiss the Left General Zhu Ju from his post, seize his troops and fiefdom, and order him to return to his native place in Wu County immediately and not leave the county without permission. Wu County Governor Teng Yin is ordered to supervise him and not to disobey!"

"As you wish." Hu Zong nodded in response and immediately began to draft the edict.

Sun Luyu was so surprised that he forgot to cry. After several moments, tears flowed from his eyes. He crawled forward a few steps on his knees, with a puzzled look and even a hint of pleading.

"Father..."

Before Sun Luyu could say anything more, Sun Quan replied coldly: "A daughter who is married off is no longer a member of the Sun family."

Then he got up and left without stopping for a moment.

Sun Luyu prostrated herself on the ground, crying bitterly, not caring at all whether the clothes she had treasured for many years were stained with dust.

Hu Zong, who was drafting an imperial edict, glanced at Sun Quan and tilted his head slightly towards Sun Luyu. Sun Quan nodded imperceptibly, so Hu Zong added Sun Luyu to the list of people under house arrest.

Sun Quan had four daughters. His eldest daughter, Da Hu, was now the Zhaoyi of Wei State and the mother of the prince of Wei State. His second daughter, Xiao Hu, was married to Zhu Ju by Sun Quan. As for the other two daughters, one was married to Liu Zan and the other was married to Teng Yin, the current governor of Wu County.

This operation was actually to send a son-in-law back to his hometown and hand him over to another son-in-law for care. However, this son-in-law named Teng Yin was from Beihai County, Qingzhou, and had no connection with the Jiangdong gentry.

Just as the political situation in the Wu capital of Jianye continued to deteriorate, the emperor and his ministers in Shouchun of the Wei Dynasty also received a heavy message.

Inside the study, the emperor and his ministers all had solemn expressions.

"Why didn't you report it earlier?" Cao Rui sighed.

"Your Majesty." Yang Dan bowed his head slightly and said, "At the beginning of January, Zhang Zhengxi's health was not very good. At first, he thought it was just an ordinary illness, so Zhang Zhengxi did not pay much attention to it. It was not until the middle of the month that his condition worsened, and Zhang Zhengxi asked Chen to capture the prisoners and report to the Chencang Guards. The Guards did not dare to neglect it, so they ordered me to go directly from Chencang to Shouchun to report."

The so-called Wei Chariot and Cavalry was Wei Zhen, who had served as the General of Chariots and Cavalry at the end of the fourth year of Taihe. Last year, at the beginning of the sixth year of Taihe, Wei Zhen was officially appointed as the General of Chariots and Cavalry and continued to supervise the military affairs of Yong, Qin and Yi.

Chen Bulu refers to Chen Ping, who was also named General Bulu last year. After many years of war, Chen Ping has almost become Zhang He's deputy, just like Zhang He by Xiahou Yuan's side in the past. It is appropriate for the court to grant Chen Ping such a miscellaneous title of general.

Yang Dan himself was transferred from being a secretary to the general to being a military officer, and served under Wei Zhen in Chencang.

Liu Ye, the Right Supervisor of the Privy Council, whispered, "General Yang went from Guanzhong via Wuguan to Nanyang, then went east across Yuzhou to Shouchun, and did not take the road to Luoyang."

"Yang Dan, Yang Shuping, right?" Cao Rui asked.

"Yes, I'm here." Yang Dan responded carefully.

"What did Chen Ping send to tell Master Wei? Tell me and all the ministers the truth. How is Zhang Zhengxi? How long can he hold on?"

Yang Dan took a deep breath and said, "The envoy of Chen's capture told me that Zhang Zhengxi's body has become weaker due to years of fatigue and injuries in the army. I am afraid he will not live long. Otherwise, the guards would not have gone to Qishan in person after receiving the message, and they would not have sent me from Chencang to Shouchun today."

After that, Yang Tan added: "This is what the guards and I heard last month. It has probably been more than 20 days since we arrived in Shouchun. I don't know what the situation is like in Qishan now."

Cao Rui sighed again: "Zhang Junyi is a pillar of the country. I only regret that I can't go to Qinzhou in person!"

Cao Zhen stood up, clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I...I will not hide my words. I think we should send an important official to go, just like Cao Wenlie did in the third year of Taihe. If Zhang Junyi is safe, he will inspect the local army. If he is in trouble, he will take care of his affairs."

"Your Majesty," Cao Zhen's eyes also reddened, "Zhang Junyi is already seventy years old, which is already a long life."

Cao Rui sighed, then stood up, looked around at the ministers in the study, and set his eyes on Xin Pi.

"Let Xin Qing hold the imperial seal and go to Qishan for me!" (End of this chapter)