Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

The Yangtze River flows eastward; from Wuchang, it takes five days to travel down the river to Jianye.

Along the river were important towns of the Wu Kingdom: Chaisang, Shicheng, Ruxuwu, Wuhu... By the time we arrived in Jianye, it was already sunset on October 22nd.

The boat sailed into the inland river from Longzangpu, west of Jianye City, and gradually came to a stop at the Longzangpu dock. Under the glow of the setting sun, the Stone City to the north of the dock, the Jianye City to the east, and further away, Jilong Mountain and Jiang Mountain, along with the great river to the north, appeared before Chen Zhi's eyes.

Chen Zhi sighed deeply: "A tiger crouching, a dragon coiled; Jianye is truly the foundation of an emperor!"

Zong Yu added from the side: "He was merely an emperor who usurped the title."

"Indeed." Chen Zhi then asked, "General Zong, judging from the layout of this city, if our dynasty were to attack from upstream, how could we possibly succeed?"

Zong Yu shook his head: "As long as the navy is still there, this city cannot be approached. If the navy is not there, the city's terrain is even more difficult to attack than Jiangling. If you want to attack Jianye, it is better to take all of Wu's territory and then send a proclamation to the city to make it surrender."

Chen Zhi smiled; these were merely lighthearted remarks between the two and shouldn't be taken seriously. After disembarking, the two still met with Sun Quan through a formal ceremony. Han and Wu were still allied states, and as envoys, how could they publicly discuss how to attack their ally's capital?

Zhuge Ke was the official from the Wu Kingdom court who came to greet the Shu Han delegation.

Sun Quan launched two consecutive military campaigns and urgently needed to replenish his troops. Meanwhile, Zhuge Jin's eldest son, Zhuge Ke, who was in Jianye, often wanted to lead troops to conquer the Shanyue. Therefore, Sun Quan appointed Zhuge Ke as the Prefect of Danyang and General Who Pacifies the Yue, ordering him to conquer the Shanyue.

This morning, Sun Quan had just conferred an official title upon Zhuge Ke in front of all his officials, with great fanfare and elaborate ceremonies, and also granted Zhuge Ke three hundred cavalrymen as his retainers.

According to the tradition of Sun Ce's era, when granting troops to generals, two thousand infantrymen were usually accompanied by fifty cavalrymen. Although Zhuge Ke was not granted infantrymen as troops this time, he was given three hundred cavalrymen, which is enough to show Sun Quan's high regard for him.

Zhuge Ke had not yet left Jianye to take up his post, and given his surname Zhuge, Sun Quan had ordered him to come and greet him today.

Although it was already evening, the arrival of the envoy was no small matter, and Sun Quan still wanted to see him that very night. Zong Yu and Chen Zhi, guided by Zhuge Ke, entered the city and went into the Wu Palace, where they waited outside Sun Quan's Jiade Hall. Zhuge Ke went in first to report.

Indeed, the palace where Sun Quan usually handled affairs was also called Jiade Hall, the same name as the Jiade Hall in the Southern Palace of Luoyang, or rather, it was named after the palace in Luoyang.

Zhuge Ke entered first, bringing Sun Quan the news of Prime Minister Zhuge's passing.

Those in high positions often find themselves isolated, and the loneliness of those in power is often unspeakable to others.

Sun Quan was lucky.

During Zhuge Liang's tenure, Sun Quan often bypassed Liu Shan and corresponded directly with Zhuge Liang to analyze the situation and discuss politics. Moreover, in terms of age, Zhuge Liang was only one year older than Sun Quan, making them contemporaries. In terms of seniority, Zhuge Liang had always been among the faction in the court that was friendly to Wu.

With someone like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang as an ally, even Sun Quan, as emperor, would naturally feel a sense of security.

But today I heard the news of the Prime Minister's death... He was only fifty-four years old!

Sun Quan was stunned for a moment while sitting on the couch. After a long pause, he saw Zhuge Ke standing in front of him and couldn't help but ask:

"Yuan Xun, are you comparable to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang?"

Zhuge Ke cupped his hands and replied, "I am superior to Prime Minister Zhuge."

"Prime Minister Zhuge was entrusted with the task of assisting in governing the country, rectifying the court, and dedicating himself to the great cause. How are you able to surpass him?" Sun Quan asked again.

Zhuge Ke said, "Your Majesty is right, but I am capable of serving a wise and virtuous ruler, while Prime Minister Zhuge submits to a false court and is ignorant of the Mandate of Heaven. Therefore, I believe I am superior to Prime Minister Zhuge."

Sun Quan waved his hand listlessly: "Yuan Xun, go now. Get to work first thing tomorrow morning. I'm waiting for you to achieve merit in your campaign against the Shanyue. Now, summon the Han envoy to the palace."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Zhuge Ke bowed and withdrew.

Sun Quan stared blankly at Zhuge Ke's departing figure, lost in thought.

When news of Zhuge Liang's death arrived, even he was overcome with grief, but Zhuge Ke, as the Prime Minister's nephew, remained expressionless, showing no sign of sorrow whatsoever.

Sun Quan had just asked Zhuge Ke, intending to have a casual chat with someone when he was feeling unsettled. He hoped that Zhuge Ke would also praise Prime Minister Zhuge and say nice things about his dedication to the foundation of Wu. He didn't want Zhuge Ke to spout any clever tricks or talk about a wise and virtuous ruler.

How could people be so heartless?

Zong Yu and Chen Zhi entered the palace under the guidance of two eunuchs from the Wu Kingdom.

At this time, apart from the eunuchs, guards, and Sun Quan, there was only one official with a salary of two thousand piculs sitting on the right front side of the hall, who was presumably an important minister of the Wu Kingdom.

"Your humble servant Zongyu (Chen Zhi) pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Chen Zhi and Zong Yu paid their respects with great ceremony.

Since Han and Wu were allies, they recognized each other's imperial thrones. Therefore, Chen Zhi and Zong Yu had to treat Sun Quan with the same courtesy they would show when paying homage to Liu Shan.

"Rise," Sun Quan said, his face filled with sorrow. "Upon hearing the news of the Prime Minister's passing, my heart is deeply grieved..."

Sun Quan was the emperor of Wu, and there were more things that could be said to him than when meeting Zhuge Jin or Lu Xun.

Zong Yu dared not be negligent and recounted in detail the events of Yang Yi killing Wei Yan, Chen Zhi's journey north to Hanzhong, Yang Yi's suicide in prison, Jiang Wan's appointment as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Liu Shan's relocation of his capital to Hanzhong.

Sun Quan only asked a question from time to time, and Zong Yu did most of the talking. After Zong Yu finished speaking concisely and the hall fell silent again, Chen Zhi looked at Sun Quan's face from a few feet away and seemed to notice a few tears in Sun Quan's eyes. Perhaps Chen Zhi was mistaken.

"I have long heard of General Zong's name, and today I finally have the opportunity to meet him," Sun Quan said in a low voice. "Minister Zong, are you aware that Prime Minister Zhuge is only one year older than me?"

Sun Quan was a rather emotional ruler, while Zong Yu was a stern and upright gentleman. Faced with Sun Quan's emotional question, he was momentarily at a loss for words, and could only bow in response:

"Your Majesty, I am truly unaware of this matter and hope you will forgive me."

Sun Quan shook his head slightly, muttering to himself, "This year is an extremely unlucky year. In May, Venus appeared in broad daylight. Three days ago, the moon clashed with Venus. This signifies war and the death of the ruler. And at the end of April, the Emperor died in Hanoi, and the Wei people posthumously honored him as 'Emperor Xiaoxian.' In August, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang also died in Guanzhong. This year is extremely unlucky. As Emperor, how can I not be worried?"

"Are you aware of Emperor Xian's death?"

Emperor Xian of Han and Zhuge Liang were born in the same year and died in the same year. If it weren't for Sun Quan's words, Chen Zhi would have almost forgotten about this.

But how to put it... In the eyes of the Shu Han court, Liu Xie was murdered by Cao Pi long before Cao Pi became emperor. Liu Bei even held a funeral for Liu Xie in public and posthumously named him "Emperor Xiaomin". In front of Sun Quan, it would be inappropriate for Zong Yu and Chen Zhi to say anything about this.