Chapter 217 Manuscript

Sun Wei felt a sweat on his back.

Only now did she realize that her grandfather had seen every single time she eavesdropped. She was the only one who was smug and thought her actions were flawless.

"So that's how it is." Sun Wei tried her best to remain calm and smiled. "Such coincidences do exist in the world. I heard that people from Lingnan often have similar facial features. I guess this is the reason."

Yu Yi also smiled: "Your Highness, what you said makes sense. Your Highness is in Cangwu, and Mr. Sun is in Anning. Although the two places belong to Lingnan, they are very far apart. I am overthinking it."

Sun Wei felt a little relieved after hearing this. Yu Yi didn't have Sima Jun's suspicious nature, so he probably wouldn't delve into the matter further.

She immediately changed the subject: "I have another question that I would like to ask you, sir."

"Princess, please."

"I remember that in his manuscript, the young master praised Mr. Sun's writing, saying it was beautiful, like the fragrance of a solitary orchid in a deep valley. After reading the manuscript, I couldn't help but be fascinated by Mr. Sun's writing and wanted to read it myself. But I don't know where I can find it."

Yu Yi smiled and said, "That's not difficult. In my book box, I have a collection of Mr. Sun's essays. They were given to me by Mr. Sun when I visited An Ning. I'll have someone find them from the book box and send them to the princess."

Yu Yi actually has Sun Yu’s collected works?

This was something Sun Wei had not expected.

Sun Yu did organize his writings, but he never showed them to anyone. The greatest use of his collected works was probably as models for Sun Wei and her brother to copy and practice calligraphy. Sun Yu's collected works were all unique copies, and after his death, they were preserved by her father and would never be given to anyone else.

But since Yu Yi said so, it should be true.

Sun Wei couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"Really?" She smiled. "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, young master."

She chatted with Yu Yi for a few more words, and just as she was about to leave, she heard Yu Yi instruct his attendants, "Go see if the prince is free. Tell him I need to see you for something."

Sun Wei paused.

To be honest, just now, Yu Yi said that she looked similar to Sun Yu's granddaughter, which made her feel a little guilty.

Yu Yi could still get away with it, but if Sima Jun got to his ears, it would be difficult to deal with.

"I wonder why you want to see the prince?" Sun Wei asked.

Yu Yi said, "It's nothing serious. A few days ago, the Crown Prince heard about Mr. Sun's deeds and was quite interested. He said that he wanted to read the manuscript when he had some free time. The Princess returned the manuscript today, so I just happened to deliver it to the Crown Prince."

"Is that all?" Sun smiled. "I'm going to look for the prince, so I'm willing to do it for him. Your legs are not so easy to walk, so you should take a good rest."

——

Sun Wei had no idea why Sima Jun wanted to read Yu Yi's manuscript. After all, his bookshelf was filled with military treatises and maps, and whenever he had a free moment, he would eagerly dive into the sandbox, repeatedly pondering the tactics of war in the military books.

Could it be that he has some ulterior motive that makes him interested in Sun Yu?

Sun Wei asked herself to stay calm and not lose her composure.

For Sima Jun, if he had any doubts, he would just ask them openly so that he wouldn't appear to have something to hide.

Sima Jun's answer was unremarkable.

"I've been on the boat these days, so I've had a lot of free time. I wanted to read some other books. I happened to hear Madam and Boyou talking about this manuscript a few days ago, and it piqued my interest. But then I forgot about it, and now the book has arrived."

Sun Wei looked at his indifferent expression and thought, if he really doesn't take it seriously, it would be better if he doesn't read it.

She smiled and said, "I see."

After saying this, she was about to change the subject and secretly instruct the attendant to send the manuscript back to Yu Yi, but she heard Sima Jun continue, "Just now, Bo You's attendant said he was coming to deliver the book, so why is it Madam who came?"

Sun Wei said, "I happened to be visiting Master Yu, and seeing that he had difficulty walking, I decided to go there for him."

"Oh?" Sima Jun reached out, picked up a manuscript, and flipped through it. "Did Madam go to visit Bo You? How is he today?"

"Young Master seems to be in good spirits, but the Crown Prince won't let him continue writing, which makes him feel quite uncomfortable." Sun Wei watched Sima Jun put the manuscript away where she could not reach it, and said, "I think this boat is really boring, and Young Master is a patient, so he needs something to do."

"Writing is exhausting; he should focus on recuperating," Sima Jun said. "This is still Jingzhou territory. Tomorrow, after passing Puqi County, we'll be in Jiangzhou. I've already ordered Yang Quan to meet us at the border between Jiangzhou and Jingzhou. Madam, please remain on the boat for two more days. Once we're out of Jingzhou, you can disembark and won't feel bored."

Sun Wei thought to himself, he was clearly talking about Yu Yi, but he changed the subject to himself.

She glanced at the manuscript again, knowing that saying more would only arouse his suspicion, so she gave up.

Since entering Jingzhou, Sima Jun has been extremely cautious. He always stops at the shore at night.

In the afternoon of the second day, the boat docked outside Puqi City.

When Sun Wei heard that Sima Jun was about to get off the boat, he hurried to see him.

"Puqi County Magistrate Chen Wang is an old friend of my father's. Back when we were offering sacrifices in Cangwu, he sent an envoy with offerings and made an appointment with me to visit his residence when I passed through Puqi. We've been in Lingnan for a long time, and Chen Wang knows the situation in Jingzhou best. Asking him about it will reveal many things unknown to the outside world," Sima Jun said. "I'll be back soon, and Sima Deng has arranged for someone to meet me, so everything will be fine."

Sun Wei pondered.

She knew Chen Wang.

In her previous life, when she became the Princess of Yuzhang, this man had already resigned and returned home. It was said that while serving as the Magistrate of Puqi County, he had a falling out with the Huan family and was driven away by Huan Yi. However, he had a good relationship with the Prince of Yuzhang. As an old friend of the old Prince of Yuzhang, his name would appear on the gift list of the Prince of Yuzhang's palace during every New Year's festival.

Although Puqi is within the territory of Jingzhou, Sima Jun dared to stop there without any worries because of this reason.

Furthermore, there has been little news from Jingzhou recently. We only know that Huan Yi is terminally ill, while Huan Ding and Huan An are temporarily at peace thanks to Lu Qiuyan's mediation.

But Sun Wei knew that this was just the silence before the thunderstorm.

If nothing unexpected happened, Huan Yi's body would not survive this year. What Sima Jun wanted to inquire about was probably related to Huan Yi.

"I understand." Sun Wei said, "I will stay on the boat. Please be careful, my lord."

——

The ship's supplies had already been consumed, and now that the ship had reached the shore, it was imperative that they disembark and do some shopping.

Sun Wei wrote a list and gave it to Deng Lian, asking him to send someone to buy it. Deng Lian took a look and saw that it was full of names of spices.

"Princess, do you want to make a sachet?"

Sun Wei said, "There's nothing to do on the boat, so it's a good time to do some needlework."

Deng Lian smiled and agreed.

Sun Wei only came up with this sachet on a whim.

In her previous life, she spent her days in the palace, doing nothing but needlework. Among these, she delved most deeply into incense making. She collected many incense recipes and would make some whenever she had free time.

This skill was well-known in Jiankang at that time.

It wasn't that her incense was exceptional, but rather that she often brought a group of noble ladies to the Tang Garden of the Prince of Yuzhang's mansion to taste incense and drink tea. This was known as the "Incense Club," and its fame rivaled that of the elegant gatherings of celebrities.

Of course, now, Sun Wei had no place to display her skills. This matter had completely become her private hobby.

The boat was truly boring, so she thought of this pastime. Over the past two days, she had been sewing a sachet out of brocade, the only thing left to do was fill it with spices. Not long after Deng Lian left, Yu Yi's attendant arrived, holding a book.

Sun Wei asked, "Is the young master still resting? I asked someone to prepare a warming and nourishing soup, which will be delivered shortly."

"Princess, the young master has just disembarked."