Chapter 222: Depression

Sun Wei lowered her eyes and said, "I just got a few bumps, nothing serious."

The tone of her voice was also a little low, as if it was blown by the evening breeze.

Sima Jun slowed down his tone and said, "Madam, please excuse me for a moment."

Sun Wei looked at him, responded, then stood up and followed Sima Jun out.

A lantern with a ram-horn horn was lit on the boathouse, facing the side of the ship a few steps away. Beyond that was the dark river.

Sun Wei had some scratches on her face and her hands were bandaged. Judging from the way she walked, she was indeed fine.

"Boyou's injury is not Madam's fault," Sima Jun said, "Madam, there is no need to feel guilty."

Sun Wei didn't answer, but only looked at the fishing lights on the river and asked calmly, "Will the prince return to Jiangzhou after dawn?"

"If Bo You is fine, there's no need to rush back," Sima Jun said. "I plan to meet with Huan Ding."

Sun Wei looked surprised.

"Is the prince going to hold him accountable?"

"Shouldn't he be held accountable for doing such a thing?"

Sun Wei shook his head. "Huan Ding has lost his mind and is determined that I killed Huan Yi. Even Master Yu can't convince him otherwise. He won't see the Crown Prince unless he brings my head to him."

"Then we have to capture him first," Sima Jun said. "Strike at his vital points, and his formation will break."

Sun Wei remained silent.

"Today in Puqi County, the Crown Prince was trapped?" she asked. "Could it be that the County Magistrate, Chen Wang, has defected to the Huan clan?"

Sima Jun nodded.

"Although Chen Wang once had a feud with the Huan family, his grudge was against Huan Yi," Sima Jun said. "He ultimately wanted to secure his position as Puqi County Magistrate. Now that Huan Ding has taken the throne, he's come to reconcile with him, and he's been won over by Huan Yi. He didn't dare kill me today, but instead trapped me in the County Magistrate's Mansion. Most of my men are outside, without any information, and we dare not act rashly, so we've been delayed."

Sun Wei knew that this was probably another incident caused by himself.

In his previous life, when Huan Yi launched an attack on the capital, Chen Wang swore his last words to Huan Yi, and was imprisoned by Huan Yi. Later, Huan Yi was defeated, and Chen Wang was rescued. He gained a reputation for refusing to yield and was treated as a distinguished guest at the Prince of Yuzhang's palace.

Huan Yi never sent troops in his lifetime, so naturally, Chen Wang never went to jail. Chen Wang had a feud with Huan Yi, but not with Huan Ding. When Huan Ding ascended to power, he must have offered Chen Wang numerous favors to win him over, and only then did Chen Wang bet on Huan Ding's side. Thus, the siege of Sima Jun took place today.

"Later, how did the prince escape?" Sun Wei asked hurriedly.

"Later, an assassin suddenly appeared in the county magistrate's mansion," Sima Jun said. "He caused great chaos there, and I had the opportunity to escape."

Sun Wei was surprised.

"Assassin? Prince, do you know what kind of assassin it is?"

"It's said that the assassin was small and agile, like a woman." Sima Jun looked at Sun Wei. "Deng Lian said that Yao Rong came to the boat to see Madam today?"

Sun Wei understood and nodded, "It is true. If that's the case, I guess Lü Qiuyan is also in Puqi."

It was Sima Jun's turn to be surprised: "What do you mean?"

"Lüqiu Yan always has a clear purpose in his actions. Since he sent Yao Rong to take charge, it's clear he has a serious plan and is determined to achieve success immediately. When Yao Rong came to see me, she told me that Lüqiu Yan sent her to tip her off so he could atone for his sins," Sun Wei said. "This excuse is unbelievable. Huan Ding came to kill me, but they let me escape and then released the Crown Prince from the County Magistrate's Mansion. It's clear they wanted to have the Crown Prince and Huan Ding face to face and engage in a fierce battle, ideally one that would result in mutual destruction. In the past, whenever there was a major event, Lüqiu Yan would personally take charge. Today is so critical, concerning the lives of the lords of Jingzhou and Jiangzhou, how could Lüqiu Yan not be in Puqi?"

Sima Jun pondered for a moment and said, "Madam, what you said makes sense, but there is one point that I don't think makes sense."

"Which point?"

"If Lüqiu Yan wanted to lead me into a fight with Huan Ding, all he had to do was have Huan Ding kill my wife and then let me go after him," he said. "Why go to all that trouble and have Yao Rong warn my wife?"

Sun Wei was speechless for a moment.

In fact, she couldn't understand what Lu Qiuyan was thinking.

"This matter isn't critical," Sima Jun continued. "Madam, do you think that the person we should really deal with is Lu Qiuyan?"

"That's right," Sun Wei said. "Huan Ding has been led by Lü Qiuyan by the nose. You and I must not be as foolish as him. Since Lü Qiuyan wants to reap the benefits, why don't we do the opposite and push him into the water instead?"

The words were spoken slowly but were filled with murderous intent.

Sima Jun looked at Sun Wei. Under the sheep-horn lamp, her eyes were neither as gentle as when they first met, nor as cunning as when she was arguing with him.

She looked calm, as if she was talking about something that had already been settled.

"Madam, if you have any good advice, I'm all ears." He said slowly.

——

It was already late at night when Sun Wei and Sima Jun discussed countermeasures.

She did not return to her own residence immediately, but came to Yu Yi's boat house again.

The medicine had already cooled down, and the attendants were trying to feed it to him.

Maybe he will wake up soon.

Sun Wei stood by the bed, looking at him.

She was not sure what Yu Yi would say to Sima Jun when he woke up.

In the carriage, he saved her, and even when he was about to lose his life, he still told her to run.

Sun Wei thought of his grandfather.

There are very few people in the world who can be praised by my grandfather.

Back then, he said that Yu Yi was a true gentleman, virtuous and pure, like a flawless white jade.

I guess I wasn't wrong.

But Sun Wei himself was not willing to do anything to let his grandfather down.

She didn't know whether what she was doing was right or not, and now she could only take one step at a time.

"The young master was injured because of me, and I can't sleep or eat. When the young master wakes up, please inform me first." Sun Wei instructed Yu Yi's entourage.

The attendant quickly said, "I obey your command."

——

Puqi is located at the intersection of Jingzhou and Jiangzhou, and has always been a battleground for military strategists.

The Jiangzhou navy, with over a hundred vessels of all sizes, faced Puqi City across the river. Although civilian boats could still sail unimpeded, anyone with a discerning eye could sense the tension.

The gates of Puqi City were closed.

Sima Jun saw that Huan Ding's visiting card had indeed been returned by the county magistrate's office.

Afterwards, Sima Jun sent Deng Lian to visit Puqi City again, but not to see Huan Ding, but to visit the county magistrate.

"The prince wants to come to the city to seek a doctor," Puqi County Magistrate Chen Wang reported to Huan Ding. "There's no good doctor here except in Puqi City, so the prince has no choice but to ask me for help."

After hearing this, Huan Ding asked, "Who is sick?"

"It's the Princess of Yuzhang," the magistrate said. "I heard that the carriage she was riding in rolled into the forest, and she was seriously injured and unconscious. The Crown Prince had earlier sent a letter to the eldest son, asking for a life-saving doctor. Unexpectedly, the eldest son was not there, so the Crown Prince had no choice but to send a letter to me, asking me to plead with the eldest son."