Chapter 224: Counterattack

Huan Ding rushed forward and grabbed Lu Qiuyan by the collar.

"What have you done to Lingxian? What have you done to my father?" Huan Ding stepped forward and slapped him hard several times. "You lowly slave, you dared to dream of my daughter! You even murdered the head of the family! You're worse than pigs and dogs!"

Lu Qiuyan did not resist, but just stood there and let him beat and scold her.

Huan Ding was old after all, and after fighting for a while, he was already out of breath.

"Come here!" he shouted, "Tie up this traitor! I want to bring him to the county lord's spirit and tear him into pieces!"

Several followers responded and immediately stepped forward to tie up Lu Qiuyan.

Lu Qiuyan still let them control her and did not resist.

Suddenly, he looked at Sun Wei.

The handsome face, blood oozing from the corners of his lips after being beaten by Huan Ding, still wore a faint smile. There was something strange and eerie about the white banners and candlelight in the mourning hall.

Sun Wei felt inexplicably creepy and turned away.

Huan Ding looked at Sima Jun.

"This is a shameful incident for the Huan family. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Highness." He said, "Today's incident..."

Sima Jun said calmly, "Jiangzhou and Jingzhou are adjacent to each other. Living in harmony is the best for all people. I invited you here today simply to resolve the feud between the two families and punish the traitor. I know nothing else."

Huan Ding's expression shifted, and he bowed to Sima Jun. "Your Highness is truly righteous. With that, I'm relieved."

After saying this, he ordered to return to the county magistrate's office.

Watching Lu Qiuyan being taken away, Sun Wei felt his heart finally let go.

"Huan Ding is actually willing to believe the Crown Prince and come to see this lie exposed?" Sun Wei said, "I thought it was impossible for him to come."

Sima Jun said, "Although Huan Ding is reckless, he is also a parent. He will not sit idly by when it comes to his daughter's reputation."

Sun Wei nodded and was about to say something, but saw Sima Jun frowning, as if thinking about something.

"My Lord, are you still worried that Lu Qiuyan has other tricks up his sleeve?" Sun Wei asked.

Sima Jun glanced at her and said calmly, "Nothing, go back."

Huan Ding brought a lot of men and horses with him, and they lined up neatly outside the small temple.

Sima Jun naturally had quite a few men as well. The two sides wore different uniforms and occupied different sides, appearing to be clearly divided and evenly matched.

Huan Ding's carriage was just ahead of the queue.

As he boarded the carriage, he instructed his attendants, "Tie Lüqiuyan with a rope and drag him behind the horse. Tonight, throw him in the stable."

But no one around answered.

Huan Ding glanced at them and asked impatiently, "Did you hear that?"

But everyone still didn't answer.

He noticed something strange and was about to speak when he heard a voice: "Brother, long time no see."

Sun Wei and Sima Jun had just come out of the small temple and were also surprised when they heard the sound.

They looked and saw a general from the Jingzhou army walking out from the ranks, his face clearly illuminated by the torchlight.

It turned out to be Huan An, whom I hadn't seen for several months.

Sun Wei's heart trembled, and he felt something was wrong.

"What are you doing here?" Huan Ding's face changed when he saw Huan An. "I have already issued orders to all the generals that no one can leave without permission. How dare you..."

Before he finished speaking, Huan An drew his sword, and the blade had already pierced Huan Ding's chest.

Huan An said calmly, "Father passed away, and my brother wouldn't allow me, the younger brother, to return home to offer condolences. So, is it not possible for me to come and see him?"

Huan Ding opened his eyes wide and couldn't even speak.

After a moment, he suddenly fell to the ground.

The situation changed suddenly.

Deng Lian and others had already drawn their swords and formed a battle array, blocking Sima Jun and Sun Wei.

Sima Jun grabbed Sun Wei's arm and blocked her behind him.

Sun Wei was stunned.

She suddenly looked at Lu Qiuyan behind Huan An. He had already escaped from the ropes, with a gentle smile still on his lips, as if he had anticipated everything.

At the beginning, when Sun Wei and Sima Jun were making a plan, Sima Jun suddenly said that with Lu Qiuyan's meticulousness, if he really came tonight, he would not go to the bureau alone, and there would definitely be someone else coming.

Unexpectedly, the man was Huan An.

"The general is decisive." Lu Qiuyan walked up to Huan An and saluted him.

Huan An didn't answer, but stepped forward, bowed to Sima Jun and Sun Wei from a distance, and said, "Prince, Princess, how are you?"

Sima Jun looked calm and looked at Huan An coldly.

"What do you mean, General?"

"Please don't misunderstand me, my prince and princess. You have both saved my life, and I do not wish to be your enemy. Rest assured, even without my brother, the princess will no longer bear the infamy of murder."

The intention behind this statement is obvious.

Sun Wei knew that Huan An was coming for Huan Ding.

Sima Jun's move today was, firstly, to resolve the feud between Jingzhou and Jiangzhou, and secondly, to allow Luqiu Yan to appear before Huan Ding.

Now that Huan An shows up unexpectedly, everything changes.

"Oh?" Sima Jun glanced at Lüqiu Yan behind Huan An. "So, what the general calls repaying a favor is colluding with Lüqiu Changshi to murder his brothers?"

Huan An smiled.

His youthful face, contrasting with his white hair, made him look unusually vigorous. He was a stark contrast to the downtrodden look he had shown me in Jiangzhou a few months ago.

"Now that my father has passed away, the throne remains vacant, and the future of Jingzhou is uncertain. Rather than letting a few fools fight and waste time, it is better for the capable to take the throne and unify the situation. Wouldn't that be a blessing for the military and civilians of Jingzhou? Furthermore, my brother was foolish and reckless, even trying to kill the princess. I am doing this to clear her name."

Sima Jun said sternly, "The eldest son is the successor to the Duke of Nanjun and the ruler of Jingzhou. Since he has misunderstandings about Jiangzhou, it is he who should clarify them."

Huan An said, "What I did today was something I had no choice but to do. However, I did not deceive the Crown Prince. What I said just now came from the heart. The Crown Prince and the Princess can rest assured. From now on, there will be no more misunderstandings. This is the territory of Jingzhou. Everything is my family's business. The Crown Prince and the Princess are guests. I dare not disturb them. Please go back."

Sima Jun looked at Huan An with sharp eyes.

"General Huan, have you ever considered the consequences of trying to get the skin of a tiger?"

A voice sounded, and everyone looked over and saw that it was indeed Sun Wei.

She walked forward, looked at Huan An, and said, "Since Chief Clerk Lüqiu was able to murder the Duke of Nanjun and even instigated the general to attack the eldest son, wouldn't he one day treat the general in the same way? The lesson of the past is right before our eyes, won't the general take it as a warning?"

Huan An glanced at Lüqiu Yan, who had remained silent, and said, "Your Highness, you are worrying too much. Lüqiu Changshi has long been under my command and is at my service. Everything he does is for the continued prosperity of the Huan family and the safety of Jingzhou."

Sun Wei was about to speak when Sima Jun interrupted him, "General Huan just said that he would not become an enemy of us. Is he true to his word?"

Huan An looked at Sima Jun and said, "Once I have spoken, I cannot go back on my words. What I seek is nothing more than Jingzhou. The current situation in the world is that the court is weak and the princes have different intentions. Jingzhou and Jiangzhou are closely related. If we go to war, it will only benefit the other party. It will not only be of no benefit to the Crown Prince, but also to me."

Sima Jun looked at Huan Ding lying on the ground and said calmly, "I hope so."

Both sides withdrew their troops and left.

When getting on the carriage, Sun Wei couldn't help but look back at Huan Ding's body.

The chill on my back remained, and cold sweat had already seeped through my clothes.

After returning to the boat, Sun Wei couldn't help but ask Sima Jun, "Did the Crown Prince guess that Huan An would show up here?"