Chapter 269: Catching a Thief (Part 2)

Someone strode over and said with a bow, "Your Highness respectfully welcomes the princess back to the palace."

Sun Wei was surprised and asked, "How did Sima Deng know that I would be returning home tonight?"

"That's what the Master said."

"Grand Tutor?" Sun Wei was stunned. In a flash, Sun Wei suddenly understood the emperor's actions today. It was probably related to Zhou Chang.

"It's cold, Princess, please get in the carriage quickly!" Deng Lian said, lifted the curtain and let Sun Wei get in.

Just as A-ru was about to get on the carriage with Sun Wei, Deng Lian stopped her and said, "Take the other one."

Without waiting for Aju to ask any questions, Deng Lian lowered the curtain and took Aju to another carriage.

Sun Wei naturally didn't know what was happening outside. As soon as he entered the carriage, he saw the people inside and was stunned.

She didn't know what to say for a moment. She had just been discussing with Aju how his sudden appearance last year had resolved the lonely New Year's Eve, and how there wouldn't be another one this year...

I only heard him say in a low voice: "Why are you stunned?"

The next moment, she was pulled over by a warm and strong hand.

In the darkness of the night, only the light from the lanterns outside occasionally shines through the swaying curtains, reflecting the gentle outline of the person in front of me.

Sun Wei opened her eyes wide and looked at Sima Jun.

"Prince..."

"I'm back." Sima Jun said.

His voice was low and very gentle.

The carriage was small, and even Sun Wei and A'ru were a bit cramped when riding there. Sima Jun was much taller than A'ru, so squeezing in made it even more cramped.

Sun Wei had no choice but to sit next to him.

His body was very warm, almost like he was holding her in his arms.

That long-lost feeling seemed to be hidden deep in my memory, brightening up a little spark.

Sun Wei couldn't help but move aside and put some distance between them.

"How is Madam?" Sima Jun's voice came from above his head.

"I'm fine." She came back to her senses and replied.

Sima Jun said nothing.

In the dim carriage, Sun Wei felt that his eyes became deeper, as if he was hiding something.

He only heard him ask, "Has the Queen Mother ever troubled Madam?"

"No." Sun Wei asked hurriedly, "Did the prince really go to arrest Huan An?"

"Exactly."

"Is the prince injured?"

Sima Jun was a little surprised.

"Madam, why don't you ask me first if I have captured Huan An?"

Sun Wei said, "Huan An has a large army under his command, so it's reasonable that he can't be captured. If the Crown Prince rashly tries to capture him and gets hurt, wouldn't that be more harm than good?"

Sima Jun was a little displeased.

This woman is always so unlucky, as if he is an incompetent person who will die if he is not careful.

"I'm not injured." Sima Juan said lightly.

Sun Wei didn't believe it, so he took advantage of the light from outside to carefully examine him. Seeing that he was indeed fine, he was relieved.

She glanced at Sima Jun and then asked, "Did the prince capture Huan An?"

Sima Juan's expression remained stern: "I caught him."

Sun Wei was surprised: "Did you catch him in Jingzhou?"

"He is in Jingzhou, so naturally we went to Jingzhou to capture him."

"Just the prince?"

"Not only that, there's also Deng Lian."

Even though his tone was unfriendly, Sun Wei still showed disbelief.

"With just the two of you?" she said, "but he has at least a hundred thousand soldiers under his command."

Seeing her shocked expression, Sima Jun was in a good mood.

He held his head high and said, "What's the use of a hundred thousand men? I will use my military strategy to win by wits."

Sun Wei understood: "Could it be that the prince is cheating?"

Sima Jun disagreed: "He caused such a big disaster, so what if I cheated him?"

Sun Wei couldn't help but smile.

"Your Highness never cheated before," she said. "You always said that open schemes are the most honest."

Sima Jun looked at her, somewhat puzzled.

"Did I say that?"

Sun Wei remembered that he had never said that.

To be exact, I have never said it in my life.

"It's okay to cheat." She then changed the subject, saying, "Even if the prince really sent troops to attack him, he would not be his opponent. Now that the prince has spared him the suffering of war, he should be grateful to the prince."

These words were somewhat flattering. Sima Jun glanced at her, and in the dim light, the corners of his lips curved up.

"At that time, when I learned that the Crown Prince had been staying indoors, I guessed that he must have gone somewhere." Sun Wei said, "But I didn't expect that the Crown Prince would actually go to Jingzhou."

The sound of horse hooves echoed in the lonely street.

Sima Jun still remembers his mood that day.

"That day, when I heard that the Queen Mother had detained my wife in the palace, I knew she had seen through my feigned illness. Continuing would not only be futile, but would also implicate my wife. Continuing was not a solution. I had to find another way. This matter had originally stemmed from a personal grudge within the Huan family, but Wang Han exploited it to spark war. To stop Wang Han from declaring war, we had to address the source. So, I thought of Huan Ding."

Sun Wei listened and felt something in her heart, an indescribable feeling.

He did this to save himself...

Sun Wei asked again, "How did the prince deceive you?"

Sima Jun said, "Huan An already knew that the Yu family mother and daughter were coming to the capital. I informed him in a letter that the people of the capital were boiling with resentment, but I did not want to go to war with Jingzhou. It would be best if we could have a face-to-face meeting to discuss countermeasures. He had just secured his position as head of the family and was reluctant to fight, so he agreed. The meeting took place on the Baling River. I only brought Deng Lian, and he only brought a few close associates. However, I had already bribed the boatman. Once the boat left the shore, it would be headed for Jiangzhou. Once it entered Jiangzhou territory, it would be Jiangzhou's navy, and it would be too late for him to detect it."

Sun Wei was surprised: "Huan An actually trusts the prince so much."

"We saved his life earlier and helped him return to Jingzhou, so he naturally trusts me." Sima Jun said confidently, "Besides, I really don't want to start a war, and I didn't lie to him. I just think it's okay to ask him to go with him."

Sun Wei smiled helplessly and asked, "After capturing him, Prince, you rushed back overnight? Why were you so anxious?"

——The storm is coming, the war is about to begin, Ziheng, think carefully. By then, Ziheng will be exhausted from fighting, how can he protect the princess?

Sima Jun looked at her with deep eyes.

"Now that the matter is settled, we cannot delay it," he said. "Otherwise, there will be more trouble and complications. No place is as safe as Jiankang," he said.

Sun Wei thought about it and agreed.

"Does the prince really intend to hand Huan An over to Madam Yu to vent his anger?" Sun Wei asked again.

Sima Jun shook his head.

"Huan An is neither my enemy nor my friend. I don't need to let him die. Let's keep him here for now and make a decision after we find Lu Qiuyan."

"Sir, do you think Lü Qiuyan is about to be found?"

"It's almost there," Sima Jun said. "I've interrupted his plans. If he doesn't show up again, he'll have no chance to persuade Wang Han. Although Wang Han has ambitions for Jingzhou, he's already failed once, and Wang Han will lose his trust in him."

Sun Wei nodded. "What was going on in the palace just now, between the Grand Tutor and His Majesty? They were both singing the same tune. Could it be that the Crown Prince arranged this?"