Chapter 270 Stubborn

Sima Jun nodded.

"I don't know if it will work, but I can only try my best," he said. "Right now, the only person in the court who can suppress Wang Hom is the Empress Dowager. If the Empress Dowager and Wang Hom are on the same page, no one will be able to influence him. This situation is inherently unsolvable, but it just so happens that His Majesty is out of retreat during the New Year holiday. He only appears once a year, so the Empress Dowager and Wang Hom won't deny him respect."

"So, the prince went to see His Majesty before leaving the capital?"

"Of course it was too late." Sima Jun said, "Master went to see me on my behalf."

Sun Wei was even more surprised: "But I heard that the relationship between the Grand Tutor and the Emperor is not good."

"That's why no one is suspicious," Sima Jun said. "No one cares what they talk about."

Sun Wei nodded and asked, "How did you know that His Majesty would agree to stand on your side?"

"There's something, Madam, you might not know. Last year, His Majesty wanted to build the Wangxian Terrace, but Wang Han dissuaded him, citing the ongoing war and tight treasury situation. His Majesty was furious and scolded Wang Han for inciting war. To appease His Majesty, Wang Han agreed to build the terrace for His Majesty this year."

Sun Wei realized: "So the emperor is willing to come forward because he is worried that the Wangxiantai will not be completed again?"

"Of course it is. Do you think he really cares about me? His Majesty only cares about cultivating immortality."

Sun smiled and said, "So, the prince really did ask for a peace amulet for His Majesty?"

Sima Jun looked bewildered: "What amulet?"

As expected.

"I don't think the prince would care about these details, so the Grand Tutor must have done it for him. He is very thoughtful for the prince."

After Sun Wei finished speaking, he told Sima Jun about the Qingwei Terrace peace talisman.

Sima Jun, however, was quite unimpressed and said, "Grandmaster, you are really going to such trouble. It's such an ordinary thing, it doesn't matter whether you have it or not."

"Your Highness, you must know how to appreciate a good heart. If you didn't have this, how could His Majesty praise you for nothing and then let this matter pass?" Sun Wei said, "The Grand Tutor has helped you so much. Now that you have some free time, you should thank him in person."

Sima Jun agreed, but said, "We have to wait until the matter is completed. Since I asked him to say in public that I am still in Jingzhou, I will not show up for the time being."

Sun Wei asked, "Is this action of yours to protect Huan An?"

"That's right. If Huan An disappears, some people will be anxious." Sima Jun said calmly, "Anxiety will reveal the truth."

Sun Wei asked again: "Is he in the palace?"

"Don't bring him here," Sima Jun said. "Many people covet him. For his own safety, I've placed him in Jingkou and asked Zhuo Jing to assign someone to guard him. Only my wife and I know about this."

Sun Weikuan calmed down.

"Although the Crown Prince easily resolved this conflict, it's not over yet. Wang Han's goal is to seize Jingzhou, and even if his assault fails, he won't give up. Jingzhou is currently leaderless, and I'm afraid Wang Han is already making plans."

"Madam, what do you think he will do?" Sima Jun asked.

"In my opinion, his first plan is to ask the court to appoint a new governor for Jingzhou."

Sima Jun said, "I think this is quite unwise."

"How do you mean?"

"As for Jingzhou, brute force is worse than strategy. His previous goal in conquering Jingzhou was not only to kill Huan An, but more importantly, to seize the opportunity to wipe out the remaining Huan clan forces in Jingzhou. Given the current situation in Jingzhou, even if the governor appointed by Wang Han managed to reach Jingzhou, he wouldn't be able to maintain it for long without a bloodbath."

Sun Wei pondered for a moment and agreed with it.

"That being said. However, Wang Hao does not have a strong army. I believe that no matter how difficult it is, he will definitely arrange for the Governor of Jingzhou to go there first."

Sima Jun pondered, "This is indeed his style. I will meet with the Crown Prince in secret and ask him to try to dissuade him."

Sun Wei thought for a moment and said, "When the Crown Prince meets the Prince, instead of just discussing how to deal with Wang Hao, it would be better to discuss the matter of taking Jingzhou."

"What does Madam mean?"

"Jingzhou has been under the control of the Huan clan for many years. It's time for it to return to the imperial court. Even Wang Han knows it's time to take advantage of the situation. Since the Crown Prince has Huan'an, and it's adjacent to Jingzhou, why not seize Jingzhou in one fell swoop? Firstly, it will put an end to Wang Han's rebellion. Secondly, with the Crown Prince in charge of Jingzhou and Jiangzhou in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, the threat to Jiankang upstream can be eliminated. It's a two-pronged approach."

Sima Jun smiled.

"What Madam said, in fact, I had discussed it with the Crown Prince long before we set out."

"Oh?" Sun Wei asked, "What did the prince say?"

"The Crown Prince has certainly agreed. However, the selection of the Governor of Jingzhou is not something the Crown Prince can decide on his own. To put it bluntly, if Wang Han is determined not to let the Crown Prince intervene, the Crown Prince will be unable to do anything about it."

This is indeed a problem.

The prince was weak and could not defeat Wang Han.

Seeing Sun Wei's silence, Sima Jun said, "Jingzhou is a tough nut to crack right now. I think as long as Lü Qiuyan isn't allowed to take it, no one will be able to escape unscathed. We can still make long-term plans for Jingzhou, but the most important thing right now is to find a way to capture Lü Qiuyan."

"I'm afraid that Lu Qiuyan got the news that Huan An was captured and secretly returned to Jingzhou."

"That's great." Sima Jun smiled. "I was just worried he wouldn't show up. If he dares to return to Jingzhou, there will be a net waiting for him."

Sun Wei was puzzled: "Did the prince already have arrangements in Jingzhou?"

"Lüqiu Yan once wreaked havoc in Xunyang, so how could I not be on guard against Jingzhou? Last year, I ordered Yang Quan to establish a stronghold in Jingzhou, and now I'm sending a capable general there."

"who?"

"Ruan Hui."

Sun Wei's brows suddenly relaxed.

Even though Ruan Hui had not gotten along with her in her previous life, Sun Wei felt particularly at ease as long as the matter was handed over to Ruan Hui.

"Mr. Ruan has left Kuaiji?" she asked.

"The situation in Kuaiji has stabilized, and the next step is to recuperate. Ruan Hui is a man of strategy, so I will naturally recruit him into my fold. Since Fu Cheng's death, the position of Chief Secretary has been vacant, and I intend to promote him to the position. However, he is still young and I'm afraid he won't be able to convince the people. I sent him to Jingzhou to train him."

"That's great." Sun Wei nodded with satisfaction.

"Madam, are you finally relieved?"

Sun Wei said, "It's too early to say I'm relieved, but things are finally showing some signs of progress. The prince is doing things more reliably, and I'm very pleased."

She said this in a very old-fashioned way. I don't know if she is addicted to pretending and really thinks she is the concubine.

Sima Jun was a little unhappy.

Seeing his expression suddenly turn cold, Sun Wei remained silent and asked, "Is there something else troubling you, my prince?"

Sima Jun looked at her and suddenly said, "I remember that I am two years older than you, Madam."

Sun Wei said: "So what?"

"Since I am older than you, Madam, you should stop treating me like a child."

Sun Wei disagreed.

"But the prince often acts like a child."

"when?"

"When you are stubborn."

Sima Jun naturally remembered that when they returned to Beijing from Guangzhou, they talked about the marriage with Wang family with Zhou Chang, and Sun Wei scolded him for being stubborn.

The two of them have not moved on from this matter until today.