Chapter 120: Strategy
She smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the fisherman also knows where Lu's body is. And as luck would have it, the body has rotted away for so long that it's unrecognizable, right?"
"That's right," Sima Jun said calmly. "Master Cha advised Chief Steward Yu to try to get this letter to Jiankang and present it to the Empress Dowager."
Sun Wei knew that this was directed at her again.
Then, she thought of Lu Qiuyan.
"Does the prince believe it?" she asked.
"Whether I believe it or not is another matter," Sima Jun said. "But Chief Steward Yu doesn't believe it. He said that the lady always cares about the Yuzhang Palace and is not the ugly person the tea farmers say. He advised me to send someone to investigate and not to believe one side of the story."
Sun Wei was stunned.
Sima Jun's gaze was profound. "Now, even Chief Steward Yu is on Madam's side. Madam is quite capable. She has bribed all my men."
Sun smiled.
"Your Highness's subordinates are all upright people, and I am also an upright person. We appreciate each other, so how can I bribe them?" Sun Wei said, "I have also said many good things on behalf of General Manager Yu. If Your Highness doesn't believe me, you can ask Sima Deng."
Sima Jun didn't give her the chance to bask in pride. "This plan is both ruthless and accurate. If Chief Steward Yu had actually delivered the letter to the Empress Dowager, the consequences would have been disastrous."
Sun Wei said, "Your Highness also knows that this tea doctor has connections with Lü Qiuyan. She or Lü Qiuyan may not necessarily want to put me to death. But if the letter falls into the hands of the Queen Mother, I will have no choice but to return to Jiankang. They just want me to leave Xunyang."
Sima Jun pondered.
This incident also served as a wake-up call for him.
Lu Qiuyan was obviously so wary because he had heard and witnessed Sun Wei's abilities.
And why was he so apprehensive? It was obvious that he was interested in Jiangzhou.
Sima Jun wasn't surprised by this. The Huan clan had always been unwilling to remain in a corner, and their ambitions had long been an open secret. Earlier, when the Wang and Xie clans fought in the palace, the Huan clan could only watch from the sidelines. Now that the Xie clan had fallen on hard times and Huan Yi was already old, how could he remain in hiding?
"Earlier in Jiankang, I asked Madam if the Huan clan would send troops. Madam said there would be no danger in the spring. Now that spring is approaching, I wonder if Madam could predict the safety of the summer?"
"As long as I am here, Jiangzhou will be safe."
Sima Jun said nothing.
"Madam, aren't you afraid?" he asked after a long time.
What was she afraid of? She already knew what she feared most, and the rest was no problem.
She smiled at Sima Jun. As long as the person before her was alive, she had nothing to fear.
"Don't be afraid." She said, "Don't worry, my lord. Lu Qiuyan can't get rid of me."
"Why?"
"It's what the divination says."
Now, when Sima Jun heard this, although he was speechless, his heart was calm.
The divination basically means that she doesn't want to say it.
Did he admit it?
Sima Jun asked himself.
He thought helplessly, as if he had accepted it.
Sun Wei asked about the situation in Kuaiji again and was shocked to hear one thing - Ruan Hui was stabbed, but fortunately the wound was not in a vital part and he survived.
Sima Jun said, "Only after arriving in Kuaiji did I understand why the prefect of Kuaiji was so frightened that he didn't even dare to leave the house and took no action. He was lazy in his administration, to be sure, but mostly he was just being afraid of his own life."
"Has the murderer been caught?" Sun Wei asked.
Sima Jun shook his head. "It was nighttime, and he stabbed and then fled. I didn't even get a clear look at the man. But it's almost certain. The assassin is probably from the local noble family. The most vicious enemies of the government right now aren't the remnants of the Three Immortals Sect, but these noble families."
"oh?"
"Legends such as Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang of Wu County, and Xie, Yu, Wei, and Kong of Kuaiji, all had bad relations with the government. The Three Immortals Sect, under the banner of saving the people from disaster, ultimately destroyed the people's livelihoods and enriched these aristocrats, allowing them to accumulate slaves and seize land. How ironic."
Sun Wei fell silent.
As Sima Jun said, this is indeed an unresolved issue.
Since the migration of the elite to the south, the gentry who came from the north have settled in the south and have had many conflicts with the local gentry.
Kong Qi was a shrewd man. He knew the local gentry resented the imperial court and outsiders, so he constantly courted them, isolating and even killing the expatriate gentry and county officials. This wasn't just flattery; despite his defeat, Kong Qi maintained a covert control over the local bureaucracy. He not only appointed prominent local scholars to official positions but also distributed land, retainers, and tenants owned by the expatriate gentry, providing them with numerous tangible benefits. This in turn made the local gentry even more treacherous in their defiance of the imperial court.
At this time, the imperial court dispatched a clerk named Ruan Hui from Kuaiji. Although he held a low rank, he dared to leave his home. Furthermore, he traveled extensively, observing the people's sentiments and reporting to the court. This was a significant threat to anyone.
Sun Wei thought for a moment and said, "The threat from the aristocracy is a thorn in our side. We must plan slowly and not expect a quick fix. When the Ming Emperor moved south, he put a lot of thought into winning over the local aristocracy in order to gain a foothold. After the Kongqi Rebellion, the local aristocracy would never again easily compromise with the court or the aristocratic families. The situation faced by the Crown Prince and Ruan Hui is even worse than that faced by the Ming Emperor back then."
"I know. The Grand Tutor also advised me to be patient," Sima Jun said, with a wry smile. "For this reason, he even dragged me aside to talk about the strategies of the Ming Emperor after he went south. I listened until I was almost sleepy, and I even got scolded."
Sun Weixiao asked, "Sir, do you want to hear my suggestion?"
"I'm all ears."
"I think the most urgent thing is for Ruan Hui to make his intentions clear. For now, remember not to compete with these powerful families for profit," Sun Wei said. "Ruan Hui should find a respected elder from the aristocratic family and proactively show him goodwill. He should explain that his purpose is simply to alleviate the famine and attract the villagers back, not to seize power. The aristocratic families need tenants to cultivate their land as they expand their holdings. The return of the villagers will only benefit them, not harm them. Only those with similar ideals can work together."
Sima Jun nodded and said, "I have some connections with the Wujun Gu family. I can ask them to come forward."
"That's very good. But the Crown Prince can only do this secretly. Remember not to show up in public. You must be the face of the Crown Prince. Once the connections are established, the Crown Prince can negotiate in the name of the Crown Prince, which will convince people."
"How to discuss it?"
Sun Wei said, "Most of the noble families are dependents, and they contribute nothing to taxes, military service, or labor service. If the Crown Prince does not touch them, in exchange for this, he can ensure safety. Once the Crown Prince becomes powerful in Kuaiji, they will no longer be able to touch him, and they will have nothing to fear."
Sima Jun pondered it carefully for a while and looked relieved.
"No wonder Chang Xuan said after returning that he benefited greatly from Madam's advice. Madam's strategy is truly extraordinary." Sima Jun said, "What the Grand Tutor said was mostly empty talk; but what Madam said was much more practical than what the Grand Tutor said."
Sun Wei felt guilty again, laughed dryly, and said, "It's just my family's teachings. The prince will figure out these methods sooner or later. I'm the one who said it first."
This is the truth.
Sima Jun was about to say something, but Sun Wei interrupted him: "Your Highness, you must not tell the Grand Tutor what you said. The Grand Tutor is narrow-minded and cannot stand provocation."
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