Chapter 132: Pencheng
Deng Lian hesitated, and couldn't help but think of Sima Jun's original words.
——"If that stubborn donkey is stubborn, take her away by force."
"There is always a way out." Sun Wei said, "It's not a desperate situation yet. Sima Deng doesn't need to think about the way out yet."
Deng Lian said anxiously, "If the princess really wants to meet with the officials, if anything happens to her, wouldn't that just give the thieves something to triumph over?"
Sun Wei thought for a moment and asked, "You said you could take me out of the city?"
Deng Lian thought she had figured it out, so he said hurriedly, "You can exit through the palace gate in the northwest corner. Not far away is Lucheng Gate, which is close to the dock. Princess, you can board the ship there."
"Who said I was leaving?" Sun Wei asked, "How far is it from Lucheng Gate to Pencheng?"
Deng Lian was stunned, and he and A Ru asked in unison, "The princess is going to Pencheng?"
"No destruction, no construction." Sun Wei said, "Since it's neither right to see her nor wrong to not see her, then this place is definitely not a place to stay for long. The key to Yao Rong's chess game lies in Pencheng, so we must attack its vital point."
Hearing this, both of their eyes lit up.
"That's right," Deng Lian said excitedly, "What does the princess plan to do?"
"The commander of the 3,000 troops in Pencheng is the Pencheng Wei. Even if Cui Pan cheats his way into the position of Pencheng Sima, he still has someone above him. Even if he has Tian Ying in his hands, there is still a chance of turning things around."
Before leaving, Sun Wei asked someone to collect the bodies of Fu Cheng's family, and called Yu Kuan to go with him.
Yu Kuan declined politely: "This Xunyang Palace was left by the late king, and I will not leave for a single moment."
Sun Wei felt uncomfortable after hearing this.
"It is me that the officials outside the palace are looking for. If I am not here, there is no guarantee that they will not make things difficult for the chief steward."
Yu Kuan smiled and said, "I have lived my whole life in Xunyang, and everyone knows me. My old body is of no use to anyone, and they won't do anything to me. Princess, please be at ease, I have my own ideas."
Seeing him say this, Sun Wei could only say, "I hope the manager takes care of himself."
"I understand," Yu Kuan said, "I am in the palace, waiting for the princess to return."
Sun Wei thought for a moment and then warned, "If anyone asks me where I've been, just say I don't know and don't argue. We can discuss everything after the prince returns."
"The prince is coming back?" Yu Kuan's expression brightened.
Sun Wei just felt bitter in his heart.
She didn't know when Sima Jun would receive the letter or return. But he was the ruler of Jiangzhou, so using his name would definitely be helpful.
"The prince is on his way. Chief Steward Yu knows that he is always decisive and efficient. He will arrive in Xunyang soon."
Yu Kuan agreed and bowed to Sun Wei.
Before leaving, Sun Wei ordered the palace gates to be opened and the news that Prince Yuzhang's concubine had escaped was released.
"Why bother talking about running away? That sounds so harsh." A'ru curled her lips. "I wonder how happy Yao Rong would be to hear that."
"Just make her happy." Sun Wei disagreed, "and then ask her to pay you back double."
Sun Wei brought Huan Xiu out as well.
After all, Yao Rong could kill Fu Cheng's entire family without anyone noticing, so there was no guarantee that she wouldn't let Huan Xiu die in Xunyang Palace as well.
Sun Wei asked Deng Lian to rent a boat for Huan Xiu at the dock and sent several guards to escort Huan Xiu back to Jingzhou.
"Aren't you going to send me back yourself?" Huan Xiu said weakly, still mockingly, "Aren't you afraid that I'll die in Jiangzhou?"
"I can barely protect myself. If you insist on causing trouble for me, I will bear it." Sun Wei said calmly, "It's just that life is not easy. As long as you can live one more day, live well. Go home and die quietly, isn't it good?"
"Go quietly?" Huan Xiu gave a bitter smile but said nothing more.
"I'm leaving." He turned and got on the boat, waving to Sun Wei.
"What exactly is your wish, sir?" Sun Wei suddenly asked.
Huan Xiu's voice came from a distance: "You will know eventually."
A'ru looked at Huan Xiu's boat going away and asked, "Is this the last time we'll see this person?"
Sun Wei said: "His body has collapsed, and even gods can't save him."
——
Pencheng is a small city, and Pencheng Camp is right next to it.
Sun Wei brought A'ru, Deng Lian, and three other guards, a total of six people. It was already dark, and the city gates were closed. However, Deng Lian had a plan and found a place to stay outside the city.
When he was a soldier, he was stationed in Pencheng, so he was very familiar with both inside and outside Pencheng.
The place where they settled was a merchant family.
The owner's brothers often go out of town to do business, leaving only the old man to look after the few houses.
Deng Lian, while stationed in Pengcheng, had become acquainted with the old man because of his proximity. When he had nothing to do, Deng Lian would often come to help, and they became close friends, regardless of age. Now, seeing their old friend, both host and guest were delighted.
The old man served the food warmly and used charcoal fire to warm the house and mattress.
At night, Sun Wei and A Ru slept in one room, and Deng Lian and three guards slept in another.
Deng Lian was familiar with the place and quietly went out to find out the news.
Sun Wei simply washed up and found that Aju kept glancing towards the window.
"The windows are all closed, what can we see?" Sun Wei asked.
"This window faces the corridor. If someone passes by, they'll definitely notice." A'ru retracted her gaze and said, "I'm wondering, if Deng Lian is captured, what should we do?"
"Why was he arrested?"
"He said he has many acquaintances in this town. He recognizes others, but shouldn't others recognize him?" A'ru said, "If he runs into Cui Pan's followers, there's no guarantee they won't be arrested."
Sun Wei wanted to say that she was confused because of her concern, but just as she opened her mouth, she suddenly heard some noise outside.
Both of them hid behind the door alertly.
"Is the princess asleep?" Deng Lian's low voice suddenly sounded outside the door.
Aju's eyes lit up and she quickly opened the door.
Deng Lian slipped in and reported to Sun Wei, "I have found out the whereabouts of Tian Zongguan."
Sun Wei hurriedly asked, "Is he still alive?"
"Still alive."
Sun Wei breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.
"Today at noon, Cui Pan pretended to be the governor of Pencheng and invited guests. Since the messenger was a close confidant of the governor and acquainted with Tian Zongguan, Tian Zongguan didn't suspect anything and went along. Unexpectedly, he was arrested upon entering the tavern and is now being held in the woodshed in the backyard."
"Have you spoken to Manager Tian?"
Deng Lian shook his head. "There are guards there, so I dare not risk it. However, I have learned that Cui Pan has been promoted to the rank of Wei of Pengcheng. I believe that General Tian was forced to appoint Cui Pan and perhaps even surrender his military command."
Sun Wei pondered for a moment and said, "Where is the dismissed Pengcheng Wei now?"
"The Pengcheng lieutenant's surname is Yang. He has a house in the city, so he must be at home."
"The city gate is closed now. Can we go in?"
"That's easy," Deng Lian said. "I know there's a crack in the wall that we can climb. I've had competitions with my comrades before, and I'm sure they're all faster."
The tone was a little smug, and Aju curled the corners of her mouth.
"Why don't Sima Deng be a good guy and tell this General Yang about the news and ask him to meet with Chief Steward Tian?"
Deng Lian understood and said with a smile, "That's a good idea. General Yang is quite stubborn. He must be unhappy about being removed so hastily. I'll go see him right away!"
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