Chapter 143 Exchange
"It sounds like Huan Xiu and Huan An were very close. The Duke of Nanjun actually believes that Huan Xiu's death was related to Huan An?"
Lu Qiuyan said, "The other sons of the Huan family are indeed afraid of the Sixth Young Master and are constantly making things difficult for him. But how can the Princess know that the Duke of Nanjun is not afraid of the Sixth Young Master?"
Sun Wei was very surprised.
"Duke Nanjun is afraid of Huan An?"
"Exactly. The Duke of Nanjun is already old, and he fears anyone who could threaten him. Looking around, his sons and daughters are mediocre in talent, but Huan An alone has a promising future. He fears Huan An will climb higher and higher, and one day surpass him."
Sun Wei found it unbelievable.
"The Duke of Nanjun is Huan An's father," she said. "Even if Huan An seizes power one day, how could it be detrimental to the Duke of Nanjun?"
"The Sixth Young Master's biological mother died at the hands of the mistress. Not only did the Duke of Nanjun suppress the matter, he also turned a blind eye to Huan An, allowing him to be bullied." Lu Qiuyan said, "The Duke of Nanjun is an extremely suspicious person. How could he think that the Sixth Young Master had no resentment in his heart?"
Sun Wei understood: "So, now that you gentlemen want to convict Huan An, is this also the tacit approval of the Duke of Nanjun?"
Lu Qiuyan nodded. "The Huan family is preparing for the funeral these days, and they have no intention of causing more bloodshed. Once the funeral is over, Huan An will be dead."
Sun Wei looked at him: "What are the plans, Chief Secretary?"
"I can save Huan An for the prince."
Sun Wei said meaningfully: "Replace?"
"That's right. After I rescue Huan An, I will send him to Xunyang. Then, the Crown Prince will become Huan An's benefactor. Huan An is a man who knows how to repay a favor. When the Duke of Nanjun sends his troops, the Crown Prince will order Huan An to intercept the vanguard camp in Jiangzhou and rush to Kuaiji. The vanguard camp only has 8,000 people, but with Huan An's prestige in the army, he has enough ability to take away 20,000 people."
Sun Wei had no idea that Huan An had the ability to intercept 20,000 people by himself.
"How could the Duke of Nanjun suffer this loss?" she couldn't help but ask.
"The Duke of Nanjun was in the center of the army and was unaware of the vanguard's actions. By the time he discovered what was happening, Huan An had already intercepted them. Furthermore, the Duke of Nanjun sent his troops under the pretext of aiding Kuaiji. Huan An had every right to lead his troops to Kuaiji, and he must bear this loss."
It has to be said that although Lu Qiuyan's plan was bold, it was still a brilliant one.
The key lies in Huan An.
See how much hatred he has for the Huan family and how capable he is.
"This is quite risky. I cannot agree to the Chief Secretary without authorization. I must discuss it with the Crown Prince." Sun Wei said.
"However, the Crown Prince is not in Xunyang right now, and I'm afraid I can't wait for you two to discuss it. If you want to rescue them, I will set off back to Jingzhou shortly and then take action to rescue them. I will send them here in ten days." Lu Qiuyan said, "The Princess can make the decision on borrowing troops, so why delay?"
Sun Wei's words were merely a way to get him to clarify things. Seeing this, he stopped beating around the bush.
"In that case, I'll have to trouble the Chief to rescue him." After saying that, she changed the subject, "However, whether to use him or not, and how to use him, is my business."
"That's as it should be. The princess is in her hands, and I have no say in that." Lu Qiuyan said with a smile, "However, since the princess has used my strategy, she must keep her promise and hand Cui Pan over to me. I wonder if the princess can make this decision for the prince?"
"If it's not possible, why would the Chief Secretary come here to discuss this with me?" Sun Wei said, "Huan An will be exchanged for Cui Pan. It's a deal."
When Sun Wei made this decision, he was not thinking about the present, but the future.
Cui Pan might not be able to bring down Lü Qiuyan. After all, he only had his mouth, and Lü Qiuyan was Huan Yi's man. With Huan Yi's protection, Cui Pan could say anything he wanted, and the court would be powerless.
But Huan An is a rare and good general.
In his previous life, he had made Lü Qiuyan suffer immensely, and it took immense effort to kill him. If he could have joined Sima Jun's camp, even if he didn't have to deal with Lü Qiuyan, he would still have a lot to offer.
Sun Wei thought it was worthwhile to exchange Cui Pan for Huan An.
There's just one snag.
Sima Jun would definitely not understand.
She knew that Sima Jun did not believe in fortune-telling, so in addition to writing the fortune-telling letter, she also listed many of Huan An's advantages in the letter, hoping that Sima Jun would come to his senses and agree to the matter.
After sending the letter, Sun Wei anxiously waited for Sima Jun's reply.
A'ru muttered, "The princess is in charge of such a big thing. Will the prince be so angry that he drives her away?"
Sun Wei thought of Sima Jun's cold face and was actually a little uncertain.
After all, when he left, although he entrusted the matter of meeting Lü Qiuyan to her, he certainly never expected that Lü Qiuyan would have so many tricks.
But Sima Jun didn't let her wait too long.
In the letter, he said that he would come back on the day agreed with Lu Qiuyan.
Sun Wei let out a long sigh.
But then, she saw the last sentence of the letter.
Sima Jun said that she owed him 20,000 soldiers.
Sun Wei was stunned.
She knew Sima Jun very well. He didn't like to joke, especially in his letters.
She stared at the words, lost in thought, wondering what they meant. After much thought, she felt that this should be a rebuke.
However, it is not extremely serious.
Because when he is extremely angry, he won't say a word.
Just like in his previous life, when he learned that Sun Wei had ruined his marriage with Cui Mi, he almost stopped seeing her, and the relationship between them was only in name.
Sun Wei calmed himself down, called A'ru, and asked her to inform Yu Kuan that Sima Jun would be back in four days.
"The Crown Prince really won't drive you away?" Unexpectedly, after reading the letter, A'ru said, "It's a big taboo for a person like the Crown Prince to act on his own initiative. Princess, you'd better make some preparations and hide some money, so you won't be penniless after being driven out."
My heart was suddenly lifted up.
Sun Wei forced himself to remain calm and said, "Don't worry, the prince won't vent his anger on me."
"Really?" Aju was suspicious.
Sun Wei did not answer, but said, "Go and tell my message, don't delay."
——
Sima Jun's boat indeed reached the shore four days later.
The place where Lu Qiuyan agreed to meet him was right at Shuigang.
In his previous letter, Sima Jun told Sun Wei to stay in the palace and not to show up. Sun Wei had no choice but to stay in the palace and wait for news.
"The Crown Prince and Lüqiu Changshi are meeting on a boat," Deng Lian reported back. "He said if anything happens, he'll send someone to inform the princess."
Sun Wei asked him, "What was the tone of your voice when the prince said this?"
Deng Lian thought for a moment and said, "It's just a normal tone, nothing special."
Sun Wei nodded and let him leave.
A'ru looked at Sun Wei and said, "If the princess is so anxious, why not go to the harbor and take a look yourself? It's not the first time the princess has acted on her own."
"Who said I was anxious?" Sun Wei said calmly, "He asked me to wait here, and I'm too lazy to rush around."
Aju looked at her pacing feet, sighed, and said nothing more.
In the afternoon, Sima Jun finally sent a message, inviting Sun Wei to go to Lijing Pavilion.
That was the first time Sun Wei met Huan An.
He was about the same age as Sima Jun, but looked a few years older than Sima Jun, with a much more vicissitudes of life and a thinner face.
When Sun Wei arrived at Lijing Pavilion, the imperial physician was treating Huan An's injuries.
Sima Jun looked exhausted and even seemed a little darker than the last time I saw him.
"This is the Consort," Sima Jun said to Huan An, "She saved you."
Huan An immediately stood up, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times to Sun Wei.
"Princess, I will repay your life-saving grace with my life!"
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