Chapter 162: Interrogation
Yu Kuan and Deng Lian both knelt on the ground and apologized.
Sun Wei knew that the two were determined not to speak, so he said, "You are pretending to be dumb, and I can't do anything about it. Whoever sees the prince last will be the one to question him."
After that, she called A'ru over and said, "Pack up some valuables. I'm going to Beijing to find Wang Zhi."
Deng Lian hurriedly said, "Princess, please reconsider! Without the Queen Mother's order, you cannot return to the capital! If you rush to the capital, won't you be giving others a handle to use against you?"
Sun Wei ignored his words and only said to A Ru: "What are you waiting for?"
Aju had no choice but to respond and hurried to the bedroom.
Just as Sun Wei was about to leave, Deng Lian blocked her path and said, "Please reconsider, Princess!"
"If I don't listen, will Sima Deng arrest me?"
"I dare not!" Deng Lian said, "but the prince has ordered that no matter what happens, the princess must not leave Xunyang Palace until he returns."
Sun Wei sneered: "He really did say something else, right?"
Deng Lian remained silent.
"When will he be back?"
Deng Lian shook his head: "I don't know."
"So, even if the prince can't come back due to something, you will just sit back and watch?"
Deng Lian suddenly looked up at her and saw that she was furious and her eyes were aggressive.
Yu Kuan sighed and said, "Princess, please don't embarrass Sima Deng any further. He has been worried about you these days, but there's nothing he can do. If you want to know anything, just ask me."
"Steward!" Deng Lian advised, "The Crown Prince has ordered that nothing be said."
"Isn't Sima worried about the Crown Prince?" Yu Kuan asked, "Isn't it a good thing to have the princess help with advice?"
Deng Lian hesitated and said nothing.
Sun Wei said to Yu Kuan, "Please tell me in detail what happened on the day the prince returned from Jingzhou."
Yu Kuan agreed and said, "That day, the Crown Prince met with Doctor Wang in Lijing Pavilion. I was also at the Crown Prince's side at the time. Doctor Wang came with a decree from the Minister of Five Armies, ordering the Jiangzhou army to immediately attack Jingzhou, capture Huan alive, and escort her to the capital. The Crown Prince refused to send troops, citing filial piety. Doctor Wang was unable to persuade him, so he produced the Queen Mother's decree, ordering the Princess to return to the palace immediately."
really.
Sun Wei thought that the Queen Mother must have known that it would not be easy to get Sima Jun to send troops, so she sacrificed her.
"And then?"
"Then, the Crown Prince said that the Princess was recuperating in the palace and not in Xunyang. Doctor Wang then produced a second decree, recalling the Crown Prince back to Jiankang."
Sun Wei was very surprised.
"So, the Crown Prince is in Jiankang?"
"Exactly."
Sun Wei asked, "What did the prince order before he left?"
"The prince said that he returned to the capital only to be reprimanded by the empress dowager, which was nothing serious. But if the princess returns, she will probably be pissed off. Therefore, the prince ordered us to keep it a secret from the princess at all costs. If we really can't hide it, we must find a way to keep her in Xunyang Palace. The prince is always concerned about the princess's safety. I hope the princess will not come to the capital and don't let the prince down!"
After he said that, he bowed deeply.
Sun Wei glared at him and angrily said, "How foolish! The steward is also an old man close to the Crown Prince, but he doesn't know that he is just that conceited! Since Wang Hao and his like have the ability to instigate the Queen Mother to recall the Crown Prince to the capital, who can guarantee what they will do next? Do you think that hiding it from me will help? If anything happens to the Crown Prince, won't we all just wait for death in Xunyang Palace?"
Yu Kuan just kowtowed and said, "It is my fault!"
Sun Wei took a deep breath and after a while, opened his eyes.
Outside the palace, the sky was blue and cloudless.
"Everyone, get up." She calmed down a bit and said, "Since the steward has decided to speak out about this, it's clear that he knows he can't put it off any longer. At this point, please don't hide anything."
Both of them agreed.
Sun Wei looked at Deng Lian and asked, "When will Director Deng receive news about the Crown Prince?"
Deng Lian lowered his head and said, "The night before the Crown Prince returned to the capital, he instructed me to protect the princess and not leave Xunyang if anything happened. Since then, there has been no news from him. I was worried, so I wrote to General Chu, asking him to inquire about the Crown Prince's whereabouts. General Chu said that the Crown Prince's life was not in danger, but the Queen Mother was very dissatisfied with him and had him confined to reflect on his mistakes."
More than twenty days have passed.
As expected, all of Sima Jun's subordinates were loyal to him.
"So, the prince is still under house arrest?"
"I think so," Deng Lian said, "If the prince comes out, he will definitely pass on the news here."
Sun Wei wasn't actually worried about Sima Jun's safety. Even the Queen Mother, however foolish, wouldn't actually harm her own grandson. And with the Crown Prince acting as a guarantor, Wang Han couldn't touch him for the time being.
She was worried about the war in Kuaiji.
Sima Jun had laid out a vast network across the Three Wus, encompassing Beifu, Jiangzhou, and Jingzhou, and encompassing most of the imperial forces. Without him, even directing them would be a hassle, and the entire situation would be doomed.
The most urgent task is to find out the current situation in Jiankang City.
Sun Wei thought of Zhou Chang.
But Zhou Chang was in the Princess's Mansion, so it was not appropriate for her to send a letter directly to Zhou Chang.
She said to Deng Lian, "I have a letter. Please, Sima, send someone to Kuaiji as soon as possible and give it to Ruan Hui."
Deng Lian quickly agreed.
In the letter, Sun Wei asked Ruan Hui two questions.
One was to ask Ruan Hui to inquire about Sima Jun's situation and the Queen Mother's intentions through Zhou Chang, and the other was to inquire about Kuaiji's preparations for war.
Her letter will be delivered soon.
When Deng Lian returned to report, Sun Wei said, "Sir Deng, you've worked hard these days."
Deng Lian was somewhat surprised, then lowered his head and said, "This is my duty, so it's not hard work. I'm just worried about the Crown Prince. He has great ambitions to eradicate the rebellion in the Three Wus, but he's trapped in Jiankang at a critical moment. I understand his distress, but I can't do anything to help."
Sun Wei knew that Deng Lian was just following orders.
This is a person who is loyal to Sima Jun.
In his previous life, he died defending Xunyang City. Sima Jun ordered him to guard the north gate, but he refused to retreat even after the city was breached, and was ultimately killed by the insurgents.
"The Crown Prince has his own considerations," Sun Wei said, "but he's imprisoned, so how can he plan much? At a time like this, only if we work together can we help him escape this predicament."
Deng Lian agreed and added, "The prince only wants to protect the princess."
Sun Wei looked at him and said seriously, "Do you think that I should be grateful to the prince for protecting me?"
Deng Lian said awkwardly, "That is not what I meant."
Sun Wei looked at him, then looked outside the hall.
In her previous life, the last time she saw Deng Lian and this palace, the situation was extremely critical. The sky was stained with flames, and everything was crumbling. And she never imagined that the man who would protect her at the cost of his own life would be Sima Jun.
"Sima Deng," Sun Wei said softly, "If you want to protect others, you must first protect yourself. Otherwise, the person you are protecting will also suffer endless pain."
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