Chapter 165: Selling Paintings
Following Sun Wei's instructions, Cao Song asked to see Zhou Chang again.
After Princess Wanshou left, Zhou Chang ordered his attendants to bring Cao Song into the mansion.
When Zhou Chang saw Cao Song, he asked, "Did Lu return to Xunyang?"
"To reply to the Grand Tutor, the Concubine has already gone back."
Zhou Chang breathed a sigh of relief.
"After spending more than half a year in Xunyang Palace, she's become quite obedient," he said. "Does she have anything else to say?"
Cao Song replied, "The Imperial Tutor refused to see the Concubine, and she was very confused. She did have something to say to him. However, the Imperial Tutor's words made sense, and she was afraid the Empress Dowager would find out, so she returned home that day. Whatever she didn't have time to say, I'll pass on."
Zhou Chang looked somewhat smug.
"This woman is quite sensible. Tell me, what does she want you to tell her?"
Cao Song replied respectfully, "The Concubine said that the Grand Tutor seemed unable to leave the capital, and that the house on Mount Lu was useless. So the Concubine decided to give the house to someone else."
Hearing this, Zhou Chang was stunned for a moment, then his face changed color.
"Did she really say that?"
"Absolutely true."
Zhou Chang suddenly sat up from the couch.
"What a jerk! Mrs. Lu." He glared. "Who gave her the courage? That's my house!"
"The Concubine said that not only the house, but the entire Lushan Mountain is within the Yuzhang Prince's fiefdom, and as the princess, she can dispose of it all." Cao Song said, "The Concubine also said that there are some calligraphy and paintings inside, many of which are works by famous artists, and it would be a pity to abandon them. She originally planned to discuss the disposal of the property with the Grand Tutor in person, but since the Grand Tutor refused to see her, she sold it after returning."
Zhou Chang's face turned grim. He stood up and walked around the room a few steps, still fuming. He pointed out the window and cursed, "The Lu family is bullying me too much!"
Cao Song was embarrassed.
Zhou Chang turned around and stared at Cao Song: "When did she leave?"
"Just left..."
"Stop her and let her come back!"
Cao Song asked, "Does the Grand Tutor want to see the Consort?"
"Exactly!"
"I wonder when I can see you, Master?"
"I'll see her when she comes back!"
"The Concubine is outside the door now. Please see her, Master."
Zhou Chang was stunned.
He looked at Cao Song, and the suspicion on his face immediately turned into real anger.
"You old bastard!" he scolded, "you colluded with the Lu family to play a trick on me!"
Cao Song said with an apologetic smile, "Taifu, calm down. These are all what Concubine Ji said. She said that she would only stay outside for half an hour. If Taifu doesn't see her, she will go back to Mount Lu to sell paintings."
Zhou Chang knew that he had fallen into a trap, but he could do nothing about it.
After a while, he waved his hand and said, "Let her in! I'm going to scold her myself!"
Cao Song secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly agreed, and went out to meet Sun Wei.
"Princess, your plan worked, but the Grand Tutor is very angry. Should we go back to the palace and call the imperial physician?"
"No need." Sun Wei said, "This little thing won't make him angry."
Cao Song agreed and led her into the house through the back door.
Zhou Chang had a cold face and didn't look at her.
Sun Wei stepped forward and bowed: "My concubine greets the Grand Master."
Zhou Chang didn't even look at her, but just lay on the couch and looked out the window: "The ghost is still there."
Sun Wei said kindly, "Since you know what kind of person I am, how could you think you could get rid of me with just a few words? You're going to reprimand me personally, aren't you? I'm all ears."
Zhou Chang snorted, "I'm an old man who's terminally ill. If I scold you, I'll only be irritating myself. You won't listen to what I say anyway."
"The Grand Master hasn't said anything yet, how do you know I won't listen?"
Zhou Chang finally turned around and glared at her: "It's written on your face that you won't give up until you save the prince. What else can I say?"
Sun Wei sat down nearby and said, "Since Grand Tutor knows I'm here for the Crown Prince, there's no need to beat around the bush. Given the current situation, Kuaiji cannot do without the Crown Prince, yet the Queen Mother is determined to give the Wujun troops to Wang Zhi. Grand Tutor, do you have any ideas for resolving this situation?"
Zhou Chang said coldly, "I'm afraid you haven't yet grasped the meaning of my asking you to go back. It's not that the prince can't be saved, but that he doesn't need to be saved."
Sun Wei was puzzled. "Why not? I heard from Ruan Hui that Kong Qi's Three Immortals Sect is ready to go. War is imminent. Your Highness, as the commander-in-chief, is absent at this critical moment. Wouldn't that ruin everything? Besides, Wang Zhi is incompetent. If he were to take over the 8,000 elite troops of Jiangzhou, I'm afraid they would all be killed."
"That's exactly what's going on." Zhou Chang nodded. "That's why there's no need to save the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince doesn't need to go to Wu County."
"Why?"
Zhou Chang said slowly, "You and I both know the Queen Mother's actions are absurd. I thought the same thing earlier, so I argued with her. But not only did it not help, it only made me angry. I'll tell you straight out, the Queen Mother is a very stubborn woman. Even if you talk your mouth off, you won't be able to persuade her."
"So the Master simply gave up?"
Zhou Chang rolled his eyes at her and said, "You should try a different approach. You've hit a wall and still don't know how to adapt. You're becoming more and more like that stubborn ox."
Sun Wei knew who the stubborn ox he was talking about was.
Sun Wei curled his lips and asked patiently, "What is the method, Master?"
"The Queen Mother won't cry until she sees the coffin," Zhou Chang said. "The reason she dared to act so recklessly in the military deployment is that Jiankang has been at peace for so long, and she's been coaxed by Wang Hao and the Princess into losing her composure. She thinks Wang Zhi, who's in charge of the Ministry of War, can command the troops. The bloodshed outside has never hurt her in the slightest. It's time to teach her a lesson. She sent Wang Zhi to Wujun, so let Wang Zhi go to fight."
Sun Wei suddenly understood the meaning behind this statement: "Grandmaster, do you mean to make Wang Zhi lose?"
"With his limited abilities, he can only lose, and that's just as well. Once Wujun is conquered, the Three Immortals will march straight to Jiankang. How has the Queen Mother ever witnessed such a scene? Do you know what the Queen Mother fears most? She fears that she will no longer be able to fulfill her duties as Queen Mother. When that happens, she will realize that war is no joke, that changing generals mid-battle is absurd, and the problem of the Crown Prince's house arrest will be easily resolved."
Zhou Chang looked at Sun Wei proudly, but saw that she had a cold face.
"Look, I've already told you that my methods won't work for you," Zhou Chang said. "The Queen Mother is powerful and has lived in the inner palace for so long that it's inevitable she's not sober. Although the Three Immortals Sect is coming with such force, it's not impossible to deal with it. If I can teach the Queen Mother a lesson, I think it'll be worth it."
Sun Wei said, "Grandmaster, you are gambling with the lives of your soldiers and the entire city of Jiankang. What if you lose?"
"I can't lose the bet. Jiankang's walls are so strong, they can hold out for at least ten days. By then, the Northern Prefecture and the troops from the Three Wu states will march north, trapping the Three Immortals Sect outside Jiankang and annihilating them in one fell swoop. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Sun Wei knew that there was a precedent for this.
The walls of Jiankang City were indeed strong. There had been two rebellions in the past, and both were successfully suppressed as Zhou Chang had said.
But Kong Qi is different.
Kong Qi has deep roots. In his previous life, the battle between the imperial court and the Three Immortals Sect lasted for two full years, from the Three Wus to Guangzhou. Could it be as simple as Zhou Chang said?
Sun Wei had no intention of arguing with him. She stood up and said, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have bothered to ask the Grand Tutor for his advice."
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