Chapter 166 Lobbying
Zhou Chang asked: "Why?"
"I thought Wang Zhi had never been a general for a day, so it was child's play for the Queen Mother to ask him to lead the troops," Sun Wei said. "And the same is true of the Grand Tutor. He held a high position for a long time and later retired to Mount Lushan. Isn't he just as ignorant of the use of weapons as the Queen Mother? The Three Immortals Sect has 200,000 soldiers. The Grand Tutor walked out of Jiankang City and took a look. Beyond the city walls, there are endless fields and countless villagers' homes. If a major battle was fought outside the city, it is still unclear whether he could win. Even if he could win, would the Grand Tutor turn this prosperous land into ruins? What good would it be if he won then? The Grand Tutor sacrificed most of Jiangzuo just to teach the Queen Mother a lesson. If the people of the world heard of his words, wouldn't they be disheartened?"
Zhou Chang looked at her with an uncertain expression.
Suddenly, he started coughing and fell on the couch.
A servant came in quickly from outside, supported him and patted his back.
"Princess, you shouldn't be so harsh on the Grand Tutor," the servant said anxiously, "The Grand Tutor has already tried every possible way..."
"Go out." Zhou Chang said in a hoarse voice and waved to the servant.
The servant looked hesitant for a moment, then bowed and left.
Sun Wei looked at Zhou Chang's frail appearance and took a deep breath to calm himself down.
"It was I who offended you," she said. "I understand the difficulties that the Grand Tutor is facing. But now that I'm back, the Prince must save him. Grand Tutor, don't worry about it. Leave everything to me."
Zhou Chang looked at her and smiled bitterly.
"I am mad," he said, "but is there anyone in this court who isn't mad? With the enemy at our doorstep, Wang Han and the Queen Mother are concentrating on eliminating dissidents, while the entire court remains deaf and dumb. They should be punished."
Sun Wei shook his head.
"But according to this method, the Queen Mother and the others will not be harmed in the slightest. It is the common people and the countless soldiers who will suffer and even lose their lives." She said, "I know that Taifu said this not out of his own will, but simply because he has no other choice."
Zhou Chang looked at her and said, "Then you should have seen clearly by now. There is no solution to this problem. Besides, you are in Jiankang and you don't even dare to show up openly. What else can you do?"
"It's not that there's nothing we can do." Sun Wei said, "What the Grand Tutor said just now has given me an idea. The Queen Mother's life is indeed too comfortable. We need to make her feel a little concerned. This matter can be accomplished."
Zhou Chang sneered and waved his hand: "What worries does she have?"
"The Queen Mother has two major concerns. If one of them is missing, she won't be able to maintain her position as Queen Mother." Sun Wei said, "The first is the Wang clan."
"And the second one?"
"Prince."
——
Sun Wei returned to Yin's house and asked Aju to find a jade from her bag.
That was when they were in Jingkou, and the prince gave her a token of gratitude.
Later, her meeting with the prince was exposed, and she thought that the jade would never be used again and almost sent it to the treasury.
fortunately.
The next day was the ten-day holiday, so she asked Deng Lian to take the jade to the quiet courtyard and asked the monks in the courtyard to pass a message to the prince, asking him to meet in Tangyuan.
It took a lot of effort to pass on the message, but Deng Lian could not stay long and wait for the prince's reply.
Sun Wei had no choice but to go to Tangyuan early in the morning to wait.
Sima Jun was the only owner of Tang Garden now. Without him, the garden would have no guests. In addition, Cao Song had sent the servants away early to avoid suspicion, leaving the garden deserted.
Sun Wei walked around the waterside pavilion, thinking back to when he saved Xie Xiao here last July. It seemed like a long time had passed, but in fact, it was less than a year.
A lot happened during this period.
She slowly recalled the past, waiting from morning till afternoon, and finally heard the faint sound of horse hooves outside.
Sun Wei hurried to open the door and saw the prince standing outside.
"Greetings, Prince." After being let in, Sun Wei hurriedly bowed.
"Princess, there's no need to be so polite," the Crown Prince said. "Although today is a ten-day holiday, the Prince Pushe went to the palace early in the morning to discuss matters, and I really couldn't leave. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"The Crown Prince is so busy, I dare not ask for anything more. As long as the Crown Prince can come, I can wait a little longer."
The prince smiled and asked, "Princess, at first glance, what you said seems to be for me, but in fact it is for Ziheng, right?"
"The Crown Prince is wise." Sun Wei said, "I have indeed come here for the Crown Prince."
The prince said nothing, looked around, and walked straight into the garden.
Sun Wei followed behind.
No one spoke. After walking for a while, the Crown Prince said, "I've pleaded for Ziheng many times. But the Queen Mother is truly furious this time, and there's no room for reconciliation. According to her, Ziheng won't be released until after the mourning period is over."
Sun Wei asked, "In other words, the Crown Prince will be under house arrest until next May?"
"Exactly."
Sun Wei recalled Ruan Hui's speculation. Such a long period of time was enough for the Wang family to take over the entire Jiangzhou.
She suppressed her impatience and said, "The Crown Prince also knows that Xunyang had a turmoil not long ago. Whether it's state affairs or military affairs, the Crown Prince is indispensable. Not to mention the war in Kuaiji..."
"I have told the Queen Mother everything you said. But it is of no use."
The prince said, then turned to look at Sun Wei: "The Queen Mother is even harder to talk to than the civil and military officials."
Sun Wei knew that by now, Zhou Changbi had already exerted his influence on the Crown Prince. The Queen Mother's persistence this time was truly unusual.
"Does the prince want the young master to come out?" Sun Wei asked.
"Why not?" the prince said, "Ziheng is my right-hand man. Without him, I wouldn't even have anyone to discuss things with."
"In that case, I have a plan. It requires the Crown Prince to come forward." Sun Wei said, "If this plan succeeds, the Crown Prince will come out soon without any accidents."
"What plan?"
"Please ask the Crown Prince to personally lead the expedition to Kuaiji."
The prince stopped.
He looked at her, somewhat incredulous.
"If I lead the army myself, what does that have to do with Ziheng?"
"The Crown Prince holds a high position in the Queen Mother's heart. If the Crown Prince leads the army personally, the Queen Mother will not dare to take it lightly and will definitely find a trusted and capable general to accompany the Crown Prince. This person must be the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "This idea sounds good. However, is the Princess so sure? Will the Queen Mother choose Ziheng?"
Sun Wei was not 100% sure about this matter, but he was about 90% sure.
Firstly, although Sima Jun had many enemies, he had never been defeated, and no one in the court dared to deny his military prowess. Secondly, Sun Wei had Zhou Chang on her side. She had discussed this plan with Zhou Chang, and Zhou Chang had agreed that if she could persuade the Crown Prince to lead the army in person, he would have Princess Wanshou persuade the Queen Mother to release the Crown Prince to accompany him.
She said confidently, "I have divined, and the Queen Mother will indeed choose the Crown Prince."
The prince said nothing and fell into deep thought.
After a while, he suddenly smiled and said, "I didn't expect that the princess would persuade me to lead the army in person for Ziheng. You know, swords have no eyes. Princess, aren't you afraid of accidents?"
"Your Highness has misunderstood," Sun Wei said. "I'm not doing this simply for you, but for the greater good. We cannot lose the battle of Kuaiji. Furthermore, your Highness is the commander-in-chief, planning the battle from within. He doesn't need to lead the charge himself. With you at the vanguard and the center commanding the troops, there's no danger of swords and spears. I wouldn't dare joke with your life."
"In that case," the prince asked with a smile, "will the princess accompany me?"
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