Chapter 180 Bribery
The sky is gloomy.
Deng Lian brought the person over quickly.
Sun Wei had instructed Yang Quan that when the suspects were brought in, they would interrogate them one by one and then check their confessions. This way, they wouldn't be afraid of them lying.
The person who was brought to Sun Wei was an old man named Zheng.
I heard that he was a tenant farmer who had fled from the north. Due to the oppression of his master, he had no money to treat his wife and daughter's illness. He was at his wit's end and heard that the Three Immortals Sect could provide food and clothing, as well as medical treatment, so he joined the Three Immortals Sect.
As the old man spoke, tears began to flow.
Sun Wei knew that such stories were countless throughout the Three Wus. After a moment's silence, he said to the old man, "The imperial court has issued an edict to pacify the people. The Prince of Yuzhang has collected unowned land and houses in the Three Wus and distributed them to the innocent people. As long as Mr. Zheng answers me truthfully, you and your family will still have a place to live."
After that, she asked Aju to get a land deed and put it in front of the old man.
The old man knew a few words. He stared at the land deed with wide eyes for a moment, then said, "Master Kong is my adopted parent. I will never betray Master Kong."
"I won't let you betray Kong Qi. The information I want to know has nothing to do with him."
Hope suddenly appeared in the old man's eyes, and he hurriedly bowed and said, "Princess, please ask."
Sun Wei asked, "I heard there were 50,000 Three Immortals followers heading to attack Kuaiji, so why did only a mere 1,000 or so reach Hudu?"
The old man hesitated for a moment and said, "Princess, we are not here to attack Wujun, but to attack Kuaiji."
"oh?"
"We landed in Shanyin and were soon captured by the garrison. Two days later, we were released. Our centurion said the garrison commander was from his hometown, and he had made a point of releasing only us, a thousand or so men. We were overjoyed to be freed, so we didn't ask any questions and simply followed the centurion. He then said we'd be reprimanded by the True Lord for returning empty-handed, so we should head north along the coast and plunder Wujun. We were overwhelmed with gratitude and had no suspicion of him, so we followed him north. Unexpectedly, just as we were about to land, we were captured again by the garrison."
Sun Wei pondered, "So, you were brought here by a centurion. Where is that centurion?"
"Gone!" the old man said, quite annoyed. "When he was captured, I saw him jump into the sea and escape! At first, I thought he was just a quick getaway, but then I got together with a few acquaintances and recalled the incident. One of them said that one night, he was half asleep when he suddenly saw a flash in the darkness. He opened his eyes and saw the centurion was still awake, playing with something in his hand. He asked what it was, and the centurion hurriedly put it away, saying it was nothing. But the man saw clearly that he was holding some golden beans."
"Golden Beans? Is he a wealthy man?"
"Bah! What rich man?" the old man said. "He's just a tenant farmer like me. He's never touched gold in his life. We guess the gold must be a bribe from the commander of Kuaiji. He tricked us into Wujun and let us die there."
After hearing this, Sun Wei became even more confused.
"Why did the commander target only a thousand of you? Is there some talented individual among your entourage?"
"This... I have never heard of any talented people."
Sun Wei asked again, "Do you know who the guard commander is who the centurion calls his fellow townsman?"
"I don't know," the old man said. "I'm just a handyman. If I'm caught, I'll be at the mercy of others. How could I have ever seen a general?"
Sun Wei became increasingly confused and could not figure it out for a moment, so he asked again, "Where did the believers who were originally going to attack Wujun go?"
"This little man knows," he said, "that they went to Linhai."
Sun Wei was stunned: "What are they doing there?"
"To rob food. I heard that the Kuaiji Prefecture feared the Three Immortals Sect's looting, so they renovated the Linhai Warehouse to store military rations that could be mobilized from the imperial court."
Linhai Warehouse?
Sun Wei couldn't help but frown.
Linhai Granary was indeed a large granary, but it had long been destroyed in the war. She didn't know when it was rebuilt.
"You all know Linhaicang?" she asked.
"Princess, you'll know no matter who you ask," the old man said. "Earlier, the Three Immortals Sect robbed a dozen or so carts of grain outside Shanyin County. That grain was destined for the Linhai Warehouse. Master Kong sent someone to investigate, and they found that the entire route was heavily guarded, and a great general is currently there. Master Kong said that as long as the great general is there, there's a good chance there's some great treasure in the Linhai Warehouse."
"What general?"
"I don't know his official position, but I heard that he was a prince of the emperor's family. I can't remember his specific name."
Sun Wei was shocked.
Who else is the emperor's eldest son besides Sima Jun?
Sima Jun is actually in Linhai?
——
The old man was just a small pawn in the Three Immortals Sect, and he couldn't answer many questions for Sun Wei.
After asking enough questions, Sun Wei let him go.
After Yang Quan finished his work, the two of them talked to each other and realized that what the old man said was true.
"The prince actually went to Linhai?" Yang Quan was also surprised. "Linhai has long been trampled into ruins by the Three Immortals Sect. Where did the granary come from?"
Sun Wei asked Deng Lian, "Does Sima Deng know about this?"
"I don't know," Deng Lian said. "I only know about the war in Kuaiji. But the news was sent from Kuaiji Prefecture, and judging by the handwriting, it must be Ruan Hui's. Speaking of which, the Crown Prince hasn't written me a personal letter since he left for Kuaiji."
So, the news might be true.
"What's the matter with the centurion of the Three Immortals Sect sending his own people to Wujun as prisoners?" Yang Quan asked.
Sun Wei pondered and walked to the door.
The clouds grew thicker and thicker, and it seemed as if lightning was flashing through them. Suddenly, there was a muffled thunder, the leaves rustled, and the air was filled with the smell of earth.
It's raining.
Sun Wei looked outside for a while, then said, "If my guess is correct, all of this was arranged by the prince. The centurion's gold was given by the prince. The prince just wanted to give Wang Zhi a credit."
Yang Quan couldn't help but say, "Based on what happened, it does seem to be the case. But who is Wang Zhi? Why would the prince give him such a favor?"
Sun Wei didn't say anything.
They probably couldn't think of this, but Sun Wei must know it.
Sima Jun was helping her.
He still didn't want her to be here.
If Wang Zhi gets credit early, he can go back early, and then she can go back early too.
This fool...
Sun Wei said, "The Crown Prince will not allow the Three Immortals Sect to come to Wujun. Wujun is right next to Jiankang, and the Crown Prince will not take the risk of allowing the Three Immortals Sect to go north."
Deng Lian had a strange look on his face, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Sun Wei was about to ask what he was going to say when Yang Quan suddenly slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, "So the prince set up a trap in Linhai, which gave the Three Immortals Sect a reason to move south?"
Sun Wei nodded: "Exactly."
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