Chapter 192: Heatstroke
After watching Jiang Yuan leave, Li Mo hurried back to the temple.
"Ah Qing!"
He called out loudly.
"Sir, I'm here!" As soon as he finished speaking, a servant came trotting down from the attic.
Li Mo asked, "Where are those letters from last year?"
"In the attic. Please follow me, sir."
Ah Qing took out a wooden box from the attic. The letters inside the box were neatly stacked and arranged according to the date.
These were all collected by Li Mo's spies, and they were details about the Three Immortals Sect.
"Sir, when does your letter come from?"
"Around August, the letter mentioned that the Left Protector Wu Fen had gone to Guangzhou."
"I remember it." A Qing quickly took out a letter from inside.
Li Mo took it, opened it and took a closer look.
The letter mentioned that Wu Fen had attended a birthday banquet at the home of Liu Ke, the governor of Guangzhou, in July of the previous year, and detailed a private conversation between the two.
Liu Ke asked Wu Fen to relocate the Three Immortals Sect to Lingnan. He offered to vacate the mountainous land on the border between Shixing and Nanhai counties for the Three Immortals Sect so that Wu Fen could settle his followers.
Wu Fen immediately exposed Liu Ke's intentions. Shixing was the gateway from the Central Plains to Guangzhou. Its terrain was rugged and densely forested, allowing for surveillance of the Beijiang River and the official road from within the forests. Liu Ke intended to use the Three Immortals Sect to block communication between the Central Plains and Guangzhou, thereby establishing his own faction.
However, Wu Fen didn't mind Liu Ke's plan.
He had long wanted to leave his desolate island home. Settling down in a land of abundant resources, so what did it matter to him even if he was guarding the gate for Liu Ke? It was just a matter of mutual benefit.
Wu Fen told Liu Ke that Master Kong did not want to leave the island. If the Three Immortals Sect wanted to move, they had to get rid of him.
Surprisingly, Kong Qi was captured just a few months later, and Wu Fen thus waited for the opportunity to move.
And at this time, Sima Jun went to Cangwu.
Li Mo took the letter and thought for a long time.
He never believed in coincidences, and Sima Jun must have gone south for Wu Fen.
Ah Qing put the letter away for him and asked, "Sir, are you going to Guangzhou?"
Li Mo shook his head. "Wu Fen is so elusive, we don't know where he is right now. We might not be able to catch him if we go to Guangzhou."
"But what if he really goes to Guangzhou?"
Li Mo thought: "It doesn't matter if he goes. As long as he doesn't fall into the hands of Prince Yuzhang, he will fall into my hands sooner or later."
"But the young master is far away in Ruoye Mountain. How can you ensure that Wu Fen does not fall into the hands of the Prince of Yuzhang?"
"There are many ways," Li Mo said. "People from the Central Plains have always been unwelcome in Lingnan, especially those in the government, and even more so those with the surname Sima. As long as we leak the news and exaggerate it, the prince will be dead if he sets foot in Guangzhou."
Ah Qing suddenly understood.
"Then who do you intend to reveal the news to?"
"The Nanhai District Clan."
——
As June approaches, the journey becomes increasingly difficult, the heat becomes more intense, and the humidity becomes heavier.
The weather changes rapidly.
A few days ago, the wind and rain were so strong that the boat was almost capsized. But once the rain stopped and the sky cleared, the scorching sun was so hot that it was hard to breathe.
Sun Wei and A'ru were still used to it, but many of Sima Jun's followers fell ill.
A'ru went to deliver the medicine and came back, saying to Sun Wei, "The prince is feeling a little unwell today. The doctor just checked him out and said it's not malaria, just a bit of heatstroke. I've made some medicine and sent it to him."
Sun Wei was not surprised.
"I noticed yesterday that he looked unwell, as if he were ill, but he didn't take it seriously. How did you see him just now?"
"His face looked even worse than yesterday, but he had just received an urgent letter, and he was forcing himself to read it. When he saw me, the prince asked how the princess was doing. I said she was fine and there was nothing wrong. The prince then sat up straight again and said that it was good that the princess was fine."
Sun Wei couldn't help laughing when she thought of Sima Jun's stubborn look.
"And then?" she asked.
"Then, I asked the prince if he had anything for me to tell the princess. But he said he had nothing and told the princess not to go visit him, as it would be bad if she got sick."
That's what I said.
Lu Xian was born in Cangwu, also in Lingnan, so he was considered a native. But in Sima Jun's words, he seemed to be even inferior to him, a foreigner.
I don’t know who is well and who is sick now.
Sun Wei thought for a moment and said, "Go to the kitchen and see if there are any light side dishes. Prepare a few and send them to the prince's room. I will have dinner with him."
Aju said yes.
When Sun Wei visited, Sima Jun was leaning against the desk reading a letter.
The weather was hot and humid, so he only wore his undershirt. When the attendant announced that the princess had arrived, Sima Jun immediately grabbed his outer coat, put it on, and told her to come in.
After the greeting, Sun Wei asked his attendants to present some clothes.
"This is ramie yarn from Lingnan. It's used to make clothes. It's breathable and cool in the summer, and it can also dispel miasma," Sun Wei said. "Yesterday when we docked, I saw a caravan coming from Guangzhou at the port, so I asked Aju to inquire about it. Fortunately, the merchant had ready-made clothes made of ramie yarn, so I bought them all immediately."
Sima Jun was surprised. He looked at the clothes and saw that they were dark brown in color, which he had never seen before.
When the boat docked last night, he did hear the attendant report that the princess asked her maid Aju to get off the boat and buy a large bag of things.
It turns out I bought it for myself.
It felt like a breeze was blowing through my heart, and even the discomfort in my body dissipated a lot.
Sun Wei stood up and closed a window behind Sima Jun.
"Your Highness has just had a bout of heatstroke. Although it's unbearable, he still wants to avoid catching a cold," she said. "The wind is strong and humid on the river, so be sure not to blow directly at it."
"Yeah." Sima Jun responded.
He never liked being nagged. When he was little, he loved playing around and was often nagged by the adults at home. The more he was naughty, the more he would behave the next time.
But inexplicably, he was not annoyed by Lu's nagging.
Could it be that now that I've grown up, I want others to treat me like a child? A thought came to Sima Jun, and he felt like a fool.
"Madam, what is the matter with you?" he asked.
"I heard that the prince was ill, so I came to see him." Sun Wei sat down beside him and asked, "The prince took the medicine, is he feeling better?"
She was fanning herself, and the wind blew upon him.
He smelled a faint scent, like the fragrance of her hair.
"Better," he said.
Sun nodded slightly and looked at the table.
"Since the prince is not feeling well, he should take a rest. Why is he reading documents again?" she said.
Sima Jun handed the letter on the table to Sun Wei.
"This is a letter from the Grand Tutor. Earlier, I asked him to find out more about Li Mo, and he replied."
Sun Wei was surprised, and quickly took it and read it through quickly.
"So, Jiang Yuan, the Chief Clerk of the Shangshu Mansion, is Li Mo's master?" she said. "With Jiang Yuan's recommendation, it's not surprising that Wang Han values Li Mo."
"Ma'am, please continue reading."
Seeing the latter part, Sun Wei couldn't help but be stunned.
"Wang Han launched the Northern Army Rebellion and had Wang Zhi take over Jiangzhou. Was it all Li Mo's idea?"
Sima Jun nodded.
"Back in the Northern Palace incident, Wang Han still didn't trust Li Mo. He only accepted his proposal and didn't let him participate. That's why I never knew him." Sima Jun said, "Recently, Wang Han seems to be considering using him."
"Didn't he go back to Ruoye Mountain?"
"I got news from Zhuo Jing that Li Mo has returned to Wang Zhi and wants to help him capture Wu Fen."
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