Chapter 200: Seeking Help (Part 1)
"Oh?" Sima Jun said, "I thought Wu Fen had suffered a great loss in the Three Wus. If he knew I was in Guangzhou, he would not let it go. I think the mastermind behind this is closely related to Wu Fen."
"Although Wu Fen is a major bandit leader, he's new to Guangzhou and hasn't established himself yet, so he doesn't dare to make enemies easily." Liu Ke added respectfully, "This is just my humble opinion, Your Highness, please listen to it. However, the suppression of the bandits is imperative. Regardless of whether it's Wu Fen or not, if he dares to collude with Zhu A Shen, he must be consulted."
Sima Jun hummed, then continued, "Military operations require knowing both the enemy and yourself. If you can't even figure out who your opponent is, you've committed a grave offense. Before we investigate Zhu A Shen's background, I have no guidance on this bandit suppression mission."
"This..." Liu Ke seemed very surprised. Looking out from the gap, Sun Wei noticed that he suddenly turned his head and looked to the side.
There seemed to be someone standing there.
Sima Jun obviously also noticed his small action.
After a while, Sun Wei heard him say, "The man next to the governor is probably a general in the governor's mansion."
Liu Ke hurriedly said, "Exactly. This is Liang Wen, the Guangzhou Army officer."
After that, he said to the back: "Come and meet the prince."
A young general stepped forward and saluted Sima Jun. "Liang Wen, the Guangzhou military officer, greets the Crown Prince."
Sima Jun said, "The governor is surrounded by talented people. General Liang is so young, yet he is so highly regarded by the governor. He must be a rare talent."
Liang Wen said modestly, "The governor is too busy to take care of things, so he asked me to supervise the military affairs of Shixing. I can only do my best to help."
"The prince has guests?"
Liang Wen had just finished speaking when he suddenly heard a woman's voice coming from outside.
Everyone was surprised.
Sima Jun looked over and saw that Sun Wei had left the screen at some point and appeared in front of the hall.
Everyone knew that this was Princess Yuzhang, and they quickly stood up.
Sun came in from outside with a bright smile and said to Sima Jun, "I can see it's time for lunch, and since the Crown Prince is still meeting guests, I know it must be an important guest. Since he is an important guest, I should treat him with delicious food. I have already asked the kitchen to prepare the banquet, and I came to let you know."
Sima Jun said to Sun Wei, "This is Governor Liu of Guangzhou. He heard we were here and came to pay us a visit."
Sun Wei looked at Liu Ke and said kindly, "So it's Governor Liu."
Liu Ke hurried forward to greet him.
Sun Wei returned the greeting and looked at Liang Wen behind him, and suddenly stopped.
The gaze was clear and direct. Liang Wen was stunned for a moment, and even Liu Ke couldn't help but show a strange look on his face when he saw it.
Sima Jun knew that Sun Wei was not someone who would lose her composure in front of others, and there must be a reason why she was acting so strangely.
"I wonder if the lady has any opinion?" he asked.
"I just did a quick fortune-telling." Sun Wei said, then turned to Liang Wen and asked, "Do you know the general's name?"
"I am Liang Wen, a military officer from Guangzhou. Nice to meet you, Princess." Liang Wen bowed hurriedly.
Sun Wei nodded, looked at Liang Wen again, and said, "I guess there's an open space in the southeast corner of General Liang's house?"
Liang Wen was a little surprised.
"That's right, Princess," he replied.
"That's it." Sun Wei sighed, looked at Sima Jun, and said, "Luckily, I met General Liang today, otherwise, I would have no idea that he had such a bloody disaster."
Liang Wen's expression changed, and Liu Ke was also a little bit unbelievable.
Sima Jun: “…”
Liang Wen hurriedly asked, "Please give me some advice, Princess!"
Sun Wei said slowly, "I just saw General Liang's face and saw a dark spot on his forehead, which I felt was ominous, so I secretly calculated it in my mind. Then, the general said that there is indeed such an empty space in his home, so I am 90% sure. Under the empty space in the southeast corner of the general's home, there used to be a stone tablet of the water god buried. This object has never been exposed to the sun and is extremely yin. If it is not removed in time, it will soon bring about a fatal disaster."
Liang Wen's face was uncertain and he looked a little panicked.
He was a believer in ghosts and gods, and he had long heard of the abilities of the Princess of Yuzhang. Now that she had just met him, not only had she described the layout of his house, but she had also predicted disasters, which instantly made his heart rise to the top.
Sima Jun, watching from the side, continued, "In your opinion, Madam, is there a solution to this problem?"
Sun Wei said, "Since this disaster was caused by the Stone God, only the Stone God can resolve it. General Liang only needs to return home immediately, retrieve the Stone God, build a shrine, and enshrine it. This will ward off the disaster and resolve the problem."
After saying this, she looked at the sky outside, calculated with her fingers, and said seriously, "Today is an auspicious day. There will be no other days in the next two months. This matter cannot be delayed. It is best to do it today. But Panyu is a long way, and I definitely can't go back today..."
Liang Wen was shocked: "If we have to settle for the next best thing, is there any other way?"
Sun Wei thought for a moment and said, "I've heard from my father that there's a temple dedicated to the Earth God in the east of Shixing City that's quite effective. If that's the next best option, I'll personally invite 49 magicians to perform a ritual for three days. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I'll quickly return to Panyu and dig up the stone deity statue to ensure safety."
"Seventy-seven forty-nine? Where can we find so many mages?"
Sun Wei said, "Although Shixing is small, it is a major thoroughfare between the north and the south, and there are many temples. As long as the soldiers are sincere enough, we will be able to gather them. In short, we need to gather the number of people before dark and start the ritual. There is still half a day left, so we can't delay the soldiers."
After hearing this, Liang Wen quickly asked for leave from Liu Ke.
Liu Ke just said that human life was at stake and asked him to do it quickly.
As he watched his back quickly disappear, the look of surprise remained on Liu Ke's face.
"I've long heard that the princess possesses immense knowledge, but I never imagined I'd be so impressed by her after meeting her today." He bowed to Sun Wei and said, "The Cangwu Lu family is truly worthy of their reputation."
Sun smiled.
Sima Jun said to Liang Wen, "There's no one else here right now. If the governor has anything to say, please speak directly."
Liu Ke was stunned.
"Your humble servant..."
"I only said half of what I said just now." Sun Wei said from the side, "The governor has also suffered a bloody disaster. And the person who did it is right next to him."
Liu Ke's expression changed: "Who?"
"The governor should have known the situation. Otherwise, with his intelligence, why would he hesitate and remain silent in front of a mere military officer?" Sun Wei said.
Sima Jun said to Liu Ke calmly, "If the governor refuses to speak, I will have no choice but to send him away."
After a moment, Liu Ke suddenly knelt on the ground and said, "Prince, save me! Princess, save me!"
Sun Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
The chaos in Guangzhou is finally becoming clearer.
——
"Sir, do you know the Qu family of Nanhai?" Liu Ke asked Sima Jun after sitting down again.
Sima Jun said, "The entire Lingnan region is dominated by local powerful families, such as the Qu and Mai families of Nanhai, and the Xian family of Gaoliang. The Qu family is one of the most powerful in Nanhai County."
"That's right." Liu Ke said, "The Qu family is the largest and most powerful clan in the South China Sea. Their clan leader is named Qu Kang. Zhu Ah Shen's plan to rob the prince and make him return was Qu Kang's intention."
Sima Jun and Sun Wei looked at each other.
"I have no grudge against him, why is he trying to rob me?" Sima Jun asked.
"Qu Kang hates all the imperial officials from the north."
"Why?"
"A few years ago, General Ning seized the farmland of the Qu family in order to allow refugees to settle and farmland and increase government grain. Qu Kang held a grudge against him. Since then, he has united with the powerful families of the South China Sea and has been opposing the government at every turn. Some even say they want to restore the Nanyue Kingdom of the Zhao family during the Former Han Dynasty."
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