Chapter 210 Nanling
That evening, Sun Wei did not see Sima Jun and asked Deng Lian where he had been. Deng Lian simply said that Sima Jun had gone to the river.
"What are you doing at the river?"
"I don't know," Deng Lian said. "The prince just said there was no need to follow and that he should go on his own."
Sun Wei asked Deng Lian to lead the way. When they arrived at the river, they saw Sima Jun standing alone on the shore, staring at the center of the river motionlessly.
And the center of the river is where the shipwreck occurred.
In the nearby ancestral hall, monks were still chanting, their chants echoing as returning water birds flew over the river.
Sun Wei stopped and did not move forward.
Sima Jun didn't like to talk about his feelings with others, and Sun Wei had never even heard him express his grief over his father's death.
But Prince Yuzhang was his closest relative after all, how could he not be sad?
Sun Wei stood there for a while, not wanting to disturb him.
Just as he was about to turn around, Sima Jun suddenly noticed something and turned back.
Their eyes met, and Sun Wei had no choice but to walk over.
"The Cangwu County Magistrate has arrived," she said. "He wants to invite the Crown Prince to Guangxin City to rest for a few days."
Sima Jun pondered for a moment and said, "What do you think, Madam?"
Sun Wei said, "In two days it will be Mid-Autumn, and everyone is exhausted these days. I think we should follow the governor's advice and rest in the city. It won't be too late to set off again after Mid-Autumn."
After hearing this, Sima Jun seemed to think it made sense and agreed.
Without saying much, he returned to his residence and met with the Cangwu County Magistrate. However, while he agreed to the matter, he requested that it be kept secret. He asked the county magistrate to arrange for him to stay in a regular guesthouse in the city, rather than in the government residence.
The county magistrate looked a little surprised, but he did not dare to disobey and agreed immediately.
After another heavy rain, the summer heat subsided and it became slightly cooler at night.
After settling down in Guangxin City, Sun Wei said to Sima Jun, "Once we leave Cangwu and head north, the weather will be getting colder. We lost quite a few bags in Shixing City, and most of us only have one or two sets of summer clothes. With the unpredictable weather, I'm afraid it will be hard to endure. I think it would be best if, while we're here in Guangxin City, we could buy some fabric and have a tailor make some clothes and shoes for everyone. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Sima Jun did not object and said, "I'll have someone go to the city to find a shop and have them deliver the fabric to your door, and everyone can choose."
Sun Wei nodded and said, "I know a Ruyi Cloth Shop, which is very famous in Cangwu. The owner's surname is Wei, and he has good taste. How about choosing their shop?"
"Madam is the boss."
Sun Wei then asked Deng Lian to go to Ruyi Cloth Shop to invite Master Wei.
Since Aju is not around, Sun Wei has to do many things by herself.
When Master Wei arrived, she realized that she had forgotten to invite a tailor, so she sent Deng Lian to find someone to invite one.
Taking advantage of this gap, Sun Wei asked about Chen Mao's letter.
Master Wei immediately pulled a letter from his sleeve. "Brother Chen was being so mysterious, refusing to reveal who the recipient was. He also said it wasn't something I could mention to anyone. I was wondering if it was some secret, but it turned out to be for my wife."
Sun took the letter with a smile and opened it immediately. He saw the word "定" written on it.
Chen Mao always did things prudently. If he had said it was okay, then Lu Ming wouldn't be at home right now, so they could visit without worry.
"Brother Chen said that if Madam has any other instructions, she can let me deliver the message."
Sun Wei said, "Then please ask the owner to thank Manager Chen for me. After winter comes, I will return to Jiankang. If Manager Chen wants to see me, I will be at your service anytime."
Master Wei quickly agreed.
After receiving Chen Mao's reply, Sun Wei felt relieved.
After the middle of autumn, the Taichang people said goodbye and returned to Jiankang, while Sima Jun and Sun Wei went north to the Nanling Mountains, intending to visit Lu Ming.
The carriage moved slowly along the mountain road.
Sun Wei looked at the scenery outside and sighed in her heart.
Unexpectedly, a year later, she came back here again.
In his previous life, Sun Wei had heard many strange stories about the death of the old Prince Yuzhang from the elders in the palace. The most puzzling one was the whereabouts of the new princess, Lu Xian.
She was nowhere to be found, alive or dead. The bodies of the old Prince of Yuzhang and his entourage, including the old Prince of Yuzhang and even the temporary porters who had been hired to carry the load, were all found. Only Lu Xian was nowhere to be found.
Many people in the palace were saying that the new princess might still be alive. It was common knowledge that the Queen Mother doted on the old Prince of Yuzhang. When the old Prince of Yuzhang insisted on going to Cangwu to marry him, the Queen Mother was strongly opposed. Now that the old Prince of Yuzhang and his entourage were all dead, and the new princess was the only one left alive, wouldn't the Queen Mother think that her beloved son was killed by her?
Maybe the new princess thought of this and didn't dare to come back, so she just ran away.
With this hope in mind, Sun Wei rushed to Cangwu to look for him.
Heaven rewards those who work hard, and in Guangxin City, she found Lu Xian.
Although she had never met Lu Xian in person or seen her portrait, she knew that if anyone wanted to sell their belongings, they would have to go to Guangxin City.
If Lu Xian survived the disaster and wanted to escape incognito, she would need money. As a new princess, her belongings would be worth a lot of money.
Therefore, she only needed to ask around in Guangxin City to find out if anyone wanted to sell rare official-made items, as it was very likely that they were related to the new princess.
Sure enough, she soon got the news. Someone brought a hairpin in the official style to a jewelry store in Guangxin City to inquire about its price. The owner, a connoisseur of fine goods, saw that the hairpin, both in terms of material, quality, and style, was an exceptional piece. Fearing it might be stolen goods and that accepting it would bring him trouble, he politely declined the offer.
Sun Wei immediately followed the information he got from the shop assistant and found Lu Xian living in a dilapidated temple outside the city.
Lu Xian's temperament was more straightforward than Sun Wei had imagined.
When she found out that Sun Wei was not there to arrest her, but to help her escape, and even brought her food and drink, she burst into tears and poured out all her bitterness.
Lu Xian was born into the Cangwu Lu family, and their ancestors had indeed produced a master of Yin-Yang. However, by Lu Ming's generation, the children were uneducated and unskilled, and the profound family tradition had long since become only superficial. Lu Ming's so-called skills were more like a charlatan than a scholar.
It's just that the world is unstable and there are many people seeking immortality and asking for advice. Lu Ming relied on the reputation of his ancestors, spoke some abstruse words, and cheated people. He actually gained some fame and became famous.
Lu Ming's gains had emboldened him, and as he grew older, he decided to take a big gamble.
The year before last, Kong Qi rebelled, and Prince Yuzhang was ordered to suppress him. Lu Ming placed his bet on the Queen Mother's biological son, Prince Yuzhang.
When the war reached a critical point, he told the prince of Yuzhang a fortune and pointed out a clear way forward.
God helps. After the battle, Xie Kun died, Huan Yi lost many soldiers and generals, but Prince Yuzhang was the only one who escaped unscathed thanks to this hexagram.
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