Chapter 23 Hostage
After Sima Jun left, Sun Wei was confined to the palace and could not go out anywhere.
The mourning hall set up for her parents and brother was fully equipped. In addition to palace maids and eunuchs to serve in mourning, there were also monks to chant scriptures and perform rituals.
However, even though it was closed, Sun Wei still learned some news from the outside world.
Sun Zhi sent her a secret letter through the eunuch.
In the letter, Sun Wei learned that the situation outside had taken a sharp turn.
After Wang Han and Lüqiu Yan joined forces, Cui Pan also joined Lüqiu Yan. The three armies joined together and attacked the capital under the pretext of clearing the court of corrupt officials.
The Sima family's empire was on the verge of crumbling, and the only one who could resist the rebels was Sima Jun.
Therefore, the traitor who was to be eliminated in their manifesto was Sima Jun.
The capital's defenses were dilapidated and difficult to defend, so Sima Jun escorted the still-ill-bedridden new emperor to Xunyang City in Jiangzhou.
Jiangzhou was the original fiefdom of a branch of the Yuzhang Princes and the foundation of Sima Jun's army. Xunyang City was impregnable, and the remaining prefectures were rich in resources and population, providing the final support for the Sima clan's rule.
This was the reason why Sima Jun suddenly appeared in front of her.
At this moment, except for Jiangzhou, all prefectures and counties fell into the hands of Luqiu Yan.
After reading the letter, Sun Wei understood that under such a tight siege, even if he wanted to leave, he would be unable to do so.
Sun Wei hopes to meet Sima Jun and ask him about the situation.
She was filled with suspicion. Now that she had withdrawn, there was no longer any obstacle to Sima Jun and Cui Pan's marriage. They should have formed an alliance. Why did Cui Pan still choose Lu Qiuyan?
But every time he sent eunuchs to ask for a meeting, the reply he got was that he was busy and unable to get away.
Three months passed, and although wars of varying sizes continued, Xunyang City was stable.
Sun Wei heard the palace eunuchs whispering that Sima Jun, relying on his years of experience in Jiangzhou, had won countless battles. Meanwhile, Luqiu Yan's territory, facing difficulties for so long, had become somewhat chaotic. Sima Jun had even exploited their weaknesses and captured several cities.
They even wondered if Sima Jun would turn the tables and reclaim the capital. By then, he might ascend the throne, and the princess could become empress, which would be a blessing for them.
Sun Wei listened and could only smile bitterly.
Although Sima Jun had never married Cui Pan, the situation they had reached was irreversible. If Sima Jun had ascended the throne, it would probably be time to deal with her.
Just when everyone in the palace was rejoicing over Sima Jun's victory, Sun Wei suddenly met Sun Zhi.
It was late at night.
Since Sun Wei started mourning, the most he did every day was burning paper and copying scriptures in the mourning hall.
She had loved copying sutras since she was young; it gave her peace of mind and a clear mind. Since being placed under house arrest, she no longer had to worry about anything, nor did she have to get up early. So she could copy sutras to her heart's content until the third watch.
She was the only one in the mourning hall.
As soon as the night watchman's call outside stopped, Sun Wei stopped writing and was about to get up and leave when suddenly a figure walked out from behind the mourning hall.
"Sister, long time no see." Sun Zhi, exhausted, bowed to her.
Sun Wei was surprised: "Why did my brother come in?"
"Don't be surprised, little sister." Sun Zhi calmly sat down in front of Sun Wei and said, "I learned that my little sister has been trapped in the palace for a few days, and I was really worried. Fortunately, I also know some people in the palace, so I asked them to bring me in to see my little sister."
Sun Wei knew that ever since the Cui family affair was exposed, Sun Zhi had been unable to stay in Sima Jun's presence, and later, he even lost his official position. Now, like himself, he was alone.
Karma is a cycle of fate. No one expected that after all the troubles these cousins had, they would be back to their original predicament.
However, he had a wide circle of friends, so he had never fallen into despair. Furthermore, he had remained in Xunyang City since he had come back to announce the death. Otherwise, she wouldn't have received any news from him these days.
"Brother, is there anything I can help you with?" Sun Wei asked.
"Just now I said, I just came to see my sister." Sun Zhi said gently: "Don't worry, sister, you are not without family in this world, you still have me."
When mentioning her family, Sun Wei felt a pang of pain in her heart again.
Her family was still in Lingnan, and their remains were unknown. At this point, the only person she could rely on was Sun Zhi.
Sun Zhi was very indignant about Sun Wei's affairs.
"I thought Prince Yuzhang was a hero, but he's actually a traitor who only cares about profit," he said. "My sister's character and appearance are hard to find in the entire world. Not only is she worthy of a prince, but she's more than qualified to be with the emperor! I was so blind! If I had known this would happen, I would have gone to great lengths to match you with Wang Yu, but I would never have let you suffer such humiliation from Prince Yuzhang!"
Sun Wei did not look sad or worried.
"Cousin, did you hear something?" she asked.
"Why bother hearing anything? He's imprisoned here, what good can come of it?" Sun Zhi looked at her and lowered his voice. "Sister, let's be frank. Your family has gone through so much hardship and suffered so much injustice to get to where you are today! Are you willing to suffer at the hands of Prince Yuzhang and have your efforts undone? Since you married him, you've been so considerate and hardworking, and in return, he's betrayed you like this! Are you really willing?"
Sun Wei looked at Sun Zhi and realized something was wrong.
"What can I do if I'm unwilling?" she asked.
"Sister, you are such a smart person, how could you not understand the principle that a wise bird chooses the right tree to perch on? What you are after is wealth and glory, and if you leave Prince Yuzhang, there are many other ways you can take."
Sun Wei's heart was lifted.
"for example?"
"Take Luqiu Yan, for example," Sun Zhi said. "Now, Cui Pan has already joined Luqiu Yan, and three armies are besieging Jiangzhou. Sooner or later, the world will belong to Luqiu Yan. Sister, for the future, we should plan early."
Sun Wei was extremely shocked, and felt as if something exploded in his head.
She stood up and stared at Sun Zhi: "Cousin, why are you here?"
Sun Zhi said leisurely, "As I said earlier, I came here to see my sister. But that's only one reason. Secondly, I also wanted to protect my sister. In the chaos of war, swords and spears are indiscriminate, and it would be bad if she got hurt."
Sun Wei's expression changed drastically. Before he could say anything, he heard a noisy sound coming from outside.
"Princess!" a eunuch rushed in and shouted, "The city gate outside has been broken! There are thieves in the palace..."
Before he could finish his words, an arrow shot into his throat from behind, and the eunuch fell down.
A group of people who looked like palace guards rushed in. What was different from usual was that each of them had a piece of white cloth tied around their arm.
"Thirdly, I want to discuss a deal with my sister." Sun Zhi smiled and continued, "Brother, remember, my sister is the most reluctant to let herself suffer losses. When you wanted to marry Sima Jun, you said that he was just a ladder for you to climb to glory and wealth. Now that this ladder is rotten, what else do you want him for?"
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