Chapter 29: Northern Mansion
Sun Wei's eyes were calm. "I am not a wicked person. I just have some unusual abilities. I want to protect the prince sincerely. He will understand."
Sima Jun didn't argue with her and said, "That's very good. Madam, you've been working so hard since early morning. It must be very tiring. Please go back and rest."
After saying this, he called the eunuch and ordered him to send Sun Wei back.
Sun Wei did not linger, but stood up calmly, packed his luggage and said goodbye.
"The prince's words just now were truly harsh." Returning to the courtyard, A'ru said, "He still doesn't trust the princess."
Sun Wei said, "I've only known him for a day, how can I trust him?"
"But Madam, you just made a promise. Isn't it all in vain?"
Sun Wei looked outside. To the west, a cloud covered the sky, with its back to the setting sun, and it seemed to be inlaid with a layer of gold.
That may not be the case.
Just now, Sima Jun was probing her strength.
And she thought back to those days.
Be careful and tell him that you like him.
He never reveals any emotion on his face, making it difficult for others to see through him, which makes him feel uneasy.
Even though she knew him so well, she would still feel uneasy in this next life.
Just like back then, everything I did was to stay by his side.
The world seems to be always in a cycle.
"No words are wasted once spoken." She smiled. "There's still a long way to go. There will be a time when he will believe her."
——
Night falls.
The carriage left the palace and rumbled along the road.
Sima Jun sat in the car, recalling what had just happened.
Mrs. Lu sat at the table, looking at him earnestly. The setting sun shone through the window, falling on her face, and tears were clearly in her eyes.
There's something indescribable about that feeling in my heart.
Like a thread, it seems to be there and not there, but it cannot be removed and is hard to forget.
He once heard the prince say that women in the world have some ability to soften people's hearts. If men are not careful, they will be deceived.
At that time, he scoffed at it. The prince laughed at him, saying that he had mostly dealt with men in his life, so he was not smart around women, and that his family background and reputation were wasted.
Sima Jun couldn't help but think again. If this Lu Shi's identity was true, and what she just said was also true, then she had only spent less than two weeks with his father. Could it be that they were so affectionate?
He looked out the window and felt it was ridiculous.
The carriage drove to a house in the northwest corner of Jiankang City and stopped outside a side door.
The door was simple and undecorated. A gauze lantern was hung beside the door, and the light shone through, illuminating the two words "Tangyuan" on the lantern.
Deng Lian, the Sima of the palace, went forward and knocked on the door. Soon, the door opened.
A young servant came out, bowed respectfully, and, holding a lantern, welcomed Sima Jun into the house.
After passing through the deep bamboo forest, the courtyard revealed a different world. A stream appeared ahead, flanked by pavilions. Over one of the small pavilions, a bamboo curtain was lowered, revealing the faint movement of a figure.
This was the garden that Sima Jun's father, the old Prince of Yuzhang, had purchased in his early years. Because of its remote location, unlike the ostentatious palaces of the princes, it was usually used for receiving guests. Those who could enter were only private acquaintances.
In the private room, General Chu Yue had been sitting alone for a long time.
He was a close friend of Sima Jun, of the same age, and had previously served under the Prince of Yuzhang. His father, Chu Fengchun, was the Imperial College's chief academic officer, and he enjoyed refined conversation. His reputation for profound discussions led him to grow close to the Xie clan, forming a close friendship. Later, the Xie clan's patriarch, Xie Kun, took matters into his own hands and requested an order from the External Military Department to transfer Chu Yue to the Northern Palace.
Chu Yue is a free and easy person by nature.
He leaned against the waterside bench and, seeing Sima Juan approaching, shook the teacup in his hand at him. "I thought the prince was busy and would break the appointment."
Chu Yue has always loved drinking, but it was the mourning period for Prince Yuzhang, and there was only tea here, so he had to drink tea.
Sima Jun washed his hands with the water brought by the servant.
"Why can't you get away?"
Chu Yue laughed, "Is your Lingnan princess back? Many people saw her yesterday. They heard she was beautiful and graceful, and everyone was amazed. I think even if the prince was a wooden man, he would definitely take a few more glances at her."
"What's wrong with you?" Sima Jun knew his temper and ignored the sarcasm. He asked, "How are the wedding preparations going?"
"We've already made plans. The wedding was originally scheduled for May, but Xie Kun, the Marquis of Changyang, died in battle at the end of last year, and my niece, Aru, had to go into mourning, so the wedding was postponed to October. We have everything we need, and we're just waiting to get married."
Sima Jun nodded and asked, "Where's the news I asked you to find out?"
Chu Yue poured himself a cup of tea and also poured one for Sima Jun.
"Wang Han and Xie Xiao, the son of the Marquis of Changyang? They haven't been in contact. Not to mention Wang Han, not even someone with the surname Wang has gone to look for Xie Xiao. I think maybe Wang Han has never set his sights on the Northern Palace."
"That's not unreasonable," Sima Jun said. "However, Wang Han is a rising star, without any troops under his command, relying solely on the support of the Empress Dowager and the Princess. Compared to the Wang family of Langya a hundred years ago, he is far inferior. It was only because the Emperor was obsessed with Taoism that he was able to exploit this opportunity. When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, if he does not have military power, he will certainly not be able to control the Crown Prince. Currently, the Northern Army is stationed only a hundred miles from Jiankang, occupying the throat where the river flows into the sea and the gateway to the north-south waterway. With convenient geographical transportation, it is the perfect choice for Wang Han. Beifu Commander Xie Kun died in battle, and Xie Xiao is in mourning. The Northern Army is leaderless, relying on only the Left General Cheng Yu, who is of little use. The Northern Army is at its weakest moment. If Wang Han does not seize power now, when will he?"
Chu Yue pondered.
The military power of the Northern Palace has always been an unresolved problem.
The Northern Palace had 100,000 soldiers to guard Jiankang and was the largest military headquarters in the Xuan Dynasty.
However, the actual military power over such an important army was not in the hands of the imperial court.
This strange phenomenon needs to start from a hundred years ago.
When Emperor Yuan fled south and established his capital in Jiankang, it was out of necessity. The Sima clan's roots in Jiangzuo were already weak, and it was difficult for them to gain a foothold. Fortunately, they had the support and support of the major aristocratic families, which allowed them to secure the throne and continue to hold on to the present day.
However, this support was not unearned. In exchange, the Sima clan allowed the gentry to settle their clansmen, servants, and fellow townspeople in Jiangzuo, and to claim farmland. Over time, the gentry's influence in the region grew, and they even developed their own armies. While these troops bore the name of the imperial court, they were in reality no different from the gentry's private armies. Commanding these forces still required the support of members of the gentry.
The imperial court turned a blind eye to this, simply because the gentry's troops were not without their benefits. The court was weak, with only 50,000 imperial guards, and lacked both the manpower and financial resources to maintain stability in the prefectures and counties. The gentry's troops filled this gap. As long as they didn't rebel, everything would be easy.
The imperial court could only try its best to appease the people, but everyone understood that local private soldiers were always a hidden danger and something would happen sooner or later.
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