Chapter 371: Palace Changes (V)
Sun Wei wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and nodded, "It's a deal."
Sima Jun didn't say anything. Sun Wei's chest was pressed against him, and he could hear the strong heartbeat under the fabric.
At this moment, the two heard the sound of people cheering "Long live the emperor".
Looking over, the prince was sitting on a high sedan chair, surrounded by the emperor's guards, coming towards this side.
When he got closer, the prince looked calm and stepped down from the sedan chair, stepping on the kneeling eunuchs.
"Ziheng." He still had a smile on his face, but it looked ferocious in the firelight. "The palace is surrounded tightly inside and outside. Why fight like a trapped beast? Just surrender."
Sima Jun shielded Sun Wei behind him and faced the Crown Prince without fear. He said, "The late emperor's body is still warm, and the Crown Prince is already slaughtering people indiscriminately within the palace. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"
"How dare you!" the eunuch beside the prince shouted, "A new emperor has ascended the throne, how dare this traitor be so disrespectful!"
The prince did not take it as an offense, waved his hand and asked him to leave.
"I have been entrusted by Heaven to eliminate all rebellion." He then turned his gaze to Sun Wei and said, "My dear Sundaughter, you possess the talent to assist the state, and I have always valued you. If you will abandon the dark and join the light, I will offer you wealth and honor as a betrothal gift. What do you think?"
Sun Wei glanced at Sima Jun in front of her, his hand still tightly holding her.
"The prince killed the emperor and his ministers. He was ungrateful and unrighteous. How can he be given the mandate by heaven, and how can he gain the trust of the people?" Sun Wei said.
"It seems you've been deeply deceived by these evil words." The prince sneered, "But if you don't care about your own life, don't you care about the lives of your family too?"
Hearing the word "family", Sun Wei was secretly shocked.
The prince just raised his hand, and several people were brought to the front by soldiers.
But it was her uncle Sun Kuo, Sun Rong and his family, as well as Sun Zhi.
Since the incident with Lu Ming, Sun Wei has not seen his cousin for a long time.
He was trembling with fear. When he saw the prince, he immediately knelt down and shouted "Long live the prince".
The prince asked him to stand up and said, "Your sister is right here. You should try to persuade her kindly. I will be tolerant and forgive the past."
Sun Zhi thanked her profusely, kowtowed profusely, and then he stood up, walked over to Sun Wei, and called out emotionally, "Sister, it's me! I'm your cousin Sun Zhi!"
Sun Wei was a little dazed.
At this moment, Sun Zhi had a wretched look on his face, completely different from the high-spirited and eloquent man he was when he was trying to persuade the enemy to surrender in his previous life.
Only those eyes still flashed with calculation.
"Sister Awei!" Sun Zhi's voice was full of anxiety and tenderness. "It's my cousin who is clumsy and blind. I didn't realize until today that you are my sister! For so many years, we have always missed my uncle's family and my sister, and often said that we would bring you from Anning to reunite with our family. Mother also said that my sister has reached the age of marriage and we should find a good marriage for her in Jiankang, so that my great uncle's spirit in heaven can be comforted! I didn't expect my sister to come to Jiankang alone, and she ended up in the Prince of Yuzhang's Mansion! Your Majesty is wise and has forgiven my sister for pretending to be a concubine! Now, the lives of our entire family are in my sister's hands! Sister, please don't be obsessed and harm the whole family!"
After he finished speaking, Sun Kuo, Sun Rong and others echoed him.
Sun Wei had heard words like "good niece" more often than she had in her two lifetimes combined.
Sun Wei opened his eyes and looked behind Sun Zhi, and there were indeed only these people.
"Your parents and A-Qiao are still in Xunyang." Sima Jun said softly.
Sun Wei's heart suddenly calmed down.
"Sister," Sun Zhi continued, "don't worry. As long as you are willing to change your heart, the emperor will treat you with kindness! The emperor said that not only you, but also your parents and A-Qiao will be granted titles and official positions, and their blessings will last forever!"
"Don't worry, General Luqiu has already said that if you hand over Sima Jun's body and tell the world that Sima Jun's usurpation of power is unforgivable and it was General Luqiu who saved the country from danger, he will spare your life."
Sun Wei suddenly found it funny and started laughing.
Sun Zhi didn't understand what he meant and was stunned for a moment.
Sun Wei looked at the Crown Prince and said, "What the Crown Prince wants is my ability to predict the future. I once told the Crown Prince that he would rule the world. Now, that has come true."
The Crown Prince was about to speak when he heard Sun Wei say, "I remember I said at the time that without Prince Yuzhang, the Crown Prince's kingdom would not be stable."
The prince was stunned, and then laughed.
"You really have been thinking about Ziheng all the time." He sighed, "Well, today, I can show mercy. As long as you are willing to surrender, I will let Ziheng leave the palace."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sima Jun had already blocked Sun Wei behind him again.
"She's not going anywhere," he said coldly, "Please retract your delusions, Your Highness."
Sun Wei was furious and tugged at his sleeve.
Sima Jun remained motionless.
The Crown Prince said calmly, "Why rush? I'll release you, but only on certain conditions. Besides Sun Nujun, you must also release Lu Qiuyan. Those outside the west gate are all my men. If you can fight your way to the boat, it will be a testament to your ability. How do you do it?"
Sun Wei's heart sank.
She originally wanted to exchange herself for Sima Jun again, but the prince obviously did not intend to let him go.
After the prince finished speaking, he seemed to feel tired and waved his hand.
The imperial guards surrounding the west gate approached, their heavy boots stepping on the stone slabs, their armor colliding with weapons, and the murderous aura was overwhelming.
Xie Xiao and Cheng Yu had already ordered the soldiers on the city wall to draw their bows and arrows, and set up a shield formation under the city wall, intending to fight to the death.
Sun Wei was at her wit's end and looked at Sima Jun, only to see that he was still holding her hand with a calm expression.
He looked up at the sky, as if looking at the stars.
Sun Wei said nervously: "Your Highness, we..."
"I once heard you call me Ah Jun." Sima Jun suddenly interrupted, "Do you remember? It was when you were delirious with fever."
Sun Wei: “…”
It was already this late, and he was still wondering when she had said something nonsense.
Just as he was about to speak, Sima Jun said, "Look over there, there's a fire."
Sun Wei was stunned and looked in the direction of his gaze.
But I saw that it was the direction of Taiji Palace. A flame had appeared at some point, illuminating the towering roofs of the palace.
At this moment, outside the west gate, the sound of rumbling drums and shouts of killing were heard.
"It's the Northern Palace!" Cheng Yu shouted excitedly, "The brothers who started the rebellion in the Northern Palace have come to protect His Highness!"
The prince and the imperial guards surrounding the west gate were completely unprepared for this unexpected turn of events.
In the darkness of night, the fire in the Taiji Hall and the noise outside the west gate seemed particularly huge. The imperial guards looked around and speculated, and were suddenly thrown into disarray.
"Your Majesty!" someone hurriedly reported, "The rebels have entered the palace and reached the Taiji Hall. Your Majesty, please seek refuge in the East Palace!"
The prince was furious and looked at Sima Jun and Sun Wei who were surrounded by soldiers with a look of unwillingness.
The shouts and cries of killing outside the west gate were getting closer and closer, and it was obvious that the imperial guards were unable to resist.
"Move to the East Palace!" the prince said angrily, and the eunuchs received the order.
"Don't cause chaos! Don't cause chaos!" Lu Qiuyan yelled like crazy, "That's a trick to confuse the enemy! We can't let Prince Yuzhang go..."
Before he could finish his words, Deng Lian elbowed him on the back of the head, and Lu Qiuyan fainted.
Sun Wei looked around in disbelief: "This..."
"That was the late emperor's wish," Sima Jun said calmly. "I just said I would take you back and not fall here."
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