Chapter 39 Rose
Chu Yue was still a little confused and looked at Sun Wei.
The person is dead and the clues are gone.
He couldn't help but think of what Sun Wei had just said, which was exactly what he said.
"Prince, is this the reason why you came to the palace today?" Chu Yue asked tentatively.
"I only learned of this after entering the palace," Sima Jun said. "The Crown Prince summoned me today for another matter, one that happens to be related to the Northern Palace. A few days ago, after the fire in the Eastern Palace, the Empress Dowager instructed the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to consult the heavens. They said Mercury was disappearing and Mars was causing chaos. A sacrifice must be made to the East Sea to avert the disaster."
When Chu Yue heard about Beifu, his heart skipped a beat and he asked, "What does going to the East Sea have to do with Beifu?"
Sima Jun continued, "This journey to the East Sea must pass through Jingkou. The External Military Commissioner's statement is that after the Battle of Kuaiji, the Northern Prefecture suffered heavy losses. The Crown Prince should go to the Northern Prefecture on behalf of the Emperor to reward the soldiers. On this journey east, he can stop by the Northern Prefecture. The Crown Prince has already agreed and will depart in ten days. The External Military Commissioner's letter should be sent to the Northern Prefecture today."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Xie Xiao and asked, "Major General, are you planning to return to the Northern Palace?"
Xie Xiao shook his head: "I am still in mourning. General Cheng Yu is now acting as the governor of the mansion, in charge of all matters. I don't need to go back."
Sima Jun looked at him, wanting to say something, but suddenly Chu Yue asked, "Who else is going with you to the East China Sea for the sacrifice?"
"Since this is a reward for the Northern Palace on behalf of His Majesty, the event is of course quite grand. The Shangshufu, the Outer Military Commission, the Taichang, and others are all accompanying us, plus the rest of the Eastern Palace officials, so there must be at least two or three hundred people."
"Shangshu Mansion?" Chu Yue asked, "Then Wang Pushe..."
"Wang Pushe is the head of the Shangshu Mansion and should accompany us."
Chu Yue paused and couldn't help but look at Sun Wei again.
No one spoke in the hall for a while, but Sima Jun saw the painting on the table.
"Is this painting new?" he asked.
Xie Xiao came back to his senses and said, "The princess said that the hall was missing a painting. I made one and was about to present it to her."
"Oh?" Sima Jun glanced at Sun Wei, and then his gaze returned to the painting.
He stood up with great interest, walked to the table, examined the painting carefully, and said with a smile, "The young general's cranes are praised by everyone. What I saw today is indeed extraordinary."
Xie Xiao blushed and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I am too kind."
Chu Yue looked at the two people discussing the painting, quietly moved behind Sun Wei, and lowered his voice: "The name that the princess just mentioned, could it be the one you just mentioned..."
Sun smiled and nodded slightly.
The legitimate reason she just mentioned was the prince.
In a previous life, the Crown Prince was on his way to the East Sea to offer sacrifices. Passing through Jingkou, he hosted a banquet for his generals at the Marquis of Changyang's mansion. Unexpectedly, an assassin suddenly broke in and headed straight for the Crown Prince. Fortunately, the East Palace guards were able to protect the Emperor and captured the assassin alive on the spot.
Wang Han, who was traveling with him, was furious and immediately sealed off the Marquis of Changyang's mansion, publicly interrogating the assassin. The assassin claimed to be a Northern Army soldier, ordered by Northern Army generals to kill the crown prince. Later, under Wang Han's pressure, the assassin revealed the name of the traitorous general. Wang Pushe immediately charged him with regicide and ordered the execution of over thirty Northern Army generals.
Among them was Chu Yue.
At this point, a great chaos broke out among the generals of the Northern Palace.
The soldiers under the slain generals, some of whom were dissatisfied, united to slaughter the entire capital and seek justice from the emperor. Wang Han, however, had already made plans and recruited a group of individuals within the Northern Palace. Under the guise of suppressing rebellion, these individuals joined forces with Wang Han to quickly suppress the rebellion. Thus, Wang Han had completely eliminated all dissidents within the Northern Palace, and the entire Northern Palace was under his command.
Sima Jun was under house arrest due to Xie Xiao's death, and was unable to accompany the Crown Prince, nor could he rescue Chu Yue. This incident became his lasting regret.
Chu Yue was about to speak, but Sun Wei stopped him with a look.
"I heard that General Chu's mother loves roses very much, is that right?" she asked.
"That's right." Chu Yue said.
"I was looking through the palace's gift book a while ago, and I found out that General Chu's mother had just celebrated her birthday. I'm new here, so I didn't know about this," Sun Wei said. "The roses in the palace garden are in full bloom, and I'd like to pick some as a gift for your mother, but I don't know what kind she'd like. So, I'd like you to come with me to choose. What do you think?"
"Well..." Chu Yue laughed dryly and looked at Sima Jun.
Sima Jun raised his eyes from the painting and looked at Sun Wei.
Then, he looked at Chu Yue: "Madam, this is all from the bottom of my heart, please don't despise it."
Chu Yue quickly agreed and followed Sun Wei.
"If what the princess predicted is true, I should try my best to stop the prince from traveling east." Chu Yue was a little anxious and spoke as soon as he entered the garden.
Sun Wei looked at the blossoming flowers in the garden and said, "Don't worry. I have something to ask you, General. You are good at marching. If the enemy is in the dark and you are in the light, what should you do?"
"The goal is to lure the enemy out and then destroy them in one fell swoop." After Chu Yue said this, he immediately understood what Sun Wei meant.
"Madam, do you mean to use our tactics against you?" he asked hurriedly, "But that would put the Crown Prince in danger."
"No." Sun Wei shook his head, took the scissors from Aru, and searched for a blooming rose. "The purpose of this game is to seize power, not to kill the king. The prince has no military power, so no one will touch him. The general only needs to figure out how to break the game."
With a snap, she cut off a flower. "But General, there's no turning back in this round. If you lose, you'll die. So, General, you must think twice before you act."
Her words were light and airy, but Chu Yue shuddered.
Chu Yue stood still for a moment and took a deep breath: "Princess, do you think I have a chance of winning?"
"Of course there is," Sun Wei said. "Just now, I counted with my fingers and got another vision. The general rode a black horse and crossed most of Jiankang City to marry the lady from the Xie family. When the lady from the Xie family saw the general, she smiled and asked him why he didn't wear a flower on his hat on such a day."
Chu Yue was stunned again when he heard this, and his face turned red.
This was a joke between him and Xie Fu. During every festive occasion, both men and women would wear flowers in their hair. But Chu Yue hated wearing flowers and always refused. Once, Xie Fu asked him to wear a flower she had picked, but Chu Yue still refused. Xie Fu then angrily told him that if Chu Yue didn't wear it on their wedding day, she wouldn't marry him.
Chu Yue looked at Sun Wei for a long time and said, "The princess is truly a deity..."
Sun Wei didn't answer, but smiled and said, "I'll cut the flowers and give them to the general's servants. General, please go and discuss business with the prince."
Chu Yue seemed to have made up his mind. He suddenly bowed to Sun Wei and said, "I will thank you again when I return victorious."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Sun Wei picked a basket of roses in the garden, had them wrapped in colorful silk, and handed them to Chu Yue's followers.
In a previous life, after Chu Yue's death, the Chu family fell into decline, and his mother, Zhou, became a widow. Sima Jun treated Zhou with great respect, and Sun Wei, seeking to please her, often visited her. She had heard many of Chu Yue and Xie Fu's stories from Zhou, and she also knew that Zhou loved roses, spending her later years surrounded by a garden full of them, a solace for her melancholy. Sun Wei always brought her gifts whenever she saw her, but none of the jewels and treasures she had ever seen pleased her more than a handful of roses.
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