Chapter 41: Dismissal
Sun Wei felt helpless when she saw Aju's disdainful look.
She knew that Aju, as a descendant of a military family, had always been strong and could not stand cowardly people.
"You said it wasn't certain. Nothing in this world is absolute. When people encounter setbacks, they are inevitably discouraged, but that doesn't mean they will be cowards forever. Why don't you think about it? When your father was killed, weren't you afraid?"
A'ru curled her lips. "He's afraid, sure, but he comes from a military family and has even been appointed a general. How can he lead an army into battle if he's so timid?"
Sun Wei covered her injured arm, slowly lay down, and thought about Xie Xiao's words.
"You must understand that most people's fears come from the unknown. General Xie isn't truly afraid, he simply can't see the road ahead. He's fully aware of the burden he bears, but he doesn't know how to carry it. The heaviness of that burden may be beyond your and my comprehension. So, don't laugh at him."
"But he's always hesitant like this. Won't he ruin the princess's business?"
Indeed, Sun Wei had just asked Xie Xiao to return to Beifu, but he did not agree.
"It won't break." Sun Wei said.
She didn't have to be with Xie Xiao, she was just giving Xie Xiao a chance.
She would help Sima Jun acquire the Northern Palace. Once Sima Jun succeeded, the Northern Palace would no longer belong to Xie Xiao. Even if Chu Yue became the governor of the Northern Palace, Sun Wei believed it was merely a temporary solution. The Northern Palace could never again be controlled by anyone other than the Sima family.
But even so, Xie Xiao is not useless.
Xie Xiao saw people like Wang Han as obstacles to his control of the Northern Palace, and he must kill them immediately. However, this path was filled with sins. In his previous life, the Northern Palace had experienced a bloody storm, and after falling into Wang Han's hands, it was no longer as good as before.
Therefore, in Sun Wei's eyes, Wang Han was just a fool.
The Northern Army's troops are unrivaled in the world. As long as Xie Xiao sincerely submits to Sima Jun, the entire Northern Army will be at his disposal. Wang Han, regardless of his vision or talent, couldn't accomplish this. But Sima Jun could.
For Xie Xiao, this was his only chance to revive the Xie family. If he had the wisdom to see reality clearly, he would have a future. If not, as Aju said, he would be nothing more than a hopeless loser, and it would be better not to support him.
——
When I woke up, it was already evening.
Aju said that Sima Jun had just sent someone to ask her if she had woken up, and she didn't know what happened.
Sun Wei thought for a moment and said to A'ru, "Go and tell them I'm awake."
Aju agreed and walked out.
Not long after, Sima Jun arrived.
When Sun Wei changed her clothes and walked to the hall of Wufeng Courtyard, he was already sitting inside.
He looked very relaxed, as he was cutting the candle wax on the table with scissors and adjusting the wick, and the surroundings suddenly became bright.
Looking up, Sun Wei walked over, her eyes reflecting the candlelight like two clear springs.
After greeting, Sun Wei said, "I just rested. Is there anything the prince can do for you?"
Sima Jun put down his scissors and said, "It's nothing serious. I just came to greet Madam. Madam was injured yesterday, and today she got up early to copy scriptures and meet guests. She must have been very busy."
Sun Wei raised her eyebrows.
This was a strange thing. Sima Jun had never taken her seriously as his father's concubine, so the words "greetings" from him were really unbelievable.
"In that case, thank you very much, Your Highness." Sun Wei showed a look of relief. "I am the concubine of the emperor, and it is just a few things that are part of my job. It is not difficult at all."
Sima Jun looked at her.
"General Chu said that Madam told him his fortune again today?"
really.
Sun Wei said, "I just had nothing to do, so I just did some calculations."
Sima Jun took the tea from the maid and said slowly, "I heard that Madam's father, Mr. Lu Minglu, always used tortoise shells for divination. Now that Madam has neither tortoise shells nor yarrow, nor Si Nan counting rods, I wonder how to divine."
Sun Wei was prepared for such questions.
"To be honest, Your Highness, there are no fewer than a hundred methods of divination in the world, and their effectiveness depends on the diviner's talent. My husband excels at tortoise divination because it suits his talents best. However, I am not suited to tortoise divination. I learned a different family tradition, known as silent prophecy. This silent prophecy is a set of formulas that can only be recited, not spoken. While reciting them silently, they are paired with a set of family arithmetic methods, totaling 9981 methods. Together, these two complement each other to produce a prediction. Therefore, my divination doesn't require any external aids; I can reveal the truth simply by mental arithmetic and hand calculations."
Sima Jun's expression remained calm.
Chu Yue told him today with a serious face that he might not live to see the day of marriage.
Hearing this, Sima Jun knew that he had probably heard some nonsense from Sun Wei again.
Sima Jun still didn't believe in these weird things, but this incident unexpectedly made Chu Yue feel that a crisis was approaching, and he then said that he would help him seize the Northern Palace.
Inexplicably, Sun Wei actually helped Sima Jun a lot.
This gave him mixed feelings.
I tried to reason with him and explain the pros and cons, but Chu Yue hesitated. It was Sun Wei's two lies that reassured him. I don't know if he was too incompetent or Chu Yue was too stupid.
Sun Wei blinked and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Nothing." Sima Jun said, "Just curious."
Sun Wei said, "It's just right that the prince has arrived. I also have something to ask for your advice."
"oh?"
"It's about the late king's concubines," Sun Wei replied. "Every time I think about the He brothers and sisters, I still feel a lingering fear. The late king had many concubines, and many of them entered the palace through nepotism. The transfer of power between the inner and outer circles, the chaos of personnel, have all caused long-standing problems. Now that the matter of He Lang has arisen, it's not surprising. The Crown Prince will inherit the throne after he completes his mourning period, and the settlement of the late king's concubines will have to be made sooner or later. I want to ask the Crown Prince, what plans do you have?"
Sun Wei's question touched Sima Jun's heart.
The Prince of Yuzhang had always run his household as he pleased. He rewarded and rewarded anyone who pleased him. Consequently, the Yuzhang Palace always appeared glamorous on the outside, yet remained a chaotic mess underneath. Sima Jun, though more rigorous than his father and disapproving of many of the goings-on, was often away from home, leaving him unable to intervene.
Now that he had taken over the palace, cleaning up the mess left by his father had become a matter of urgency. No matter how difficult it was, it was time to deal with it.
Sima Jun thought for a moment and said, "I have considered this before. The best way is to send these concubines away. The mansion can pay them some money and send them out so that they can live their own lives."
Sun Wei didn't agree immediately. She said calmly, "I've asked the housekeeper and looked through the register. While some of these concubines are powerful, many are of humble origins. If we release them from the house, it would be a relief if their parents and families are willing to take them in. If they don't have a place to stay, even if we receive the prince's money, we won't be able to support them in the future. Rather than leaving them to fend for themselves, it would be better to provide them with a secure shelter. This way, they can have enough food and clothing, and it would also be a testament to the prince's filial piety. What do you think?"
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