Chapter 345: Seeking Help (Part 2)
"There's another thing," Sun Wei continued. "When Divine Doctor Lin said goodbye to me, he complained again. He said that when the prince was injured, the doctors at the Imperial Hospital delayed treatment. If he hadn't intervened in time, the prince might not have woken up. Do you know what the consequences would have been if the prince hadn't woken up?"
Sima Jun's expression grew serious: "Jiangzhou?"
Sun Wei nodded. "If the Crown Prince doesn't wake up, Wang Han will definitely find an excuse to intervene in Jiangzhou. Jiang Yuan, as the Governor of Jingzhou, can then recommend a trusted aide to take over Jiangzhou. By then, Jingzhou and Jiangzhou will ostensibly belong to Wang Han, but in reality, the Crown Prince has already secretly taken these two states into his possession."
Sima Jun looked at her and asked, "Madam, do you think that someone deliberately caused me to be unable to wake up?"
"There are no true coincidences in this world," Sun Wei said. "I went to the Princess's Mansion just now to visit Divine Doctor Lin. He said the prince's injuries weren't serious, but any other qualified quack doctor wouldn't have kept him unconscious for so long. I thought the Imperial Hospital gathered together many famous doctors, and there was more than one doctor treating the prince that day. How could they be outperformed by a quack doctor? There must be something fishy going on here."
Sima Jun pondered and said nothing.
Sun Wei knew that whatever she could think of, Sima Jun could also think of, so there was no need to say more.
If the prince's intention was to go to Jiangzhou, Sima Jun would not be able to wake up. If he was not the mastermind, who else could it be?
It was already completely dark outside. In the candlelight, Sima Jun raised his eyes, which were filled with a bottomless depth.
Seeing him fall silent again, Sun Wei asked, "Sir, do you think I'm overthinking it?"
Sima Jun didn't answer. After a while, he shook his head.
"Everything is traceable, but I just don't see it."
Although the words were spoken softly, Sun Wei could hear the depression in them.
"The prince once said that he and the crown prince are like brothers." Sun Wei consoled him, "It's only natural not to doubt brothers."
Sima Jun raised his eyes and looked at Sun Wei, his gaze had regained its composure.
"Let's put aside what the Crown Prince intends for now," he said. "Jiang Yuan has laid out this plan for the Crown Prince, so there must be more to come."
Sun Wei nodded and said, "I suspect Jiang Yuan and Li Mo must have made a deal. It's very likely that Li Mo has replaced Jiang Yuan to serve the Crown Prince."
"oh?"
"Think about it, Your Highness. Li Mo orchestrated Lu Ming's plea to the Crown Prince because Sun Zhi knew of his concubine's identity. The Crown Prince then exploited the concubine's identity to seize his military power. This series of events is a remarkable coincidence. The most crucial point is how Li Mo entered the Seventh Lieutenant's official residence and met Sun Zhi, thereby learning of the concubine's identity. Li Mo and Liang Huang are undoubtedly colluding, but how did they do so? Who does Liang Huang answer to?"
"Liang Huang was appointed by Wang Han, so he undoubtedly follows his orders. But if Jiang Yuan also becomes the Crown Prince's subordinate, Liang Huang's identity becomes questionable." Sima Jun frowned, thinking for a moment, and said, "What Madam said reminds me of another matter. A while ago, I discussed Li Mo's whereabouts with the Crown Prince, and he strongly advocated handing Li Mo over to the Seventh Lieutenant. He seemed to have great trust in the Seventh Lieutenant."
Sun Wei said, "If the Crown Prince did this on purpose, then placing Li Mo in the Seventh Lieutenant's Department was definitely to make it easier for him to talk to Li Mo, or to find a chance to release him. From there, it all depends on when the Crown Prince will go to the Supreme Court to interrogate Li Mo."
Sima Jun's mind was already clear, and he smiled faintly.
"I already know the answer to this matter. Bo You just told me that the Crown Prince interrogated Li Mo while he was away."
Sun Wei was surprised.
"Li Mo is Lü Qiuyan's younger brother, and on the other hand, he's assisting the Crown Prince." Sima Jun looked out at the dark night outside the hall and said slowly, "Who is he helping?"
The answer is already obvious.
Sun Wei was about to speak when he suddenly saw Sima Jun stand up.
"I'm going to the East Palace," he said.
Sun Wei was stunned: "Why is the prince going to the Eastern Palace?"
"Lüqiu Yanlangzi's ambition has already reached the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince probably doesn't realize he's fallen into a trap. I must warn him."
"No!" Sun Wei hurriedly stopped him. "The Crown Prince has done this to the Crown Prince, which shows that he has no trust in the Crown Prince. Even if the Crown Prince tells the Crown Prince the truth from the bottom of his heart, will the Crown Prince believe it?"
"I don't need to tell you the truth from the bottom of my heart," Sima Jun said. "I know the Crown Prince's character best. He told me about Li Mo before. I only need to tell him that I have found out that Li Mo is Lu Qiuyan's brother. Then the Crown Prince will naturally be suspicious of Li Mo."
Sun Wei didn't answer, but just looked at the sky outside.
"It's already this hour, the palace must be locked. Why don't you wait until tomorrow?" she said. "This matter is of grave importance, and we must not act rashly. It won't be too late for you to consider it overnight and make a decision."
Sima Jun lowered his head and looked at his sleeves.
Only then did Sun Wei realize that in her panic, she had grabbed his sleeve and refused to let go.
She immediately let go.
Sima Jun looked at her, his dark eyes reflecting the candlelight.
After a moment, he nodded: "Just as my lady said."
After saying that, he went out of the hall.
Sun Wei was worried and asked hurriedly from behind, "Where is the prince going?"
"Go back to your room and rest." He said slowly, "I'm tired."
——
Early the next morning, Sun Wei heard from Aju that Sima Jun had gone to the Eastern Palace.
Sun Wei was not surprised to hear the news.
She asked Cao Song, "Have you finished changing the prince's ceremonial attire?"
"It's finished, just waiting for the princess's approval. It was a little loose last time, but the prince has lost weight recently, so I cut two more."
"Um."
Sun Weibu walked towards the intricate auspicious dress on the shelf, carefully touching the embroidery on it, and said, "Tell the craftsman not to leave. Wait until the prince comes out of the East Palace and try it on again. Maybe it needs to be modified."
"But it usually takes the prince a whole day to go to the East Palace."
"Not today," Sun Wei said, "He will be back soon."
Sure enough, Sima Jun came back after only an hour.
Sun Wei knew from his expression that he was having a bad time.
And Sun Wei also understood that even so, he would still go to the palace next time.
"What did the prince say?" Sun Wei asked.
"I followed the plan from last night and told the prince that Li Mo and Lu Qiuyan were brothers. The prince just said he knew it." Sima Jun said lightly.
Sun Wei observed Sima Jun's expression and asked, "Has the Crown Prince ever quarreled with the Prince?"
"It's not a quarrel, just a small argument."
"Arguing over Li Mo?"
"For Wang Xuanji."
Sun Wei: “…”
How could she not know what his so-called little quarrels were like? She sighed and said, "I'm afraid that one day, the Eastern Palace will no longer welcome the Crown Prince."
Sima Jun didn't care: "It's better for him to argue with me about this than to fall out over those suspicions."
Seeing his calm demeanor, Sun Wei's heart, which had been hanging in the air all morning, finally settled down.
She asked Cao Song to help Sima Jun change his clothes and try on the auspicious dress.
Sima Jun had indeed lost weight after such a serious injury a while ago. After two revisions, his waistline is now just right.
He was tall and handsome, and looked good in anything he wore. Even when he was thinner, he still had a capable and imposing aura, a commanding presence without even getting angry.
"Princess, look..." Cao Song was asking what she meant.
Sun Wei stepped forward and smoothed out the wrinkles on his collar.
"Okay, no need to change it, it's just right." She looked at the clothes intently and told Cao Song, "Let the craftsmen go back. They have good craftsmanship, so give them more money."
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