Sun Quan was already distracted, and after hearing Bu Lianshi's crying, he let out a long sigh.
Sun Quan sat down next to Bu Lianshi, patted her back gently, and kept comforting her: "How could I harm Dahu? Among my children, the ones I love the most are Dahu and Zigao (Sun Deng, the crown prince of Wu)."
Bu Lianshi whispered, "I have heard about it! Dahu has become a concubine in Luoyang. If my husband does not acknowledge this, how can Dahu survive in Luoyang?"
Sun Quan said softly, "Cao Rui has sent the betrothal gift, so I am willing to accept it. But if I accept it, I am afraid that I will lose my position during the peace talks between Wu and Wei, and be led by the envoys of Wei."
Bu Lianshi raised her eyes to look at Sun Quan: "My husband has not changed his position. How can a mere envoy force him to change his position?"
"Didn't the Wei envoy say that Da Hu is very favored in the Luoyang Palace? Is that a bad thing for my husband?"
"How can it be bad for Sun Shi if my husband is the King of Wu and Da Hu is a concubine in Luoyang?"
Sun Quan was in charge of the Eastern Wu at the young age, and he was very familiar with the politics and people's hearts. How could Sun Quan not hear the hidden meaning of Bu Lianshi's words?
If his own daughter is in the Luoyang Palace, doesn't that mean he is equivalent to the father-in-law of Emperor Cao Rui of Wei?
If one day something happens...
Perhaps the Sun family can still be rich?
As soon as this idea came out, it was immediately nipped in the bud by Sun Quan.
They have ruled Jiangdong for three generations, how could they be defeated?
Sun Quan stood up with a serious expression, gently stroked Bu Lianshi's cheek, and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely not harm Da Hu."
After saying this, Sun Quan turned around and was about to leave.
Bu Lianshi asked from behind: "Where is the Supreme going?"
Sun Quan said without even turning his head: "I will go see Zhang Zibu!"
In the afternoon, Sun Quan's carriage arrived outside Zhang Zhao's Fu Wu General's residence.
Sun Quan got off the carriage and walked straight in without waiting for notification.
Zhang Zhao has two sons. The eldest son, Zhang Cheng, is currently leading troops under the command of Lü Dai, the governor of Yangzhou. The second son, Zhang Xiu, lives at home and is currently serving as an aide to Crown Prince Sun Deng.
Zhang Xiu came out of the house upon hearing the voice and bowed to Sun Quan. "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you! Why did you come here in person?"
Sun Quan smiled and said, "It's Shusi! Where is Mr. Zhang? Take me to find him."
"Yes, sir." Zhang Xiu led Sun Quan into the courtyard and came to the door of Zhang Zhao's bedroom.
After knocking on the door a few times, Zhang Zhao's weak voice came from inside: "What's the matter?"
"Father, the Supreme has arrived and is outside the door with his son." Zhang Xiu said anxiously.
Zhang Zhao sat up from the couch, turned over and stood still, then hesitated for a few moments before walking forward and opening the door.
Sun Quan said with a smile: "I came to see Mr. Zhang today. Can you let me in?"
Zhang Zhao did not put on an air of pretentiousness, but stepped aside to make way for him: "Your Majesty, it is a great honor for my humble residence. How can I not let Your Majesty in?"
After the two men knelt at the table, Sun Quan briefly recounted what happened this morning, then bowed to Zhang Zhao and said, "If Mr. Zhang were here today, even if he didn't leave the Wei envoy speechless, he would definitely take away his momentum."
"How can it be like today, where both I and the Prime Minister are speechless?"
Zhang Zhao moved to the left to avoid Sun Quan's apology. Sun Quan also changed from sitting to kneeling and stepped forward to hold Zhang Zhao's hand.
Zhang Zhao sighed slightly, raised his head and said: "When Madam Wu and the former Marquis Wu were alive, they did not hand over this old minister to the Supreme Lord, but entrusted the Supreme Lord to this old minister. Therefore, I also want to repay this kindness with all my loyalty."
"But I was short-sighted and disobeyed the Supreme's wishes. I thought that after my death, my body would be thrown into a ditch. Unexpectedly, the Supreme saw it in person."
"However, I am determined to remain loyal and will not give up until my death. If you ask me to change my mind and seek honor, I will never do it!"
Sun Quan said, "I understand Mr. Zhang's intention. Tomorrow I will meet the envoy of Wei State and ask Mr. Zhang to help me."
Zhang Zhao asked back, "How does the Supreme want to respond?"
Sun Quan replied: "I want to keep Da Hu safe in Luoyang, but I don't want to give up my bottom line and seek peace with Wei."
"What is the bottom line?" Zhang Zhao asked again.
Sun Quan said: "You can ask for peace, but you cannot submit to me again."
Zhang Zhao nodded: "I understand. Your Majesty, please observe my movements tomorrow."
Sun Quan nodded slightly.
The next day, in the Prince of Wu’s palace.
Sima Zhi had been entertained by the Wu Kingdom these days, and the food and wine were excellent every day. In addition, he had nothing else to do, so he seemed to have gained some weight.
After the greetings, Sima Zhi took the initiative to ask: "Greetings, King Wu. I am sending the betrothal gifts to Wuchang on behalf of Your Majesty. Please accept them, King Wu."
Sun Quan nodded gently: "Since Da Hu has entered the palace, the Wu and Wei families will become friends from now on."
"Where is the Prime Minister?" Sun Quan asked.
"I'm here." Gu Yong stepped out and said.
Sun Quan said, "The Emperor of Wei has sent me a betrothal gift, so I must be polite. Please prepare a dowry for me and send it to Luoyang with the envoy of Wei."
"Yes, sir." After Gu Yong bowed in response, he looked at Sima Zhi again.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Sima Zhi bowed and said, "I have received the emperor's order and have come to Wuchang this time to ask the King of Wu to return to his loyalty to the Wei Dynasty and use the Wei Dynasty's 'Taihe' era name." As soon as Sima Zhi finished speaking, Zhang Zhao stopped him.
"The envoy is arrogant!" Zhang Zhao stepped out and pointed at Sima Zhi with a frown. His white hair and beard made him look intimidating without even getting angry.
"We, the Great Wu, have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a great river as our moat. Why should we submit to Wei?"
"I hope you will understand the situation and stop saying such divisive words."
Sima Zhi was not annoyed, and said calmly: "In the second year of Huangchu, the former Minister of Rites Xing Zhen came to Jianye with a special envoy, appointed Your Highness as the general, conferred the title of King of Wu, and granted him the nine gifts."
"I remember the past events vividly. You were present there, right? Why don't you recognize them today?"
Zhang Zhao snorted coldly: "In the past, Emperor Wen of Wei was also the Prime Minister appointed by the Han Dynasty. Why did he disown him after that?"
Sima Zhi used Sun Quan to criticize Zhang Zhao, and Zhang Zhao used Cao Pi to criticize Sima Zhi. What else could Sima Zhi say?
Sima Zhi now understood that Sun Quan's withdrawal yesterday was only because he heard the news and was undecided.
By now, the people of Wu must have reached a consensus and decided on a strategy. I'm afraid that no matter what I say, it won't be of much use.
Sima Zhi cupped his hands and said, "I don't think I need to mention what happened in Wancheng at the beginning of the year."
"If the King of Wu can change his mind and continue to respect Wei as his suzerain, Wei will naturally reward him."
Zhang Zhao was shocked, but he remained calm and asked, "The King of Wu has already taken one of the three kingdoms. From Wu County to the South China Sea, the land is vast and rich in resources. Why would he need a reward from the Emperor of Wei?"
Sima Zhi replied slowly: "The Wei Kingdom will attack Shu from three directions next year. The remnants of Liu Bei will soon be destroyed. Do the officials of Jiangdong still have hope?"
"At that time, the Wei army will be divided into three routes from Longyou, Guanzhong and Shangyong, with a total of 150,000 troops. It will only take one battle to conquer Shu."
"Your Majesty has already said that he wants to give Ba County, Baxi, Badong, Fuling, and Jiangyang to the King of Wu as a gift."
"It depends on whether the King of Wu is willing to accept it."
Zhang Zhao's face was uncertain for a moment, while Sun Quan sat in the hall with a frown on his face.
At this time, Quan Cong stepped out and said fiercely: "Your Majesty, the friendship between Wu and Han is a foregone conclusion."
"If we don't help Han but help Wei, it will only cause trouble, both in terms of military affairs and in terms of people's hearts!"
"Zi Huang said it well!" Sun Quan slammed the table heavily, looked at Sima Zhi and said, "I wonder if the envoy heard clearly what my general said?"
"I will also give you an explanation in person. No matter what, please, Emperor Wei, give up the idea of asking me to become your vassal again."
"Negotiation is fine. The rest is off the table!"
Sima Zhi shook his head: "Let the King of Wu know that I have told His Highness everything I should say."
"Since the Wu Kingdom wants to make peace and is unwilling to submit, I can only convey your Highness' words to Your Majesty verbatim."
"Thunder, lightning, rain and dew all come from above, I hope you will not regret it!"
"Hahaha." Zhang Zhao laughed at the side, and the sound was so loud that it scared Sima Zhi.
Zhang Zhao said, "Do you know Chibi? Do you know Ruxu? There is no need for you to threaten me. Even if Wei has thousands of cavalry, how can they cross the river to show off their power?"
Sima Zhi knew that talking was useless, so he just nodded and said nothing more.
The next day, Sima Zhi wrote a letter to bid farewell to King Sun Quan of Wu, and was then escorted by Hu Zong to board the return ship.
Sima Zhi stood at the dock, watching boxes of items being moved into the cabin, and couldn't help but be surprised.
"Wei Ze, I have also seen the dowry that the King of Wu sent to Wei. How can there be so many things?"
Hu Zong bowed his hands and said with a smile: "To be honest with you, Brother Zihua, these one hundred boxes are all gifts from the King of Wu to the Emperor of Wei."
Sima Zhi frowned and asked, "Please explain to me, Wei Ze, didn't the King of Wu reject my words yesterday? Why did he give Your Majesty so many things today?"
Hu Zong smiled and said, "These one hundred boxes are nothing but precious goods such as quetou incense, pearls, ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, peacock, jade, etc."
"Although Wei is a vast country with abundant resources, these things must be rare in Luoyang. Brother Zihua, please present this gift from the King of Wu to the Emperor of Wei!"
Sima Zhi sighed. As he was about to board the ship, he bowed to Hu Zong and said goodbye: "I will be returning to Luoyang soon. I don't know when we will meet again after I say goodbye to Wei Ze."
"If you are able to go to Luoyang as an envoy in the future, you must come to find me when you arrive in Luoyang!"
"Sure, sure." Hu Zong responded with a smile.
The ship gradually started to move. Sima Zhi stood on the ship and looked at the river view, feeling quite emotional.
Is this mission over? Sun Quan refused to pledge loyalty in name, but secretly gave His Majesty so many gifts!
Blowing the river breeze and enjoying this rare scenery, about half an hour later, Sima Zhi suddenly realized that something was wrong.
After calming down and thinking for a moment, Sima Zhi looked up at the sky again and finally understood.
It was morning, the sun was in the east, shouldn't his ship be heading east with the current? Why was it heading west?
Sima Zhi called a captain on the ship and asked him a question. The captain was also quite surprised.
"The order I was given was to march from Wuchang along the Han River to Xiangyang. Don't you know that?"
Sima Zhi was stunned. (End of this chapter)
