Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1132 Sun Quan's Fear of Fleeing to an Island

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai had already stood up when their eyes inadvertently swept over Sun Shao in Zhou Yu's arms. Seeing that the child had bright eyes and a high nose bridge, and vaguely resembled the heroic spirit of Sun Ce when he was young, they were immediately shocked. They took two quick steps without thinking and carefully examined him for a moment before tears welled up in their eyes.

“Young Master…” Cheng Pu’s voice choked with emotion. He suddenly pulled Huang Gai down to kneel again and bowed deeply to Sun Shao. “Your subordinate Cheng Pu (Huang Gai) greets Young Master!”

Although young, Sun Shao was well-mannered. Supported by Zhou Yu, he raised his hand in a gesture of respect, like an adult, saying, "Grandpa Cheng, Grandpa Huang, please rise. There's no need for such formalities."

That cry of "Grandpa Cheng" brought tears to the eyes of the two veteran generals. They recalled Sun Ce's triumphant conquest of Jiangdong, his youthful vigor and untimely death, and now, seeing such a worthy successor, how could they not be filled with emotion? Huang Gai wiped away his tears, looked up at Sun Shao, then at Ma Chao and Zhou Yu beside him, and said in a trembling voice, "Good...good! With the young master here, with General Ma and Commander Zhou here, Jiangdong has worthy successors!"

The warmth of Ma Chao's palm traveled through his sleeve to Zhou Yu's arm. The moment their eyes met, they both saw a tacit understanding in each other's eyes. Zhou Yu first bent down to help Cheng Pu up, and Ma Chao followed suit, helping Huang Gai up. When his palm touched the old general's rough hand, he could feel the thick calluses from years of holding a sword.

"General, your skill has protected Jiangdong for so many years." Ma Chao's voice was deep and respectful. "With you all here, Bo Fu's foundation is as stable as Mount Tai."

Zhou Yu interjected, "Let's go back to the city. There should be some wine simmering on the stove. We can keep the old generals company while we drink it warm."

Cheng Pu was still wiping away tears when he was helped up, but Huang Gai laughed with his neck stiff: "Drink! We have to have a few drinks today! Let's see who gets drunk first!" As he spoke, he patted Ma Chao's arm with considerable force, showing the affection of an elder for a younger generation.

Sun Shao leaned on Zhou Yu's shoulder, secretly tugged at Ma Chao's sleeve, and whispered, "Uncle, why are they crying?"

Ma Chao looked down at him, his eyes filled with even more warmth: "Because they hold onto the light in their hearts, seeing you is like seeing the light again, making them even brighter."

The river breeze, carrying moisture, brushed against our faces, leaving a damp feeling, but it couldn't dispel the warmth of the moment. As the procession headed into the city, the laughter of Cheng Pu and Huang Gai mingled with Sun Shao's questions, echoing along the riverbank, more intoxicating than wine.

Back at the mansion in the city, the guests and hosts took their seats, and maids served hot tea, the rising steam blurring the sunlight outside the window. After a brief exchange of pleasantries about the scenery along the way, Cheng Pu put down his teacup and spoke directly: "The King of Liang has come from afar and specially sent someone to invite us, so he must have important matters to discuss. Although Gongfu (Huang Gai's courtesy name) and I are old, we will serve the King of Liang no matter what, even if it means our lives. We will never forget the kindness of the King of Liang in helping Bofu pacify Jiangdong."

Huang Gai nodded emphatically, his white beard trembling slightly: "What Lord Cheng said is absolutely right. King Liang, please speak frankly, and we two will have no objections."

Ma Chao paused, holding his teacup, and looked up to meet Zhou Yu's gaze. Zhou Yu smiled and nodded slightly, signaling him to speak. Ma Chao understood; these two old generals were indeed still the same as before, utterly loyal to Sun Ce's cause and always remembering his past assistance. Their sincerity had never diminished with the passage of time.

Ma Chao slowly set down his teacup, the celadon bottom striking the table with a soft sound. His voice was as steady as a deep pool, yet carried an undeniable power: "Generals, to be honest, the heaviest concern on my mind is the cause of Bo Fu's death." He traced the rim of the cup with his fingertips for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the candlelight on the table. "He's been gone for so many years, and I, as his elder brother, haven't been able to find out the truth for him sooner. This belated debt weighs on my heart day and night."

He looked up at the two veterans, his eyes clear: "I invited you two here today because I have found some clues."

Before the words were finished, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai exchanged a glance, their cloudy old eyes suddenly welling up with tears. They both knelt down with a thud, their white beards trembling. "King Liang!" Cheng Pu's voice was hoarse as a broken gong. "Our lord's death was no accident. We four old bones are not unwilling to investigate, but... but we fear stirring up chaos in Jiangdong and destabilizing the foundation our lord has worked so hard to build!" Huang Gai immediately followed, his forehead striking the blue bricks with a dull thud. "Now that King Liang has taken action, we are willing to give up everything to help him investigate thoroughly, only seeking justice for our lord, so that his spirit may rest in peace!"

Zhou Yu cleared his throat and spoke in a deep, clear voice: "The story begins with Brother Bofu's desire to avenge his father and his subsequent campaign against Jiangxia. That day, he personally led his elite troops on a surprise attack, a plan that seemed foolproof. However, they were ambushed halfway through the march. The enemy seemed to know our route perfectly, and arrows rained down upon us, catching us completely off guard. Although Brother Bofu fought valiantly to break through the encirclement, he was wounded in the process."

"Later, during his treatment on the river, Mingming's injuries had gradually stabilized. However, one night, someone tampered with the medicine he was taking, and the poison took effect suddenly, causing him to pass away. The poison was strange and was definitely not an ordinary poison. It was clear that someone had planned it in advance."

"Later on, Sun Quan and Sun Xu, along with the young Sun Shao, were all ambushed by assassins at the same time, which was extremely dangerous. The skills and techniques of those assassins even revealed the influence of my Zhou family."

Zhou Yu's tone shifted, his gaze sharpening: "The reason I'm willing to break ties with those powerful families in Jiangdong to protect Sun Shao is because I've seen through the schemes behind this—those families, fearing the Sun family's power, are resorting to such ruthless methods to eliminate them completely, attempting to control Jiangdong. If I don't protect Sun Shao by my side, I'm afraid Brother Bofu's lineage will truly be uprooted by them."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and suppressed the indignation in his voice: "These conspiracies and tricks are even more despicable when they are hidden under a veneer of respectability."

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai's wrinkles furrowed into knots, their faces turning from red to white, clearly struck by these words. Cheng Pu wiped his face, his voice hoarse as if he were speaking through sand: "How could we not know what Gongjin said? But... but..." The words caught in his throat, unable to come out for a long time.

Zhou Yu's gaze darkened, and he replied, "You mean to talk about Old Madam Sun, right?"

The two veteran generals sighed in unison. Huang Gai pounded his knee: "Alas, Zhongmou is, after all, a piece of flesh from the old lady's own body. How could she allow anyone to harm him? Besides... we are only speculating. Although we feel there are many suspicious points about him, we can't produce any real evidence. We can't just make decisions based on guesswork..."

Zhou Yu fell silent upon hearing this, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the table. Indeed, with the old lady, this bodhisattva, standing between them, let alone taking action against Sun Quan, even a thorough investigation would inevitably earn them the reputation of "sowing discord among family members," making it a truly troublesome situation.

The atmosphere in the room was tense when Ma Chao suddenly spoke, his voice clear and resonant: "Gentlemen, there's no need to be embarrassed. Let's set aside Sun Quan for now—you all saw the unusual activities of those Jiangdong aristocratic families before and after Bo Fu's assassination, didn't you? There's nothing to be ambiguous about."

Cheng Pu and Huang Gai exchanged a glance and nodded emphatically. Cheng Pu said, "Of course! After Bo Fu was killed, the Gu and Zhang families seized the land of three families who had served under the military merits in just half a month. The Lü family even took over the military power of Bo Fu's personal guards under the pretext of 'appeasing the orphans.' I don't believe there's nothing fishy going on!"

“That’s right.” Ma Chao tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “No matter what happens on Sun Quan’s side, these powerful families are definitely involved. In that case, let’s bypass Sun Quan for now and focus our troubles on these powerful families.”

Zhou Yu frowned: "Brother, you may not know this, but Zhongmou now relies heavily on the powerful families. The two sides are already deeply intertwined. To harm the powerful families is to harm his right and left arms. Jiangdong will surely be in chaos, and the old lady will definitely not allow it."

"So what if things are in chaos? Are we going to let Bo Fu rest in peace?" A sharp glint flashed in Ma Chao's eyes. "He was an upright man all his life. Why should he die such an unjust death, while these petty villains trample on his legacy and act arrogantly?"

These words struck Cheng Pu and Huang Gai like a hammer blow. The two veterans' lips moved as if they had something to say, but they were held back by some concern, and their faces turned red.

Ma Chao noticed something amiss and said gently, "Generals, please speak frankly. Is there some other hidden story?"

Cheng Pu tugged at Huang Gai's sleeve, and Huang Gai gave him a wink. Finally, Cheng Pu gritted his teeth and said, "King Liang, Gongjin, you probably don't know something—since the end of last year, after Zhongmou and Gongjin reached an agreement, Zhongmou led his troops to Jiaozhou and has already captured Nanhai County. Gongjin should know about this, right?"

Zhou Yu nodded: "I know about this. He said at the time that he wanted to expand Jiangdong's territory, so I didn't stop him." He paused, then asked, "Is he still using troops in Jiaozhou, or has he returned to Moling?"

Cheng Pu exchanged a glance with Huang Gai, and this time Huang Gai took over the conversation, lowering his voice even further: "He neither returned to Moling nor continued to attack Jiaozhou—instead, he took General Zu Mao and turned to attack... to attack Yizhou."

"Yizhou?" Zhou Yu suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "What is he going to Yizhou for?"

Huang Gai sighed: "He not only went to Yizhou, but also married the daughter of the former king of Yizhou and plans to stay there for a long time. Zu Mao and some of his old troops stayed with him, while Lü Meng and other generals have already returned to Moling. They all shook their heads and sighed when they talked about this."

Zhou Yu tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his brows furrowed: "Yizhou is isolated overseas, plagued by miasma. What use would it be if he conquered it? Did Zhang Zhao and the others say anything?"

Huang Gai, his body hunched over, spoke in a hoarse, aged voice: "The old lady hasn't eaten properly these past few days. She's always in the ancestral hall, weeping before Bo Fu's memorial tablet, repeatedly muttering, 'Why hasn't Quan'er returned yet?'" He paused, glanced towards the door, and lowered his voice, "What's even more worrying is that Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and the others have been gathering together under the guise of 'discussing state affairs.' Some minor officials overheard them discussing in the mansion that 'a country cannot be without a ruler for a day,' and even mentioned Bo Fu's younger brother, Sun Xu—saying something about 'Sun Xu being intelligent and resembling Bo Fu.' Everyone understands what this means now that it's leaked out."

Ma Chao frowned slightly, his gaze falling on Zhou Yu's tense profile, with a hint of inquiry: "Gongjin, in your opinion, is Sun Quan's trip to Yizhou really just to avoid disaster?"

Zhou Yu tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his eyes deep and dark, like inkstones immersed in a cold pool: "It's true that you're avoiding trouble, but it's not necessarily because you're afraid of those aristocratic families." He paused, his voice extremely low, "When news of your triumph on the grasslands reached Jiangdong, who was the most restless?"

Ma Chao's heart skipped a beat: "You mean..."