readytorunbook Chapter 1125 The Reasons for Sun Ce's Death
Chapter 1125 The Reasons for Sun Ce's Death
Ma Chao didn't sleep all night. Three candles on his desk burned out, and the moonlight outside the window went from full to waning. He sat blankly at his desk, repeatedly pondering Zhou Yu's words, his fingertips tracing the outline of Chang'an on the sand table, then gently tracing it away.
"I am twenty-four years old now, and Yue'er is six..." he murmured to himself, "Even if I live to be fifty, he will be thirty-two. After more than twenty years of teaching by example, surely I can raise a son who can stand on his own two feet?"
Back then, he went to Luoyang to study when he was thirteen. Yue'er was intelligent from a young age, and her stubbornness was just like his. How could she not even be able to hold onto her own position? Even if Li Ru had his schemes and Dong Bai had his family, as long as he was alive, he would protect Yue'er. If he were gone, wouldn't more than twenty years of tempering have been enough for Yue'er to grow into someone who could stand on her own?
After much thought, the knot in his heart gradually loosened. He blew out the last candle, walked to the bedside, and lay down; by then, dawn was breaking.
The next morning, Ma Chao pushed open the door, and the morning light fell on his face, making his brows and eyes show no trace of distress, only his usual composure. When he met Zhou Yu in the flower hall, the surprise in the other man's eyes was undisguised—the man who had been somewhat worried yesterday was now refreshed, as if he had unloaded a thousand-pound burden overnight.
Zhou Yu understood; some things could only be touched upon under the influence of alcohol, and the final decision rested with Ma Chao. He picked up his teacup and greeted him with a smile, "Brother, you look quite well today."
"Thanks to Gongjin, I've come to some clarity," Ma Chao said, taking a sip of tea in a light tone.
After breakfast, Dong Bai and the others were invited by Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao to the back garden to see the children; their laughter could be faintly heard through the flower wall. Ma Chao and Zhou Yu strolled into the courtyard, where the dew from the previous night still lingered on the bluestone ground, dampening the edges of their shoes.
“Gongjin,” Ma Chao spoke first, his gaze falling on the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard, “I have already made a decision about what you mentioned yesterday, but it is not an urgent matter at the moment.”
Just as Zhou Yu was about to speak, he raised his hand to stop him.
“Let’s not talk about that for now.” Ma Chao turned around, his eyes sharpening. “I’ve come to Jiangdong this time because there’s something else I want to ask—what exactly happened with Bo Fu’s death?”
Sun Ce died young, and the official explanation was that he died from his injuries, but he always felt there was something fishy about it. With Bo Fu's martial arts skills and the heavy guard around him, how could he have died so easily even if he was injured? In recent years, he had been preoccupied with matters in Chang'an and Xiliang and had no time to investigate in detail. Now that he had arrived in Jiangdong, he was determined to find out the truth and bring comfort to Bo Fu's spirit in heaven.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu's smile faded. He gazed at the distant pond, his voice growing deeper: "Since you've asked, brother, I will tell you everything I know. However, this matter is a long story..."
Ma Chao's heart tightened upon hearing this, and he subconsciously straightened his back, placing his hands on his knees, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Zhou Yu sighed, his voice filled with undisguised sorrow: "When I heard that my brother had met with misfortune in Chang'an, Bo Fu immediately turned red in the eyes and slammed his fist on the table, wanting to lead troops north. I advised him that the foundation in Jiangdong was not yet stable and that we needed to plan for the long term, but he was strong-willed and said, 'Meng Qi and I are like brothers. How can I sit idly by and watch him suffer such a calamity?'"
He paused, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade pendant at his waist: "He left me, along with several veteran generals including Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang, to guard Jiangdong, while he led the main army to set off. At first, we were indeed unstoppable, taking the Xiakou camp in one battle and then advancing into Jiangxia. Huang Zu suffered repeated defeats and was about to be captured."
"Who knew that Huang Zu would retreat to the Shiyang area and suddenly set up an ambush. Bo Fu was caught up in the fighting and, seeing the enemy army fleeing, personally led his troops in pursuit—this was exactly Huang Zu's trap." Zhou Yu's voice deepened.
Ma Chao clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking: "Bo Fu is a veteran of countless battles, how could he be so easily ambushed? As a commander, he knows best how to march and deploy troops, how could he make the mistake of going deep into enemy territory alone? Besides, with his martial arts skills, which of Huang Zu's men could have injured him this badly? What about his generals? Are they all dead?"
Zhou Yu gave a bitter smile, his eyes bloodshot: "That's the strangest part. Those who followed Bo Fu in pursuit were all military generals recommended by the major families of Jiangdong. They usually fought alongside Bo Fu and were brave and loyal, making many meritorious contributions. Bo Fu always valued them highly."
"But that day, after Bo Fu charged out first, those generals refused to follow up, citing the reason that 'the enemy's strength is unclear and we need to hold our ground,' leaving Bo Fu isolated!" Zhou Yu's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "The one who ambushed Bo Fu was none other than Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng, under Liu Biao's command. That old man's archery skills were divine; Bo Fu was hit by several arrows, and it was he who shot them."
"In the end, it was Wei Yan who was in charge of escorting the rear army's supplies. He sensed something was wrong and fought his way through the corpses to pull Bo Fu out of the pile."
"Outrageous!" Ma Chao slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups on it jump. "These generals recommended by these aristocratic families are clearly doing this on purpose! While the main general is charging, they dare to stand still. What is this if not collusion with the enemy? Bo Fu has treated them well, yet they dare to be so treacherous!"
Zhou Yu's voice grew increasingly low, carrying a chilling aura: "After Bo Fu was seriously injured, seeing that he was surrounded by generals from the Jiangdong aristocratic faction, he secretly discussed with Wei Yan that they should only announce to the outside world that they were going back to Jiangdong to recuperate, and proceed cautiously without moving an inch along the way."
Ma Chao nodded: "That's how it should be. The best course of action would be to return to Jiangdong quietly, stabilize the situation, and then settle accounts with those people. But why did he suddenly die of illness?"
Zhou Yu's fingertips trembled slightly, as if he had touched upon the past he least wanted to recall: "Zhou Tai and Wei Yan later said that since boarding the ship, Bo Fu had been extra cautious—the physician was chosen from among his old subordinates, the medicinal herbs were personally inspected, and they were all guarded by trusted confidants on the same ship. At this time, Sun Quan stepped forward and said that since his elder brother was seriously injured, it was his duty as the younger brother to serve him. He stayed in the cabin every day, and personally brewed and served him the medicine."
“Before each dose of medicine, Sun Quan would first scoop a bowlful and drink it himself to make sure everything was alright before feeding it to Bo Fu. Although Wei Yan was uneasy and distrustful of those aristocratic generals, he couldn’t find fault with Sun Quan, so he could only personally guard the main ship’s cabin door, never leaving his side.”
Ma Chao frowned, increasingly puzzled: "With such caution, there shouldn't be any mishaps... Could it be..." Before he could finish speaking, his gaze darkened.
Zhou Yu gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with unspeakable pain: "Brother, you must have guessed as well. Originally, Bo Fu's injuries had gradually stabilized, and the physician said that as long as he returned to Jiangdong and recuperated for a few months, he would recover. But when we were near Caishiji, Wei Yan, after staying up for two nights, could no longer hold on and closed his eyes to doze off in the cabin. In just over an hour, he was suddenly awakened by Bo Fu's cries of pain from inside the cabin."
"When he rushed into the cabin, Bo Fu was already lying on the bed, spitting out black blood, convulsing, pointing at the medicine bowl but unable to speak. When the physician arrived, his pulse was already erratic, and then... he stopped breathing."
The wind in the courtyard suddenly stopped, and the sunlight fell on the two of them, but it couldn't warm the bone-chilling cold. Ma Chao's clenched fists bulged with veins, and his nails almost dug into his flesh—he finally understood where Zhou Yu's unspoken doubts were pointing.
“Sun Quan…” Ma Chao murmured the name, his voice as cold as ice, “He personally tested the medicine and personally served him… Besides him, who else could dare to make a move under Wei Yan’s nose?”
Zhou Yu sighed deeply, his brows furrowed with deep sorrow: "Wei Yan immediately pointed at Sun Quan and cried out that he was the one who poisoned him. But Sun Quan countered, saying that Wei Yan took advantage of Bo Fu's serious injury to kill his lord and seize power. The guards on both sides immediately drew their swords and were thrown into chaos."
His voice was hoarse, as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "When I received the news and rushed there, all I found was Bo Fu's cold body. Wei Yan was bound and covered in blood, and Sun Quan was kneeling before the coffin, weeping bitterly. The two of them were sticking to their own stories and neither was willing to back down. I wanted to investigate thoroughly, but they turned around and advised the old lady that I was on good terms with Wei Yan and that we were probably conspiring to seize the Jiangdong base."
"The old lady was already grieving the loss of her beloved son and was in a state of great distress. She was swayed by their words and actually believed them. The veteran generals Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were also persuaded to prioritize the overall situation and bury Bo Fu first." Zhou Yu smiled bitterly, "Even though I am extremely unwilling, I can only suppress this matter for now."
Hearing this, Ma Chao became furious and slammed his fist on the stone table: "Even if the bigger picture was taken into consideration at the time, there should have been a thorough investigation afterward! Why did it escalate to the point of a complete breakdown in relations?"
“Brother, you may not know this…” Zhou Yu’s voice suddenly turned cold, “Just before Bo Fu’s coffin was laid to rest, a sudden change occurred in the night—Sun Quan, Sun Yi, and Bo Fu’s youngest son, Sun Shao, were all attacked at the same time!”
He closed his eyes, as if he couldn't bear to recall: "Sister-in-law Sally happened to be by Sun Shao's side at the time. In order to protect the child, she bravely shielded him from the assassins, but paid the price with her life... And those assassins were all wearing the robes of my Zhou family's servants, and the weapons in their hands were also engraved with the Zhou family's mark."
"This is clearly an attempt to frame me!" Zhou Yu suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes bloodshot. "The powerful families of Jiangdong are colluding with Sun Quan to force me out of the picture! They've calculated that if I get involved in the investigation, I'll be confirmed as guilty of 'murdering a member of the Sun family'; if I stand idly by, I'll be admitting to this frame-up. Either way, it's a dead end—they want to prevent me from seizing power in Jiangdong so that Sun Quan can rightfully secure his position."
"Otherwise, why did they act at that particular time? Why did the assassins have to carry the Zhou family's mark? Why were all of Sun's direct relatives targeted?" Zhou Yu asked three times, his voice filled with grief and indignation. "They wanted to cut off all possible avenues for overturning the verdict, making Bo Fu's death and Sally's death 'ironclad evidence' of my treason!"
The courtyard was eerily quiet, save for the whistling of the wind through the leaves. Ma Chao looked at Zhou Yu's red-rimmed eyes and finally understood the forbearance and hardship he had endured in Jiangdong all these years—it wasn't a retreat, but being forced to the edge of a cliff, every step treading on a knife's edge.
"These heartless bastards!" Ma Chao gritted his teeth, his palm pressing down on the stone table, causing several cracks. "Bo Fu treated them well, and Sally was innocent, yet they could be so cruel!"
Zhou Yu gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Brother, you may not know this, but Zhang Zhao is none other than Sun Quan's teacher."
He paused, lowering his voice even further, as if afraid of disturbing something: "Actually, from the moment Bo Fu decided to launch the Northern Expedition to Chang'an to avenge you, this net had already been quietly tightening."
"Even the generals chosen by Bo Fu before the expedition, who seemed to be talented individuals recommended by aristocratic families, had actually already been placed in positions by Zhang Zhao. The distribution of supplies and the transmission of military intelligence along the way were suspicious at every turn..."