Just as Sima Yi was apologizing to Gao Rou, Sima Zhi, who was sent by the Luoyang court to Wuchang as an envoy, was about to arrive in Wuchang City.
The ship sailed on the vast river, its bow splitting the undulating waves, stirring up continuous splashes of water.
The sun was setting in the west, and the fiery red sunset glowed over half the sky. Sima Zhi, who was standing on the boat and looking out, was stunned for a moment.
Hu Zong stood beside Sima Zhi and asked with a smile: "Brother Zihua, I heard that Cao Gong built the Bronze Sparrow Tower by the Zhang River in Yecheng in the past. Can you see such scenery on the Bronze Sparrow Tower?"
Sima Zhi shook his head and said nothing more. Hu Zong was not annoyed either, and stood on the boat with Sima Zhi to look out, his robes rustling in the breeze.
Hu Zong did not say "Emperor Wu" but "Duke Cao", and Sima Zhi had no interest in correcting him. Since Hu Zong's words did not mean any disrespect, Sima Zhi just let him do what he wanted.
Seven days ago, Sima Zhi bid farewell to Jia Kui, set out from Qiankouwu, and took an oil tanker eastward along the Wan River.
Soon after leaving Wankou and reaching the Yangtze River, Sima Zhi's oil tanker was intercepted by the warships of He Qi's troops.
Of the two clerks and ten guards who were traveling with Sima Zhi, only the two clerks were retained, while the ten guards were sent back to Wankou by a boat sent by He Qi.
According to He Qi, Wei's soldiers were not allowed to set foot south of the Yangtze River.
He Qi sent a boat to take Sima Zhi and his staff to Hu Zong in Chaisang. Hu Zong, a close official of the King of Wu and the governor of Jiefan, who had already received the order to receive the envoy, personally led Sima Zhi on a boat up the west river.
During the past few days, Hu Zong and Sima Zhi talked a lot. After all, they were both scholars and officials, so it was impossible for them to be as straightforward as those pure military generals.
But what surprised Sima Zhi the most was when the two of them discussed the famous scholars in Luozhong yesterday.
Sima Zhi was surprised and asked: "Who is Li Anguo? Is he also a famous scholar of Wei?"
Hu Zong asked with a hint of surprise: "Brother Zihua, don't you know Li Feng?"
Sima Zhi asked, "Is it Li Feng, the son of the former Weiwei Li Yi? How did you people of Wuyue know about him?"
Hu Zong rolled his eyes and then smiled, "It was Cao Wei who spread Li Feng's reputation here in the past."
Sima Zhi's face gradually turned cold. Cao Wei, a native of Shanyang, Yanzhou, once crossed the river alone in white clothes during the Huangchu period, after Sun Quan submitted a letter of allegiance to Cao Pi, met with Sun Quan and demanded a bribe from him, saying that he could help Sun Quan make friends with high-ranking officials in Luoyang.
Sun Quan did give Cao Wei a lot of gold, pearls and other valuables. Of course, Cao Wei was later arrested by the school officials and was ordered to be killed by the previous emperor Cao Pi.
What is Hu Zongzhong's intention in mentioning Cao Wei, who did not have a good ending?
Sima Zhi couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he gradually stopped talking to Hu Zong, and a day passed like this.
As the sun was about to set, the outline of Wuchang City appeared in the eyes of everyone on the boat.
After the ship docked at the pier, Hu Zong led Sima Zhi and two officials to the posthouse outside the city. After settling the three of them, Hu Zong prepared to say goodbye.
It was already dark. Hu Zong bowed at the entrance of the posthouse and said, "Brother Zihua, it is already late and the gates of Wuchang are closed. Please stay here first and go into the city tomorrow."
Sima Zhi couldn't play dumb any more: "Thank you very much, Weize, for your care these days."
"Now that I have arrived in Wuchang, I wonder when I can see the King of Wu?"
Hu Zong still had a kind expression on his face: "Tomorrow morning, I will report Brother Zihua's arrival to the Supreme. Please wait."
Apart from the document packages that Sima Zhi brought with him, all the large boxes he brought with him were kept under the supervision of Wu Bing.
Hu Zong was also very considerate and arranged for the three of them to stay in the same room.
This was the first time Sima Zhi had been alone with the two officials since he left Wankou. After blowing out the lights, they lay on the couch and talked quietly.
Du Shu, a clerk who had just turned thirty, said, "Sima Gong, today Hu Wei called Sun Quan the Supreme Lord. Where did this title come from?"
Sima Zhi said: "How else could it come from? The title of usurper must have been promoted by the officials of Wu."
Du Shu added: "Then I will take note of this matter and report it to you after returning to Luoyang."
Sima Zhi sighed and said, "These are trivial matters that cannot affect the overall situation. The real difficult things will happen after we meet Sun Quan."
"I don't know if I can see you tomorrow."
Du Shu asked curiously, "Then what etiquette should we use to meet him? According to etiquette, how can an angel from a higher country bow to the ruler of a smaller country?"
Sima Zhi said slowly: "What Wu Bo said is correct, but His Majesty has made it clear to me that diplomatic missions must focus on substance and cannot let these empty things affect the overall situation."
"Tomorrow, if you and I meet Sun Quan, we should follow the etiquette we would use to treat a marquis. If the people of Wu are unwilling, then we should follow their etiquette, but it cannot exceed the etiquette we would use to treat a prince."
Du Shu yawned and said, "I understand."
Sima Zhi said softly, "We've been tired for a few days, let's go to bed early."
……
The next day, inside the Prince of Wu’s palace.
Sun Quan sat in the hall and listened to Hu Zong's account of the details of the Wei envoys in the past few days. Then he asked, "Wei Ze, you still don't know the purpose of Sima Zhi's visit?"
Hu Zong shook his head: "Your Majesty, I really don't know. But Sima Zhi and his group are indeed strange." "When General He intercepted Sima Zhi's oil tanker at the mouth of Wankou, he found more than 30 boxes on the ship, which were sealed tightly."
"I have tentatively asked Sima Zhi several times, but he only said that it was something that Wei Emperor Cao Rui wanted to give to His Majesty. He refused to say anything further when asked."
Sun Quan nodded and said, "Jiangdong's national strength has been weakened, and it is inevitable that it will seek peace with Wei. I was just testing Cao Rui, but Cao Rui couldn't hold back and sent an envoy directly."
"In your opinion, what is Sima Zhi's temperament?"
Hu Zong said: "In my opinion, he is not as good as the Taichang Xing Zhen who came to Jianye in the past. But he is the cousin of Sima Yi, the Minister of Works of Wei. I wonder if he has anything to do with this matter since he got the envoy's mission."
Sun Quan said: "Even worse than Xing Zhen? Then there is nothing to worry about."
Hu Zong nodded and said, "When will the Supreme be free to see him?"
Sun Quan replied, "No hurry, let's leave him alone for two days. I have already summoned Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong to return to Wuchang, which will take about three to five days. When I get there, I will discuss with the ministers and then meet Sima Zhi."
Hu Zong paused for a few moments, then said, "Your Majesty, I have inquired about something from the officials around Sima Zhi. The bodies of the former General Fenwu and the former General Pingbei were buried in Shouchun by the State of Wei with the ceremony of a marquis."
Sun Quan sighed and said, "It is my fault! Zhu Xiumu and Pan Wengui were buried in a foreign land."
"If I cannot get the bodies of the two back from Wei this time, I will definitely go to Shouchun to take them back myself!"
Zhu Huan and Pan Zhang were easy to explain, as they both died in battle. But Hu Zong didn't know how to explain Lu Xun's behavior.
Seeing Hu Zong's hesitation, Sun Quan asked directly: "Wei Ze, what else?"
Now it was Hu Zong's turn to sigh: "I learned that after Lu Boyan was captured and taken to Wei, he surrendered to Cao Rui and was appointed as the Protector of the Qiang. He has now taken office in Liang Province."
Sun Quan was furious. He stood up and drew his sword to chop at the table: "Didn't I show enough favor to Lu Boyan? Why couldn't he die for me like Zhu Huan and Pan Zhang did?"
As expected, the sword got stuck in the gap between the table and failed to cut the table into two pieces.
Hu Zong bowed and said, "Please calm down, Your Majesty. Now that we have the news, we can also send a message to the Lu family."
Sun Quan narrowed his eyes and said, "I want to execute the Lu family! After confirming this, Wei Ze, you go to Wujun in person and do it for me!"
Hu Zong knelt down and saluted: "Please calm down, Your Majesty! Lu Xun was defeated first and then surrendered. In the end, he was just Yu Jin. Cao Pi didn't kill Yu Jin in the past, so how can Your Majesty punish the entire Lu family?"
"For several months, the counties of Jingzhou and Yangzhou have been recruiting soldiers to fill the vacancies, and the people in various places are extremely tired and depressed."
"To avoid further unrest, please be patient!"
Sun Quan's face turned pale, and his right hand tightly grasped the hilt of the sword inserted on the table, and his grip became tighter and tighter.
After a long time, Hu Zong went out of the city to take Sima Zhi and two officials into the city.
In the carriage, Sima Zhi bowed and asked, "May I ask, Wei Ze, can the King of Wu see us today?"
Hu Zong shook his head gently: "The Supreme has important matters to attend to today, and cannot spare the time to meet with the envoy."
Sima Zhi asked, "What about tomorrow? Is tomorrow okay?"
Hu Zong replied, "Perhaps tomorrow it will be possible. I will come to look for Brother Zihua tomorrow. I have already assigned people to take care of food and expenses. Please do not worry, Brother Zihua."
Sima Zhi had no choice but to say, "Thank you, Lao Wei Ze."
The next day, Hu Zong said that the King of Wu was busy and Sima Zhi was not summoned.
On the third day, Hu Zong said that the King of Wu had important matters to attend to, so Sima Zhi remained in the inn.
The same thing happened on the fourth and fifth days, except that the reasons Hu Zong gave each day were slightly different.
Sun Quan was nowhere to be seen, and Sima Zhi was in Wuchang, not in Luoyang, so there was nothing he could do and he had to stay in the inn as if he were under house arrest.
On the sixth day, Zhuge Jin and Quan Cong finally arrived in Wuchang. Hu Zong also received instructions from Sun Quan not to tell anyone else about Lu Xun's affairs.
Inside the Prince Wu's Mansion.
Prime Minister Gu Yong, Assisting General Zhang Zhao, Left General Zhuge Jin, and General Sui Nan Quan Cong were sitting in the lobby of the Prince of Wu's Palace, discussing matters with Sun Quan.
Sun Quan said slowly, "I have summoned Ziyu and Zihuang back to Wuchang to discuss important matters with you."
"The envoys from Wei have been in Wuchang for several days, but I have not seen them. What do you think I should do to negotiate peace with Wei?"
Gu Yong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, recuperation is the top priority now. As long as the Wei envoy's words are not excessive, just agree to them roughly. Wu and Wei can remain at peace as long as possible."
Zhang Zhao kept silent in the hall.
Sun Quan said, "Why is Mr. Zhang silent? Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Zhang Zhao replied: "It is difficult for me to speak words of peace in front of Your Majesty. Please ask Your Majesty to ask Zhuge Ziyu and Quan Zihuang." (End of this chapter)
