Sun Quan was already discomposed, and the crying of Bu Lian Shi added to his despair, prompting a long sigh.
Sun Quan sat by Bu Lian Shi's side and gently patted her back, soothing her with constant words: "How could I harm the big tiger? Among my children, the one I love the most is Da Hu (big tiger) and Zi Gao (the prince of Wu)."
Bu Lian Shi spoke in a low voice, "I have heard of it! Da Hu has become a concubine in Luoyang. If the husband does not recognize this matter, how can Da Hu live in Luoyang?"
Sun Quan said softly, "Cao Rui has already sent the betrothal gifts. Of course, I am willing to accept them. But if I do, during the Wuxi peace talks, I fear I might lose my position and be led by the nose by the Wei envoys."
Bu Lian Shi looked at Sun Quan and said, "If the husband himself does not change his stance, a mere envoy cannot force him to do so."
"The Wei envoy said that Da Hu is very favored in the Luoyang palace. Is this a bad thing for the husband?"
"Your husband is the King of Wu as a husband, and Da Hu serves as a Consort in Luoyang. How could it be harmful to the Sun family?"
At the age of minority, Sun Quan already held the power in the Eastern Wu, and he was very familiar with the art of political manipulation. He could not fail to understand the meaning behind Bu Lian Shi's words.
Doesn't that make him the father-in-law of Emperor Cao Rui of Wei, with his own daughter in the Luoyang palace?
If by some chance something were to happen...
Perhaps the Sun family might still be able to maintain their wealth and status?
The idea had just occurred to him, but Sun Quan immediately crushed it in its infancy.
Having been divided and independent in the Eastern region for three generations, how could they possibly fail?
Sun Quan stood up with a serious expression, gently stroking Bu Lian Shi's cheek and said, "Do not worry, I will certainly not harm Da Hu."
After that, Sun Quan turned to leave.
Bu Lian Shi called out from behind, "Where is Your Majesty going?"
Without turning around, Sun Quan said, "I am going to see Zhang Zi Pu!"
In the afternoon, Sun Quan's carriage arrived at the outside of Zhuo Wu General Zhi's residence.
Sun Quan stepped down from the carriage and, without waiting for his attendants to announce him, went straight in.
Zhuo Zhao has two sons. His eldest son, Zhang Cheng, is currently under the command of Lu Dai in the Prefecture of Yangzhou, while his second son, Zhang Xiu, is at home and serves as an advisor to Prince Sun Daeng.
Zhang Xiu heard the sound and walked out of the house, bowing to Sun Quan and saying, "Subject Zhang Xiu greets Your Majesty! Why has Your Majesty come here personally?"
Sun Quan laughed and said, "It's my cousin! Where is Uncle Zhang? Lead me to find him."
"At your service." Zhang Xiu led Sun Quan into the courtyard, and they arrived at the door of Zhuo Zhao's bedroom.
A few knocks later, a faint and slightly weak voice from inside replied, "What is it?"
"Father, the Supreme Ruler has arrived and is waiting outside with the son," Zhang Xiu said urgently.
Zhuo Zhao sat up from the bed, stood up, turned around, and hesitated for a few seconds before approaching and opening the door.
Sun Quan said with a smile on his face, "Today, I have come to find Uncle Zhang. Can you let me in?"
Zhuo Zhao did not put on any airs, stepping aside to make way. "With the Supreme Ruler here, my residence is also honored. How could I not let you in?"
After both kneeling to sit cross-legged, Sun Quan said the events of that morning in a general way and bowed to Zhuo Zhao, saying: "Even if Uncle Zhang were present today, he would certainly have made the Wei envoy lose face."
"How could we have been speechless like today, both the emperor and the prime minister?"
Zhuo Zhao shifted slightly to the left to avoid Sun Quan's apology, and Sun Quan changed from a kneeling-seated posture to kneeling, taking Zhuo Zhao's hand in his own.
Zhuo Zhao sighed slightly, looking up and saying, "When the late Wu Empress and Wu Lord were alive, they entrusted the Prime Minister to me instead of giving him to the Supreme Ruler. Because of this, I have been thinking about my duty and trying to repay your great kindness."
"But I, with my short-sighted and narrow-minded view, have gone against the will of the Supreme Ruler, believing that after my death, my bones would be discarded in a ditch. I did not expect to have been personally seen by the Supreme Ruler again."
"However, my resolve is to be loyal and steadfast until the end. If you were to ask me to change my thoughts for the sake of honor and distinction, I am most certainly unable to do so!"
Sun Quan said, "I understand your intentions, Zhang Zhao. Please help me tomorrow when we meet the Wei envoy."
Zhuo Zhao countered, "What is Your Majesty's plan to deal with it?"
Sun Quan replied, "I want to ensure Da Hu's safety in Luoyang and do not want to give in and make peace with Wei."
"What is the bottom line?" Zhuo Zhao asked again.
Sun Quan said, "We can seek peace, but we cannot again submit as vassals."
Zhuo Zhao nodded, "I understand, Your Majesty. Please observe my actions tomorrow."
Sun Quan lightly nodded.
The next day, in the court of the King of Wu.
In these few days, Mr. Si Ma has been treated well by Wu and has enjoyed fine wine and food every day. Moreover, there is no other business to do, so it seems he has gained some weight.
After the customary greetings, Si Ma Zhi asked proactively, "I have met the King of Wu. I, as the representative of the emperor, have brought the betrothal gifts to Wusong. Please accept them on behalf of the King."
Sun Quan nodded gently, "Since Da Hu has entered the palace, the two families of Wu and Wei have become the good friends of Qin and Jin."
"Where is the Chancellor?" Sun Quan inquired.
"I am here," Gu Yong stepped forward and said.
Sun Quan said, "The Wei emperor has sent the betrothal gifts, and I cannot neglect proper etiquette. Please have the Prime Minister prepare the dowry for me to send with the Wei envoy when they travel to Luoyang."
"Yes." Gu Yong bowed respectfully and replied. Then he looked at Si Ma Zhi.
Si Ma Zhi, seeing that the matter was settled, bowed and said, "I have received the imperial order. This time, coming to Wusong, I request that the King of Wu once again submit to the Great Wei and change to using the 'Taihe' era name of the Great Wei."
Si Ma Zhi's words had just ended when Zhuo Zhao interrupted with a loud voice.
"Embassy is arrogant!" Zhuo Zhao emerged and pointed at Si Ma Zhi with a furrowed brow, his white hair and beard commanding respect without raising his voice.
"With hundreds of thousands of soldiers and the Great River as our city wall, why do we need to submit to the Wei?"
"Please, respect the envoy, and do not say anything that could sow discord."
Si Ma Zhi remained calm and said in a neutral tone, "In the second year of Huang Chou, the late Great Councilor Xing Zhen held the jade seal and arrived at Jian Ye. He bestowed the title of General-in-Chief and made the King of Wu. He was granted nine tribute scepters."
"The past events are still fresh in my mind. Were not all of you present that day? Why do you not recognize it now?"
Zhuo Zhao snorted coldly: "Wei Wening was also the Chancellor appointed by the Great Han. Why do you not recognize it now?"
Si Ma Zhi had just challenged Zhang Zhao by bringing up Sun Quan, and Zhang Zhao had retorted by mentioning Cao Pi. What could Si Ma Zhi say in response?
At this point, Si Ma Zhi had realized that Sun Quan's departure the previous day was just a momentary decision, unsure of what to do upon hearing the news.
By now, within Wu's own borders, the internal talks and strategy must have been determined, and Si Ma Zhi feared that no matter what he said, it would not have much impact.
Si Ma Zhi bowed and said, "The incident that occurred in Wan City at the beginning of the year, I assume, does not require me to mention it."
"If the King of Wu could change his mind and continue to serve the Wei as the patriarch, the Wei would naturally have rewards for him."
Zhuo Zhao's heart was jolted, but he still asked with a composed face: "With the three divisions of the realm, the King of Wu already possesses one-third. From Wu until Nanhai, the land is vast and abundant with rare items, where would he need rewards from the Wei emperor?"
Si Ma Zhi replied slowly, "The Great Wei will launch a three-pronged attack on Shu next year, and the remnants of Liu Bei are on the verge of being annihilated. Could the officials of Jiangdong still harbor any illusions?"
"At that time, the Wei will deploy 150,000 troops from three directions - the territory of Longyou, Guanzhong, and Shannong - and they will strike together to conquer Shu in one battle only."
"The emperor has already said that he wants to present Ba, Baxi, Badong, Fuling, and Jiangyang to the King of Wu as a gift."
"It all depends on whether the King of Wu is willing to accept."
Zhuo Zhao's face was momentarily clouded with uncertainty, while Sun Quan sat in the hall, frowning.
At this moment, Quan Cong emerged and passionately declared, "Your Majesty, the friendship between Wu and Han is a done deal."
"As the cheekbone is supported by the jaw, and the lips are cold when the teeth are missing, not supporting Han but aiding Wei will only bring trouble in both military and public opinion!"
"Zi Huang said well!" Sun Quan slapped the table hard with his hand, looking at Si Ma Zhi and saying, "I wonder if the envoy has heard what my general said?"
"I will personally give you the assignment. Under any circumstances, please have the Wei emperor extinguish the idea of asking me to submit again."
"Peace talks, yes. Everything else, no discussion!"
Si Ma Zhi shook his head and said, "I have already informed the King of Wu about the things I needed to say."
"If Wu wants peace but refuses to submit at all, then I can only pass the King of Wu's words to the emperor without any modification."
"All thunder and rain come from above; I hope you all do not regret it!"
"Ha ha ha." Zhuo Zhao couldn't help but laugh from the side, and the volume of his laughter even startled Si Ma Zhi.
Zhuo Zhao said, "Do you know about the Red Cliff? Do you know about the Moxi? You don't need to scare my envoy here. Even if Wei has thousands of cavalry, how can they cross the river to show off their might?"
Si Ma Zhi knew that talking further was futile, so he nodded and fell silent no more.
The next day, Si Ma Zhi submitted his farewell letter to Wu King Sun Quan and immediately boarded the returning ship under the escort of Hu Zong.
Si Ma Zhi stood on the dock, watching box after box of items being loaded into the ship's cabin, and he couldn't help but feel surprised.
"Weili, this is the dowry that King of Wu is sending to the Great Wei, and I have also seen the list of gifts. There are so many things here?"
Hu Zong nodded respectfully and smiled, saying, "I won't hide from you, Zihuang brother. These one hundred boxes of gifts are all the presents that the King of Wu has sent to the Wei emperor."
Si Ma Zhi frowned and asked, "Please, Weili, explain to me clearly. Yesterday, the King of Wu rejected my words. How can he give so many things to the emperor today?"
Hu Zong said with a smile, "These one hundred boxes contain nothing but some precious goods such as quail feathers, pearls, ivory, rhino horn, tortoise shell, peacocks, and jade."
"Although the Wei kingdom is vast and abundant, these things are certainly rare in Luoyang. The gifts from the King of Wu are to be presented by Weili brother!"
Si Ma Zhi sighed. As he was about to board the ship, he bowed respectfully to Hu Zong and said goodbye: "I am about to return to Luoyang. Parting with Weili, I do not know when we will meet again."
"If Weili can ever be an envoy to Luoyang in the future, you must come and find me when you arrive in Luoyang!"
"Yes, yes," Hu Zong replied with a smile.
The ship gradually moved, Si Ma Zhi standing on the deck and gazing at the river scenery, feeling quite reflective in his heart.
"After all this, is the mission complete? Although the King of Wu officially refused to submit as a vassal, he has privately sent so many gifts to the emperor!"
With the river breeze blowing and enjoying the rare scenery, Si Ma Zhi suddenly realized that something was wrong after about half an hour.
After pondering for a moment, Si Ma Zhi looked up at the sky and then understood.
It was now morning, the sun in the east. The ship should be sailing upstream, but instead, it was sailing westward.
Si Ma Zhi called over a school officer on the ship and asked a question. The officer was also quite surprised after hearing the question.
"The orders I have received are to sail from Wusong along the Han River to Xiangyang, don't you know this, envoy?"
Si Ma Zhi was shocked.(Chapter complete)
