binnovel Chapter 795: Induced Questions and Suspicions
Chapter 795: Induced Questions and Suspicions
The candlelight flickered in the mourning hall, casting a flickering shadow on the faces of the mourners. The old lady, trembling on her cane, her cloudy eyes blazing with rage, stared intently at Wei Yan, who was restrained by the guards in the corridor. "Everything else can be put off! But this Wei Yan, whether he did it himself or not, his failure to protect his master is a serious crime! Not to mention his killing of the medical officer, clearly an attempt to silence him! If we don't punish him today, how can we comfort Bofu's spirit?" Her voice was sharp with emotion, shaking the white banners on the beams.
Zhou Yu suddenly lifted his wide sleeves and stepped in front of Wei Yan, his dark robe sweeping the messy candle wax on the ground. "Old Madam, if you insist on this, what about Zhongmou?" He turned his head abruptly, his gaze piercing Sun Quan's pale face. "He personally served the medicine, and was right there when the poison took effect. If we're talking about suspicion, isn't he more suspected than the others? Should we arrest both of them and torture them severely?"
The old lady's cane slammed heavily on the blue bricks, sparks flying. "Gongjin! I've always respected your resourcefulness, how could you say such foolish things today!" Her chest heaved violently, her silver hair cascading across her forehead, like a crazed female beast. "Bofu's body is still warm, and you're attacking his own brother?"
Zhou Yu's back was straight as a pine tree, the sword at his waist swaying slightly with his breathing. His gaze was as firm as a cold star. "Old Madam, if you disregard the law for personal reasons, how can the people of Jiangdong be trusted in the future?" He clasped his fists in a salute, his words earnest but without the slightest sign of compromise. "If we punish Wei Yan based on mere conjecture today, it would be tantamount to taking a human life."
The old lady stumbled half a step, her withered hands tightly clutching Huang Gai's sleeves. Turbid tears streamed down her wrinkled ravines. "Demou, Gongfu..." Her voice choked and broke. "You two have been at the forefront of General Wentai's army since he raised the banner of rebellion, assisting Bofu in pacifying Jiangdong. Jiangdong's foundation is built on your blood and sweat!" The old lady trembled as she pointed at the stalemated Zhou Yu. "Now that Gongjin is so stubborn, do you really want to watch the Sun family be bullied by outsiders?"
Cheng Pu's bronzed face was entangled in a tangled expression. His left hand unconsciously stroked the worn hilt of the sword at his waist, which still bore the bloodstains of his battle alongside Sun Jian. Huang Gai's Adam's apple rolled as he spoke with difficulty, "Madam, Gongjin is also doing this for the sake of Jiangdong's laws..."
"Law?" the old lady burst into hysterical laughter, her voice filled with endless sorrow. "Bofu's body is still warm. Can law bring him back to life?" She pounded her cane against the ground, the golden beast on the top gleaming coldly in the candlelight. "If you won't help me, I will..." Before she could finish her words, she suddenly staggered, only to be caught by the quick-witted maid beside her. The atmosphere in the mourning hall was stagnant, the only sound being the old lady's suppressed sobs, mixed with the ashes of unburned incense, filling the dead silence.
Cheng Pu's iron spear clung to the ground, making a dull thud. His old voice was hoarse: "Disperse! You generals have been busy for days. Don't lose your composure in front of the spirit!" He glanced at the tense crowd, his cloudy eyes bloodshot. "We'll discuss this tomorrow at noon. Each of you must strictly guard your camps—Jiangdong can't stand this any more!"
Then, the veteran, who had followed the Sun family for three generations, staggered to Zhou Yu's front, placed his calloused hands on the younger man's shoulders, and lowered his voice with pleading: "Gongjin, the old lady is old, and Bofu's body is still warm... If you continue to press me, what if..." His throat rolled, and the unfinished words hung heavily between the two of them.
Zhou Yu stared at the flickering eternal lantern in front of the coffin, Sun Ce's smiling portrait flickering in the light. After a long moment, he sighed, "That's all!" The sound seemed to come from deep within his chest. "First, bury Bo Fu with the rites of a duke. Once the news spreads, we'll see what happens!"
After the generals bowed their heads and left the mourning hall, Zhou Yu bowed deeply before Sun Ce's portrait. As he stood, his sleeves stirred in the wind, causing the white banners to rustle. He gazed at the sparse stars in the sky, feeling a sudden tightness in his chest. He reached out and ripped open the jade button at his collar, muttering, "Bofu, back then, you and I, the three brothers, swore to live and die together... Now, you've all left this mess behind..."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the corridor. When Zhou Yu turned, Taishi Ci was already standing on the steps, supporting the injured Wei Yan. Moonlight illuminated Wei Yan's blood-stained bandages and the lingering anger in his eyes. Zhou Yu raised his hand to stop the two from saluting. Gazing at the waning half-moon hanging high in the night sky, he said in a deep voice, "Wenchang and Ziyi have come to my residence to discuss matters—this drama has only just begun."
The candles in the mourning hall gradually dimmed, leaving only a few eternal lamps flickering before the coffin. Da Qiao's wide, white sleeves fluttered like frost. The infant Sun Shao, still in her arms, suddenly burst into tears, startling Da Qiao and rushing to comfort him. Sun Shangxiang, clutching a bloodstained handkerchief, huddled in a corner with Sun Xu, their eyes lit by the firelight, their fearful eyes. Sun Ben stood guard at the threshold of the mourning hall, his knuckles whitening from the hilt of his sword, as he glanced warily at the shadows below.
Sun Quan was supporting the old lady when a withered hand suddenly gripped her wrist tightly. The old lady turned to look at Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, who stood behind Sun Quan, then at Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, who were preparing to leave nearby. A cold glint flashed in her cloudy eyes. "Two generals, please stay." Her voice echoed in the empty mourning hall, startling the crows roosting in the beams.
Cheng Pu and Huang Gai exchanged a glance, ready to reply, but were interrupted by the old lady: "Demou, Gongfu!" She approached with a cane, the golden beast on the cane emitting cold light, "You two, along with Han Dang and Zu Mao, followed General Wentai in his campaigns, assisting two generations of the Sun family lords. Now that Jiangdong is in turmoil, it's time to need you!" Then she turned to Sun Quan, "Quickly invite Generals Han Dang and Zu Mao to discuss matters, and there must be no mistakes!"
Sun Quan bowed and accepted the order. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhang Zhao stroking his beard while Zhang Hong lowered his head to play with the jade pendant at his waist. Their expressions were normal, but this made him feel extremely relieved. As the footsteps faded, the old lady suddenly stumbled, holding onto a pillar, and said hoarsely, "Close the door of the mansion. No one is allowed to enter or leave tonight." A fierce look appeared on her wrinkled face. "I want to see how deep the water in Jiangdong is!"
The candlelight in the secret room was dim, and the bronze animal-head lampstands emitted slender flames, casting distorted shadows on the stone walls. Old Madam Sun's bony fingers gripped the armrests of the sandalwood chair tightly, her eyes fixed on Sun Quan like a hawk: "Zhongmou, tell me everything that happened that day, without missing a word!"
Sun Quan fell to his knees, his dark robe sweeping across the cold blue bricks. When he looked up, tears rolled down his cheeks, gleaming in the candlelight: "Mother! That day my brother was seriously injured, and I stayed by his bedside without leaving..." His voice was choked and intermittent, "Every time I boiled a bowl of medicine, I would first taste the poison with my own mouth, and only dared to offer it to my brother after watching the medicine cool down completely." He suddenly coughed violently, and a few stains of blood seeped out from between his fingers, "The last bowl of medicine... I thought it was too bitter, so I only drank half of it. My brother died of the poison, and to prove my innocence, I drank the remaining half bowl of medicine, but I was safe and sound..." As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed the teacup on the table, raised his head and drank the whole bowl of cold tea, "I swear on my life, if I tell even a single lie, I will not die a good death!"
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and nodded, a subtle flicker of approval in his eyes: "Old Madam, you are wise. If the poison was in the medicine furnace, the medical officer would have discovered it when he examined it." Zhang Hong tapped the table with his fingertips, making a clattering sound: "Only if the medicine bowl was contaminated with a deadly poison could explain why the medicine was fine when tested, but the lord was poisoned after drinking it." He suddenly pointed into the void, "Such details are beyond the imagination of ordinary people, unless... this is also the reason why Wei Yan wanted to kill the medical officer to silence him."
The old lady's cane slammed to the ground, shaking the oil in the lamp and making ripples. "Unless someone deliberately plotted this!" She turned her head abruptly, staring into space with bloodshot eyes, as if trying to dig out the murderer in the dark. "Someone must be coveting Jiangdong's foundation and wants to take advantage of Bo Fu's serious illness to carry out this vicious plan!"
Sun Quan slumped to the ground, his shoulders trembling violently. "I know I'm the most suspicious, so I'm willing to tie myself up and plead guilty! I only ask mother to thoroughly investigate the truth and give my brother justice!" His disheveled hair fell over his forehead, completely covering up the sinister look that flashed across his eyes.
Cheng Pu's calloused hands stroked the Iron-Backed Snake Spear, his eyes like copper bells sweeping over the crowd: "Madam, although Wen Chang has a violent temper, he has followed the lord for many years, fighting in battles big and small. It is hard to believe that he is plotting to harm the lord for personal gain." Huang Gai took a sip of wine and said in a muffled voice: "That's right! If he really wanted to do it, why would he wait until the lord was seriously ill? It doesn't make sense!"
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and sneered, a sinister glint in his eyes: "Two generals, there are more schemes in this world than just seeking wealth and killing." He suddenly took a half step forward, his robe sleeve sweeping across the candlelight, casting a distorted shadow on the wall. "Think about it, everyone. Who benefited the most from the lord's sudden death? And who was it that risked his life to protect Wei Yan in the mourning hall?"
Zhang Hong interjected at the opportune moment, his voice like a venomous snake: "Gongjin and Wei Yan had a close personal relationship and had long been suspected of forming a clique. Now that our lord has passed away, he is protecting the murderer and obstructing Zhongmou's succession in every possible way..." Before he could finish his words, the old lady's cane slammed to the ground, shaking the candlelight in the secret room.
"You mean... Gongjin?" the old lady's voice trembled, her cloudy eyes bloodshot. Sun Quan sat slumped beside her, his face buried in his hands as he wept bitterly. A subtle glint of coldness flashed between his fingers. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai exchanged glances, each seeing shock and disbelief in the other's eyes—the debate over the murderer had suddenly shifted its focus towards Zhou Yu, the pillar of Jiangdong.
Just as the atmosphere in the secret room was tense, Han Dang and Zu Mao's cries for an audience shattered the oppressive atmosphere. Sun Quan hurried forward to welcome them in. The old lady sat up slightly and asked anxiously, "Is everything peaceful in the capital? Is there anything unusual?"
Han Dang clasped his fists and said in a deep and powerful voice: "Madam, everything in the city is relatively stable and there is no unusual movement." The old lady nodded slightly.
Zhang Zhao didn't wait for the old lady to continue her questioning, rushing to ask, "Have the generals returned to their respective positions? You two are in charge of the city's troop deployments, so you should be well aware of this." Zu Mao frowned slightly, then thought for a moment before saying, "After leaving the mourning hall, the generals in the city have returned to their respective residences. Grand Commander Zhou Yu will lead Wei Yan and Taishi Ci back to the palace."
Zhang Zhao's eyes glared, and he pressed on, "Where are the 3,000 cavalry led by Taishi Ci now?" Zu Mao was startled, then replied as a matter of course, "They must be around the Zhou Commandery, following orders. Normally, the cavalry led by General Taishi Ci often follow the Grand Commander. In this situation, they're naturally guarding the Commander-in-Chief."