The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 393 Xun You plots against Sun Quan and his sister; Zhou Yu leads his troops back to Xuchang (1st update)
Once a person sits on the throne of power, they will inevitably have selfish desires.

When intelligence cannot match power, those who wield power are extremely easy to be manipulated by others. For example, when Empress He suddenly seized power, instead of joining forces with He Jin to deal with external enemies, she naively trusted the Ten Attendants, which led to He Jin's death.

Ultimately, with He Jin's death, Empress He and her son Liu Bian also met their demise.

And now, Consort Sun is no different in intelligence from Empress He.

A woman who is brave, fierce, arrogant, and domineering cannot stop Xun You's schemes.

Xun You also figured out Consort Sun's temperament during this time.

Zhou Yu originally suggested that Sun Quan marry off his sister in order to implement the strategy of keeping distant relatives at arm's length and thus firmly control the emperor. However, Consort Sun was not someone who would willingly become a pawn for Zhou Yu.

Now that she has become a concubine, her next step will definitely be to become empress. After Liu Xie dies, she will then support her son to ascend the throne and become empress dowager.

In this way, she could wield power as Empress Dowager.

Throughout the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were six empress dowagers who held power and ruled from behind the curtain, which Consort Sun naturally aspired to.

Therefore, whenever Consort Sun was not feeling unwell, she would drag Liu Xie to perform the preparatory exercise for having a son. Liu Xie, forced to indulge in lust, was so weak in his twenties that he looked almost like a forty-year-old.

If it weren't for Consort Sun's recent successful pregnancy, which gave Emperor Liu Xie a chance to catch his breath, he would probably have died on his bed.

Perhaps fearing an early death, Liu Xie actually began to study medicine.

It must be said that although Emperor Liu Xie was a very frustrating emperor, his talent for medicine far surpassed that of ordinary people. If Hua Tuo were here, he would exclaim in surprise, "This young man has the potential to become a famous doctor."

Although Consort Sun only became a consort because of Sun Quan's influence, her truest desire is to rule the world.

Even Sun Quan, as the elder brother, would have to respectfully address Consort Sun as "Empress Dowager" from now on, and could not give orders to her.

Given Xun Yu and Xun You's current positions under Sun Quan, if Consort Sun were to directly inform Sun Quan that Xun You harbored rebellious intentions, Sun Quan would not only not believe it, but might even become dissatisfied with Consort Sun's interference in politics.

After Xun Yu and Xun You surrendered to Sun Quan, slanderous remarks about Xun Yu and his nephew emerged one after another.

Some of Sun Quan's former subordinates, such as Zhou Yu, believed that Xun Yu and Xun You were untrustworthy, while others of Cao Cao's former subordinates believed that Xun Yu and Xun You were treacherous and ungrateful. Still others had the delusion of taking advantage of the situation to rise to power and using Xun Yu and Xun You as stepping stones.

Consort Sun wanted to maintain her current position but did not want to arouse Sun Quan's suspicion, so she secretly informed Zhou Yu of the news.

If the news is true, Consort Sun will not only be able to retain her power and position, but also take credit afterward; if the news is false, the one who will be suspected is Zhou Yu, and it has nothing to do with Consort Sun. She will still be Sun Quan's good sister.

As Xun You had predicted, Fu Wan, wanting to take the opportunity to eliminate Sun Quan and his sister in order to protect Fu Shou's position as empress, chose to cooperate with Xun You.

Liu Xie, mindful of Xun You's past act of saving him from assassinating Dong Zhuo and also not wanting to die on the imperial bed and become a laughingstock for posterity, readily agreed to cooperate.

The plan, which was intended to be leaked, naturally could not be kept from Consort Sun.

Consort Sun, who neither wanted to lose her position nor get involved in the mess, decided not to discuss the matter in detail with Sun Quan, but instead secretly sent a trusted confidant to Chenliu to deliver a message to Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu was a dashing figure in Jiangdong, possessing talent, artistry, and the heroic spirit of a soldier. Such a man would easily win the favor of young women from powerful families. Consort Sun also harbored inexplicable feelings for Zhou Yu. If it weren't for the brotherhood between Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, and the fact that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had each married Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao respectively, Consort Sun would have had to offer herself up to him.

Even so, Consort Sun still harbored a longing for Zhou Yu, and even secretly planned that when she became Empress Dowager, she could summon Zhou Yu to the palace to discuss matters of love and romance.

Just like Sun Quan's daughter, Sun Luban, she would even have an affair with her nephew when she was in a madness.

Xun Yu and Xun You looked down on Sun Quan for this reason as well. They believed that the Sun family had a bad family style and were just a group of nouveau riche who did not know the rules and were fierce and suspicious.

Although Cao Cao was not of noble birth, he was more respected by both of them than Sun Quan.

Because of Consort Sun's concealment, Sun Quan was unaware of what was happening in the palace, while Zhou Yu, who received a message from Consort Sun in Chenliu, was greatly alarmed.

In her letter, Consort Sun not only detailed Xun You and others' plot to rebel, but also claimed that Sun Quan trusted Xun You so much that he dared not tell Sun Quan directly. She asked Zhou Yu to send troops to rescue them out of consideration for Sun Ce's past kindness.

Zhou Yu already suspected that Xun Yu and Xun You were only pretending to surrender to Sun Quan. Furthermore, the fact that Zhang Hong and Huang Gai were transferred one after another made Zhou Yu even more suspicious of their motives.

Now that Consort Sun has sent another letter requesting aid, Zhou Yu dares not harbor any illusions and immediately sets off to return to Xuchang.

Upon hearing Zhou Yu's decision, Lü Meng hurriedly advised, "Now that the General has not summoned you, how can the Commander-in-Chief return to Xuchang on his own?"

Zhou Yu didn't take it seriously and said, "I want to return to Xuchang, why would I need the General to summon me?"

In Zhou Yu's eyes, returning to Xuchang was no different from going home. However, in Lü Meng's eyes, Zhou Yu had not understood his place. Sun Quan and Sun Ce were ultimately different.

Seeing that Zhou Yu was unaware of the danger, Lü Meng asked again, "If the Commander-in-Chief wants to return to Xuchang, will he take troops with him?"

Zhou Yu replied without hesitation, "Of course we must lead troops. General Huang has transferred the elite troops from Xudu; without usable troops, how can we suppress the rebellion?"

Lu Meng was even more anxious: "Commander, if you lead your troops back to Xuchang, Xun Yu and Xun You will surely accuse you of treason. The General already favors Xun Yu and Xun You. If he sees you returning with your troops, he may become suspicious of you."

"Suspicious of me?" Zhou Yu laughed heartily: "Ziming, I am Bo Fu's sworn brother, and the Grand General also regards me as an elder brother in private. How could he possibly be suspicious of me because of Xun Yu and Xun You? You are overthinking it!"

“But—” Lü Meng wanted to persuade him again, but Zhou Yu interrupted him, and reprimanded him with a serious expression: “I don’t want to argue if others have such thoughts, but you have been with Bo Fu and me for a long time, how can you have such suspicions? If we suspect each other, wouldn’t we be falling into Xun Yu and Xun You’s trap of sowing discord? Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. General, you are a person with a broad mind and a clear sense of right and wrong. You must not speak of this matter again.”

Seeing that Zhou Yu refused to listen, Lü Meng had no choice but to compromise and said, "If the Commander-in-Chief wants to lead the troops back to Xuchang, this humble general is willing to protect him. If anything unexpected happens, this humble general can also help the Commander-in-Chief."

Zhou Yu originally wanted to leave Lü Meng to guard Chenliu, but seeing that Lü Meng insisted on following him, he had no choice but to say, "In that case, quickly send five hundred elite troops to return to Xuchang with me."

Within a few days, Zhou Yu led his troops back to Xuchang.

Zhou Yu's sudden return surprised Sun Quan: "Gongjin has returned to Xuchang. Could it be that Liu Bei has crossed the Yellow River and headed south?"

"No." Zhou Yu first dismissed Sun Quan's attendants, then solemnly requested permission: "Xun You has colluded with Fu Wan to harm the General. I request permission to execute him!"

(End of this chapter)