Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 116 Three Arrows

The former Shu Han imperial palace within Chengdu had been converted into a temporary governor's office by Deng Ai, who oversaw all military and political affairs. Liu Shan was now confined to the inner palace and was not permitted to come to the front hall unless summoned by Deng Ai.

In reality, Liu Shan and his family were essentially under house arrest, which was the treatment expected of a deposed ruler. Otherwise, what would it look like if Liu Shan were to conduct his official duties openly in the palace hall while Deng Ai was to work in a military tent outside the palace?
Those who don't know the situation might think Liu Shan is still the emperor!
However, early this morning, Deng Ai was sitting on the main seat of the Taiji Hall, which was the former dragon throne of the Shu Han emperor, listening to his son Deng Zhong report on military affairs, when he discovered that Liu Shan was kneeling in front of the main gate of the palace and refused to leave.

"What's going on outside?"

Deng Ai looked at Deng Zhong, frowning slightly as he asked. He had already granted Liu Shan an official title and hadn't made things difficult for the Liu family, so what was the meaning of Liu Shan kneeling outside the main hall?
Seeing Liu Shan causing trouble, Deng Ai was very dissatisfied. He felt that since arriving in Shu, he had cherished the people of Shu, respected the former officials of Shu, properly settled Liu Shan's family, and restrained his subordinates from disturbing the people.

What is Liu Shan trying to do now? Does he want me to leave the palace?

Deng Ai felt a surge of irritation, thinking that Liu Shan was taking advantage of his kindness.

"Father, the General of the Cavalry (Liu Shan's official title at this time) may really have something to ask of you, so it wouldn't hurt to meet him."

He was very humble, and I haven't heard of him causing any trouble recently.

Refusing to see them might lead to negative associations from outsiders.

Deng Zhong advised.

According to reports from spies monitoring Liu Shan, he lived a secluded life in the inner palace, did not cause any trouble, did not collude with former Shu Han officials in the city, and was not rumored to be plotting any conspiracies in private.

Deng Ai nodded slightly, feeling that he should still give Liu Shan this much face.

"Then bring him in."

Deng Ai nodded slightly, and soon Deng Zhong led Liu Shan into the Taiji Hall.

Looking at Deng Ai, who was once a dragon throne but is now just an "ordinary chair," Liu Shan felt a mix of emotions, but now was not the time for lamenting.

He took a letter out of his pocket and handed it to Deng Zhong, who then passed it on to Deng Ai.

Before Deng Ai could even open the letter, Liu Shan knelt down and wept, saying, "General Deng is a man of great integrity. Since entering Shu, he has not harmed the people in the slightest. Although I am a criminal, I greatly admire you and am completely convinced of your virtue. But this letter... it really puts me in a dilemma. I don't know if this is your intention or if someone is causing trouble behind your back."

Deng Ai looked puzzled, not understanding what Liu Shan was talking about. He casually took out the letter, read it quickly, and immediately felt a surge of anger!

This letter was sent from Fucheng by Zhong Hui, and its contents were quite simple:
I've heard that the princesses of Shu were all exceptionally beautiful. Now that Shu has fallen, they are living in great poverty. I wonder if you could send one of them to me as a concubine?

Of course, these things all depend on mutual consent. If you're not willing, I won't force you, because you can't force a relationship.

However, I have many generals under my command, and many of them are unmarried. It's only natural that they would want to marry women from Sichuan after they arrive in Chengdu.

If someone takes a liking to your daughter, I'm willing to act as matchmaker and will absolutely not hold it against you for rejecting me today.

Meow! Zhong Hui actually demanded Liu Shan's daughter back! And he even made a very subtle threat!

Deng Ai frowned deeply, feeling extremely displeased!
Liu Shan had three daughters, all of whom were already married.

The eldest daughter married Zhuge Zhan and has given birth to three sons.

The second daughter married Guan Tong, but her husband died less than two years after their marriage, leaving her a widow without any children.

The third daughter married Fei Gong, Fei Yi's son, last year. They have not yet had children, and the couple lives in Chengdu.

At this moment, besides being furious with Zhong Hui, Deng Ai also had a strange thought in his mind:

There are rumors that Zhong Hui had homosexual tendencies and was so unmarried and childless that he was almost forty years old. This Zhong Hui, who didn't even marry, went to Shu and immediately asked Liu Shan for a princess of Shu to be his concubine.

This Grand Commander's ulterior motives are far too blatant; he doesn't even want to put on an act!

Deng Ai did not take on the matter as Liu Shan had hoped, but instead remained silent for a long time, seemingly hesitating about something.

"Well then, this matter needs to be discussed in detail. You should go back and wait for news."

Deng Ai waved her hand gently and said that she didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"General Deng, I really..."

Liu Shan was about to say something when Deng Ai simply raised his hand.

That means it's time to see the guests off.

In the past, Liu Shan was the master here. He was the one who saw guests off and let them leave, but no one ever let him leave.

But times have changed, the Shu Kingdom has been destroyed, and he has become a deposed ruler.

What else can he say at this point?

Liu Shan had no choice but to leave in despair.

Deng Ai stood up, beckoned to Deng Zhong, and the two went into the imperial study. This was now Deng Ai's study. This meritorious official who had conquered Shu naturally believed that his great achievements made it perfectly reasonable for him to work here.

"Tell me, what exactly does Zhong Hui mean? I've heard he's homosexual, so what does he need women for?"

Deng Ai looked at Deng Zhong with a puzzled expression and asked.

If someone else did this, it might be for some other reason, like being a lecherous womanizer.

However, Zhong Hui's words made it very clear: In the Wei army of Shu, I am the boss, and Deng Ai's words do not count!
He wasn't after the woman at all; he just wanted to cause trouble!

It was precisely because Deng Ai did not harm the wives, concubines, children, or relatives of the Shu rulers and officials that Zhong Hui wanted to do the opposite, to prove that Deng Ai could not protect them at all.

Liu Shan was the most powerful among these people, so who else should they target if not him?
If Deng Ai couldn't even protect Liu Shan, then he couldn't protect anyone else!

So, was Zhong Hui after a woman?

No, it's not even about satisfying vanity.

That's a slap in the face to Deng Ai! A clean slap in the face, an undisguised slap in the face!
“Father, Zhong Hui has ill intentions. If this gets out, I'm afraid the former officials of Shu will no longer take us seriously.”

If we cannot protect Liu Shan's wife and daughters, then naturally we cannot protect the wives and daughters of other former officials of Shu.

It's hard to say which side they'll lean towards in the future.

The situation in Shu had only just stabilized after much difficulty, and now Zhong Hui's outburst... alas, I fear the consequences will be endless!

Deng Zhong said with a worried expression.

Even if he doesn't have much political wisdom, this kind of blatant disparagement is still noticeable.

Zhong Hui's approach was ingenious; he was targeting Liu Shan rather than directly clashing with Deng Ai.

Deng Ai nodded, then got up, opened a cabinet, took out a letter, unfolded it, and handed it to Deng Zhong to read.

“A mysterious person under Zhong Hui’s command delivered a letter.”

He directly handed over a beggar from the city to his personal guards, and they still don't know who that person is.

But what this letter says is extremely serious!

Deng Ai sighed.

I can't believe such a thing actually happened!
Deng Zhong was startled, then read the letter from beginning to end, and instantly cold sweat soaked his back! If the letter was just alarmist talk before, then considering Zhong Hui's recent actions, the situation was already very dangerous.

"Last time I submitted a letter to the court, the messenger was intercepted by Zhong Hui. That man copied the letter and sent it along with the letter. Alas!"

Deng Ai sighed again.

Otherwise, he would have readily agreed to Liu Shan's request.

Deng Ai looked down on Zhong Hui and wasn't afraid of him!

"Father, as this letter says."

If the father were to step forward and reply to Zhong Hui on Liu Shan's behalf, wouldn't that perfectly fulfill what was said in the letter: "When Emperor Gaozu entered Guanzhong, he sought neither wealth nor women?"

Deng Zhong asked softly.

Deng Ai nodded. He realized that if he wrote a letter to Chang'an, he could report to Sima Zhao that Zhong Hui had demanded the Shu Han princess from Liu Shan.

What would Sima Zhao say? Would he be furious, or even dismiss Zhong Hui from his post?

No, Sima Zhao would only say "Well done!"

If a monarch doesn't grovel, can he still be called a ruler of a fallen kingdom? The kingdom has fallen, yet the emperor still doesn't kneel; does he think he's so powerful?
In fact, the more miserable Liu Shan was, the more comfortable Sima Zhao felt.

The general who conquered the country was highly respected among the people of the enemy country. Wasn't the emperor worried that he would rebel?
Deng Ai also realized this problem.

He's doomed to lose the lawsuit against Zhong Hui! Sima Zhao fully supports Zhong Hui!

"Father, why not let Liu Shan agree to Zhong Hui's request? This man has committed many unrighteous acts and will surely bring about his own downfall. Why should we go and save him?"

Deng Zhong advised.

"But if that's the case, what about the wealthy families in Shu, and the former officials of Shu...?"

Deng Ai hesitated.

"Father, doesn't the art of war say that we should show weakness to the enemy and make them arrogant?"

Only when the enemy becomes arrogant and disdainful of everyone will they reveal their weaknesses.

Deng Zhong continued to persuade him, but in fact, he was rather dismissive of the matter.

Or to put it bluntly, they simply didn't care how Liu Shan was suppressed by Zhong Hui.

It's not like they're sending a woman from the Deng family to be Zhong Hui's concubine. She's Liu Shan's daughter. What direct relationship does she have with them?

Unlike Deng Ai, Deng Zhong was not concerned with saving face.

"That's fine then."

Deng Ai sighed and continued, "Go and inform Liu Shan that this is his family matter. He can decide for himself and doesn't need to ask for my opinion. I will not interfere or meddle."

He decided to back down, since the knife hadn't actually hit him.

Deng Ai could only ensure that he himself did not act recklessly and try his best to restrain his subordinates from doing so. As for Zhong Hui's arrogance and conceit, he could just let him be.

Of course, Deng Ai couldn't directly tell Liu Shan, "I can't protect you." He could only say, "This is a private matter." Since it's a private matter, then you should handle it yourself. That's reasonable, isn't it?
"Father, this matter should still be reported to the court, but this time the messenger should take a back road so that Zhong Hui's men can't intercept the letter again."

Deng Zhong suggested that they were too careless last time they sent a message and didn't try to dodge. They didn't expect Zhong Hui to be so despicable as to intercept Wei's messenger!
One mistake is enough; there's no need to wait for a second.

"Yes, that's exactly right."

Deng Ai nodded, a hint of worry flashing across his brow.

He had a terrible thought in his mind, but he didn't dare to tell Deng Zhong for the time being. He could only say that he would take it one step at a time.

……

After Zhong Hui stationed his troops in Fucheng, he did not lead them directly to Chengdu, but waited in Fucheng.

He was waiting for an opportunity to win over Deng Ai.

Without capturing Deng Ai, his plans would be completely stalled. If he were to enter Chengdu now, he would even have to contend with Deng Ai for the "primary" position.

This was something Zhong Hui could not tolerate.

In response to the ensuing situation, Zhong Hui fired a total of "three arrows".

The first arrow was a pretext to demand the Shu princess, Liu Shan's daughter, as a concubine from Liu Shan. This was merely a pretext to provoke Deng Ai.

Did Liu Shan's daughter get married?
Of course they got married! Their eldest daughter even gave birth to three sons!
But that was exactly the effect Zhong Hui wanted—to slap Deng Ai in the face and show everyone in Chengdu that Deng Ai couldn't protect anyone.

But what if Deng Ai intervened to stop this?
That would be even better; the second phase of the elaborate scheme can then begin.

This was Zhong Hui's second arrow; the more Deng Ai resisted, the deeper he would fall into the abyss!

If Deng Ai refuses, Zhong Hui can write to Chang'an to complain to Sima Zhao: Deng Ai is so beloved in Chengdu that he has become the protector of the Shu Han ruler and his ministers!
He couldn't even get a woman to be his concubine from Liu Shan, the last emperor of the fallen kingdom, because Deng Ai blocked him.

Deng Ai was truly a man of noble character and integrity, comparable only to Emperor Gaozu of Han when he entered Guanzhong.

I've heard that Emperor Gaozu of Han acted in the same way when he entered Guanzhong. It seems Deng Ai wants to be like Emperor Gaozu! Indeed, he has lofty ambitions, even in his old age!

With Deng Ai's previous battle report as a foundation, Zhong Hui believed that if he added some more slanderous words, Sima Zhao would definitely be tempted!
Zhong Hui knew that Sima Zhao was already suspicious of him, but it didn't matter. With Deng Ai, who was similar to Emperor Gaozu of Han, Sima Zhao would "choose the lesser of two evils".

Besides these two arrows, a third arrow is also quietly underway: reorganizing the Shu army under Jiang Wei's command and letting Jiang Wei lead an army to recruit soldiers locally!
In other words, the grain and fodder provided by Sima Zhao were used to feed Jiang Wei's troops!

What are these people going to do?

Hehe, Zhong Hui naturally wouldn't make it public; everything was done in secret.

Thinking of this, he stood up, stretched, and couldn't hide his smugness.

Just then, Qiu Jian quietly entered the command tent and whispered in Zhong Hui's ear, "Grand Commander, the Duke of Jin has sent a letter. We also intercepted the messenger who was going to Chengdu, and the letter is here!"

Qiu Jian handed a stack of letters to Zhong Hui, including Cao Huan's, which was an imperial edict publicly issued by the court, and Sima Zhao's secret letter.

Some were given to Zhong Hui, some to Deng Ai, and some to Wei Guan.

Zhong Hui got his hands on all the letters at once.

This is incredibly audacious. If Sima Zhao finds out, Zhong Hui will surely be punished after returning to Luoyang.

But Zhong Hui no longer cared; now, he was capable of anything. All he needed was an excuse.

"Don't make this public."

Zhong Hui waved to Qiu Jian, signaling him to step back, as he needed some peace and quiet.

(End of this chapter)