Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 182 If Something Happens, I'll Really Go For It

The next morning, Shi Shouxin did not receive Wang Shen's revenge, but instead received Sima You and his thousand imperial guards.

Following Sima Zhao's "suggestion," Sima You and his newlywed wife Jia Bao were to travel to Taishan County to visit Wang Yuanji and Yang Huiyu. After all, a new bride must eventually meet her "mother-in-law," and this marriage, with its constant back-and-forth, was truly not easy. Even Wang Yuanji was unaware that Sima You had suddenly gotten married.

This trip was arranged by Sima Zhao on short notice. Considering that by the time Sima You arrived in Taishan County, Wang Yuanji had probably already made arrangements with Yang Huiyu, Sima You would then be able to bring Wang Yuanji back to Luoyang.

Or bring both of them back to Luoyang.

Of course, this is only the superficial reason.

Sima Zhao's arrangement was closely related to Sima Yan's recent actions. The court had been in turmoil due to Sima You's wedding, and Sima Zhao hoped that Sima You would temporarily leave Luoyang to prevent the two brothers from becoming increasingly hostile towards each other.

This move can be considered well-intentioned.

Sima You was not in Luoyang, so he couldn't win over the court's talent pool. Meanwhile, Sima Yan was aggressively recruiting soldiers and gathering support. Sima Zhao was certainly not blind, but he neither stopped nor warned him.

His intentions were self-evident; it was practically written all over his face that "Sima Yan is taking my place."

The large group of over a thousand people set off from Luoyang and arrived at "Dasuo City" southwest of Xingyang. At this time, there was a ferry outside Dasuo City, where they could take a boat, travel along the Ji River to Dingtao to rest and replenish their supplies, and then enter "Daze", which later became known as "Dayeze" in the dynasty.

After passing through the Great Marsh and heading northeast, upon reaching the territory of Dongping Kingdom, Shi Shouxin was about to part ways with Sima You.

Shi Shouxin continued by water, passing Licheng (Jinan) along the Ji River, and arrived at Gaoyuan City, the capital of Le'an State. He then traveled east by land to Linzi.

Sima You, on the other hand, took the Wen River directly to Fenggao County and disembarked.

To avoid suspicion, Shi Shouxin would not go to Taishan County, and he would be even less likely to go if Sima You were traveling with him.

There were no waterways between Luoyang and Xingyang, so Shi Shouxin and Sima You were both on horseback and had no chance to sit down and talk. It wasn't until the group arrived at Dasuo City that the baggage train and some personnel were able to board the ships; the main force still had to march overland.

On a cargo ship, Shi Shouxin and Sima You sat facing each other, playing Gomoku.

Suddenly, the boat in front ran aground, and the boat behind collided with the boat in front, causing a commotion inside and outside.

Sima You sighed and said, "With the war raging on and the waterways neglected, the currents are swift in some places and have been silted up for a long time in others. The canal transport is sometimes open and sometimes closed. When will it ever end?"

This was not the first time the fleet had run aground. Although Sima You was not in a hurry, he was still worried about the situation.

"Peach charm, please wait a moment. I will arrange for someone to dredge the river."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Sima You and let the boat dock. After reaching the shore, he sent someone on horseback to the slower-moving group at the back to tell them to hurry up and come to the front to clear the waterway so that the cargo boats could barely pass.

After explaining these things, Shi Shouxin got back on the boat and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"As we walked along the river, the banks resembled a jungle inhabited by wolves and tigers. The grass along the former official road had grown taller than a person."

Shi Shouxin sighed.

When I was in Luoyang, I always felt there were quite a lot of people. But after passing Xingyang and heading towards Shandong, the roads became increasingly "wild".

The sparse population was obvious to the naked eye, and years of war had led to regionalized economies and the cessation of commerce. Naturally, waterways and official roads were no longer under maintenance.

"The world is not yet at peace, so it's not surprising that it looks like this. After we destroy the Wu Kingdom, the people's lives will get better."

Sima You sighed.

Shi Shouxin smiled calmly and didn't respond. He exchanged a few polite words with Sima You, then disembarked and went to another boat.

Inside a cabin on the ship, Wei Xiu lay on a soft couch, having just taken her medicine. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at the cabin's ceiling, which had some fine holes. Sunlight shone on her, creating many bright spots.

"This cabin is great; you can enjoy the moon on sunny days and collect water on rainy days."

Shi Shouxin sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Wei Xiu, whose eyes were slightly closed but whose eyelashes were trembling.

"Ah, my love... I'm dying, please hold me."

Wei Xiu turned her head to the side, looking as if she were barely breathing, but her rosy cheeks betrayed her.

"I think you're faking your illness; you're just really bored."

Shi Shouxin squeezed Wei Xiu's hand and teased her.

"That's boring, isn't it?"

As Wei Xiu spoke, she sat up, grabbed his arm, leaned her head close to his, and complained softly:

"I'm taking some mild medicine to nourish my body, and I feel great now, but I don't have much to do."

Shi Shouxin kissed her cheek but said nothing.

"Ah Lang seems to have something on his mind."

Wei Xiu asked in a low voice.

"Seeing fertile fields turn into wasteland along the way, no one could be happy."

While Linzi wasn't quite in that situation, it wasn't much better.

Shi Shouxin sighed.

Although Qingzhou and Xuzhou were not on the front lines, they were places where troops were transferred to Huainan, and people were often sent there to do odd jobs.

"Ah Lang, do you think the world will fall into chaos again in the future?"

Wei Xiu suddenly asked a seemingly nonsensical question.

Shi Shouxin was startled, but he remained calm and asked in return, "How do you know?"

"It's obvious. Wang Jun is still just a kid now. Twenty years from now, won't he be old enough to govern a region?"

He's bullying men and women now, but he's only being taught a lesson because he doesn't have the power to back it up. Twenty years from now, when he has the power, won't he be able to do whatever he wants?

Since there is already one Wang Jun, how can we be sure there aren't a hundred or a thousand Wang Juns in the world?

How could the world not be in chaos?

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Wei Xiu said some very bold things.

In this era, even if the Celestial Dragons were to have sex in the roadside, or undress and be intimate with their female relatives in front of outsiders, it was considered a refined affair and not at all daring.

However, the words Wei Xiu just said are taboo and can only be uttered with a great deal of trust.

In this era where right and wrong are indistinguishable, black and white are reversed, and debauchery prevails, everyone lives behind a mask.

It is not easy to tell the truth to others.

"If you say something like that in the future, just tell me. If outsiders hear about it, it could cause a lot of trouble."

"Do you understand, Lady of the Marquis of Ten Thousand Households?"

Shi Shouxin warned with a stern face. However, Wei Xiu didn't seem to be afraid of him at all and rolled her eyes.

Because the cabin was poorly soundproofed and the door wasn't locked, the two didn't dare to be too unrestrained. They just hugged and kissed for a while before separating.

The dredging of the waterway kept them busy until nightfall. Wei Xiu, Hui Niang, and Zhao Xiangfeng invited Sima You's new wife, Jia Shi, to play mahjong together, while Shi Shouxin drank and discussed government affairs with Sima You in the cabin. Everyone was busy with their own things and didn't miss a beat.

Time flew by and it was almost midnight. The soldiers who had been dredging the canal were exhausted, but the canal still wouldn't let the cargo boats pass. In the pitch black of night, they had no choice but to stop and rest, only to continue working the next day.

Just as everyone was about to go back to sleep, a dozen or so riders galloped up from the shore, all carrying torches, and from a distance they looked like a fiery snake.

Soon, the group arrived, and the leader dismounted to report. He was then taken to the ship by Sima You's men.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Jin has fallen seriously ill. Please return immediately!"

The newcomer was Shao Ti, a trusted confidant of Sima Zhao, and he was covered in sweat. Shao Ti had chased after him on horseback all the way, killing two of his horses in the process!
"Is Father seriously ill?"

Sima You looked horrified.

When he set off, Sima Zhao didn't seem to be in any serious condition. Although he was indeed not feeling well, he wasn't bedridden.

But according to this close advisor, Sima Zhao was already too ill to speak!

"Your Highness, please return to Luoyang immediately!"

Seeing that Sima You didn't move at all, Shao Ti knelt on the ground and refused to get up.

Shi Shouxin helped him up.

He looked into Shao Ti's eyes, then asked with a serious expression, "Is the Prince of Jin really so ill that he can no longer speak?"

Shao Ti answered without hesitation, "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false!"

His appearance didn't seem fake.

Shi Shouxin and Sima You exchanged a glance.

"Here's what we'll do: you go to Taishan County for me, and I'll head back to Luoyang now."

Sima You gave Shi Shouxin some instructions and turned to leave, but was stopped by the other man.

“I will go back to Luoyang with you. It’s not far from here to Jiyang. Let the troops set up camp at the ferry outside Jiyang City. We’ll turn back now.”

Shi Shouxin rejected Sima You's suggestion.

Sima You was about to speak again when Shi Shouxin said decisively, "Tao Fu, have you forgotten how you got married?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured directly over Sima You's head!
Yes, without Shi Shouxin, his marriage to Jia Bao would have fallen through. What was the point of getting married then?
What kind of person is Shi Shouxin? He's the kind of person who would really take action if something happened!

"Okay, let's go together."

Sima You nodded.

However, Shi Shouxin spoke up again:

"The river flows gently, so it's better to travel by light boat in a day and night than by horseback.

After disembarking at Xingyang, we can change horses and head to Luoyang; it'll be much faster!

"Alright, let's set sail by boat!"

Sima You gritted his teeth and said, he was so anxious that he was at his wit's end, but Shi Shouxin remained very calm.

The two boarded a small boat, accompanied by two personal guards. Including Shao Ti, there were only five people in total. They traveled swiftly westward along the Ji River, heading straight for Xingyang under the cover of night.

……

Late at night, in a private residence belonging to Sima Yan in Luoyang, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin was having a private conversation with his friend Yang Xiu.

There wasn't a single servant in the entire courtyard; it was just the two of them, making it extremely private.

"My father is seriously ill and unable to speak. The imperial physician says he may never recover. What do you think about this?"

Sima Yan asked with a worried expression.

"I do not know either."

Yang Xiu spread her hands, indicating that she didn't know what to say.

Sima Yan stood up and paced around the room.

He sighed and continued, "Chen Qian has taken over from my uncle and taken command of the Luoyang Imperial Guards. Isn't there something wrong with that?"

During the war to conquer Shu, the Central Protector General was Sima Wang.

However, when Sima Wang returned to Luoyang to report on his duties, Sima Zhao appointed Chen Qian to replace him, but did not remove Sima Wang from his other military posts.

Sima Yan couldn't figure out what the intention was.

However, Sima Zhao had already formally established Sima Yan as the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin through court ceremonies.

Passing on the throne is a given.

So now Sima Yan is also confused and doesn't know what to do.

"He should be alright, Chen Qian won't cause any trouble."

Yang Xiu gave a very perfunctory answer.

"Sigh, I don't know this, I don't understand that, what's wrong with you today?"

Sima Yan stood up in dissatisfaction, complained to Yang Xiu, and was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"Hey, that's not what I meant."

Yang Xiu waved to Sima Yan, signaling him not to panic and to sit down first.

"I guess the Prince of Jin is not sick."

I just said I didn't know, but I don't know what the Prince of Jin was trying to do by feigning illness.

Yang Xiu said in a low voice.

"Not sick? Is that even possible?"

Sima Yan was astonished. Several imperial physicians said that Sima Zhao had contracted "wind disease," was unable to speak, and was in danger of losing his life.

(End of this chapter)