Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 232 Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise

The wind was strong, and the wildfire was burning fiercely. Although it hadn't reached this side of the mountain road yet, the scorching heat was already hitting us.

Wang Yuanji followed Sima Zhao when she went up the mountain. In addition, she was wearing formal attire, which made it difficult for her to move around. Therefore, she must have been very close to the so-called auspicious omen.

Otherwise, it's impossible to explain why no passersby rescued her, or why she couldn't get down the mountain on her own.

Shi Shouxin climbed the mountain with incredible speed, almost running. The distant wildfires illuminated the road in a dim light, but for him, with his abundant energy, the several hundred meters of "mountain" was no problem at all.

However, when Shi Shouxin arrived at the place where the auspicious omen was, there was no one there, not even Wang Yuanji. The place was completely empty, as if everyone had left.

However, the glowing stone was rather eye-catching.

"I wonder if the radiation from this stone will kill people. Sima Zhao really has a good eye."

Moving this stone back to Luoyang Palace, so that the Sima family may have many sons and grandsons, would also be a wonderful thing.

Shi Shouxin glanced at the strange stone, too lazy to get closer to see what was written on it, and turned around to go down the mountain.

While wealth and status are often sought amidst danger, if they are impossible to attain, then preserving one's life is of paramount importance.

Overworking won't make you rich and handsome, so office workers will start slacking off. This has been the case since ancient times.

Without a second thought, Shi Shouxin headed straight down the mountain, not wanting to search at all. He had only come to try his luck in search of wealth and status; if he couldn't find it, so be it. There was no point in risking his life.

Before the wildfire arrived, it felt like it would take hours to reach you. But once it got close, it devoured everything in an instant.

Anyway, as long as Shi Shouxin goes to find him, Sima Yan and Sima You will owe him a favor. As for Sima Zhao, his wife died right after he became emperor. I wonder if his future life in the palace will be more colorful.

There's a saying among the people: "Getting promoted, getting rich, and losing one's wife are the three great fortunes for a middle-aged man."

If Wang Yuanji had been burned to death, Sima Zhao would have appeared grief-stricken on the surface, but probably wouldn't have cared much about it in his heart.

If someone has a bad character, they might be overjoyed when no one is around.

Shi Shouxin had no sympathy for the powerful and wealthy; he wouldn't do anything unnecessary unless it benefited him. Running wildly down the mountain, Shi Shouxin kept his center of gravity low, like a monkey, practically leaping every three steps!
However, just as he was nimbly descending the mountain at high speed, a leg stretched out from the dimly lit mountain path tripped him up, almost causing him to fall flat on his face.

"Fuck!"

Shi Shouxin cursed, about to swear, when he saw the person half-hidden in the grass—or rather, a woman, whose lower body was clad in a very ornate brocade robe.

The dress had a long, trailing hem, like a tail.

"Could this be Wang Yuanji?"

Shi Shouxin muttered something to himself, then immediately bent down and pulled the woman out of the bushes.

He had abrasions on his face, bloodstains on his forehead, and several holes in his clothes. He was unconscious.

But this person is indeed Wang Yuanji!
Shi Shouxin touched her nose and found that she was still breathing. Perhaps she had just been tripped by someone while running away and fell into the grass and lost consciousness.

Since only his waist and below were outside the grass, no one noticed him in the chaos.

Shi Shouxin had already given up the search, but on his way down the mountain, he was tripped by this woman who had fallen into a coma. It can only be said that timing, fate, and luck are all part of life, and sometimes luck is also a kind of strength.

Without a second thought, Shi Shouxin picked up Wang Yuanji around the waist and carefully carried her down the mountain.

Carrying someone in his arms, he naturally couldn't move as swiftly as before. With the wildfire approaching on his right, Shi Shouxin had no choice but to descend the mountain while moving towards his left.

However, before he could reach the safe zone, he caught a glimpse of Wang Yuanji's magnificent empress dress out of the corner of his eye, the hem of which had been trailing on the ground and was now ablaze with fire!

Shi Shouxin was terrified. He took three seconds to remove the dress from Wang Yuanji's body and then continued his frantic run, his pace even faster than before.

The dress was quickly engulfed by the wildfire; the blazing flames, like a living monster, hurtled forward and devoured anything in their path.

……

At the foot of Phoenix Mountain, Sima Zhao and many ministers who had escaped were still in shock.

Tonight's plan was to perform a play to find auspicious omens, and then bring them back to Luoyang Palace, thus completing the mission.

Unexpectedly, instead of showing his face, his buttocks were exposed. This time, he really lost face.

Pei Xiu! What is your crime?!

Sima Yan pointed at Pei Xiu and cursed him fiercely.

Sima Zhao watched coldly from the sidelines. There were some things he couldn't say aloud because he was the emperor, and a ruler's word is law.

But it's also good that it's said through the mouth of Crown Prince Sima Yan.

"Your Majesty, this sinful subject...this sinful subject knew nothing!"

Pei Xiu knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

He orchestrated this whole affair, but he couldn't say he did it himself because it was an "auspicious omen."

Only natural landscapes are considered auspicious, while man-made ones are seen as pandering to the emperor, which is utterly shameless.

A shameless person cannot wear the label of shamelessness; otherwise, there would be no such thing as trying to save face. Everyone has a sense of shame.

However, even though Pei Xiu knelt on the ground, Sima Yan had no intention of letting him go.

Sima Yan angrily said:

“Pei Xiu, today you suggested that His Majesty go up the mountain to observe auspicious omens, but a fire broke out on the mountain and His Majesty almost perished in the fire!”
Did you start this fire? Are you planning to murder the king? Do you have accomplices?

His three questions in a row left Pei Xiu feeling bitter and speechless.

Even those who serve a monarch are judged by their performance. To fail to secure auspicious omens and instead have a wildfire nearly burn the monarch to death is an inexplicable situation!

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! This humble subject doesn't know why this is happening, I really don't know!"

Pei Xiu kept kowtowing in front of everyone. He would explain the whole story to Sima Zhao, but that would be in the imperial study in Luoyang Palace, not in front of so many people, where he would publicly recount how he manipulated the auspicious omens.

"We'll talk about it when we get back to the palace. Get up first."

Sima Zhao said softly, his expression still not good, but he didn't seem to want to deal with Pei Xiu here.

Just then, Sima Yan whispered to Sima Zhao, "Father, Mother is missing. She should still be on the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Sima Zhao raised an eyebrow and turned to ask, "Really?"

He had actually thought of this long ago, but he deliberately didn't ask and waited for others to speak first.

“Father, that’s true. Shi Shouxin went up the mountain to look for them, and Tao Fu went to the camp to search for them, but they haven’t returned.”

Sima Yan sighed softly and said.

He had barely finished speaking when Sima You, looking dejected, squeezed through the crowd.

When Sima You saw that Sima Zhao and Sima Yan were both there, he bowed to them and said, "Father, elder brother, we couldn't find Mother in the camp. I remember she seemed to have gone up the mountain with us."

"Then what are you all standing there for? Quickly send people up the mountain to search!"

Sima Zhao cursed angrily, his face full of murderous intent, as if he had suddenly remembered that his wife was missing.

Sima Zhao may not have really cared whether Wang Yuanji was still alive, but he had to make others think that he did.

Sometimes, a dead person, hung high for all to admire, is more useful than a living person with whom one dislikes the other, especially between an old married couple; such cases are not uncommon.

Seeing that Sima Zhao was angry, Sima Yan and Sima You quickly summoned a squad of personal guards to guard the entrance to the mountain path.

Sima Zhao thought for a moment and then slowly walked over there, following behind them.

The wildfire is getting bigger and bigger, and it has a tendency to burn down the entire Phoenix Mountain, and even reach the foot of the mountain.

Jia Chong stepped forward and asked Sima Zhao, "Your Majesty, why not have the Imperial Guards cut down the trees at the foot of the mountain and clear out the area? Otherwise, once everything on the mountain is burned, the fire will spread down to the foot of the mountain, which would be disastrous."

This was the truth, and Sima Zhao nodded, saying, "Go and arrange this matter."

"Wei Chen retire."

Jia Chong accepted the order and left, secretly wiping away his sweat.

Soon, Wang Yuanji's charred body will be found, and it's very likely that there will be no trace of her remains. At this critical juncture, staying by Sima Zhao's side could easily invite his wrath; it's better to find something to do and stay out of the way. There's really no need to provoke him.

Although the mission was to go up the mountain for a rescue, the fire had already spread so badly that there was a high chance that no one would come back alive.

At this moment, both Sima Yan and Sima You hesitated to move forward.

The reason is simple: it's too late.

Going up there now would be tantamount to suicide. The fire had already spread all over the mountains and fields, and it was not something that a few people could find Wang Yuanji.

"Ugh!"

Sima You stomped his foot angrily, his whole body was ice cold and he didn't know what to do.

Sima Yan's expression was also not good, but he remained calm and did not urge his men to forcibly go up the mountain.

Everyone could see it was futile and would only cost them their lives. Since there was no hope, why further demoralize their men?
In the face of nature, human power is insignificant and powerless.

Suddenly, on the mountain path engulfed in flames, a person was seen rushing down the mountain at breakneck speed. Despite the flames already burning on both sides of the path, the person continued running without stopping.

From a distance, it looks like a ghost.

"Who is that?"

Sima Zhao looked surprised and pointed to the people at the entrance of the mountain path, asking them a question.

The fire didn't burn downhill from the mountaintop, but rather spread from the side, so it's hard to say which part of the mountain road is definitely safe.

However, this road to death is extremely dangerous, whether you run or jump, and you could lose your life at any moment.

Sima Yan and Sima You risked their lives to go forward, only to see a person whose clothes were flickering with flames and whose face was covered in soot, carrying a woman in a short robe, running towards them.

"Shi Gandang!"

Sima You finally recognized who the person in front of him was.

He quickly stepped forward and took the woman from the other man's arms. She was his mother, Wang Yuanji, who had fallen into a coma.

Shi Shouxin blew out the flames on his shoulder and said to Sima Yan and Sima You, "The Empress is here. I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission!"

After saying that, he fainted due to exhaustion.

……

Shi Shouxin had a very long dream. He forgot the specific details, but the final result was that he was pinned to the ground by the executioner, who was about to be beheaded.

As the broadsword fell, he was suddenly jolted awake from his nightmare. He sat up straight and realized that he was in a room he didn't know where he was.

He was lying in bed, with a woman serving him beside him.

"water……"

His throat was unusually dry, and he could barely speak.

A slender little hand handed over a water pouch made of deerskin. Shi Shouxin gulped down several mouthfuls before he recovered slightly.

Where is this?

Shi Shouxin looked at Wei Xiu, who was serving him, and asked her a question.

“At Jia Yu’s mother’s house, Li was still asking in the morning whether her son was not in good health and why Jia Yu was still a virgin.”

Wei Xiu covered her mouth and laughed.

Hearing this, Shi Shouxin was speechless. He then asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"It's been about three days. The physician Wei Fan came to see you once and said there was nothing seriously wrong, then he went back."

I said that you would wake up if a woman hugged you naked, and Jia Yu actually took off all his clothes and slept with you all night.

But you still didn't wake up the next day. She cried so pitifully. "Jia Yu is useless; all he does is cry."

Wei Xiu complained.

Shi Shouxin thought to himself: You've become cunning now, you haven't learned anything good from following me.

"By the way, Ah Lang, the Emperor wants to invite you to dinner. He said to let him know as soon as you wake up, so he can host a banquet to thank you."

Wei Xiu suddenly seemed to remember something and was about to speak again when she saw Li Shi and Jia Yu push open the door and enter.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?"

Li asked with a concerned expression.

"It's alright, nothing serious."

Shi Shouxin bowed and said this, but Li waved her hand.

"That's good. I'll go tell that old dog Jia Chong that you can attend the banquet, probably tomorrow."

This is the emperor thanking you, so please don't say you won't go.

Li hinted at this.

"Please rest assured, Mother-in-law."

Shi Shouxin nodded, offering no objection, nor could he object.

Knowing the situation, Li tactfully left to avoid becoming a third wheel. After she left, Jia Yu threw himself into Shi Shouxin's arms and cried uncontrollably, as if he were made of water.

Wei Xiu, who was frail from childhood but had an incredibly strong character, couldn't bear to see others crying so loudly, so she quickly turned her head away from Jia Yu.

After Jia Yu finished crying, Shi Shouxin called Wei Xiu over, hugged the two women, and kissed each of them on the cheek.

He smiled, but a sense of foreboding lingered in his heart.

Something's not right about this!

……

In the imperial study of Luoyang Palace, Sima Zhao sat alone on the dragon throne, his face ashen.

Wang Yuanji, who was unconscious that day, was sent back to the palace. The physician Wei Fan immediately examined her body, and then Sima Zhao received some unbelievable news.

There's nothing seriously wrong with her health, she's just pregnant!

Wang Yuanji is pregnant!

Sima Zhao knew, of course, that this couldn't be his child. So whose child was it?

Whose could it be?
Sima Zhao fell into deep thought. After pondering for several days, a clear name came to mind.

Shi Shouxin!
Could it be him who escorted Wang Yuanji to Qingzhou?
If it weren't for him, why would he risk his life to save him? And why would Wang Yuanji speak up for him?

Sima Zhao thought about it more and more and felt that it was highly likely, and he always felt that the two of them seemed to be exchanging glances.

Just then, a eunuch came in and reported to Sima Zhao, "Your Majesty, Shi Shouxin has woken up. When would you like to hold the banquet?"

A word to awaken the dreamer.

Sima Zhao raised his head, looked at the eunuch, and said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow at 5:00 PM, the banquet will be held in the Taiji Hall on time. Please invite more ministers."

"Here!"

The eunuch accepted the order and left.

After everyone left, Sima Zhao muttered to himself, "What a pity, I can't keep you here."

A fierce glint flashed across his face, and his fists clenched tightly, as if he had made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)