Wu Guotai committed suicide by taking poison. Sun Quan was heartbroken. Coupled with the sudden change in his life experience, he fainted from grief and anger.
The whole of Jiangdong was suddenly leaderless and there was commotion in the temple. Lu Su immediately ordered Jia Hua, Lu Fan and Pan Zhang to lead troops to guard the temple. No one was allowed to leave and the news was blocked first.
Zhang Zhao and his men gathered in front of Taishi Ci, with a gleam in his old eyes. He asked again, "May I ask if you are Taishi Ziyi himself?"
Taishi Ci sighed softly, "I have lived two lives, but it seems like a dream. I am no longer myself!"
Before Zhang Zhao could ask more, Lu Su came over and said, "This matter is no longer important. The most urgent task is to stabilize the situation. Only someone with extremely high prestige can take on this task. How about letting the general take over temporarily?"
Taishi Ci clasped his fists and said, "You must not do this! Since I went to Jingzhou for treatment, my fate with Jiangdong has ended. Now the Grand Commander is far away in Qingzhou, Sun Shaosu has no prestige, and only Zijing can stabilize the situation."
"You must not do that!" Lu Su was shocked and waved his hands, saying, "I have been loved by the Marquis of Wu and have met a wise master. I have been able to offer advice on Jiangdong's affairs. I am content to do my best. I am afraid I will not take on such a heavy responsibility."
Taishi Ci looked at Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, Gu Yong and others. They all shook their heads or lowered their heads. They just wanted to assist the Sun family and do something to defend themselves. If they were to take charge of Jiangdong, it would be tantamount to being pushed to the forefront. If they were not careful, they would be ruined and the loss would outweigh the gain.
Taishi Ci looked up to the sky and sighed, "Thinking back to the time when Bofu endured humiliation and built such a great empire with 3,000 soldiers, is it really going to be destroyed in an instant because of a woman?"
Everyone was silent, but one person said loudly: "You are real men, you usually command the country and are omnipotent, but now in this time of crisis, you all retreat, you are unworthy of being a minister."
Everyone looked up and saw Sun Shangxiang walking out proudly, her eyebrows raised, her eyes wide open, and she slowly scanned the entire room. No one dared to look her in the face.
Sun Shangxiang had a strong personality like her father and brother, and always had a manly ambition. She practiced martial arts since she was a child. Everyone in the Eastern Wu Kingdom respected her, and her prestige in the army was even higher than that of Sun Quan.
Seeing that everyone was retreating, she said angrily, "I never thought that my Sun family would suffer such a disaster. My brother was killed and there is no one to inherit the great cause. Do you want me, a woman, to be in power?"
Zhang Zhao rolled his eyes and clasped his fists, saying, "This is about the safety of Jiangdong. I have a temporary solution. What do you think?"
Lu Su clasped his fists and said, "Please speak, Mr. Zhang!"
Zhang Zhaoyan said: "The Sun family's children lack prestige and may not be able to convince the public, but Madam Sun is a martial artist and strong-willed woman, so it's okay for her to temporarily take over government affairs."
Everyone was shocked. Sun Shangxiang said sternly, "Is Mr. Zhang too old and confused? I have been married to General Liu for a long time and I am pregnant. It is not appropriate for me to show my face in public. How can I stay in Jiangdong for long?"
"Madam, calm down!" Zhang Zhao clasped his fists and said, "Madam, you are in charge of Jiangdong with all the right reasons. Although you cannot govern the country, you can hand it over to General Liu. General, you are the son-in-law of the Sun family, so it is only natural for you to help your father-in-law."
"Husband..." Sun Shangxiang was startled and turned to look at Liu Qi.
Liu Qi was standing not far away, looking at the moon with his hands behind his back and counting the stars, as if nothing had happened to him. He was shocked when he heard this and quickly waved his hands, saying, "Oh, you can't do this!"
He walked forward, clasped his fists and said, "This is the Sun family's affair, how can I interfere? Even if I have this intention, I am an outsider after all, and it is inevitable that people will talk about and manipulate this matter. You are going to mislead me!"
Zhang Zhaoyan said, "There is a saying among the people: A son-in-law is half a son. The general is respected by the Madam and accepted as a son-in-law. How can he sit back and watch the foundation of the Sun family collapse? The general has an unshirkable responsibility for Jiangdong's affairs. Do not refuse."
Liu Qi declined, saying, "That being said, the civil and military officials of Jiangdong only recognize the Sun family and have little contact with me. I am afraid it will be difficult to convince them. This move will surely cause chaos. How can I interfere in the internal affairs of Dongwu?"
"General, you are wrong!" Zhang Zhao said solemnly, "Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king. General, you are in charge of Jiangdong. You have been entrusted by the Madam in private, and you have contributed to the court in public. I hope you will put state affairs first and live up to the grace of the country and the high expectations of the emperor."
"This..." Liu Qi was in a dilemma and said with a wry smile: "I am already caught up in the conspiracy. If I take over, I am afraid that people will criticize me."
Zhang Zhao was displeased and said loudly, "In the past, Dong Zhuo was a false rebellion, and the princes were all over the place, each serving their own master. Now the general is loyal and brave, and has been awarded the title of Grand Marshal to pacify the royal family. The revival of the Han Dynasty is imminent. If we cannot pacify Jiangdong, there will be chaos in Jiangnan. The general is a relative of the Han Dynasty, and his integrity is known throughout the world. He should calm the holy dynasty, suppress the rebellion and revive the Han Dynasty."
Liu Qi just shook his head and sighed, and Lu Su advised again: "The world is falling apart, and the heroes are fighting for power. It has become a tripartite situation. General, you and the Sun family will work together to fight against the enemy, so that the Han Dynasty will not be destroyed. Now the Cao thief is monopolizing power, Jiangdong is falling apart, and the people are without a master. General, pacify the land south of the Yangtze River, destroy Cao and revive the Han Dynasty, which is in accordance with the will of heaven. If you avoid suspicion and do nothing, I am afraid that you will lose the hope of the world. I hope the general will think about it carefully."
As soon as Lu Su opened his mouth, Gu Yong also clasped his fists and said, "You two are right! Cao Cao has been promoted to the King of Wei, and has usurped the power of the country. He has already become chaotic. Now the national crisis has not yet ended, and the royal family is weak. Only the general has the ambition to make the emperor glorious and to promote culture and military power. As a minister, we should respond together to eliminate the bandits and protect the country. Jiangdong's affairs are justified, please do not refuse."
Liu Qi sighed, "If the bandits are not strong, the ancestral temple will be in danger. I know that. But the affairs of Jiangdong are complicated. Today's events cannot be announced to the world to avoid hurting the reputation of the Sun family. If the cuckoo takes over the magpie's nest, it may anger the public. You can discuss the long-term strategy again."
Taishi Ci advised: "Back then, when Cai Mao was the hegemon, you defeated him in no time and soared into the sky. What a courage! A real man should make decisions when necessary. Now, all the civil and military officials in Jiangdong respect you as their leader. Why should you doubt me?"
Lu Su frowned slightly, and seeing that Liu Qi was still afraid, he winked at Sun Shao who was still furious.
Sun Shao's father, Sun He, was highly regarded by Sun Ce. He immediately clasped his fists and said, "I never thought that the Sun family would be taken over by traitors. Fortunately, the Marquis of Wu appeared and saved the royal family from extinction. We are willing to follow the general to build a career."
Seeing the generals saluting, Liu Qi sighed helplessly and clasped his fists, saying, "How can I be so worthy of your love and respect? Although you all want me to be in charge of Jiangdong affairs, not everyone can take the overall situation into consideration. What if someone openly disobeys orders and causes chaos in the country?"
Zhang Zhaoyan said: "When the Marquis of Wu left just now, he entrusted the descendants of his clan to you, and his intention is self-evident. Moreover, I make decisions on the internal affairs of Jiangdong. Since Sun Quan is a remnant of the overseas evil, you should take his place in accordance with the will of heaven and the people."
Liu Qi said: "Although you are in charge of internal affairs, Gongjin decides external affairs. I am afraid that the people in the army will not obey you. If there is a mutiny, it will be difficult to avoid the disaster of war."
Zhang Zhao was stunned when he heard this. Zhang Hong, Gu Yong and others also frowned. They had no right to get involved in military affairs. They also knew that those generals had bad tempers. If they knew about this, they might really start a rebellion.
In the silence, someone shouted: "Wu Hou and his son were originally Han ministers, loyal and righteous, and dedicated to fighting against the enemy and reviving Han. Now that the heresy has been eliminated, who dares not submit?"
Everyone turned their heads to look, and saw a man walking down from the drum tower, his eyes wide open under his white eyebrows, and he walked with the gait of a tiger, his white beard fluttering in the wind. The cold murderous aura was like an autumn wind blowing in their faces, which was frightening.