When Lu Su saw Huang Gai coming, he was surprised and asked, "How can you leave the barracks so easily when you are guarding Huainan?"
Huang Gai was still furious and said in a deep voice, "If I hadn't come here, how would I have known that such a disaster had happened in the Sun family?"
Lu Su was secretly shocked. He subconsciously glanced at Liu Qi and asked in confusion, "General, you are far away in Hefei. How did you know that something happened in Ganlu Temple? Who told you the news?"
Huang Gai snorted coldly, "It's all thanks to Mr. Yu's foresight. He saw something strange in the stars and invited me to come here secretly."
Lu Su looked carefully and found that the person behind Huang Gai was Yu Fan. He was even more surprised: "Sir, you have fled far away and we can't find you anywhere in the country. It turns out you are still in Jiangdong."
Yu Fan said with emotion: "I was framed by Sun Quan and have been secretly investigating the matter. Recently, I heard that General Liu had crossed the river, so I knew there must be a conspiracy. I also saw a yellow light appearing in Taibai, which must be a bad omen in the southeast, so I took the risk to invite General Huang to come just in case. I didn't expect such a shocking change."
Zhang Zhao said anxiously, "Now is not the time to reminisce about the past. We should think about how to stabilize the situation. Since General Huang fully supports this matter, I think we can make an expedient decision. We should first take charge of the affairs of Jiangdong, and then send someone to deliver a letter to the Grand Commander. It will not be too late."
Huang Gai clasped his fists towards Liu Qi and said, "General, do not worry too much. The Sun family is full of loyal and brave people, and their reputation was almost ruined by Sun Quan and his mother. We are all determined to serve the king and revive Han. When the time comes, we are willing to help you destroy Cao and eliminate the bandits to stabilize the country."
"What a hero!" Liu Qi praised, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that he couldn't refuse, he had to clasp his fists and said, "People's hearts are fickle. If there are people who are not obedient in the territory, I hope you can help and fight them together."
Everyone clasped their fists together and asked Liu Qi to take charge of the matter temporarily. They sealed off the temple and went to the west side hall to discuss the aftermath.
The moonlight is like water, the stars move and the constellations change. This night is destined to be extraordinary for Jiangdong, comparable to the time when Sun Ce entrusted his son to others.
Before they knew it, dawn had come and the candles on the desk had burned out. Huang Gai had already quietly returned to Huainan, while Zhang Hong and Gu Yong went back to the city first to prepare.
As the morning sun rose, the outside of Ganlu Temple was already crowded with officials of all ranks, all waiting to pay their respects to Wu Guotai, Sun Quan, and Liu Qi. The golden light that had shone brightly in the temple last night must have been an auspicious omen, so they all came to offer congratulations.
The temple gate slowly opened, and the people in front had already clasped their fists and were ready to congratulate. Just as they were about to speak, they saw Zhang Zhao, Jia Hua, and Lu Fan coming out in plain clothes with sad faces, so they quickly stopped talking.
Zhuge Jin had just finished supervising the grain and grass and came to hand over the order. He hurried forward and asked, "What happened?"
"Alas, it's God's will!" Zhang Zhao said to everyone, "The Queen Mother and the Marquis of Wu held a banquet for civil and military officials last night, and they were watching the moon outside the palace. Unexpectedly, he caught a cold at night, and after drinking a few glasses of wine, his condition worsened, and he actually... passed away."
"Ah?" Everyone was shocked, thinking that Wu Guotai has always worshipped Buddha, so could that golden light be ascending to heaven
Zhuge Jin was greatly surprised and said, "Then the Marquis of Wu..."
Zhang Zhao shook his head and sighed, "As you all know, the Marquis of Wu was a very filial man. When he saw the Queen Mother pass away, he was so sad that his injuries recurred and he fell into a coma. He was treated overnight and only woke up not long ago."
"How could this be?" Zhuge Jin was shocked and hurriedly went inside with everyone else to check.
Sun Quan had just been praised for scraping bones to treat poison, and everyone knew that his injuries were serious. Now that he has suffered another blow, everyone is worried.
"Wait a minute!" Zhang Zhao stopped Zhuge Jin and said to everyone, "Marquis Wu is seriously ill and needs to rest. No one is allowed to disturb him for the time being. Ziyu can visit him on his behalf!"
Zhuge Jin turned around and advised: "Everyone, please go back!"
Zhang Zhao added: "The Marquis of Wu has entrusted the affairs of Jiangdong to General Liu. You should return to the city quickly and calm the people as soon as possible."
"What?" Everyone was shocked again and looked at Zhang Zhao in disbelief.
Zhuge Jin had one foot on the stairs when he nearly fell down upon hearing that. He stepped back in amazement, his face stretching even longer.
Zhang Zhao coughed lightly, looking uneasy: "What? I am delivering the order from Marquis Wu, do you dare to question it?"
Lü Fan raised Sun Quan's sword and shouted, "Who dares not obey the orders of the Marquis of Wu?"
All the officials retreated, whispering to each other as they went down the mountain and returned to the city. They were all discussing why Sun Quan wanted Liu Qi to take charge of military and political affairs. Wasn't this inviting a wolf into the house and giving others a handle
Zhuge Jin looked solemn. Without waiting for Zhang Zhao's invitation, he quickly walked into the temple. He saw that the roof of the main hall had collapsed and the ground was in a mess. His heart sank. Zhang Cheng was waiting for him at the door of the Zen room, so he hurried forward.
"Mr. Zhuge, you've arrived at the right time!" As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw Taishi Ci coming out.
Zhuge Jin was so shocked that he almost fell down the stairs again: "You...you...are you a human or a ghost?"
Taishi Ci laughed and said, "How can a ghost appear in broad daylight? Please come to the Zen room and have a chat with me, sir."
When he entered the room, he saw only Liu Qi but not Sun Quan. Zhuge Jin knew something was wrong and looked around cautiously. He clasped his fists and said, "General Liu, Jianye is not like Xiangyang. We must not act rashly."
When he received Liu Qi before, he was worried that Sun Quan might harm him, so he secretly reminded him. He did not expect the situation to change drastically in the blink of an eye.
Although it was unclear what means Liu Qi used to control Sun Quan, the sudden appearance of Taishi Ci and the obedience of Zhang Zhao, Lu Fan and other close associates to Liu Qi had already been anticipated that Liu Qi might turn the tables.
Liu Qi helplessly spread his hands and said to Zhang Zhaoyan who followed him: "Look, Mr. Zhang, even Mr. Zhuge thinks so, so you can imagine what others will think. We can't take this job, we can't take it!"
"General, don't mind!" Zhang Zhao stepped forward to persuade him. "A lot of things happened last night. It's hard to explain them in a few words. Ziyu, please take a seat."
Zhuge Jin snorted slightly. He and Sun Quan were close friends, and when he saw that Sun Quan was being schemed against, he felt indignant and asked in a deep voice, "Where is the Marquis of Wu?"
"The Marquis of Wu is in the temple!" Zhang Zhao pulled Zhuge Jin to sit down and asked, "Has Ziyu ever eaten the pineapple cakes made by the Queen Mother?"
Zhuge Jin frowned slightly and nodded, "When my son was born, Madam loved him so much that I had the honor of tasting him."
"It's over, Ziyu was also included in the plan." Zhang Zhao was heartbroken and clapped his hands and sighed repeatedly.
Zhuge Jin was confused: "Why do you say that?"
Zhang Zhao called Taishi Ci over and sighed, "The hidden truth is complicated. Ziyi has made a thorough investigation and finally revealed the truth. It is not too late for Ziyu to make a decision after hearing this."
In the meditation room on the east side, Sun Quan woke up faintly and saw that Wu Guotai had been placed on the table, her body covered with a green cloth. She was kneeling beside him without saying a word, like a sculpture, as if she had had a very long dream.
Lu Yi, the confidant, stepped forward and advised: "My lord, the dead cannot be resurrected, please be patient! The Queen Mother sacrificed herself to save your life, and my lord is injured, so you must not be too sad and disappoint her painstaking efforts."
Sun Quan's face turned pale. He looked around and saw that there was no one around. The guards at the door were tight, so he knew that he was trapped. He said woodenly, "I am no longer the Marquis of Wu. Why are you still following me?"
Lü Yi knelt down and cried, "I am here today because of the kindness you have shown me. No matter who you are, I will follow you till death and never leave you."
"You are as good as Wei Hongyan!" Sun Quan rolled his eyes. He thought he was deserted by his friends and relatives, but he didn't expect that Lu Yi would follow him. He asked, "What is the situation outside?"
Lü Yi replied, "Everyone is pushing Liu Qi to take charge of Jiangdong, and they asked me to tell you that your lord's family will not be harmed."
"Hmph!" Sun Quan sneered. He had originally planned to put Liu Qi under house arrest in order to gain power, but in the end he would be controlled by others.
Thinking back to last night, I felt that my ambitions were like puppets. I couldn't help but feel hopeless and sighed to the sky, "God is blind and fate plays tricks on me!"