Farmers of Shu Han

Chapter 1450 Crazy
Deep within the imperial palace of Jianye City, the scorching heat of the alchemy furnace mingled with the chilling atmosphere of the palace.

Sun Quan leaned back on the imperial couch, his eyes deep-set, yet a fiery illusion fueled by the elixir burned in the depths of his pupils, as if he had glimpsed the phantom of Penglai Island, or as if a fire of anger was burning within him.

Years of cultivating immortality, coupled with addiction to hallucinogenic pills, had eroded his mind to the point of chaos, to the point that he often couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion.

Cen Hun, like a silent shadow, gently placed the jade plate containing the elixirs beside Sun Quan's pillow.

His voice was soft and gentle, yet every word was like the spitting tongue of a venomous snake.

"Your Majesty is wise! Although you live deep in the palace, you have a clear understanding of those rebellious ministers in the court who harbor ulterior motives. Today, I have truly seen the light and witnessed a miracle."

Sun Quan's eyelids twitched slightly, seemingly moved by the word "miracle".

Cen Hun immediately seized upon this reaction, raised his head, and his eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

He unusually looked up and stared directly into Sun Quan's empty, ghostly eyes, as if he were gazing upon a god.

He even deliberately used the most intimate form of address, continuing in a tone full of amazement:
"This servant dared to peek at Your Majesty's countenance, and was immediately enlightened! How could Your Majesty be confined to the palace? Your Majesty's eyes have long since transcended the confines of these palace walls, roaming the four corners of the world, discerning even the smallest details!"

"Those who harbor ulterior motives think they are acting discreetly, but little do they know that their actions have already been reflected in the Lord's mind like a fire, and that His words have exposed those with ulterior motives!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.

"This servant is foolish and only now realizes that Your Majesty consumed the elixir to cultivate your divine eyes! Though your physical body is here, your divine eyes have already illuminated the entire land!"

Upon hearing this, a glint of light suddenly flashed in Sun Quan's empty eyes.

The hallucinations brought about by the elixir and Cen Hun's words gave him a false sense of satisfaction, and even a kind of inexplicable resonance.

In the interplay of reality and illusion, recalling my fleeting thoughts just now, I do seem to recall some vague fragments of my daydreaming:

Above, the six dragons seem to turn back to face the sun; below, the surging waves and winding rivers flow...

The vast blue sky stretches endlessly, the sun and moon illuminate the golden and silver terraces...

Rainbows are my garments, the wind my steed; the cloud lords descend in droves…

At this moment, Cen Hunyi's reminder seemed to have become evidence that he had been lost in thought.

For a foolish monarch who is obsessed with cultivating immortality and yearns for transcendence, nothing can bring him more joy and confidence than "cultivating supernatural powers".

"Those like Zhu Ju have many complaints about His Majesty's dedication to cultivating immortality, spreading rumors that 'His Majesty is obsessed with cultivating immortality and neglecting state affairs. If this continues, the country will cease to exist!' Such rebellious words are a great disrespect to His Majesty and to the path of immortality!"

"Zhu Ju?" Sun Quan's cloudy eyes flickered. Although the pills slowed his thoughts, their effects also amplified all his emotions.

Suspicion, fear, the desire for immortality, and anger toward any who questioned them were ignited instantly and erupted like a volcano at lightning speed.

Chaotic fragments of memory kept colliding in the mind catalyzed by the elixir.

Some fragments of memory gradually became clearer, eventually piecing together a profound scene:
Zhu Ju led his officials, kneeling beneath the White Tiger Gate, repeatedly banging on the gate and shouting. (Chapter 1357)
"Disobedience! Utter disrespect!" Sun Quan sat bolt upright, his weak body trembling violently with rage. He gripped the edge of the bed so tightly that his fingernails almost dug into the wood.
"How could I not know? How could I not know! This traitor... has he been outside the palace, under the White Tiger Gate, trying to break into the palace to remonstrate?"

In this world, anyone can oppose one's cultivation of immortality, except for Zhu Ju!
Because he was the one who presented this book on cultivating immortality!
"Our lord has indeed cultivated the divine eye, able to travel beyond the mundane world and see clearly across vast distances!"

An uncontrollable, almost trembling, expression of worship instantly welled up on Cen Hun's face. He kowtowed heavily, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"As Your Majesty has seen, Zhu Ju and others have repeatedly gathered outside the White Tiger Gate, making a great fuss, under the guise of 'admonishing' them."

“Yesterday, when His Majesty was in meditation, he wanted to knock on the palace gates to enter. How could this old servant allow him to disturb His Majesty’s meditation? I had him driven away.”

"In this old servant's view, such disobedient acts are rooted in resentment, an attempt to disturb His Majesty's presence, and to shake the foundations of the nation!"

"Just as I thought! Haha... cough cough! Very good, you did the right thing, just as I wished."

The imagined scene was confirmed by Cen Hun: Sun Quan coughed violently amidst a cold laugh, his distorted smile mixed with a morbid satisfaction and smugness of having everything under control.

The illusory perception brought about by the elixir perfectly matched Cen Hun's "confirmation," making him increasingly convinced of his illusion of "cultivating immortal eyes and seeing through the palace."

Cen Hun, who was already intimately familiar with Sun Quan's emotional shifts, astutely seized this opportune moment. His tone subtly shifted like a venomous snake, transitioning from pure flattery to a "sudden realization" tinged with lingering fear and indignation:
"But Zhu Ju could never have imagined that Heaven would bless His Majesty, Heaven would bless Great Wu! His Majesty's divine eyes have been opened, and he has seen through his treacherous scheme! But... but just thinking about this matter, this servant is still trembling with fear!"

He subtly displayed his fear, lowering his voice as if revealing a terrible secret:

"To be honest, Your Majesty, today, when the Imperial Censor Lü Yi secretly reported to the palace that unauthorized armor was found in Zhu Ju's private treasury, this old servant was secretly alarmed and even thought for a moment that... Lü Yi was acting cruelly and was intentionally framing a meritorious official."

"But now, seeing the divine power of the Lord, this old servant has finally awakened from his dream! Why did Zhu Ju do this? It is exactly the same as his recent actions of colluding with his cronies and forcing the emperor to abdicate!"

"He thought he was being discreet, but he never imagined that the rebellious words he uttered while secretly meeting with his cronies and indulging in wine and women in his residence, along with his wolfish ambitions, had already been seen through by the Lord's discerning eyes!"

Taking advantage of Sun Quan's mental confusion and the chaotic surge of his inner energy, Cen Hun gradually guided Sun Quan to verify the "miracle" through his false accusations:

"Lu Xiaoshu's report is merely belated evidence, which just proves that His Majesty had already seen through everything in his divine journey! Such treacherous people are truly courting their own destruction!"

The phrase "secretly hoarding weapons and armor" pierced Sun Quan's extremely sensitive nerves, which were already heightened by suspicion.

The feeling of being so angry and dizzy from watching Zhu Ju and others knocking on the palace gate from Baijue Temple came over me again.

"Indeed...indeed! When I was wandering in the void, I felt that the White Tiger Sect was dazzling. It turns out that it was this traitor's murderous aura that clashed with the Purple Star. Does this traitor know that I have cultivated immortal eyes and can see through the secrets of heaven?"

He was the one who encouraged himself to cultivate immortality, and he was also the one who opposed it.

What does he want to do?
What are you doing!
"Someone! Someone!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the guards outside the palace rushed in.

Sun Quan's eyes were bloodshot as he pointed outside the palace gates, his voice sharp and distorted: "Seize Zhu Ju immediately! Drag him to the marketplace and behead him as a warning to the public!"

In recent years, His Majesty's temperament has become increasingly extreme and eccentric; he kills people at the slightest provocation.

Although His Majesty's decree was too abrupt and incongruous at this time, and it was still to kill the General of the Cavalry, the guards did not dare to hesitate for a moment, and hurriedly obeyed the order and left the palace.

The once dark and deserted Jianye Forbidden Street was suddenly filled with the thunderous sound of hooves and the clashing of armor, shattering the tranquility of the night.

Meanwhile, in the residence of the General of the Cavalry, Zhu Ju, unaware of the impending disaster, lay on his couch, deep in thought, staring wide-eyed at the darkness in the void.

Although he was extremely tired, he just couldn't fall asleep.

In recent years, Prime Minister Gu Yong died of illness, Acting Prime Minister Lu Xun died of anger, and then Bu Zhi, who succeeded Lu Xun as Prime Minister for a year, also passed away.

Zhu Ju's only political rival, Grand Marshal Quan Cong, also passed away last year.

As General of the Flying Cavalry, Zhu Ju commanded the only cavalry force in Wu and was also Sun Quan's son-in-law. He was the most likely and the most popular candidate for prime minister.

In fact, during the days when Sun Quan was ill and bedridden, many matters in the court were handled by Zhu Ju.

The heavy burden on Zhu Ju's shoulders can be imagined.

This is one of the reasons why Lü Yi and Cen Hun wanted to kill Zhu Ju.

Whoever stands in their way, preventing them from seizing power, seeking personal gain, and abusing their authority, is their mortal enemy.

Whether this person was named Gu Yong, Lu Xun, or Zhu Ju.

They even plotted against the Crown Prince in secret.

Just then, the butler outside was heard urgently knocking on the door and shouting:
"General! Something terrible has happened! Open the door quickly, a major calamity has occurred!"

Zhu Ju was startled, quickly got up, and threw on an overcoat before coming out:
"What happened?"

The butler was somewhat incoherent:

"General, no, something terrible has happened... Your Majesty, His Majesty has dispatched the Tiger Warriors with His Majesty's edict, saying that the General... says that the General is plotting treason, and that he must be arrested and executed immediately!"

Zhu Ju's face turned pale instantly.

He knew that His Majesty's temperament had changed drastically in recent years and that he was prone to believing slander, but he never expected that His Majesty would suddenly harbor murderous intent towards him.

I never imagined that the calamity that would befall me would come so suddenly and so cruelly!
He stumbled, reaching out to steady himself on the doorframe: "What news?"

"Yes, yes..." The steward was still in shock and hadn't finished speaking when someone behind him stepped forward impatiently, cupped his hands and said urgently, "General, I am the Imperial Guard on duty in the palace tonight."

"Just now I heard Cen Hun slandering the general to His Majesty, saying that the general was secretly hoarding weapons and armor. His Majesty was furious and issued an edict to arrest the general and have him dragged to the marketplace to be beheaded and displayed to the public."

"The squad leader was a former subordinate of the general. He knew of the general's loyalty and righteousness and could not bear to see the general being unjustly killed. Taking advantage of the darkness and the fact that no one could see him, he found an opportunity to send me away so that I could come and deliver the message."

"If this is a lie, may I be struck by lightning!"

After making the oath, he urged excitedly, "General, the Tiger Guards who are to capture you will arrive in no time. Run!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ju could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, leaning against the door frame.

Hiding weapons and armor?

Yesterday, officials from the Imperial Academy suddenly arrived at my door with an imperial edict, saying that someone had revealed that my residence contained unauthorized armor.

Finally, the officials from the Imperial Household Department found the armor and weapons used by the Ironclad Cavalry in a cabinet in the mansion's storeroom.

Upon thinking of this, Zhu Ju's body began to tremble violently.

This is a frame-up, this is absolutely a premeditated frame-up!

Unfortunately, he had no way to defend himself.

This cabinet was delivered to his residence by a eunuch from the palace.

When it was delivered, they specifically instructed that these were medicinal herbs for alchemy, collected by His Majesty's orders, and that they needed to be refined with the general's killing aura to neutralize the malevolent energy.

Zhu Ju dared not disobey, and he didn't even have the thought of touching the cabinet.

Because only he knew that a large part of the reason why His Majesty was so obsessed with cultivating immortality and refining elixirs was that he had obtained the "Dian Kingdom Insect Valley" and the alchemy book from the Han Kingdom.

This secret is known only to him and His Majesty.

Now, although Zhu Ju vaguely felt that something was wrong with the two books, this thought not only gave him nightmares at night, but also made him keep the matter a secret, not daring to say a word to anyone else.

Because he knew that once it got out and a third person found out, it would become a monstrous wave that could destroy the entire Zhu family, and even the Zhu clan of Wu County.

But who would have thought that the cabinet didn't contain medicinal herbs, but armor!

Zhu Ju had no time to think about who would be so bold as to use an imperial edict to frame him.

He rushed to the palace to plead his case and clear his name, but was sent back. An imperial edict was issued from the palace, ordering him to stay at home.

This was the second time he had been confined to his home—the first time was because he was implicated in the Yin Fan incident and was dismissed from his post and confined to his home.

At this moment, connecting the causes and consequences, Zhu Ju had a terrifying thought:

Could it be that His Majesty has already... so someone wants to emulate Li Si and Zhao Gao?!

Seeing Zhu Ju slumped on the ground trembling, the steward assumed he was terrified and quickly helped him up, saying urgently:
"The situation is dire, General! We must flee!"

"Escape?" Zhu Ju's face stiffened, then he shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself, "We can't escape, we can't escape..."

As His Majesty passed away, the thought that someone was plotting to block news from the palace grew stronger in his mind. At that moment, he thought of the armored cavalry outside the city.

A voice kept echoing in his heart, growing louder and louder:

"Execute Cen Hun, kill Lü Yi, purge the court of corrupt officials, secure the state, and enter the palace to pay homage to Your Majesty..."

Zhu Ju's expression shifted uncertainly. Just as his breathing grew heavier and he was about to make a decision, he heard a woman's voice calling from not far away:

"Husband!"

Sun Quan's daughter, Sun Luyu, came with her maid carrying a lantern. Under the cover of night, her face was not visible.

Sun Luyu's appearance instantly calmed Zhu Ju's mind: "Oh, it's Madam..."

Then, he hesitated, unsure of where to begin.

“My husband, I am now roughly aware of this matter.”

She knew that something terrible had happened at home yesterday and that her husband was exhausted.

In order not to disturb her husband's rest, she specially took her youngest daughter to the villa tonight. Unexpectedly, not long after she had put her daughter to sleep, a major incident occurred in the mansion.

Sun Luyu stepped forward, grasped Zhu Ju's hand, and whispered:
"Don't worry, we are husband and wife, I will definitely not let anything happen to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ju was immediately startled: "Madam, what's wrong?"

Sun Luyu forced a smile and gently patted Zhu Ju's hand in a comforting manner:

"Leave the rest to me. From now on, my husband, you must remember this: as long as Hu Ben doesn't force his way in to arrest anyone, you absolutely must not leave!"

Zhu Ju was startled, not knowing what Sun Luyu was planning to do.
"Madam, the imperial decree cannot be disobeyed; you cannot act recklessly."

"How could I not know? Even for your sake and the child's, I would not do anything reckless."

Sun Luyu had his steward help Zhu Ju into the house to rest, then had the messenger sent out through the back door, and arranged for someone to guard Zhu Ju's door before turning away in a hurry.

At this moment, in front of the gate of the General of the Cavalry's mansion, the shadowy figures of the palace guards under the torches were dazzlingly bright in the firelight, while the bright yellow silk scroll in the hands of the capital's captain was extremely glaring.

"The imperial edict has arrived!"

Sun Luyu, who was changing clothes, received the news, took a deep breath, and quickly gave orders to his personal maid:

"Quickly! Take out all my princess regalia and court robes! Then go and inform the arriving captain that I need to change my clothes to receive the imperial decree, and ask them to wait a moment!"

At this moment, the Tiger-like Captain outside the mansion gate, seeing that the gate remained closed for a long time, stepped forward with a cold and hard expression, holding up the imperial edict, and shouted loudly:

"This humble general has received His Majesty's urgent decree and dares not delay! General Zhu, please come out and be bound immediately!"

The gates of the mansion remained tightly shut.

The Tiger General's gaze turned cold. He was about to wave his hand to order the gate to be broken open when a sliver of light finally appeared through the crack.

The gate slowly opened, but instead of Zhu Ju, it was Sun Luyu's personal female official who came out.

The female official, with the lamplight behind her, followed Sun Luyu's instructions, her voice trembling slightly:
"Commander, Her Highness the Princess is changing her clothes and preparing to burn incense to receive the imperial decree. Her Highness says that His Majesty issued the decree late at night, which must be of great importance. She must be received with the utmost courtesy and dare not be negligent in the slightest. Please wait a moment."

The captain frowned. His orders were to "arrest her immediately," but he was facing a princess, the emperor's own daughter. If he forced his way into the palace and offended the princess, he could not bear the consequences if something went wrong in the future.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the faint sound of tinkling ornaments could be heard from inside the mansion, as if preparations for a ceremony were indeed underway.

After thinking for a moment, he turned and gestured to have his men guard all the entrances and exits of the General of the Cavalry's mansion, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

Looking back at the back door where torches gathered and weapons gleamed, Sun Luyu, holding his daughter in his arms, breathed a sigh of relief as if he had escaped death, and slumped weakly in the car.

But when she wiped away her tears and straightened up again, her expression became resolute, and her gaze was no longer fixed on the back, but on the palace in front of her.

Bu Lianshi was Sun Quan's most beloved woman during her lifetime, and after her death, no one could compete with her for his favor, especially since she was still a part of his memory.

Because of her affection for her daughters, her two daughters, Sun Luban and Sun Luyu, were naturally the most favored among her many children.

The eldest daughter, Princess Sun Lubanquan (wife of Quan Cong), had the freedom to enter and leave the Forbidden City without restriction, and the younger daughter, Princess Sun Luyuzhu (wife of Zhu Ju), naturally also had this privilege.

However, unlike her sister Princess Quan, who was flamboyant in personality, Princess Zhu rarely entered and exited the inner palace as freely as her sister.

This time, with the lives of her entire family at stake, she finally had no more reservations and decided to request entry to the palace that night.

After entering the palace, she used her status as a princess to break through the forbidden gates at top speed and reach the outside of Sun Quan's sleeping quarters.

Some guards tried to stop her, but she shouted sharply, "I am His Majesty's own daughter. His Majesty has granted me free access to the Forbidden City. Now I have an urgent matter to discuss with my father! How dare you stop me?"

Its voice was shrill and filled with an undeniable determination, which momentarily stunned the guards.

Even Cen Hun, who came out to investigate after hearing the commotion, couldn't help but quietly take two steps back when he saw Princess Zhu, who had removed her hairpins and ornaments, dressed simply, with a simple jade hairpin unable to completely bind her long hair, making her look somewhat disheveled, and with a fierce expression.

But Princess Zhu had clearly spotted him, staring at him fiercely as if she wanted to devour this sycophantic little man alive.

"I want to see my father! Cen Hun, are you going to stop me?"

"The slaves dare not."