Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

November arrived, and the wind was biting cold, but Wujun City was bustling with activity. Ma Chao and Zhou Yu had toiled day and night, finally putting Yangzhou's complex affairs in perfect order, eagerly awaiting good news from the front.

That day, an envoy carrying an imperial edict arrived hastily in Wujun. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were conferring in the palace. Upon hearing the emissary's request, they hurried out to greet him. With a solemn expression, the emissary presented the edict. Before Sun Ce could unfold it and examine it, he relayed the news of Ma Chao's death in Chang'an in a trembling voice.

"What?" Sun Ce's body swayed, and the manifesto in his hand almost slipped. His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "This is absolutely impossible!" In an instant, a surge of grief and anger surged from the depths of his heart. He drew the long sword from his waist with a "swish" and pointed it directly at the messenger, the blade trembling slightly with anger. "My elder brother Ma Chao, the bravest of all the armies, who doesn't fear heroes all over the world? How could he die in Chang'an for no apparent reason? Did you hear it wrongly, or are you deliberately deceiving me?"

Zhou Yu was also shocked, his usually composed face filled with astonishment. He quickly stepped forward, held down Sun Ce's sword-wielding hand, and whispered, "Bofu, don't be impulsive. Let the messenger finish what he has to say."

The envoy's legs were shaking, and he knelt on the ground with a plop. He said in a trembling voice with tears in his eyes, "My lord, I dare not lie to you! I heard that General Ma Chao returned with a great victory, and the emperor was very pleased. He specially held a banquet in the palace to reward him. But who could have thought that at the banquet, someone would expose the scandal between General Ma Chao and Queen Lu Wan in public. General Ma Chao was so angry that he lost his mind in an instant and even drew his sword to kill the emperor. The palace was in chaos. Fortunately, the palace commander Wang Yue, Marquis Wen Lu Bu and General Zhao Yun reacted quickly and worked together to kill General Ma Chao, thus saving the emperor. Every word I said is true!" After speaking, the envoy collapsed to the ground, not daring to breathe, for fear that Sun Ce would hold him accountable in anger.

Sun Ce's rage deepened upon hearing this. He swung his sword fiercely at the stone bench beside him. With a snap, the bench split in two. "This must be the treacherous scheme of that tyrant! My elder brother is such a hero, how could he do such a thing? He's clearly afraid of my elder brother's reputation!"

"I have advised you before, big brother, not to serve this corrupt court so easily. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Now you have really suffered such a disaster."

Sun Ce paced back and forth, his eyes filled with the flames of revenge: "Gongjin, we can't let this go. We must avenge our brother."

Zhou Yu pondered for a moment and said, "We shouldn't act rashly. Wang Yue, Lü Bu, and Zhao Yun are all present at court, and we have the Emperor's decree. Openly raising an army for revenge would be groundless and would only give us cause for criticism."

Sun Ce asked anxiously, "Are we just going to watch my elder brother die in vain?"

Sun Ce's face flushed with anxiety, veins popping out on his forehead. He slammed his fist down on the table, making the tea set clink. He roared, "Gongjin, I can't care less! My elder brother has been framed by this tyrant. How can I just sit back and watch? I must take revenge!"

Zhou Yu sighed deeply, his expression solemn and sorrowful. He spoke slowly, "Bofu, I understand how you feel. I, too, want justice for my brother. We must first inform Shamoke. He is a man of deep loyalty and righteousness. He will not sit idly by and watch his brother-in-law die. He will surely seek revenge. In my opinion, we should first unite with him, then gather our forces and discuss a plan of revenge."

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce's eyes lit up with hope, and he said eagerly, "Gongjin, you've really thought this through! Let's do this. Immediately send someone with my handwritten letter to Shamoke, informing him of his elder brother's injustice and pleading with him to join forces with us. At the same time, send word down that all the troops in Jiangdong are ready to fight and await deployment at any time. When Shamoke arrives, we'll discuss where to mobilize our forces and make sure that tyrant pays a heavy price!"

As the emperor's edict arrived, a member of the group that had brought it quietly disappeared. Long before entering the city, this person had found an opportunity to slip away from the group without a trace. Dressed in coarse linen, he disguised himself as an ordinary traveler, blending calmly into the crowd and entering Wu County.

The night was as dark as ink, slowly enveloping the entire Wujun City. Taking advantage of the moonlight, the man quietly arrived at Zhang Hong's residence. Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao were both members of the Jiangdong noble family. Their mansions were magnificent, with tall red gates, highlighting their family's extraordinary status.

He raised his hand and gently knocked on the doorknob, a few dull thuds. The doorman, sleepily open, saw a strange face in the dim light, and a look of confusion crossed his face. Before the doorman could ask, the man lowered his voice and simply said he wanted to see the master of the mansion, Zhang Hong. The doorman hesitated, after all, it was late at night, and the master was probably already asleep.

Just then, Zhang Hong's wife happened to pass by and inquired about the situation. Hearing this man's late-night request to see the master, the wife frowned slightly and was about to decline. However, the man remained calm, muttering only the words "from Chang'an" before quietly handing over a gold ingot. Startled, the wife looked back and forth between the gold and the man's face. After a moment's hesitation, she finally accepted the gold, sighed helplessly, and went to call Zhang Hong.

Upon hearing that the person was from Chang'an, Zhang Hong lost all sleepiness. He quickly stood up and personally led the person into the study. The flickering candlelight illuminated the faces of both men.

Zhang Hong's expression was solemn. After the study door quietly closed, he couldn't wait to ask the messenger, "The Emperor has sent you here this time. Does he have any specific plans?" The messenger bowed slightly, his eyes calm, and spoke slowly, "Back then, you all said you wanted to deal with Sun Ce. Now that the Emperor has executed Ma Chao, given Sun Ce's temperament, he will undoubtedly think that the Han Dynasty is planning to attack the princes and rise up in rebellion. Now is the perfect time to deal with him. I hope you will make timely preparations so that we can take action once the time is right."

With that, the messenger bowed and took his leave, his figure quickly disappearing into the night. Zhang Hong stood there, his brow furrowed. The flickering candlelight illuminated his pensive face. After a long moment, he seemed to have made up his mind, put on his coat, and walked out the door.

At that moment, the night was deep, and all was silent, with only the sound of Zhang Hong's hurried footsteps echoing across the stone pavement. Soon, he arrived at Zhang Zhao's residence. Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong were close friends, and both were highly trusted internal affairs experts under Sun Ce. Faced with this major event, Zhang Hong's first thought was to consult with Zhang Zhao.

The doorman was awakened by a rapid knock on the door. He opened it sleepily and saw that it was Zhang Hong. Although he was full of doubts, he did not dare to neglect it and hurried inside to report. Zhang Zhao was also deeply surprised to hear that Zhang Hong had visited so late at night. Without giving it any time to think, he hurriedly stood up to greet him.

A sleepy Zhang Zhao ushered Zhang Hong into the living room. After they were seated, Zhang Zhao forced himself to ask, "Zi Gang, what's happened that has you come so late at night?" Zhang Hong sighed deeply and slowly recounted the messenger's words...

Zhang Zhao paced back and forth across the room, his face thick with worry. He had long since set aside the scroll in his hand, uninterested in reading. The situation in Jiangdong was becoming increasingly tense. Among the military commanders, Lü Meng and others had established themselves firmly within the army. He knew full well that Ma Chao had been executed by the Emperor, and given Sun Ce's character, he would soon raise an army to avenge Ma Chao.

"Once Sun Ce raises his army, we must have capable and battle-hardened generals like Lu Meng accompany him, so that we can be sure to deal with Sun Ce. But Zhou Yu is extremely intelligent and has a very high prestige in the army, which is really feared. We must find a way to keep him in Jiangdong." Zhang Zhao stopped, frowned, and said solemnly with his eyes fixed on Zhang Hong who was sitting next to him.

Zhang Hong nodded slightly, his expression also worried. "If Zhou Gongjin stays in Jiangdong, I'm afraid we won't be able to avoid him if we want to support someone else to inherit Sun Ce's legacy in the future."

Zhang Zhao sighed, his face filled with resignation. "Zi Gang, you and I both know that Sun Ce's son is still young, and Zhou Yu's wife is actually a sister. If we support Sun Ce's son to ascend to the throne, power will surely fall into Zhou Yu's hands. They are sworn brothers, and with Zhou Yu's temperament, we're afraid we won't gain anything. Besides, with Zhou Yu's meticulous mind, he'll eventually figure us out."

Zhang Hong's expression was solemn, his tone filled with worry. "Supporting the youngest son is better than letting Sun Ce continue to hold power. Sun Ce has a stubborn temper and acts decisively. We have no power over him. Once he has completely consolidated his territory, given his temperament, he will sooner or later make a move against us, the Jiangdong aristocratic families."

Zhang Zhao nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then spoke hesitantly, "I understand your concerns. However, Sun Ce's younger brother, Sun Quan, has a relatively gentle temperament. I've hinted at him frequently while he was studying with me, and I've discovered that he's not as submissive as he appears. If we can successfully assassinate Sun Ce and then elevate Sun Quan to the throne, making him the ruler of Jiangdong, then perhaps many of these problems can be easily resolved."

Zhang Hong's brow furrowed even more upon hearing this. He retorted, "That being said, it's far from simple. Sun Ce still has descendants. It's logical that he wouldn't easily pass on the Jiangdong legacy to his brother. When Sun Jian tragically passed away, wasn't it Sun Ce, not his uncle Sun Jing, who inherited his legacy and carried on the cause? Now, if we want Sun Quan to take power without Sun Ce's descendants, it's far from easy."

Zhang Zhao waved his hand, his expression firm as he spoke eloquently, "This is very different from the circumstances surrounding Sun Jian's death. While they appear similar at first glance, the underlying dynamics are vastly different. When Sun Jian died in battle, Sun Jing lacked the ability or ambition to seize power. Sun Jian's wife, Madam Wu, had the support of her family and a promising son, Sun Ce, so it was only natural for Sun Ce to inherit his legacy."

He paused, a gleam in his eyes, and continued, "But Sun Ce's current situation is completely different. If he were to die, he would only have a young son. Moreover, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce are brothers-in-law, and their relationship is very close. If Zhou Yu supports Sun Ce's son, then the power of Jiangdong will definitely fall into Zhou Yu's hands. The key figure in this is Sun Ce's mother, Madam Wu. She was able to protect the little inheritance left by Sun Jian and didn't let Sun Jing take a single cent."

Zhang Zhao grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, taking a step forward. "If something happens to Sun Ce now, leaving behind such a vast Jiangdong empire, it wouldn't be a problem if Sun Ce's son took power, but Zhou Yu is clearly aiming for a monopoly. It's hard to say who will rule Jiangdong in the future. Madam Wu is incredibly shrewd, how could she accept this? All we need to do is fan the flames and lay out the stakes for her. With Madam Wu's temperament and methods, she definitely won't let Zhou Yu succeed so easily!"