Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

In the twelfth lunar month, the river was covered in thin ice. A northerly wind whipped snowflakes against the side of the ship, sending a faint whimper. The main cabin was thick with the odor of blood and herbs. Sun Ce lay stiffly on the bed, his lips still clotted with black blood. His neck and hands were covered in spiderweb-like dark lines—the poison had already seeped through his veins and eroded his entire body.

"Tell me! Who poisoned me?" Wei Yan's phoenix-beaked knife slammed down on the edge of the couch, sending wood chips flying. He stared at Sun Quan, huddled in the corner, with bloodshot eyes. The guards looked at each other, their spears trembling slightly.

Sun Quan suddenly stumbled to the bed, grabbed Sun Ce's cold hand and burst into tears: "Brother! Wei Wenchang, for his own selfish reasons, actually slandered me for murdering my own brother!" He burst into tears and suddenly turned to point at Wei Yan, "This traitor wanted to monopolize military power, so he fabricated this vicious plan! Brother, please stand up for Zhongmou!"

Meanwhile, the warships behind the main battleship had already quietly approached. Zhang Hong, draped in a dark cloak, stood at the bow. Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and Quan Cong led the armored soldiers, holding torches. The crimson light illuminated the river like blood. "The Second Young Master's cry for help must have been heard." Zhang Hong raised his hand with a sinister smile, waving it.

"Bang!" The cabin door was roughly kicked open, and a biting cold wind swept in snowflakes, instantly extinguishing several candles. The armored soldiers led by Lu Meng poured in like a tide. Zhang Hong stumbled to the bed, his snow-white robe stained with broken ice. He trembled and held Sun Ce's bruised hand, and turbid tears fell on the skin covered with poisonous lines: "My lord! He was clearly getting better during the day, and the medicine was gradually working. Why..." The crying stopped abruptly, and he turned his head abruptly, staring at Wei Yan with bloodshot eyes, "Who is this person who is interfering?"

Sun Quan suddenly threw himself at Zhang Hong's feet, clutching his sleeve with tears streaming down his face, "Mr. Zigang, save me! My brother passed away suddenly, and Wei Yan killed the doctor without waiting for him to find out the truth! Now he is accusing me of murdering my brother and wants to kill me to silence me!"

Zhang Hong slowly stood up, his eyes sweeping over the messy medicine bowls on the floor and the people confronting him, and suddenly he sneered: "General Wenchang, our lord's body is still warm, and you are so eager to frame him?" He swept his wide sleeves across the table, "Are you worthy of our lord's trust with such behavior?"

Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and Quan Zong unsheathed their swords, their cold gleams illuminating Zhang Hong's stern features. The atmosphere in the cabin was tense, but only Sun Ce lay quietly on the couch, his face twisted with pain, flickering in the flickering candlelight, becoming the most silent witness to this conspiracy.

The cold wind of December ripped across the side of the ship like a sharp blade, and the main cabin was filled with the pungent smell of medicine and blood. Sun Ce's body lay stiffly on the bed, the purple face and black lines running down his neck telling of the pain of the poison. Wei Yan suddenly knelt in front of the bed, his tiger eyes filled with tears, and the sound of armor clashing mixed with suppressed sobs: "My lord! I can still eat half a bowl of porridge during the day, but how come after a nap...?" He suddenly turned and pointed a bloody finger at Sun Quan, "The medicine is brought to you every day by the second young master himself. Who else could it be if not you?"

Sun Quan stumbled and knocked over the mortar, spilling the ground herbs all over the floor. He grabbed the copper pot, the spout still dripping with brown liquid. "I've been guarding the pot for two full hours! I personally tasted every bowl of medicine, confirming it was non-toxic before offering it to you, brother! You've been here in the tent day and night, and now you're trying to confuse right and wrong?"

Before he could finish his words, Sun Quan had already rushed to the table. A half-bowl of congealed medicinal liquid shone eerily in the ceramic bowl, its rim still stained with the lip marks he'd left from testing it. Zhang Hong, horrified, swept the bamboo slips from the table with his dark fox fur coat. "Second Young Master, don't do this! What if..." Lü Meng and his soldiers rushed forward, only to be dismissed by Sun Quan with a wave of his sleeve.

"Get out of the way!" Sun Quan's roar shook the copper bells on the cabin ceiling. "My brother's body is still warm, and someone has falsely accused his brother of killing him!" He suddenly raised his head and drank the medicine in one gulp. As his Adam's apple rolled violently, a few drops of medicine dripped from the corners of his pale mouth onto Sun Ce's brocade quilt. The empty bowl fell to the ground with a "clang". Amid the crisp sound of porcelain shards flying, he suddenly grabbed Wei Yan's armor, his fingertips almost pinching into his flesh: "Wei Wenchang! If I die of the poison within half an hour, what you said will be true! If I am safe and sound..." His laughter was as shrill as a night owl, "I will make sure that you tear out your heart and cut open your stomach, and make atonement to your brother on the road to the underworld!"

The cabin fell into a dead silence, the only sound being the rustle of wind and snow against the window frames. Zhang Hong trembled as he gripped the hilt of his sword, his gaze wandering over Sun Quan's pale face. Lu Meng's saber was half an inch unsheathed, its cold gleam reflecting Sun Quan's crazed smile.

Veins bulged on Wei Yan's forehead, and cold sweat formed on his palm as he gripped his phoenix-beaked sword. The dragon-shaped pattern on the hilt pricked his palm painfully. He stared intently at Sun Quan's pale lips, the splatter of poison still clinging to his jaw. He saw the man tilt his head and sneer at him, his eyes full of defiance. The spears of the soldiers inside the cabin trembled. Zhang Hong stroked his beard with a worried look, his eyes constantly glancing toward the cabin door. Lü Meng's knuckles tinged with bluish white as he pressed his sword—these details, like poison-tipped arrows, sent throbbing gusts of poison through Wei Yan's temples.

"Half an hour has passed!" Sun Quan suddenly ripped open his collar, and there was not even a trace of red on his neck. "Wei Wenchang, what else do you have to say?" He staggered towards Sun Ce's body, and his fingertips trembled as he stroked his brother's bruised face. "Brother! The general you trusted most actually threw dirty water in front of your spirit!" His shrill cries hit the cabin wall, shaking the bronze lamp.

The guards' spears began to droop slightly. Zhang Hong stepped forward and pressed Sun Quan's shoulders at the right time: "Second Young Master, please accept my condolences. The most urgent thing is to thoroughly investigate the truth..." Before he finished speaking, Wei Yan suddenly shouted and slammed his phoenix-beak knife on the table in front of the couch. Amidst the flying wood chips, his red eyes swept over the crowd: "Great! What a spectacle! When the lord was poisoned, he bled from all seven orifices. This poison is clearly a strong one that kills instantly on contact with blood. You drank half a bowl and nothing happened?" He suddenly sneered and turned the blade towards the empty bowl. "I'm afraid you prepared the antidote when you boiled the medicine!"

Lü Meng and Lü Dai stood before Sun Ce's corpse like two iron towers, their blades gleaming coldly in the flickering candlelight within the cabin. The armored warriors led by Quan Cong gathered in formation, their spears and halberds like a forest, trapping Wei Yan in the center. The dull thud of shields clashing sent dust rustling off the beams. Zhang Hong stroked his beard and shook his head, his face filled with grief and indignation: "General Wenchang, the second young master has pledged his life, yet you remain stubborn? Now that we have witnesses, what else do you have to say?"

Wei Yan stared with bloodshot eyes and said, "If I had any ill intentions, why would I risk my life to rescue the lord in Jiangxia? But you guys..." He glanced at Lü Dai, Lü Meng, and Quan Cong, "Why did you stop when the lord was chasing you? Why did you stand by and watch when the lord was in danger, causing the lord to be seriously injured?"

"Shut up!" Lü Meng roared, slamming his scabbard down on the table, shattering the medicine bowl. "Where were you when we were fighting bloody battles? Now you dare to confuse right and wrong and frame loyal officials!" Lü Dai and Quan Cong simultaneously took a half step forward, their swords humming at their waists, and the soldiers' footsteps followed suit, narrowing the encirclement a little further.

Wei Yan suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, his laughter as shrill as an owl's at night, shaking the candlelight in the cabin violently. He pointed his phoenix-beaked knife at the dome, its cold light piercing the curtains. "Today, I, Wei Yan, will repay my lord for his kindness with this passionate heart! Come on!" He kicked over the table with one foot, sawdust flying, and rushed towards the heavy encirclement with his knife. "If you want to fight, then fight! On the road to the underworld, I will explain to my lord the right and wrong of this!"

Zhang Hong suddenly took a half step forward, waving his wide black sleeves into the air: "Enough!" The old man's angry shout made the copper bells in the cabin buzz. "Do we have to draw swords in front of the lord's spirit and let him die with his eyes open?" He staggered and held onto the table, bloodshot in his cloudy eyes, "Wei Wenchang! Did you ever think about this when you killed the medical officer? Now that he is dead and there is no evidence, who will find out the cause of the lord's death?"

He turned and glanced at everyone, the corner of his robe sweeping off the unburned bamboo slips on the table: "The most urgent task is to escort the body back to Jiangdong! The lord passed away suddenly. Once the news spreads, Liu Biao's Jingzhou army, Tao Qian's Xuzhou soldiers, and the remnants of Yuan Shu in Shouchun, which one would not be eyeing us covetously?" His skinny fingers pounded heavily on the table, "If there is any loophole in the border defense line, Jiangdong's foundation will be in jeopardy!"

Zhang Hong suddenly touched his chest and coughed violently, gasping for breath as he pointed at Sun Ce's body: "The lord's body cannot be kept here for long, we must set off immediately. After returning to Wujun, we will ask a famous doctor to perform an autopsy and thoroughly investigate the truth!" He glanced at Sun Quan's pale face, then turned to Wei Yan who was holding a knife, "Swords and knives now will only make relatives sad and enemies happy! Are you going to hand over Jiangdong, which the lord fought for, to the enemy?"

Lü Meng and Lü Dai's weapons trembled slightly, and at Zhang Hong's command, they slowly lowered their blades, still confronting Wei Yan as if facing a formidable foe. In the flickering candlelight, the figures of the soldiers in the cabin cast eerie shadows on the cabin wall, making Wei Yan appear alone, standing before the bed, like a cornered beast fighting despite being deserted by his friends.

Wei Yan's eyes widened, tears suddenly streaming down his wrinkled cheeks. "Okay! Okay! Okay! Return to Jiangdong if you want! But I, Wei Wenchang, swear to settle this account with you!" His roar shook the white banners on the cabin ceiling, and the phoenix-beak knife pounded heavily on the blue bricks, making a grinding sound that made people's teeth ache.

Zhang Hong pressed his forehead, suppressing the fatigue surging in his chest: "Don't make trouble now!" He turned and looked at Sun Quan, "Second Master, quickly bury the lord's body..."

"Who dares to move!" Wei Yan roared like thunder, and the blade instantly crossed in front of Sun Ce's body. The cold light made Sun Quan freeze in place. His chest rose and fell violently, and the wounds with blood scabs that had not yet healed oozed dark red under the iron armor: "Since I promised not to cause any trouble today, I will not allow anyone to touch the lord's body lightly! When we return to Jiangdong, Zhou Lang, the mistress, and the old lady will make the decision! Before that, who dares to cross the line even a step -" The phoenix-beak knife suddenly split the corner of the table, and amid the flying wood chips, he sneered coldly, "Ask the knife in my hand first!"

Zhang Hong sighed deeply, his sleeves drooping weakly: "Forget it..." He grabbed Sun Quan's arm, his voice filled with unquestionable urgency, "Second Master, for the sake of Jiangdong's foundation, please follow us off the ship!" Turning around, he bowed deeply to Wei Yan, his tone as cold as ice: "General Wei's actions today will be discussed later!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned and stared at Sun Ce's guards, his eyes flashing with coldness. "You are all our lord's trusted confidants. Be sure to guard the body! If anything goes wrong, bring your head to me!" With that, his robe fluttering, he led Lü Meng, Lü Dai, and other generals, along with his armored soldiers, out of the cabin like a tide. As the heavy hatch slammed shut, a howling north wind swept snow into the empty cabin, leaving Wei Yan and Sun Ce's guards alone. Under the flickering candlelight, they stared at Sun Ce, who lay cold on the couch.