Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The night watch drum struck three, and the white banners in front of the mourning hall fluttered in the night breeze. Zhou Yu shed his plain white mourning clothes and draped a dark cloak over his shoulders. His wide sleeves swept across the long table, where candle wax had clotted. Without a word, he hurried out of the hall. Wei Yan and Taishi Ci followed closely behind him, their boots shattering the frost on the ground, startling a few crows' cries in the empty streets.

The camp gates of the eastern parade grounds lurked in the night like a giant beast in hiding. Torches cast the silhouettes of three thousand cavalrymen against the rammed earth walls, resembling countless ferocious ghosts. Zhou Yu lifted the heavy cowhide curtains, the candlelight flickering in his eyes. After the guards had all left the tent, Wei Yan rushed forward, his boots treading through the frost-covered ground. "Do you truly trust me, Commander?" Before he could finish his words, Taishi Ci had already closed the palace gates, locking out the night watchmen.

Zhou Yu turned around abruptly, his wide sleeves sweeping across the altar, and the copper candlesticks made a dull sound against the blue bricks: "Wen Chang! If I didn't believe you, why would I bother arguing with you in Sun's mansion? I stopped you and questioned you time and time again, was it just to hear your empty words?" He pressed forward, and the airflow brought by his black cloak lifted the ribbon that tied Wei Yan's hair.

Wei Yan's throat pounded, and he fell to his knees. The clatter of his armor against the ground startled the warhorses outside the tent. He clenched his fist against the bricks, his knuckles turning white. Zhou Yu grabbed Wei Yan's shoulder and said, "Wen Chang, there are many people in the mourning hall tonight, and you only care about saying Sun Quan is the murderer, which has offended the old lady. You must come clean now."

Wei Yan's Adam's apple rolled and he knelt heavily on one knee. The sound of armor colliding was particularly harsh in the silent tent: "General, after the sudden death of Lord Zhuanxu, I feel a chill down my spine every time I think about the details." He clenched his fists, and his knuckles turned blue and white.

The candlelight flickered in the tent. Zhou Yu untied his cloak, letting the cold night wind whip the curtains around him. His gaze fell heavily on Wei Yan. "Wen Chang, tell me every detail of what happened since the day you set out on the expedition, one by one."

Wei Yan knelt on one knee, his armor clattering against the ground. "Commander-in-Chief, our lord is worried about food shortages during this expedition, so he's ordered me to take charge of the rear guard. Before we left, our lord repeatedly warned us not to let the enemy's vital supplies be cut off."

Zhou Yu's fingertips caressed the tiger talisman on the table, his expression slightly shifted. The warmth of Sun Ce's final grip on his wrist seemed to still linger, but now it weighed heavily on his heart, condensed into a heavy weight of doubt.

"Before the army set out, the lord sent Mr. Zhang Hong to Liu Biao to discuss a passage." Wei Yan's Adam's apple rolled as he lowered his voice. "The lord said we should take Xiakou first to intimidate Liu Biao and give you more confidence during negotiations. Once our army formed up on the beach at Xiakou, Huang Zu's soldiers would fight desperately, but they wouldn't be able to stop us. We took Xiakou in one day."

Outside the tent, the night watchman's drums roared, startling a few crows. Zhou Yu gazed at the flickering candlelight and suddenly remembered Sun Ce patting him on the shoulder and laughing before leaving for battle: "Gongjin, when my brother's revenge is achieved, I'll return and share three hundred cups of wine with you!" But now the mourning hall remains, but the man is gone. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "If things go too smoothly, it's strange. Wenchang, think about it, was there anything unusual on the way from Xiakou to Jiangxia?"

Wei Yan clenched the hilt of the sword at his waist, and the bronze wrist guard made a dull sound on the table: "On the day we captured Xiakou, the master and I were discussing a direct attack on Jiangxia to kill Liu Biao by surprise. But as soon as the army broke camp, we saw Mr. Zhang Hong galloping towards us, his horse's belly splattered with mud, and he kept saying that Liu Biao had agreed to let him pass through!"

Zhou Yu abruptly stood up, his dark cloak sweeping off the command arrows on the table. The candlelight burned into two faint flames beneath his eyes: "Absolutely impossible! Even with three fast horses, it would take at least three days to travel from Xiakou to Xiangyang and back. Zhang Hong's departure and return time couldn't be that fast, let alone bringing back news of the peace talks..." He suddenly paused, his Adam's apple rolling violently, "Which means that he barely spent any time with Liu Biao in Xiangyang, and Liu Biao agreed to let him pass through!"

Outside the tent, a chilly wind whipped gravel against the curtains. Taishi Ci suddenly held down his halberd and said, "Commander-in-chief, when Mr. Zhang Hong returned to the camp, I remember there were icicles on his temples—clearly the telltale signs of a night of travel."

Wei Yan's throat rolled over, his iron gloves tightly gripping the edge of the commander's desk, his knuckles turning blue and white from the excessive force. "Commander-in-chief, I was escorting grain and fodder in the rear. When I heard the good news that Mr. Zhang Hong had brought back the passage, the lord had already led the army ahead. When we arrived at the outskirts of Jiangxia..." His voice suddenly trembled, "Huang Zu was actually leading the remaining troops to form a battle line outside the city!"

Zhou Yu suddenly overturned the teacup on the table, the crackling sound startling the guards outside the tent. The candlelight burned red in his eyes. "Liu Biao agreed to let me pass through, so why did Huang Zu suddenly break his promise?!"

"The lord immediately led his troops to break through the enemy's formation, forcing Huang Zu to abandon his armor and helmet!" Wei Yan pounded the ground, his armor making a dull thud. "But as the villain retreated, he swore and cursed, his foul language was unbearable to hear! The lord was furious and led his army directly after Huang Zu instead of entering Jiangxia City!"

Zhou Yu drew his sword and stood up, the jade pendant at his waist rubbing against his palm. Sun Ce's dying, blood-stained face and Huang Zu's swaggering abuse overlapped in his mind, and murderous intent crawled up his spine like a venomous snake. "Wen Chang, continue. What happened after you caught up with the main force?" He spoke slowly, each word icy and icy.

Wei Yan's Adam's apple rolled violently, his iron gloves scraping harshly against the desk. "When I arrived in Jiangxia, transporting grain and fodder, the smoke of battle had still not cleared. Mr. Zhang Hong, covered in dust, said that the lord had taken his elite troops to pursue the remnants of Huang Zu's army." He pounded his thigh fiercely, the clanging of armor startling the horses outside the tent. "The sun was already setting, and I was terrified. I immediately ordered my three hundred guards to gallop down the official road!"

Taishi Ci slammed his spear into the ground, cracking the blue bricks like spiderwebs. "What will Lü Meng and the others say when you catch up with the main force?"

"They...they're hesitant!" Wei Yan's eyes were red. "Lü Dai said the lord was chasing the deserters. Quan Cong lowered his head and clutched the reins. Chen Wu didn't even dare look me in the eye! I was so anxious that I drew my sword, pointed at Lü Meng's nose and asked, 'Since the lord is at the front, why are you not moving?!' But he just wiped his sweat and stammered incoherently!"

Zhou Yu's knuckles turned white from pinching his teeth: "What happened next?!"

"How dare I delay!" Wei Yan ripped open his collar, revealing a hideous scar on his collarbone. "I led my personal guards forward, risking my life, and finally heard shouts of killing! The lord's horse lay in a pool of blood, and he was still fighting with his spear, an arrow lodged in his chest!"

Zhou Yu suddenly slammed the table and stood up, and the tiger talisman on the table fell to the ground: "Absurd! With Bo Fu's bravery, even if Huang Zu went all out, he might not be able to hurt him at all! How could a mere remnant of defeated soldiers set up such a tight net?"

Wei Yan fell to his knees, knocking his forehead heavily on the bricks. "General, the one fighting against my lord wasn't Huang Zu at all! It was Huang Zhong, a general from Changsha! Back when my lord attacked Changsha, he clashed with this old scoundrel. He was skilled in using arrows to shoot through the air from a hundred paces away. That day, he suddenly shot an arrow in the midst of the chaos. Even with my lord's extraordinary martial arts skills, I couldn't resist such a sneak attack!"

Zhou Yu's pupils suddenly constricted, and he gasped. "Huang Zhong? He's guarding Changsha, why is he suddenly in Jiangxia?" He paced back and forth, the corner of his robe brushing the candle wax on the ground. "That old scoundrel Liu Biao is indeed ambitious! But Lü Meng, Lü Dai and the others..." His voice stopped abruptly, and a piercing coldness rose in his eyes.

"That's right!" Wei Yan suddenly looked up, tears streaming down his face. "When I caught up with the main force, those people clearly had a large number of troops, but they allowed the lord to be surrounded! They also said something like 'don't chase a desperate enemy'. Quan Cong even stopped me from leading troops to rescue! It's clear that they want to kill someone with a borrowed knife!"

Zhou Yu suddenly grabbed Wei Yan by the collar, his voice trembling: "Bofu has a great reputation throughout his life, how could he be willing to be plotted against by a treacherous person? Doesn't he have...?"

"My lord has noticed something is wrong!" Wei Yan cried heartbreakingly, "He forced himself to endure his injuries and said that he would immediately return to Jiangdong to reorganize the troops and thoroughly investigate the traitor! But who could have thought... who could have thought that the food and drink on the boat had already been poisoned!" He slumped to the ground, beating his chest, "It's my fault! I failed to protect my lord!"

The tent was as still as a grave, with only Wei Yan's sobs echoing in the darkness. Zhou Yu stumbled backward, bumping into the desk behind him, and the candle on it suddenly went out. The cold night was colder than the white banners in the mourning hall, colder than the rain of arrows from Jiangxia.

Wei Yan beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears mixed with blood streaking down his face. "Commander-in-Chief! That day, after our lord was shot by an arrow, he ordered us to be on high alert for any disturbances in the surrounding area. We even used the medicine sent by the medical officer with great caution. But the arrow poisoned our heart, and by nightfall, we had a high fever and were unconscious. Second Master Sun Quan waited outside the tent before dawn, saying, 'Brother, you won't take the medicine. I'll make it for you!'"

Zhou Yu tightly gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, blood seeping from between his fingers: "How can a mere young master like him know how to make medicine?"

"He took the medicine bowl and took a big gulp right in front of everyone!" Wei Yan suddenly grabbed Zhou Yu's wrist. "The medicine was scalding hot, but Sun Quan didn't even frown. He even coaxed us, saying, 'Brother, if you trust me, drink this bowl.' Our lord's eyes were red, so how could I dare stop him?" He ripped open his shirt, revealing an old wound on his chest. "From then on, Sun Quan stayed by our bedside every day, tasting every bowl of medicine and every bite of food before feeding them to us. Seeing their deep brotherly love, I never expected..."

Thunder roared outside the tent, and Zhou Yu took a half step back, knocking over a candlestick. Suddenly, he imagined Sun Quan kneeling in front of the mourning hall, weeping bitterly, and the scene Wei Yan had described overlapped.

"The night the lord was poisoned..." Wei Yan suddenly coughed violently, digging his knuckles into his palms. "I stayed guard for two days and two nights and couldn't bear it any longer. I just closed my eyes for a moment when I heard screams from the bed! When I rushed in, the lord was covered in bruises, shouting 'It hurts... I also...'" He suddenly collapsed to the ground. "The poison is colorless and odorless. Only those who serve closely every day can get it in without anyone noticing!"

The candlelight flickered in the tent. Taishi Ci suddenly clenched the shaft of his iron spear, the cold metal light reflected in his palm. His voice was trembling with an uncontrollable tremor: "Did the lord really not leave a single word before his death?" Before he finished speaking, Wei Yan had collapsed to the ground, his knuckles tightly grasping the blood-stained collar of his chest, tears streaming down his face: "The poison came strangely. In just a few minutes, the lord... was gone!"

Zhou Yu paced with his hands behind his back, his dark robe sweeping across the scattered maps on the floor. He suddenly stopped in front of Wei Yan and asked, "If that's the case, why did Sun Quan claim you drew your sword and beheaded the medical officer in public?" This question hit the tent like a sledgehammer, startling the candle flame. Wei Yan's face instantly flushed purple, and a whimpering roar escaped his throat. Trembling, he tore open his clothes, revealing the hideous scratches on his chest: "When that quack doctor came to announce the death, he couldn't even answer the lord's symptoms! I... I was furious..."

"Wait a minute." Zhou Yu suddenly raised his hand, his hawk-like eyes fixed on the other's bloodshot eyes. "You say there's something fishy? Tell me in detail." Wei Yan raised his head abruptly, veins popping out on his forehead: "In the past, General Sun would drink the whole bowl of medicine before serving it to the lord. But on the day of the accident, he only drank half a bowl! When the lord was poisoned, he drank the remaining soup in front of everyone..."

Zhou Yu's pupils constricted. The howling night wind outside, whistling dead leaves against the cowhide tent, added a touch of solemnity. His fingertips unconsciously stroked the hilt of the sword at his waist, his thoughts surging like a tide: from the unusually smooth passage Zhang Hong had borrowed, to the bizarre surprise attack on Jiangxia by Huang Zhong's Changsha army, to the unusual military orders from Lü Meng and Lü Dai to remain inactive... Now, combined with Wei Yan's words, it became clear that a dense, impenetrable web was being spread, trapping Sun Ce step by step in this vortex of political intrigue.