Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

After a long silence, Sun Xiji seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Sun En, prepare the carriage. We will return to Tai'an City after the city gates open tomorrow."

After Sun En left, Sun Xiji muttered to himself, "Old ministers are rarely loyal, but I cannot be two-faced. I only hope that my remaining troops will not betray Western Chu or Liyang."

Just as Sun Xiji was preparing the carriages and horses, Prince Zhao Yi of Guangling received the news and was overjoyed, saying, "Finally, the opportunity I've been waiting for has arrived."

When the imperial court sent Sun Xiji to Guangling Road to serve as the local military governor, it sent a secret letter to Zhao Yi, instructing him to pay close attention to Sun Xiji's movements and whether there were any signs of contact with the Western Chu rebels. If Sun Xiji showed any abnormality, he should be arrested immediately.

However, before Sun Xiji could take up his post in Guangling, a rebellion broke out, and Zhao Yi had no choice but to place Sun Xiji, who had come to seek refuge, under surveillance at the post station.

However, after entering the Jiangxia City post station, Sun Xiji remained silent and never contacted outsiders, leaving Zhao Yi helpless.

"Your Highness, Sun Xiji has made some unusual moves. Should I send men to arrest him directly?" A general with a gloomy face asked. He was Song Li, a trusted general of the Prince of Guangling.

After Long Shengxiang was ordered to enter the capital, Song Li became Zhao Yi's most trusted confidant. Like the Zhao family father and son, he was greedy and lustful, but he was also one of the few generals in Guangling who was good at military strategy.

However, circumstances were beyond his control. Once he led his army against the Western Chu rebels, Cao Changqing would personally come to keep an eye on him, causing Song Li to achieve nothing against the Western Chu rebels and only be able to watch Kou Jianghuai and Xie Xichui lead their men to conquer cities and territories, ultimately leaving Jiangxia as a besieged beast in a lonely city.

"Don't rush into action. We need solid evidence first. Here's what we'll do: have someone secretly monitor Sun Xiji's movements. If they find him in any contact with the Western Chu rebels, arrest him immediately." Zhao Yi's eyes flashed with a fierce light, but he suppressed the urge to arrest Sun Xiji directly and instead sent Song Li to observe and act in secret.

After all, Sun Xiji held a high position, and without solid evidence, he should not be easily dealt with. Otherwise, the officials of the other eight countries who surrendered would feel a sense of shared fate, and even if he was the emperor's brother or a powerful prince holding military and political power, he would not be able to withstand the accusations from the officials who surrendered from the eight countries.

The following morning, as soon as the north gate of Jiangxia City opened, Sun En drove his carriage and left Jiangxia City with Sun Xiji.

Outside Jiangxia City, countless refugees huddled under the city walls to escape the cold night wind. To ensure the safety of Jiangxia City, the garrison would not allow refugees to enter the city. These people had nowhere to go and could only stay under the city walls and leave their fate to chance. Every day, countless people either starved or froze to death.

As Sun En drove the carriage, he looked at the miserable crowd below the city wall with a very calm expression.

Having followed Sun Xiji for many years, from the fall of Western Chu to the present, he had already witnessed far too many tragic scenes, so what was this little sight in comparison?

Inside the carriage, Sun Xiji looked at the people outside the city, lowered the curtain in his hand, sighed deeply, and felt very complicated.

As a former official of Western Chu, he secretly hoped that Western Chu could be restored, so he secretly supported Cao Changqing's restoration movement.

But as a surrendered subject of Li Yang, he knew that the world had finally stabilized after the chaos of the Spring and Autumn Period, and countless people longed for a peaceful and prosperous life. He should not support Cao Changqing's restoration of his country, as that would inevitably cause countless people to suffer again.

Therefore, Sun Xiji was a very complex person who wanted to remain loyal to his former master but did not want to betray his new master.

About fifteen minutes after Sun Xiji's carriage left the north gate of Jiangxia City, Song Li led over a thousand cavalrymen in hot pursuit, following the carriage at a distance and waiting to observe Sun Xiji's movements.

"Master, there are scouts from the Guangling Army following us. Should I go and take care of them?" Sun En asked Sun Xiji as he drove the carriage.

As a top-tier expert, his perception was far superior to that of the scouts in the army. Therefore, the scouts had already revealed their whereabouts before they even discovered him.

"Ignore them and just keep heading towards Tai'an City," Sun Xiji said calmly.

An hour passed quickly, and the scouts continued to report that Sun Xiji's carriage had not made any unusual movements.

"General, we've already left the territory of Jiangxia City. We can't go any further, or we'll easily fall into an ambush by the Western Chu rebels," Song Li's adjutant suddenly said.

"Could it be that Sun Xiji is really planning to head north back to Tai'an City?" Song Li's sinister eyes held a hint of uncertainty.

Just then, another scout rushed over to report, "General, we have spotted cavalry from the Western Chu rebels in the southeast. They number about a thousand and are flying a banner with the character 'Xie' on it."

"Good news! The appearance of the Western Chu rebels confirms that Sun Xiji has defected to the enemy. Taking them down would be a great achievement." Song Li was not surprised but delighted upon hearing that the Western Chu rebels had appeared.

He had been thinking that this trip would be in vain, but unexpectedly, the Western Chu rebels actually showed up.

"General, let's attack directly then," the lieutenant said impatiently from the side. Capturing Sun Xiji was not like fighting the Western Chu rebels; it was a sure thing, practically a free victory.

"No rush. We need to make sure everything is correct. Let's wait a bit longer and let the Western Chu rebels make contact with Sun Xiji first. Then we can take them down together and catch them red-handed." Song Li said with a cold smile.

On the other side, Sun Xiji's carriage was still traveling on the official road when suddenly a muffled sound of horses' hooves came from afar. Upon seeing this, Sun En squinted and stopped the carriage.

Sun Xiji, who was inside the carriage, naturally heard the sound of hooves. After the carriage stopped, he raised his hand and lifted the curtain to look in the direction from which the sound of hooves came.

A moment later, the Western Chu cavalrymen carrying the "Thank You" banner appeared before Sun Xiji's eyes.

The moment Sun Xiji saw the Western Chu cavalry appear, his expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with anger, and he cursed in a low voice, "Cao Changqing is a heartless man, you are cutting off my escape route."

"This humble general, Xie Xichui, is here on the orders of my master to respectfully welcome the Grand Tutor to pay homage to Her Majesty the Empress of Great Chu." Xie Xichui led a group of cavalrymen and stopped a hundred meters away from the carriage.

"Hmph, I am not worthy of the title of young general. Please make way for me, I am returning to Tai'an City to report back." Sun Xiji said to Xie Xichui with a displeased expression despite his respect.

"Grand Tutor should know that from the moment I appeared, you had no choice. Please come back to Great Chu with me. Her Majesty the Empress needs your assistance, and Great Chu also needs you to take charge of the overall situation." Xie Xichui said with an unwavering smile despite Sun Xiji's cold words.

"You, you, a promising young man. Master Cao has taken on a fine disciple." Sun Xiji's expression changed several times as he listened to Xie Xichui's words, and finally he let out a long sigh. He knew that there was no use saying anything now, and it would not change the outcome at all.