HLnovel Chapter 1136 My Heart Is Torn Between Two Hands
Chapter 1136 My Heart Is Torn Between Two Hands
The night was as dark as ink when a sudden commotion erupted from the front yard, mixed with faint voices, like a pebble thrown into a calm, deep pool, instantly disrupting the tranquility of the inner courtyard.
Madam Sun was lost in thought when she heard the sound and looked up abruptly, her white brows furrowing in distress. "What's wrong?" she asked. She hurriedly told the maid beside her, "Go and see what's happening in the front yard."
The maid was about to turn around when the footsteps outside the courtyard grew closer, and there was more than one person whose footsteps clattered on the bluestone slabs.
"Madam! It's...it's Miss Shangxiang who's back!" The maid lifted the curtain, her voice filled with surprise, and stepped aside to let the person behind her through.
Madam Sun's heart skipped a beat, as if she had been hit by something. She hurriedly got up, and just as she steadied herself, the door was pushed open, and Sun Shangxiang rushed in, her body covered in the chill of the night dew.
"Xiang'er?" The old lady was startled by her daughter's appearance and her heart skipped a beat. She held her daughter's trembling shoulders and her voice trembled. "Why did you come back so suddenly? Did something happen to Zhou Lang?" Her heart suddenly clenched. Zhou Yu and Sun Quan were at odds, and her beloved grandson was still with Zhou Yu. Sun Shangxiang was there taking care of Sun Shao. Her hasty return now inevitably made people think the worst.
The old lady's voice was filled with undisguised anxiety: "Where is your sister-in-law? And Shao'er, how is he? Why didn't he come with you?"
Sun Shangxiang composed herself, her eyes reddening, and replied quickly, "Mother, don't worry, my sister-in-law is with Brother Gongjin with Shao'er. I came back because Brother Ma Chao has arrived in Jiangdong and is now in Wu County. As soon as he landed, he went straight to Brother Gongjin's place, and the two of them have already met."
"Meng Qi..." the old lady murmured, her heart suddenly clenching, her heart pounding even harder. Ma Chao and Zhou Yu were sworn brothers who had kowtowed to her son Sun Ce, the brothers he trusted most during his lifetime. Back then, when Sun Ce was alive, the brothers drank from the same jar of wine, slept in the same tent, and swore to conquer the Central Plains together—how spirited they were!
But now...
The old lady lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the back of her withered hand, where age spots resembled the scars etched by time. Sun Ce was gone; the son who rode his horse with a whip, laughing and declaring "the world is at peace," had long since turned into a mound of yellow earth by the river. And for those who remained, everything had changed beyond recognition.
Zhou Yu, who was once as close as brothers with Sun Ce, is now estranged from the succeeding Sun Quan, even secretly cultivating his own power, completely disregarding their past sworn brotherhood. And now Ma Chao, having set foot in Jiangdong, doesn't he first come to Moling, but goes straight to Zhou Yu's camp—isn't his intention all too clear?
The old lady felt a sudden dizziness and barely managed to stand by holding onto the table. The wind outside the tent blew through the window lattice, carrying the dampness of the river, causing the candlelight to flicker and casting her shadow long and thin, like an unhealable wound.
The old lady's hand gripping the table tightened suddenly, her knuckles turning white, and her breathing quickened: "Meng Qi... he actually went to Gong Jin's place first?"
"What...what does this mean..." The old lady's eyes reddened as she looked out at the deep night, feeling a tightness in her chest.
Seeing her mother's pale face, Sun Shangxiang quickly stepped forward to support her: "Mother, don't worry. Brother Ma Chao has come to find out the cause of my brother's death."
The old lady shook her head and sighed deeply: "You don't understand... Ce'er is gone, and the hearts of the people in Jiangdong have long since fallen apart. Meng Qi's actions are probably... probably because he recognizes Zhou Yu but not Jiangdong..." As she spoke, a turbid tear slid down the corner of her eye and dripped onto her clothes.
Sun Shangxiang frowned, took a half step forward, and said in a tone of urgency and confusion, "Mother, you've probably misunderstood. Brother Ma Chao and Brother Zhou Yu are both men of unwavering integrity, and they've always respected our elder brother. This time, they simply want to find out who killed him back then. How can you say they have ulterior motives?" She gripped her handkerchief slightly, her eyes filled with bewilderment. "They just want to seek justice for our elder brother!"
The old lady slowly raised her head, her cloudy eyes reddening, her voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "Seeking justice? Silly child, do you think I didn't feel pain when your eldest brother died under mysterious circumstances? But have you forgotten? Just when we were about to investigate the murderer, your second and third brothers were assassinated, and even the infant Shao'er was almost killed!" She slammed her hand on the table, the teacup rattling loudly, "That was an attempt to sever the lineage of my Sun family!"
“Zhou Lang…” the old lady gasped for breath. “I’m not doubting her, but the situation was in complete chaos back then. If Jiangdong didn’t have a leader, it would have been swallowed up long ago.” She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye. “Rely on Shao’er? He was still breastfeeding at that time. How could he withstand all those open and hidden attacks? Only your second brother managed to keep Jiangdong in his grasp.”
She turned to Sun Shangxiang: "Now that your second brother is in charge of Jiangdong, they want to reopen old cases—after investigating and investigating, won't the blame still fall on him in the end? Isn't this just trying to stir up trouble in Jiangdong?" The old lady pounded her chest heavily. "I've lived to this age, what storms haven't I seen? If this old matter is reopened, who knows, there might be another bloodbath. Do you want the last few members of the Sun family to die at the hands of their own family?"
A deathly silence fell over the tent, broken only by the old lady's heavy breathing. Sun Shangxiang opened her mouth, but could not utter a word—the fear and worry in her mother's eyes were beyond words.
Seeing her mother's resolute attitude, Sun Shangxiang knew that further persuasion would be futile. She sighed inwardly, recalling Zhou Yu's instructions before her departure, hoping that Qiao Gong's intervention might bring a change of fortune. She composed herself and said softly, "Mother, don't think too much about it. It's getting late, let's rest first. We can talk about it tomorrow."
The old lady closed her eyes tightly and said nothing more, which was taken as tacit agreement. Sun Shangxiang carefully helped her mother lie down, tucked her in, and then quietly withdrew.
In the front courtyard, Cheng Pu was directing his soldiers to reinforce the mansion gates. When he saw Sun Shangxiang come out, he stopped what he was doing and asked in a deep voice, "Miss, what does the old lady mean?"
Sun Shangxiang frowned slightly and shook her head, saying, "Mother is too wary of Brother Mengqi and Brother Gongjin. She won't listen to anything I say." She paused, then said firmly, "It seems I can only wait until tomorrow to go see Lord Qiao. Perhaps Mother will listen to some of his words."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Pu frowned and sighed, "That's all we can do. Huang Gai has already gone to the military camp to mobilize troops, and I will strengthen the guards in the mansion to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Sun Shangxiang nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Cheng." She looked into the depths of the night and silently prayed: Gongjin, I hope that Qiao Gongzhen can really help, otherwise this stalemate will continue indefinitely.
As night deepened, the lights in the mansion were extinguished one by one, leaving only the lanterns carried by the patrolling soldiers moving slowly in the darkness, like vigilant stars.
The next day, as dawn broke, Zhang Zhao gathered his thoughts and arrived at the Wu Marquis's residence. He found the gates and surrounding area heavily guarded, with rows of soldiers standing on either side, their hands on their sword hilts. Even the high courtyard walls were patrolled by armored guards, their arrows gleaming coldly in the morning light. He felt a chill; the security was several times tighter than usual, clearly indicating that something important must be happening inside.
"Please inform the old lady that Zhang Zhao requests an audience with her," he said, bowing to the gatekeeper. His purpose in coming was still to persuade the old lady to appoint the third son, Sun Xu, as the ruler of Jiangdong.
The garrison commander looked somewhat embarrassed and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Lord Zhang, please wait a moment. This morning, Lord Qiao came to the manor to visit the old lady, and I'm afraid he can't spare the time right now."
"Lord Qiao?" Zhang Zhao frowned, his suspicions deepening. Lord Qiao, as the father-in-law of both Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's sons-in-law, had rarely set foot in the Wu Marquis's residence since Zhou Yu's falling out with Sun Quan. His sudden visit today was certainly no coincidence. Suppressing his doubts, he could only wait in the outer corridor, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the archers on the wall. He had a vague feeling that beneath this peaceful morning, a considerable turmoil was brewing.
The reason why Master Qiao was able to come early in the morning was that Sun Shangxiang went to Master Qiao's residence just as dawn was breaking to tell him everything. Master Qiao was an old and shrewd man, so he naturally understood the key point and came to the residence with Sun Shangxiang to visit the old lady.
Inside the reception room, General Cheng Pu sat upright to one side, the bronze plates on his armor gleaming coldly in the morning light. When Qiao Xuan spoke, he simply nodded heavily, his gaze falling on the old lady's face with a hint of concern.
The old lady raised her hand to signal the maid to add tea, and looked at Qiao Xuan with a sigh, "Master Qiao has not come for so long, and his sudden visit today is something I really can't figure out."
Qiao Xuan put down his teacup, his fingertips gently tracing the rim, and said in a deep voice, "Madam, as you surely know, Zhongmou campaigned against Jiaozhou last year and has yet to return. News from the army is fragmented, and rumors are rampant in the city, causing widespread panic. More importantly, Ma Chao of Xiliang has arrived in Wu County and joined forces with Gongjin, vowing to thoroughly investigate the cause of Bofu's death." He paused, his gaze sweeping over Cheng Pu, "This matter has caused quite a stir, and I don't know what to do, so I came to inquire."
The old lady's hand trembled slightly as she held the teacup, the porcelain clinking softly against the table. "Zhongmou hasn't returned, and I've been worried sick day and night, yet I can't find a single definite piece of news. Zhang Zhao and the others have been repeatedly urging me to make my third son, Sun Shao, the ruler of Jiangdong..." Her voice choked, her eyes reddening. "Now I hear that Mengqi and Gongjin want to investigate Bofu's death. I'm truly at a loss. I fear the peaceful days in Jiangdong are truly coming to an end..."
General Cheng Pu stood tall, the patterns on his armor drawing resolute lines in the candlelight. He said in a deep voice, "Madam, there's no need to worry." His rough hands slammed heavily on the corner of the table, making a dull thud. "I've already given the order: triple the number of troops at the four gates of Moling City, add two archers for every ten feet along the city walls, and bury a series of tripwires under the city towers. Not to mention any mutinous soldiers, even a bird trying to sneak in will have to ask my spear first!"
He paused, his tone deep and serious: "Those rumors circulating in the city are nothing but idle gossip; they can't cause any real trouble. I've already ordered the patrol battalion to increase their patrols. Anyone who dares to spread rumors and mislead the public on the streets will be arrested! As long as the city's defenses are impregnable, the people's hearts won't be disturbed—the soldiers of Jiangdong are tough as nails!"
The old lady gazed at the graying hair at his temples, her eyes welling up with tears. "With General Cheng's words, I am relieved. But..." she trailed off, her voice lowering, "...there's still no news from Zhongmou, and Gongjin is..."
As if remembering something, the old lady said, "Demou, you, Han Dang, Huang Gai, and Zu Mao have been with us since Bo Fu's father was alive. What do you think is the meaning behind Zhou Lang's actions this time?"