Wu Kingdom

Gong’an City in Jingzhou.

That place had now passed into Wu’s territory, becoming the border between Han and Wu. Lu Xun, appointed as Governor of Jingzhou by Sun Quan, was staying in Gong’an City, making it his administrative center.

Busy preparing for Han’s attack while also overseeing military affairs throughout Jingnan, Lu Xun couldn’t hide his bewilderment at an unexpected letter.

“Is this really a letter from Shu?”

To Lu Xun’s question, his adjutant Luo Tong answered without hesitation.

“Yes. The person who delivered the letter is called Zhong Yao, and he says he’s an adjutant to Zhuge Liang, the Chancellor of Shu. Given that he was previously a lieutenant under Zhang Fei, it seems certain.”

Luo Tong, who had distinguished himself in this offensive and been appointed as Lu Xun’s lieutenant and General of Chariots and Cavalry, was a talent Lu Xun trusted. If someone like Luo Tong was affirming it, there was no need to doubt the authenticity of the letter further.

“Ha, it’s real…”

However, if this was real, that was even more baffling. It was enough to make Lu Xun ask if it was real.

Luo Tong, who hadn’t seen the contents of the letter, expressed his curiosity at Lu Xun’s reaction.

“What is the content of the letter to make you react like this?”

Lu Xun hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t sure if it was alright to just tell this as is.

But the hesitation was brief. Lu Xun handed the letter to Luo Tong.

As soon as Luo Tong received the letter from Lu Xun, he quickly skimmed its contents.

[Zhang Fei, Marquis of Xixiang of the Han Kingdom and head of the Zhang family, humbly asks the eminent clan of the Lu family of Wu Commandery, how are you faring?]

Seeing that it started with light pleasantries, it seemed like a private letter. But why would Zhang Fei, not Guan Yu, have reason to contact?

Luo Tong’s doubts were resolved by the latter part of the letter.

[Originally, Lujiang was the land of the Lu family, and in Jiangdong, the Lu family was the most noble house, yet due to the reckless actions of the Sun family, the respected elder of your family has passed away, for which I express my condolences.]

‘It’s a ploy to sow discord. Using such a shallow trick, have they become impatient after losing Jingzhou?’

Since they had used the tactic of inducing carelessness with Lu Xun’s flattering letter before, they must be borrowing Zhang Fei’s name this time.

The brotherhood of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei was famous throughout the land, so wouldn’t Zhang Fei’s will be the same as Liu Bei’s?

They probably thought using Guan Yu’s name would be too obvious. How could that arrogant Guan Yu send a letter to someone who deceived him? Even if just borrowing the name, he wouldn’t allow it.

‘Even so, they’re looking down on us too much. If they were going to do it, they should have gone big and used Liu Bei’s name directly. Then we might have taken it somewhat seriously.’

‘I suppose that’s their limit.’

Luo Tong snorted and continued reading the remaining just under half of the letter. He was reading with a light heart, thinking he had roughly grasped their scheme.

But as his eyes moved further towards the end of the letter, the sneer on Luo Tong’s face gradually disappeared.

[Therefore, I wish to marry my eldest daughter to your eldest son to strengthen the friendship between our two sides and bring peace back to Jingzhou, so I ask what your thoughts are on this. I will wait for your reply with a reverent and solemn mindset.]

“Zhang Fei’s eldest daughter… that means…”

Luo Tong muttered to himself, as if he couldn’t easily believe what he saw. Lu Xun, who was watching Luo Tong from the side, kindly answered to help him escape from reality denial as quickly as possible.

“Zhang Ran. The Zhang Ran you know.”

“No, how is that possible? Did Liu Bei allow this?”

“Are you saying my son isn’t good enough?”

“No, that’s not what I mean…”

At Lu Xun’s casual remark, Luo Tong stammered and waved his hands.

This was the first time Lu Xun had seen such a reaction from Luo Tong, whom he had been eyeing as a talent worthy of entrusting his succession along with Zhou Yin and Quan Zong.

Only then did Lu Xun relax his stiff expression and burst into laughter.

“It’s a joke, a joke. To be so flustered, you really thought that?”

“N-no, that’s not it, General Who Protects the State. How could I about your son…”

“Enough with the empty words. I too acknowledge that my son has many shortcomings. Compared to Zhang Ran, it’s like comparing a firefly to the full moon.”

Lu Xun had two sons, but at this time his second son Lu Kang had not yet been born, so currently only his eldest son Lu Yan was his only son.

The second son, Lu Kang, was indeed a prodigy worthy of being called a chip off the old block. He was even called the last great general of Wu.

However, the eldest son Lu Yan, though born with an intelligent mind like his father, did not inherit his health.

‘It reminds me exactly of Zhou Yu.’

Lu Xun felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Zhou Yu, who had first wanted to take Zhang Ran as his daughter-in-law, tried to persuade Zhang Ran by emphasizing the frailty of his eldest son, but failed.

But now Zhang Ran’s side is requesting marriage to Lu Xun’s weak son.

“Do they expect us to believe this?”

While blatantly revealing that this is a trap, expecting us to fall for it is a robber’s mentality that even calling it a thief’s mentality is insufficient.

Lu Xun took his eyes off the letter claiming to be written by Zhang Fei and waved his hand dismissively:

“Take it away and burn it. And send back the messenger who came from Shu.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to keep the letter just in case?”

“Just in case? Don’t you know that keeping the letter itself becomes a seed of suspicion?”

Not accepting Luo Tong’s dissenting opinion, Lu Xun sent Luo Tong out of the office.

Then suddenly, Lu Xun realized there was one more thing that gave him a sense of déjà vu besides Zhou Yu.

It was Sun Quan and Guan Yu.

Sun Quan, after becoming in-laws with Liu Bei, again proposed an in-law relationship to Guan Yu. And Guan Yu refused with harsh words that were hard to believe were spoken to the leader of a faction.

While Guan Yu’s personality was arrogant, there was another reason besides that. Guan Yu saw through it. The repercussions that marriage would bring.

There are levels in marriages. People marry those who match their status.

With Liu Bei and Sun Quan already in-laws, for Guan Yu, Liu Bei’s subordinate, to again form an in-law relationship with Sun Quan? This could act as an implication of standing on equal footing with Liu Bei.

Even if Liu Bei and Guan Yu themselves trust and cherish each other, it’s hard to expect those around them to do the same. It’s planting a seed of discord in the faction.

Knowing this, Guan Yu strongly expressed his position with the harshest words possible.

‘This time isn’t much different.’

Zhang Fei had married his second daughter to Liu Bei’s son, Liu Shan, the crown prince of Shu Han.

But to marry his eldest daughter to Lu Xun’s son? Isn’t that almost the same as saying they’ll treat Lu Xun as similar in rank to Liu Bei? It’s treating him not as Sun Quan’s subordinate, but as the leader of a faction.

‘That letter… there was talk about the Marquis of Huaiyin.’

At first, he thought it was imitating the letter Lu Xun himself had sent to Guan Yu.

But thinking it over, it was different.

‘Isn’t it like when Kuai Tong told Han Xin to become independent?’

It digs up old grudges with Sun Quan, mentions Han Xin, and subtly encourages independence. And as the finishing touch, it talks about a marriage alliance between Zhang Ran and Lu Yan.

It’s too blatant. If Lu Xun falls for this, good, and if not, the intention is to sow discord in his relationship with Sun Quan.

Even realizing this, Lu Xun’s reaction was lukewarm. When he noticed they were trying to scheme more cleverly than expected, he was somewhat concerned, and Lu Xun certainly hesitated at mobilizing a big figure like Zhang Ran.

However, Lu Xun firmly believed that his relationship with Sun Quan was beyond what they were predicting.

‘My lord gave me the daughter of the Marquis of Wu as a wife.’

Lu Xun was born into a branch of the Lu family and lost his father at a young age, growing up under his great-uncle Lu Kang.

And that Lu Kang was killed by Sun Ce. From Lu Xun’s perspective, Sun Ce was his grandfather’s enemy.

However, Sun Quan personally arranged a marriage between Lu Xun and Sun Ce’s daughter, opening a path to reconciliation.

When Lu Xun accepted that proposal, Sun Quan fully trusted Lu Xun and pushed him as his confidant with all his might.

The fact that Lu Xun is now Governor of Jingzhou with full authority is also possible because of Sun Quan’s trust.

How could such a Sun Quan fall for Shu’s tricks and doubt Lu Xun himself? That’s what Lu Xun thought. Because the aspects Sun Quan had shown him so far were a magnanimity befitting a hero.

But which side failed to notice Sun Quan’s true nature?

Lu Xun, who prided himself as second to none in psychological warfare, ironically failed to grasp the true intentions of the one he should be most wary of. Like the saying “a monk cannot shave his own head.”

After Lu Xun dismissed it as just a futile attempt, events unfolded in a direction different from Lu Xun’s expectations.

Zhang Ran’s reputation spread the news of her unprecedented marriage at an unimaginable speed throughout the land.

The time it took for the rumor of Zhang Ran and Lu Yan’s marriage to reach Sun Quan’s ears was unbelievably short.

And Lu Xun had to face it. The messenger sent by Sun Quan.

Lu Xun welcomed him comfortably when he saw that the messenger was Zhu Ju, whom he knew. But Zhu Ju’s expression was not normal.

“Governor Lu, our lord has ordered me to find out what this situation is about.”

“It’s nothing. They’re using a ploy to sow discord.”

“I heard you received a letter. Can you give it to me?”

“I’ve already burned and destroyed the letter.”

“…Why did you do that?”

“What, should I have kept it? Isn’t it right to cut off even the possibility to thoroughly eradicate the source of a discord-sowing ploy?”

Despite Lu Xun’s explanation, Zhu Ju’s expression didn’t soften. Rather, he spoke with an even more serious face.

“You will have to explain yourself.”

“Explain myself!”

“Governor Lu, restrain yourself. Lord Zhu is a messenger sent by our lord.”

When Luo Tong, who was standing by, intervened, Lu Xun regained his composure and said:

“…I understand. If our lord calls for me, it is the duty of a subject to follow. Then who will be appointed as my successor?”

“The Left General will come.”

The Left General of Wu was Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Liang’s elder brother.

Hearing that name, Lu Xun nodded heavily as if he had no major worries, though his frustration hadn’t fully dissipated.

“I’ll prepare to go to Jianye.”