Chapter 3: Severing Ties, Alone at the Funeral

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

There had not been the slightest progress on Zhou Yu’s investigation. Several times Su Ming sought an audience, but Zhou Yu always claimed illness and refused to see him.

By now, Su Ming understood perfectly well. Between the future of Jiangdong and the bonds of brotherhood, Zhou Yu had chosen the former.

Tomorrow would be the day of Sun Ce’s funeral. Once Sun Ce was buried, all clues would be interred with him.

As dusk fell, Su Ming summoned his most trusted aide. “Take my letter to Tai Shici,” he ordered. “Ask him to attack the city at noon. I will coordinate from within. After we take Wu County, the two of us will investigate the cause of Lord Wu’s death together.”

If you want something done, do it yourself. Since Zhou Yu was unreliable, Su Ming would have to take matters into his own hands.

Wu County was garrisoned by eight thousand troops, but most were local militia who had never seen real battle. If Tai Shici could bring five thousand elite soldiers, Su Ming was confident they could seize control of Wu County. Once he held Wu County, he could properly investigate Sun Ce’s death.

Neither Sun Quan nor the four great families of Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang would ever suspect that Su Ming would dare to seize Wu County by force.

After sending his trusted man to deliver the message, Su Ming’s heart was filled with anxiety. He did not sleep the entire night. When noon came, no drums sounded outside the city—Tai Shici had not come.

Could it be that he had misjudged? Misjudged Zhou Yu, and now Tai Shici as well?

The night passed without word, but his heart was in turmoil. Su Ming sat in the small pavilion in his courtyard, drinking wine and polishing his spear through the long hours.

Dawn broke. The sky was just turning light.

Sun Ce’s funeral began.

As the Lord of Wu, Sun Ce was mourned by all the people. Both sides of the street were lined with citizens in mourning garb.

Su Ming went to the stables, brought out his yellow stallion, and hung his golden mace and silver spear on the saddle.

“Elder Brother, today I will seek justice for you,” he murmured, mounting his horse.

But as soon as he left the gate, Su Ming reined in his horse abruptly.

Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu was waiting before his door.

Su Ming’s pupils narrowed sharply. His voice was icy as he asked, “Zhou Gongjin, you dare to come see me?”

No longer did Su Ming call him “Third Brother,” but addressed him formally as Zhou Gongjin.

Once Zhou Yu made his choice between brotherhood and the future of Jiangdong, their brotherhood was already dead.

Su Ming sought justice for Sun Ce, not merely for the sake of his own mysterious mission, but also for the bonds of brotherhood. Though he had crossed over from another world, he had inherited the original owner’s memories. Perhaps it was the original’s obsession; perhaps the emotions within those memories. In any case, Su Ming could not accept that a hero like Sun Ce should die without cause.

“Second Brother, I know what you intend,” Zhou Yu said. “The dead cannot return. Even if you discover the truth, do you think our elder brother will come back to life? Second Brother, please think carefully. For the future of Jiangdong, you must not act recklessly!”

“Damn you!” Su Ming shouted, kicking Zhou Yu aside. “You talk nonsense! Sun Zhongmou murdered his brother to seize power—what right has he to be Lord of Wu? Is Jiangdong nothing without Sun Quan? If he dies, I’ll support Shao’er as Lord of Wu.”

“If Shao’er, still a child, becomes lord, with wolves ahead and tigers behind, Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu will surely invade,” Zhou Yu argued, rising to bar Su Ming’s horse again.

“Even if Shao’er is young, Sun Xu, Sun Kuang, Sun Lang—all could be Lord of Wu!” Su Ming declared resolutely. “But that fratricidal usurper cannot!”

Combining the historical records from his previous life, the original owner’s memories, and the events since his arrival, Su Ming was nearly certain—Sun Ce’s death was almost certainly connected to Sun Quan. That level of certainty was enough.

“The four great families will never accept Sun Xu or Sun Kuang,” Zhou Yu insisted. “With our elder brother gone, no one can restrain them. Without their support, Jiangdong will fall into chaos. We won’t have to wait for Cao Cao or Yuan Shao; the people will already be plunged into misery.”

At this, Zhou Yu knelt before Su Ming’s horse, crying out, “Second Brother, I beg you—for the sake of the millions in Jiangdong, for the family our brother left behind, turn a blind eye! He’s already gone—he cannot return, cannot come back!”

Should millions suffer just to let Sun Ce die without explanation? Could a usurper truly bring peace to Jiangdong?

At the very least, Su Ming did not believe so.

Zhou Yu had made his choice. Su Ming would make his.

Their paths had diverged; there was no longer any common purpose. If so, it was time to part ways.

With a flick of his silver spear, Su Ming sliced off a corner of his robe, letting it fall to the ground. “Today, we sever our brotherhood,” he said coldly. “From this day forth, you walk your road, I walk mine. We are brothers no more.”

He spurred his yellow stallion onward. “Hyah! Hyah!”

He galloped toward the route of Sun Ce’s funeral procession.

Among those escorting the coffin, Sun Quan, as heir, was the one supporting the casket.

“That’s Su Ming—he’s likely here to cause trouble,” Zhang Zhao whispered in Sun Quan’s ear. “Such a man cannot be allowed to live; he must be eliminated, root and branch.”

Sun Quan hesitated briefly. “Today is my brother’s funeral. It would not do to have bloodshed. Send him away for now; there will be time to deal with him later.”

Zhang Zhao nodded in agreement. The important thing was to inter Sun Ce. Once he was in the ground, everything would be settled.

Zhang Zhao stepped forward and addressed Su Ming. “Since General Su has come, join the funeral procession and accompany Lord Wu on his final journey.”

Sun Ce’s death was surely linked to Sun Quan and the four great families—especially this Zhang Zhao, who had been fawning on Sun Quan even before he inherited the title. Perhaps Sun Ce’s death was his own doing.

“There’ll be time enough to accompany my brother on his final journey,” Su Ming replied. Without another word, he spurred his horse and leveled his spear at Zhang Zhao. “But first, I’ll send Lord Zhang off!”

Among the Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang families, not a one was innocent—killing any of them would not be a mistake.

Seeing Su Ming charge at him, Zhang Zhao fell to the ground in terror, scrambling backward. He never imagined Su Ming would dare attack him in broad daylight, in front of everyone.

“Su Ming! Don’t you dare!” A general stepped forward, spear in hand, to block his path.

At the sight of this man, Su Ming’s eyes turned blood-red.