It was Diao Chan's righteousness that led Sun Quan to find her. Diao Chan would never do anything like a villain. She would not peek at Sun Quan's letter, nor would she pretend to agree and then deliberately not deliver it.
"You know that there must be many crises on the road from Chaisang to Xiangyang. The Jiangdong Army's supply route has been cut off. Only I, as a disciple of Cihang Jingzhai, can pass through easily. You are taking advantage of this. Me!" Diao Chan directly stated Sun Quan's intention.
"That's right." Sun Quan admitted frankly, "I can even tell you that my letter is to persuade my eldest brother to retreat. If no one dissuades me, with my eldest brother's character, he will definitely choose to risk his life and fight. Are you willing to read it? Is this a lose-lose outcome?"
Diao Chan frowned, looking a little confused.
"Although I don't understand the art of war, I also understand the situation. The supply of the Jiangdong Army is cut off, which also means that the retreat route has been cut off. Sun Ce wants to return to Jiangdong now. Not only does he have to face the pursuit of the Xiangyang Army, but he also has to face Huang Zu of Jiangxia, and he has already With the independent troops from Lujiang and other places intercepting and obstructing him, it would be even more difficult for him to return to Jiangdong than to capture Xiangyang in one go. Rather than becoming a turtle in the urn, it is better to risk his life and fight. Will your letter of dissuasion really be useful? Or is this actually not a letter of dissuasion?" Diao Chan looked at Sun Quan suspiciously. Diao Chan understands Sun Quan. Sun Quan has a lot of clever ideas. He may also value feelings, but this does not mean that he will not lie to you.
Faced with Diao Chan's suspicion, Sun Quan just shrugged.
"If you don't believe it, you can take it apart and look at it. I don't mind."
A trace of anger flashed in Diao Chan's eyes. If Sun Quan was really sincere, he could take it apart and show it to her. Sun Quan knew what kind of person she was, and yet he deliberately said such things. This wasn't irritating!
Taking a deep breath, Diao Chan also knew that if Sun Quan was really prepared, even if she opened the letter, she would not be able to see through Sun Quan's true intentions. There must be some information hidden behind the letter that outsiders cannot understand. Therefore, the question is back to the beginning, regardless of the content of the letter, whether Diao Chan should help Sun Quan deliver this letter.
"I probably don't owe you anything anymore." Diao Chan said.
"I owe you a favor this time." Sun Quan replied.
Diao Chan glanced at Sun Quan and said,
"With your current position, I don't want us to have too many entanglements."
"It is precisely because of this stance that favors are more meaningful, isn't it?" Sun Quan asked rhetorically. Diao Chan's eyes narrowed, Sun Quan's intention made it clear that the situation would be reversed in the future, and there would be times when she wanted to beg Sun Quan. Jiangdong's army suffered a huge defeat and its backbone Sun Jian disappeared again. Can it really make a comeback? Where did Sun Quan get his confidence?
Although she thought so rationally, for some reason, Diao Chan always felt that Sun Quan was not joking. Moreover, even if she didn't help Sun Quan this time, would Sun Quan really not be able to find anyone else to deliver the message? From this perspective, Diao Chan, who was able to earn a favor from Sun Quan, did not suffer a loss.
Thinking of this, Diao Chan already had a bias in her heart.
"Are you really trying to persuade your eldest brother to withdraw from the army?" Diao Chan once again asked the question she was most concerned about.
"Of course. Now everyone, including you, believes that my eldest brother will definitely fight to the death, which means that Jingzhou side has been prepared for this road for a long time, so it is the one we should not take the least. If we are caught by surprise, there will be a glimmer of hope." Sun Quan replied.
It was still hard for Diao Chan to understand, but as she just said, she didn't understand the art of war. In front of Sun Quan, the heir of the military strategist, Diao Chan really couldn't find a reason to refute.
"Then are you sure your eldest brother will definitely retreat?" Diao Chan asked again.
Sun Quan shook his head,
"I'm not panicking, and I don't want to lie to you. I don't have any confidence in this matter. But I am at least certain that without this letter from me, my eldest brother would definitely not have retreated!"
After hearing this, Diao Chan finally made up her mind,
"Okay! I promise you!"
······
Soon, Sun Quan led the people away. He knew that people near Chaisang were basically leaning towards Jingzhou. Once they were discovered, there would be a lot of trouble. Moreover, Sun Quan didn't want anyone to catch him looking for Diao Chan.
Until Sun Quan and his party had left for a long time, Diao Chan still stayed there, thinking about the letter, what consequences it would have after she sent it, and the future. In addition, she was also guessing about Sun Quan's side. What are the identities of the extra man and woman (because the yellow scarf costume was too sensitive, Sun Quan asked Zhang Ning Guan Hai to change his costume), and what will Sun Quan do from now on? Going back to Jiangdong?
As she was thinking about it, Diao Chan's pupils suddenly shrank and she quickly raised her head. The next moment, her face changed and turned pale.
"Master, Master! When did you come?"
Just like a child who had done something bad and was discovered by the teacher, Diao Chan wanted to hide the letter in her hand, but she didn't dare to make any move. Although Diao Chan has a personal relationship with Sun Quan, her current behavior, strictly speaking, can easily be regarded as betrayal and collaboration with the enemy!
"Show me Sun Quan's letter." Shi Zimiao said calmly, without any anger on his face and without opening his eyes.
But as soon as she heard this, Diao Chan understood that everything was over. Shi Zimiao obviously knew everything, and she didn't even have any room for excuse.
"Master, I'm sorry." Diao Chan instantly knelt on the ground and buried her head deeply.
Shi Zimiao slowly stepped forward and walked to Diao Chan. Just when Diao Chan was extremely nervous, a warm hand touched the top of her head.
"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong." Shi Zimiao said slowly.
Diao Chan: "But!"
"I'm not comforting you." Shi Zimiao interrupted Diao Chan, "Diao Chan, your qualifications are not outstanding in the sect, but you are my favorite. Do you know why?"
"Disciple is puzzled." Diao Chan lowered her head and replied. She didn't dare to think about it now.
"You have guessed it. I believe it is the same reason why Sun Quan came to you. With your temperament, you will suffer too much in troubled times." Shi Zimiao gently touched Diao Chan's head, "However, I did not I don’t want you to change. In this world, everyone is unique. Keep your original intention.”
"Master." Diao Chan slowly raised her head and looked at Shi Zimiao. Her eyes were filled with tears. After wiping her eyes, Diao Chan took the initiative to offer the letter in her hand.
Although Shi Zimiao did not open his eyes, he seemed to see Diao Chan's conflicting mood and chuckled,
"Didn't he agree to let you open it and look at it? It doesn't count as a breach of trust."
Diao Chan blushed when her thoughts were read and buried her head again.
Shi Zimiao knew that Diao Chan valued her integrity and did not force her to take the letter. She opened her sharp eyes that she would never use easily and read the contents carefully. After reading it, Shi Zimiao didn't close his eyes for a long time, and sighed,
"It would be great if I could bring him back to Jingzhai to train him a few years ago."
Diao Chan's face changed as she buried her head. Looking at the world, there were very few talents that could be admired by Shi Zimiao, let alone someone who Shi Zimiao actively wanted to be his disciple. If anyone knew about Shi Zimiao's evaluation at this moment, it would definitely be much more valuable than the likes of Nan Sun Quan and Bei Zhen Mi. However, Shi Zimiao would never be so arrogant as to think that if she taught Sun Quan, she would be able to teach Sun Quan better than he is now. Saying such words shows that Shi Zimiao believes that Sun Quan has gone astray.
