Questioning Cao Pi's Identity

Hu Ke's suggestion was wildly unconventional. Sun Quan slowly returned to his seat and sat down, then fell silent for a long time.

"My lord needn't adopt it. You could discuss it further with Mr. Zibu. I've been doing business at the trading firm for a long time, so I'm used to looking at things from a merchant's perspective. My suggestion may not be appropriate." Seeing Sun Quan's solemn expression, Hu Ke worried that his real aim of disrupting Jiangdong had been discovered, so he quickly added an excuse to cover himself.

Sun Quan shook his head and waved a hand. "Zecheng's idea may be mercenary, but tearing things down before rebuilding them can have the effect of sacrificing oneself for a noble cause. It would simply be too harsh on Ziming."

"If my lord truly intends to adopt it, you mustn't say it yourself. It would be best to have someone else propose the idea, or it might damage your prestige," Hu Ke continued.

"Zecheng has thought this through." Sun Quan nodded, already considering candidates in his mind.

The Battle of Jingzhou had not only sapped Jiangdong's strength; many of the Huaisi Military Group's generals had also died in the fighting. Military power across Jiangdong was gradually falling into the hands of the noble clans, something Sun Quan was unwilling to see. So if the Lu Clan was to be smeared, the initiative had to come from Jiangdong's noble clans.

"What do you think of Hui Shu?" Sun Quan suddenly asked.

Hu Ke froze, then answered with a wry smile. "Hui Shu and the Zhang Clan have no military power. It may not be appropriate for him to do this."

"You're right, Zecheng. Go back to the trading firm for now. I'll consider it further." Sun Quan furrowed his