"How is my brother Zhao?" Sima Shi asked nervously.
"Martial Marquis Sima suffered a minor injury."
"A minor injury? That's good, that's good."
Seeing Sima Shi's immense relief, Sun Quan shook his head and added, "Your brother was injured in a vital area below the waist. I fear he may be unable to father children in the future."
"What? Brother Zhao is only twelve." Sima Shi reeled backward and collapsed onto the floor.
Sun Quan sighed. "Sigh, being younger is better too—the suffering will be less. The continuation of the Sima bloodline will depend on you from now on. There are plenty of young women in your godfather's palace. If you fancy one, just tell me. I'll find you a fine match afterward."
Just as Sima Shi sat there heartbroken and despondent, Hu Ke knocked on the hall door and entered.
Sun Quan asked curiously, "Is there any new news from Huainan? Did Lu Xun escort the delegation back to Jiangdong, or did they continue on to Luoyang?"
"The State of Wei also sent men to receive them. Jiang Ji has taken the delegation to Hefei to recover from their injuries. The Wei men believe those bandits were sent by us, so the situation in Huainan has become tense again," Hu Ke replied with clasped fists.
After hearing this, Sun Quan cursed furiously, "Bastards! They want to pin it on us again? What do the Wei men take my Jiangdong for? Haven't those bandits been caught? Ask them, and won't the truth come out?"
Hu Ke shook his head. "It was close to dusk at the time. Those dozens of bandits were all highly skilled in martial arts, and not a single one has been captured so far. They seized the gifts Your Majesty had sent to Wei and escaped