Sun Ce's death was shrouded in mystery, and Su Ming rose to seek justice for his brother.
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Jiangdong.
Wu Commandery, Wu County.
Within a grand estate.
In a bedchamber, two men sat around a table.
One possessed a cold, stern countenance; the other exuded refined elegance.
Upon the table rested an oil lamp, a small dish of appetizers, and a jar of cloudy wine.
Judging by their flushed faces, it was clear both men were inebriated.
“Third Brother, there’s something suspicious about our elder brother’s death.” The cold-faced man took a swig of wine, his tone heavy as he spoke. “He was hunting in Dantu—who leaked his whereabouts?”
“The soldiers who accompanied him were battle-hardened veterans. How could a few wild deer have lured them away?”
“Even without their protection, who was our elder brother? He was the Little Overlord of Jiangdong, possessed the courage and strength of a tyrant.”
“How could mere guests of Xu Gong manage to assassinate him?”
At these words, the refined man was left stunned.
After a moment, he asked, “Second Brother, what are you really trying to say?”
Hearing this, the cold-faced man burst into anger.
Bang! He slammed his palm on the table, roaring, “Zhou Gongjin, don’t you dare feign ignorance with me.”
“You’re the strategist of Jiangdong—you know perfectly well what I mean.”
“If you want me to spell it out, then fine. Our elder brother wasn’t killed by Xu Gong’s guests. He was murdered by one of our own.”
“Someone didn’t want him alive. Someone wanted him dead. Someone was eager to seize power.”
The refined man was none other than the renowned Zhou Yu, known as Zhou Gongjin in history. The elder brother who had been assassinated was Sun Ce, the Little Overlord of Jiangdong.
The cold-faced man was named Su Ming. He did not belong to this world; his soul had traversed from the twenty-first century.
By coincidence, the original owner of this body happened to be Sun Ce’s sworn brother.
The original owner, Sun Ce, and Zhou Yu had sworn brotherhood together.
Sun Ce was the eldest, Su Ming the second, and Zhou Yu the third.
About twenty days prior, Sun Ce was ambushed by Xu Gong’s three guests while hunting in Dantu, suffering grievous injuries.
He returned to Wu County for treatment, but passed away seven days ago.
Zhou Yu pondered Su Ming’s words, his brows furrowing for a moment before he finally asked, “Second Brother, whom do you suspect?”
Su Ming answered without hesitation, “Who gained the most from our elder brother’s death? That’s who did it!”
His words nearly named the culprit outright.
After Sun Ce’s death, who took control of Jiangdong’s power?
Sun Quan.
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Most crucially, Sun Quan assumed authority over Eastern Wu with the backing of the four great families of Jiangdong—Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang.
Yet, when Sun Ce held power, he had been suppressing the local aristocracy of Jiangdong.
Upon hearing Su Ming’s words, Zhou Yu’s face was filled with conflict. He said gravely, “Second Brother, all matters require evidence. Without proof, mere speculation cannot convince others.”
Evidence?
Su Ming had none, but he was convinced there was something wrong with Sun Ce’s death.
Because, on the day Sun Ce went hunting in Dantu, Su Ming should have accompanied him.
However, the night before the assassination, Deputy General Ling Cao invited him for drinks.
Ling Cao poisoned the wine, killing the original owner.
It was precisely because the original owner died from poisoning that Su Ming was able to transmigrate and take possession of his body.
Sun Ce was known as the Little Overlord of Jiangdong, famed for his valor. Xu Gong’s three guests could never have been his match.
Su Ming suspected Sun Ce had also been poisoned, which is why he was grievously wounded by the assassins.
“An autopsy. I suspect our elder brother was poisoned before his death.”
“If we engage a coroner for an autopsy, it will prove that he was murdered by one of our own!”
“As for who did it, if he committed the act, we will find the evidence!” At this, Su Ming looked intently at Zhou Yu. “When we swore brotherhood, we bowed to Heaven and knelt to Earth. We said, ‘We do not ask to be born the same year, month, and day, but only to die together in the same year, month, and day.’”
“Gongjin, you don’t want our elder brother to die without knowing the truth, do you?”
In Jiangdong, Sun Ce was the most revered, followed by Zhou Yu.
Though Su Ming ranked second among them, the original owner was no match for Sun Ce in martial prowess, nor for Zhou Yu in intellect.
By comparison, his words carried little weight.
In the army, he served merely as a vanguard officer.
If Su Ming wished to uncover the true cause of Sun Ce’s death, he could only rely on Zhou Yu.
From the original owner’s memories, their brotherhood was deep, and Zhou Yu was trustworthy.
After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yu replied decisively, “Second Brother, you are reckless by nature and have spent years in the army. You are unfamiliar with Wu County.”
“I will investigate our elder brother’s affairs. Wait patiently—I will give you an answer.”
“If there is truly something suspicious about our elder brother’s death, whoever is responsible, I, Zhou Gongjin, will make him pay!”
After conversing, Zhou Yu rose and departed, leaving Su Ming alone.
When Zhou Yu left, Su Ming opened his attribute panel.
[Name: Su Ming.]
[Age: 23.]
[Martial Prowess: 91.]
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[Leadership: 87.]
[Intellect: 80.]
[Politics: 73.]
[Primary Weapon: Silver Spear.]
[Secondary Weapon: Golden Mace.]
[Mount: Yellow Stallion.]
[Task: Uncover the cause of Sun Ce’s death and make it known to all.]
[Task Reward: Unknown.]
During these days since his transmigration, Su Ming had estimated the divisions of martial prowess in the Three Kingdoms era.
According to the history of the Three Kingdoms in his previous life:
A martial score below 70 meant a general was unranked.
Those between 70–80 were third-rate generals, exemplified by Wu Anguo, Pan Feng, Xing Daorong, and their ilk.
Scores between 80–90 signified second-rate generals, represented by Hua Xiong, Li Dian, Yue Jin, Gao Lan, and others.
Above 90 meant first-rate generals.
But the disparity among first-rate generals was considerable.
Among them, the strongest included the Five Tiger Generals of Shu, Dian Wei and Xu Chu of Cao Wei, and Taishi Ci of Eastern Wu...
Su Ming glanced at his own martial prowess: 91, just above 90, stepping into the threshold of first-rate generals.
Looking at leadership, intellect, and politics, Su Ming realized martial prowess was his only strength.
Alas!
His attributes were far from ideal...
For now, he could only hope that completing this first task would grant him a reward sufficient to greatly enhance his abilities.
Yet, investigating Sun Ce’s cause of death was far from simple.
It likely involved the intricate web of power within Jiangdong; one misstep could leave him crushed beyond recovery.
Nevertheless, Su Ming had to uncover the truth behind Sun Ce’s death.
Partly for the sake of the task, partly because it was the original owner’s obsession.
Having usurped his body, Su Ming felt obliged to fulfill this obsession, so that thereafter they would owe each other nothing.
At that point, Su Ming could make full use of this body and pursue his own ambitions.
Having experienced transmigration, how could he resign himself to remain in obscurity?