165 Gan Ning's Betrayal

Two months passed since the incident with Cao Cao poisoning Yun, Yun destroying Cao Cao's guestroom, and Gan Ning stealing some good wine jars from Cao Cao.

Yun was sitting before his desk as he was going over some reports as he increased the number of troops in the North and West of his territory while waiting for Cao Cao's response which never came for now.

The only thing that arrived was the promised reward and the gold so far which allowed Yun to maintain his army when Yun received a letter from Cao Cao again this time regarding Sun Ren wanting to negotiate with Sun Quan on his behalf to get Mulan back.

"What should I do?" asks Yun himself as he looks at this letter.

Yun was thinking hard about what he should do about this plot of Cao Cao as he looked out of his window seeing Huixiu, Fang, Zheng, and Sun Ren drinking tea together with Zhen Luo and Ai while Rin was riding Thunder and Yang was holding a book in his hands.

'Have you ever thought of sending Sun Ren and Zheng away from Xiapi making it look like they have elopement because they love each other? It isn't something unusual to happen you only need to look at Helena of Troy who went with Paris because they fell in love or so it was told,' says Ysmrgra picking Yun's interest as it opened a new door to him.

He wrote a letter and gave it to Shadow before saying, "Take it to Gan Ning."

Shadow saw how important this letter was and flew as fast as possible to the east where Gan Ning was at the moment training his recruits in sailing on a Galleon instead of the normal ships they used to know.

Yun then wrote another letter and waited for Shadow to return while summoning Zheng and Sun Ren to his office. They were confused as was the family that was enjoying their tea outside while Yun just looked seriously at them making them believe that Sun Ren and Zheng did something Yun didn't like at all.

Both arrived at his office and Yun asks, "What do you two think of returning to Jiangye?"

"Father? I think it would be irresponsible to go there at this moment with Cao Cao having his eyes on you," says Zheng when Yun looked at him seriously before looking at Sun Ren.

"What does my daughter-in-law think about this?" asks Yun seriously as he turns his view to his window seeing Shadow landing on her usual spot on the frame of it.

"I think that father-in-law is trying to get us out of Xu because I am in danger. Am I right?" asks Sun Ren seriously since Yun wouldn't send them away just for fun so she could see her family again.

"That's right. I am being pressured by Cao Cao to hand you over so he can help me get Mulan back from Sun Quan something I don't want to happen which only leaves me with sending you both away making it look like you eloped together with the help of Gan Ning one of my loyal generals and your former teacher as your backing," says Yun having it all already planned for then when he gives Shadow the next letter which was for Sun Quan's and Mulan's hands.

Shadow left right away showing off her speed which saved Yun more than once in his lifetime, Yun then turned back to the couple and looks at them seriously before saying, "You will pack only the most necessary things and leave without picking too much attention before leaving with Gan Ning once he arrives with his men. He already knows what he has to do. Now I will have to inform the shipwrights to make normal ships instead of our Galleons and the blacksmiths to stop manufacturing our cannons and cannonballs for the moment."

Yun then stands up and walks over to his spear and gives it to Zheng before saying, "You will need a weapon since your spear isn't finished yet. I will lend it to you for now. Treat it for what it was made for and it will be of use to you."

Then he takes Zheng into his arms before saying, "We will meet each other again. It might be on the battlefield across from each other and when that happens don't hesitate. You are a Zhao, we are warriors that have the strongest will of all out there if you don't believe me ask your grandfather once you meet him again in the afterlife."

He then turns to Sun Ren and hugs her as well before saying, "As the oldest and most intelligent of the both of you, I hope you will keep yourself and my son safe until we stand on the same side again."

"I will," says Sun Ren when she feels Yun's warm embrace remembering her of Sun Jian before Yun let go and went to his desk. He pulled something out and gave it to Sun Ren.

It was an old bracelet that Yun had intended to gift Sun Ren. It is a red bracelet engraved with beautiful stones which has seen better days but it could shine again with some treatment.

Zheng recognized it immediately as he says stunned, "Is th-"

"Yes, it was your mother's bracelet which she received as a gift from me when I first met her. It was supposed to get restored before I wanted to gift it to Sun Ren since the Sun Clan's main color is red just like the bracelet. It would make your mother happy that her daughter-in-law had something that belonged to her just like Huixiu," says Yun as Sun Ren could see that the object was very important to Yun since he was keeping it close to himself.

"I can't ta-" is all Sun Ren could say before Yun stopped her.

"You will since I don't need the bracelet to remember my first wife. I have my sons and daughter for that," says Yun as he sits down before saying, "You should prepare your things. Gan Ning will be here in two to three days depending on the weather and wind."

They both bow before leaving the room while Yun looks at an empty page and writes down what will happen in the next few days before folding it and putting it to a side.

He covers his upper face with one hand to cover his eyes to hide his sadness as some tears run down his cheek before recovering again after hearing someone knocking against the frame of his door.

"Who is it?" asks Yun without turning around while wiping his tears away with his hand.

"It's me," says Zhen Luo carrying Ai as she was worried about Yun since he called the young couple to his office.

"What do you need?" asks Yun turning around having still a sad expression on his face.

"Nothing, I just saw Zheng leaving with your spear while Sun Ren was holding an old bracelet. I was asking myself if something happened," says Zhen Luo as Yun walks to his desk before giving her the letter Cao Cao sent him.

"Cao Cao happened," says Yun as Zhen Luo handed Ai over before reading the letter seeing why Yun was sad.

"You are sending them away, aren't you," says Zhen Luo seeing through what Yun had done just some moments ago.

"Yes, I have already begun with the planning. I will send Gan Ning with Guo Jia and Lu Meng to escort them. I trust Gan Ning will keep Zheng safe since he sees him as a nephew while Guo Jia is one of the strategists I can trust to help Gan Ning to integrate into Sun Quan's army with Lu Meng's help as a former soldier of Sun Quan," says Yun explaining to Zhen Luo who was going to accompany Zheng and why before playing with Ai who seemed to not understand what the adults were talking about.

Zhen Luo put the letter down before taking Ai from Yun and asking, "Are we going to hold a feast to wish them well?"

"No, as far as we both know they eloped without anyone knowing of it except for Gan Ning and the troops he had under his command. I even forged papers that placed Guo Jia and Lu Meng on Gan Ning's ships instead of Yueying so I don't separate her from Zhuge Liang," says Yun before sighing quite long which Zhen Luo noticed as she rubs her free hand over Yun's back.

"They will be fine in Jianye under Sun Quan," says Zhen Luo while comforting Yun.

Yun knew that but he didn't like it at all since his second heir was out of reach for him if something were to happen to him he couldn't help him.

"I just hope that his mother watches over him," says Yun as he turns toward Zhen Luo to kiss her before letting her go.

Yun then returned to work trying to forget everything that happened some minutes ago so he could act surprised and chase after Gan Ning on Thunder as he planned to show to Cao Cao that Gan Ning acted on his own and it wasn't planned to fool him.

It took Gan Ning five days to return to Xiapi. He stayed for five days before staging the best act Yun could ever hope for as he sailed under a black flag showing his former persona as a pirate which even fooled many of the generals under Yun who weren't informed of Gan Ning's act of betrayal.

Yun chased after Gan Ning on Thunder but it was only logical that a ship would outrun a horse making the chase stop before arriving at the border of the Xiapi Commandery.

Gan Ning sailed as promised to Jianye and joined Sun Quan under Yun's command with Lu Meng and Guo Jia while Sun Quan also announced that he has forced his prisoner to marry him.

Yun had now to show his rage which he has shown by sending Huang Zhong to the southern border to fake a war with Sun Quan. Yun couldn't send Wei Yan nor Lu Bu since they were needed in Xiapi soon since the wedding between Huixiu and Fang would be in the interval of this staged war between Yun and Sun Quan. But this took some suspicion from Cao Cao for the moment.