Sun Quan’s eldest son, Sun Deng, perhaps concerned about the apparent deterioration in the emperor’s judgment, leaves the western empire in Lu Xun's hands in 232 and returns to Jianye, where he will remain until his own death in 241.

In 232, Sun Quan has another misadventure involving his navy—as he sends his generals Zhou He and Pei Qian to the nominal Wei vassal Gongsun Yuan, in control of Liaodong prefecture (present-day central Liaoning), to purchase horses, against the advice of Yu Fan—and indeed, he exiles Yu Fan to the desolate Cangwu prefecture (roughly modern Wuzhou, Guangxi) as punishment.

Just as Yu Fan had predicted, however, the venture ends in failure—as Zhou He and Pei Qian, on their return, are intercepted by Wei forces and killed.

Regretting his actions, Sun Quan tries to recall Yu Fan back to Jianye, only to learn that Yu has died in exile.