Rebirth of the Three Kingdoms: Da Qiao doesn't want to be a widow anymore

Chapter 341 The Beauty Scheme 2
The beauty's eyes were slightly red, and she seemed about to cry.

This delicate and vulnerable demeanor is most likely to evoke a man's protective instincts.

A hint of inquiry appeared in Liu Bei's eyes. Such a beauty, no wonder...

Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei on several occasions, and even Mr. Shui Jing recommended Zhuge Liang on many occasions.

This man is so talented, yet he refused to meet me despite my repeated invitations. Now, for the sake of a beautiful woman, he has actually come to me.

He could even persuade Liu Biao's eldest son, Liu Qi, to pledge his allegiance.

Indeed, even the greatest heroes in the world cannot resist the charms of a beautiful woman.

"What a pity, such a beauty, yet you, my lord, show no mercy. Why don't you join my Liu family's ranks, my lady..."

Qiao Wei interrupted him, “Your Excellency may allow me to die for you, but you will never allow me to submit to another. Now, even the generals of Jingzhou are struggling to resist the power of Jiangdong. General, how do you think Xinye can withstand Your Excellency’s wrath?”

General Zuo should not destroy the foundation of Xinye for the sake of a mere woman.

Liu Bei's face stiffened. Xu Shu had said that Qiao Wei was eloquent and could not be underestimated, but he had not actually taken it seriously.

Now that she has contradicted me to my face, I realize that what Xu Shu said was true.

But he quickly composed himself. "Madam has become a pawn of Jiangdong. Do you know what fate awaits her based on what she just said?"

“I know the general will kill me.” Qiao Wei’s expression gradually calmed down. “But the general would be more useful to me if he kept me alive than if he killed me.”

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"In the past, Xiang Yu captured Taigong and Empress Lü as hostages, intending to force Taizu to surrender to Chu. Although this plan failed, it still allowed Chu and Han to remain at peace along the Chu-Han border." Qiao Wei slowly recounted, "Now, regardless of whether the three counties of Jingzhou are conquered or not, the fact that you, General, have taken me hostage has already put you at odds with Jiangdong."

But if you kill me, General, it will be a complete declaration of war against Jiangdong. You are gentle and kind, but you are, after all, a son of the Sun family. You must have heard of the fierce nature of General Polu and the former Marquis of Wu.

With such a father and elder brother, how could you, my lord, truly be just a gentle and kind person?

"It would be better to keep me here. In the future, we can make peace with Jiangdong, and this will also demonstrate the general's reputation for kindness and compassion towards women and children."

Liu Bei wanted to secure a place for himself in the chaotic world of warlords, and his assets were nothing more than his status as a member of the imperial family and his reputation for benevolence.

He secretly developed his power in Xinye behind Liu Biao's back, and many famous scholars from Nanyang County came to join him. Compared to Liu Biao, who was a more noble member of the imperial family, they were naturally drawn to Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence.

In terms of bloodline, Liu Bei was not as close to Liu Biao as Liu Biao.

Therefore, Liu Bei must firmly grasp and cultivate a reputation for benevolence and virtue.

Qiao Wei had hit his sore spot.

"Madam has great courage."

He was having dinner with his generals and strategists when he learned that Sun Quan was unwilling to withdraw his troops. His original intention was to summon Qiao Shi to frighten her and make her write another letter to Sun Quan, and even to humiliate her to vent the anger of the army.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Wei, who seemed weak, didn't take him seriously at all. Indeed, as she said, Qiao Wei was now like a hot potato in Xinye. If they sent him back, Xinye would lose face. But if they didn't send him back, they could only stay there and eat and drink well.

His reputation for benevolence must not be tarnished.

Qiao Wei was still sent back to the house and placed under house arrest.

But from that day on, her treatment improved significantly. The food she ate and the clothes that were sent to her were much better than before, and she had an extra maidservant by her side.

Even occasionally, Qiao Wei would stand guard at the door for a while, and as long as he didn't leave the guard's sight, no one came to stop him.

Sometimes, when Zhuge Liang came out of his military tent to discuss matters, he would pass by Qiao Wei's house and the two would greet each other from a distance, nodding and exchanging greetings.

Qiao Wei sighed, saying that the inertia of history is quite strong sometimes. She went to Deng County hoping to recruit Zhuge Liang into Jiangdong before Liu Bei, but she never expected that after all the twists and turns, Zhuge Liang would eventually join Liu Bei's ranks, even three years earlier than in history.

Xu Shu, observing the interaction between Zhuge Liang and Qiao Wei, said, "If you're worried about her, go and say a few words to her."

When Zhuge Liang took the initiative to join Liu Bei's forces, Xu Shu was quite surprised. The man who had previously refused all invitations was now willing to lower himself. Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang's condition was that Liu Bei give him Qiao Wei.

Xu Shu was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time. "What do you mean? Do you know her identity?"

“I didn’t know before, but I do now. Although both her and Wu Wenze’s identities are fake, I recognize her as a person, not as her identity. Since the Marquis of Nanchang has already abandoned her, General Zuo shouldn’t be stingy with a beauty, right?”

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying had a very deep relationship, and he never had any concubines over the years. Xu Shu thought that Zhuge Liang could really remain faithful to one woman for life, but he never expected that he would have such a big surprise at this time.

Qiao Wei didn't know at first that Zhuge Liang had come up with this reason to save her life. Now that she knew, she felt a little more guilty towards Zhuge Liang.

"Sir, you really don't need to do this and jeopardize your future."

When Huang Yueying learned that Qiao Wei had been captured by Liu Bei, she was very anxious and asked Zhuge Liang if there was any way to save Qiao Wei's life. After thinking for a moment, Zhuge Liang went to find Liu Qi, Liu Biao's eldest son.

Liu Biao's eldest son, Liu Qi, was born to his first wife, but Liu Biao favored his younger son, Liu Cong. In addition, Liu Cong's mother, Lady Cai, was from a prominent family in Jingzhou, and she and Cai Mao and others made great contributions to Liu Biao's consolidation of power in Jingzhou.

Without a biological mother to plan and protect him, Liu Qi faced a very difficult life under the pressure from his stepmother and step-uncle.

With Liu Biao's intention to depose the eldest son and establish a younger one in favor of the younger, Liu Qi's situation in the Liu family became increasingly awkward.

Liu Qi had met Zhuge Liang. By some accounts, Huang Yueying's father and Liu Biao were brothers-in-law, so when Zhuge Liang and Huang Yueying got married, Liu Qi was even brought by his father to congratulate the newlyweds.

If we were to consider all the details, Zhuge Liang should have been closer to Cai Mao, but when Liu Qi's servants spoke rudely to him, Zhuge Liang did step in to help him out of the predicament.

For a period of time, when Zhuge Liang was traveling in Xiangyang, Liu Qi even studied with him for a long time.

When Zhuge Liang approached Liu Qi, he was being reprimanded by Liu Biao over some trivial matters. This was not the first time Liu Biao had expressed his dissatisfaction with his eldest son in front of others.

“Chong’er was born abroad, while Shen Sheng died at home.” Zhuge Liang looked at Liu Qi and said, “At this time, my lord should leave Xiangyang and request permission to stay in Xinye.”

"Xinye? Will Father agree?"

Liu Biao was forcing his son to voluntarily abdicate in favor of his younger brother. At this time, Liu Qi took the initiative to request to take up a post outside the capital. Liu Biao would not only not stop him, but would also treat him better because he was so sensible.