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

Chapter 370 Trading
"The Central Protector General is about to depart for Wancheng, and the day of Gu Xiaofu's delivery is also approaching. She will have to take care of the young master alone. If the Central Protector General is at ease, it would be better to let Yin'er stay in the mansion."

It was rare for these two children to show such affection for their younger brother, which allowed Xun'er and Yin'er to spend more time together; sibling affection should never be strained.

Qiao Wei stared intently at Zhou Yu, his eyes clear yet filled with unwavering determination and unquestionable honesty.

Raising the children of close retainers in the mansion was one of the ways a lord could show goodwill and win over his retainers.

Qiao Wei raised Zhou Xun because Zhou Xun was Qiao Rong's child, so Qiao Wei did not raise Zhou Xun for Zhou Yu's sake.

However, if Qiao Wei were to take the initiative to raise Zhou Yin in his household, it would be a gesture of goodwill from Sun Quan to the Zhou family. For both Zhou Yu and the Zhou family, having an additional promising offspring would increase their chances of reviving the family. As a father, Zhou Yu would only feel gratified.

What Zhou Yu was unwilling to accept was that Qiao Wei offered him a condition he could not refuse, but it was also forcing him to let go of Qiao Rong.

She wanted him to choose between his family's future and Qiao Rong once again. What a blatant and open scheme, yet it made one's teeth ache with hatred.

Zhou Yu's gaze was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, piercing straight at Qiao Wei. The sword flashed with a cold light, making one's heart tremble, but Qiao Wei met the sword without fear, like an incomparably sturdy shield, never at a disadvantage in the confrontation.

In a narrow encounter, the brave prevail. Perhaps she didn't have enough leverage to negotiate with Zhou Yu, but as long as she remained the Lady of the Marquis, she could still use Zhou Yu's influence to her advantage, using the future of the Zhou family's descendants as bait to force Zhou Yu to give up.

The man's eyes twitched slightly. He had to admit that Qiao Wei was the woman he had ever met who made him hate her the most.

If it weren't for the fact that she was Sun Quan's wife and Rong'er's elder sister, he would have used countless methods to make her wish she were dead.

But he couldn't do that.

Neither Qiao Wei nor Zhou Yu spoke first. The room was as if a cold wind had swept through, and layers of ice condensed in the air, freezing everything in place and making it impossible for anyone to move.

Sun Deng, being older, could already keenly sense the undercurrents among the adults. He held Qiao Wei's trembling and cold hand under his sleeve, trying to offer Qiao Wei some warmth with his own.

Qiao Wei looked down at Sun Deng with gentle and loving eyes. This child was her weakness, but also her source of confidence.

Zhou Xun, nestled in Zhou Yu's arms, innocently held the little jade horse Zhou Yu had given him, giggling and laughing, completely unaware of the sordid affair between Zhou Yu and Qiao Wei.

Zhou Yu glanced at his son in his arms out of the corner of his eye, and gently stroked Zhou Xun's head. Confusion, longing, bewilderment and helplessness were mixed in his heart.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. Is it the same with family prospects and Qiao Rong?
The past cannot be retrieved, but what about the future?

Qiao Wei was also waiting; she wanted to see what Zhou Yu would choose.

After a long silence, the man's voice broke the unbearable silence in the room, "What the lady says makes sense. Brothers should naturally be close at all times."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lingyun's face drained of all color. Forgetting all about decorum, she hurriedly grabbed Zhou Yu's sleeve, "Central Protector General..."

The man's gaze turned cold, startling Gu Lingyun into immediately shutting her mouth. However, tears welled up in her eyes, her red-rimmed eyes and sorrowful gaze moving everyone who looked at her.

But Zhou Yu seemed not to see it, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Madam, from now on."

Qiao Wei nodded in return, and the two reached a deal without a word. Zhou Residence.

The servants were busy packing Zhou Yin's belongings inside the house.

The wet nurse presented a bolt of cloth to Gu Lingyun, saying, "My dear wife, this cloth is soft. Why don't you give it to the young master? It will also make some clothes for him to wear next to his skin later."

Gu Lingyun glanced at it and casually said "okay".

She stared at her sleeping child on the bed, her eyes brimming with tears, feeling as if a dull knife was repeatedly cutting into her heart.

Asking a mother to give her child away is like tearing a piece of flesh from her body.

When Zhou Yu stepped into the room, he saw Gu Lingyun looking so reluctant to leave.

Gu Lingyun knelt before Zhou Yu, "General, Yin'er is a piece of my flesh. Sending him to the Marquis's mansion would separate mother and son, which would be more painful than killing me."

Tears streamed down her face, her voice filled with sorrow. She reached out to touch Zhou Yu's sleeve, but he simply walked past her, the hem of his garment brushing against her fingertips, stirring up a gust of wind.

He sat by the couch and reached out to tuck the blanket around Zhou Yin.

“You’re not very good at raising children. Yin’er never really grew up under your care, and he’s always been weak. On the other hand, Xun’er is doing well under Madam Qiao’s care and is quite healthy. If you really care about Yin’er, you should know what to do.”

Instead of kneeling before him and weeping, hindering Zhou Yin's bright future.

Gu Lingyun made sacrifices for this child, and she herself had to give up a lot as well.

Whenever he thought of Qiao Rong, of the person who once smiled so brightly, his chest would ache.

Zhou Yu's words stung Gu Lingyun, and she couldn't help but retort, "Didn't the eldest young master also fall ill for quite some time recently?"

No matter how well Madam Qiao takes care of him, how can she compare to a biological mother? As for Zhou Xun, he is her sister's son, so she naturally cares about him. But her own Yin'er has no blood relation with Madam Qiao, and she has little affection for her. How could she take good care of Zhou Yin?

When Zhou Xun's illness was mentioned, Zhou Yu's expression darkened. "Gu Shi, do you really not know why Xun'er is sick?"

His scrutinizing gaze fell on Gu Lingyun, his tone carrying an unquestionable certainty that he already had the answer, yet a cryptic smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.

"The doctor said that given Xun'er's condition, if it were an ordinary child, he would probably have died long ago. However, he is only fine now, and we don't know if he will suffer any long-term health problems."

"Guess what, if something happens to Xun'er, will I let Yin'er inherit the throne, or will I send you and your two children to be buried with him?"

Gu Lingyun was stunned by his cold expression and stood frozen on the ground, unable to say a word. It turned out that he had known all along.

"By the way, I've already killed the two old women who served you that day." Zhou Yu stood up and walked out of the room.

Watching Zhou Yu's figure gradually disappear into the night, Gu Lingyun felt a chill run through her body. She collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. The fetus in her womb seemed to sense something and moved restlessly. The waves of cramping pain in her abdomen made Gu Lingyun almost unable to support herself.