My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 340: Never Fear Her
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

Mr. Songshan said slowly, "My Lord, don't you want to know what happened to Sima Yi later?"

Gu Jinghui looked at Mr. Songshan suspiciously.

Mr. Songshan looked back calmly.

Gu Jinghui hesitated for a moment, and finally answered, “Please teach me, Mr. Songshan, what happened to Sima Yi later?”

Mr. Matsuyama did not answer but asked instead.

"My Lord, do you know how many times Sima Yi pretended to be sick in his life?"

Gu Jinghui was startled and murmured, “…How many times?…”

It seems that Sima Yi is just pretending to be fine.

Mr. Songshan shook his fan and said slowly, "He pretended to be sick twice. The first time was before the famous Battle of Guandu in history. Sima Yi did not think highly of Cao Cao and pretended to be sick to refuse Cao Cao's appointment. Although Cao Cao knew he was pretending to be sick, he had no choice but to endure it because the situation between the princes was unclear."

"After the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao and once again sent people to invite Sima Yi to serve as an official. He secretly told the messenger that if he still pretended to be sick and refused to come out, he would be killed. But Sima Yi chose to serve as an official in the court this time. After the death of Guo Jia, Cao Cao's most capable adviser, Sima Yi accompanied Cao Cao in his conquests and became the second Guo Jia, and was highly valued by Cao Cao."

Gu Jinghui nodded thoughtfully.

Mr. Songshan stopped and cleared his throat. Gu Jinghui was delighted to hear this. He was startled at first, then he quickly shouted, “Bring the tea.”

When the tea was served, Mr. Songshan slowly waved his folding fan with his eyes half-closed, as if he was in a trance.

Gu Jinghui didn't dare to call him.

After a while, Mr. Songshan continued, "The second time Sima Yi pretended to be sick was the story I told you before. The Marquis listened to half of it and then left."

Gu Jinghui hurriedly said, “Please don’t despise me for being dull, Mr. Songshan, and finish the rest of the story.”

Mr. Songshan raised his eyelids and said calmly, "Last time we talked about how Sima Yi was trusted by three generations of the Cao family and was appointed by Cao Cao's grandson, Emperor Ming of Wei, as a minister to assist the young lord..."

Mr. Songshan took a sip of tea and continued, "His power in the court was no match for Cao Shuang, another minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor. So he pretended to have a stroke to paralyze the other minister at home. When Cao Shuang and the young emperor left the court to pay homage to the late emperor at Gaoping Mausoleum, he raised an army to control Luoyang, claiming that Cao Shuang was plotting a rebellion, forcing the empress dowager to issue an edict to remove Cao Shuang's military power, and exterminated the nine clans of Cao Shuang's father, mother, and wife, a total of 27 clans, and imprisoned the descendants of the Cao family in Yecheng. He seized power in the court, and eventually the Cao family was replaced by the Sima family."

Gu Jinghui gasped.

I had heard this passage from the tutor when I was a study companion, but it had never been so shocking.

It was because he was no longer the young man who devoted himself to practicing martial arts, studying the art of war, and wanted to become the arm of his good friend, the Crown Prince. Now, when he listened, he felt that there was murderous intent everywhere.

Gu Jinghui subconsciously reached out to touch his waist, but found nothing.

After taking off his armor, he hadn't worn a sword around his waist for a long time.

This is how people gradually become lazy.

Mr. Songshan paused, waiting for him to calm down, and then asked, "May I ask if the Marquis wants to hear this story because of your wife?"

Lord Gu asked in surprise: "How do you know?"

Once these words were spoken, they were no different from an answer.

Mr. Songshan said, "I have read some books and traveled around. As I got older, I didn't grow in talent but gained some knowledge. At the beginning of the year, when I was visiting Taoist Master Shouyi in Zhongnan Mountain, I heard that Lord Gu had made great contributions, so I went down the mountain and entered the capital. I thought that if I had the chance, I must meet the Lord. It was also God's blessing that I was fortunate enough to enter the mansion. As soon as I saw him, I knew that the Lord was straightforward. Although he was good at military tactics and martial arts, he was not good at political schemes." Lord Gu pondered over this again and again and asked, "I wonder why Mr. Songshan wants to see me?"

Mr. Songshan said, "Your Majesty has changed the foundation of our Daxing Dynasty with your own efforts. I will feel at ease only after meeting you."

This is indeed a thought-provoking statement.

Lord Gu asked, "Does Mr. Songshan think that my wife is good at political tactics?"

Mr. Songshan said, "Of course, Madam is very intelligent, otherwise I would not have thought of staying in the Marquis's Mansion for a while."

Lord Gu couldn't guess what he meant, so he simply asked, "I'm very happy that Mr. Songshan is willing to stay in the mansion for a long time, but there is one thing I don't understand. I don't know what you want in your heart?"

Mr. Songshan said: "Learn the arts of literature and martial arts, and sell them to the emperor's family. I study and learn, and I also want to have a chance to make a difference."

Lord Gu felt that his answer was rather perfunctory.

If you want to sell it to the emperor's family, why come to the Dingbei Marquis' Mansion? Wouldn't it be better to go to the princes' mansions?

Mr. Songshan gently waved his folding fan, shook his head slightly, and changed the subject again.

"My Lord, what do you learn from history?"

Gu Jinghui said, “I am just a warrior, so my views are inevitably superficial. Sima Yi is good at assessing the situation, lying low and forbearing, but also decisive and ruthless, and he always hits the target with one strike. He is a man of both wisdom and courage. I am far inferior to him.”

Mr. Songshan chuckled and said, "I didn't expect that the Marquis is a bit cunning. He said so much, but he didn't say anything that should be said. But this is also a good thing. However, I don't understand one thing. Madam is very talented and has a lot of strategies. How does the Marquis deal with himself on a daily basis?"

Being stabbed in the face, Lord Gu was embarrassed and forced a smile, "My father-in-law is the chief wine officer, and my wife is naturally knowledgeable and talented. I already knew this. If my wife wasn't smart and capable, how could I trust her to manage all the affairs of the mansion? As the saying goes, husband and wife are one, and my wife is doing well, so I am only happy. How can I, a great man, compete with her?"

Mr. Songshan pressed on, asking, "Do you think it's a good or bad thing for a man to be henpecked?"

Gu Jinghui asked woodenly, “What do you mean by henpecked? Sir, are you saying that I am henpecked?”

Mr. Songshan laughed and said, "Isn't the Marquis afraid of his wife?"

Gu Jinghui laughed: “How can I, a man of seven feet tall, be afraid of my wife? Madam listens to me and always thinks of me, understands my difficulties, and makes plans for me…”

Mr. Songshan was forced to listen to Lord Gu's long speech on how couples should live in love with each other.

Finally, as usual, the story ends with his young wife expressing her love for him in various ways.

Mr. Songshan sighed, "The more I listen, the more I feel that Madam and the Marquis are a match made in heaven."

"Sir, that's a good idea."

With just this one sentence, Lord Gu's displeasure disappeared.

Mr. Songshan said casually, "When I was young, I traveled with you. I met an official in Yunnan. His wife was beautiful and talented when she was young, so he loved and feared her. Later, despite his wife's scolding, he became able to write and started as a minor official. He gradually accumulated military merits and finally took charge of the affairs of a government. For this reason, he loved to brag about his wife's talents to everyone he met. He was also proud of being henpecked. If he knew that someone was not henpecked, he would feel indignant and unreasonable. Others thought he was ridiculous."

Lord Gu immediately said, "I'm afraid his wife is just like my wife. Others find her ridiculous because they are not lucky enough to marry such a good wife."

I'm a little tired today, so this is the only chapter for you, my darlings.