Tiger Owl

Chapter 276 Shangxiang's Choice
"I……."

Da Qiao thought for a moment and said, "I'll have Yun Qing tell her to make her own decision."

Gan Ning nodded, "Okay!"

Da Qiao stood up. "Then I'll go first."

"Go!"

With Da Qiao gone, Gan Ning's gaze fell upon a pile of important decisions. He had too many things to deal with and no time to concern himself with such trivial matters.

In the room, Da Qiao told Xu Wei about it. Xu Wei's eyes were a little sad. She really couldn't bear to see Shang Xiang leave, but Shang Xiang was so filial to her mother.

At this moment, Sun Shangxiang walked in quickly. "Yunqing, I have something to ask you."

She suddenly saw Da Qiao, paused for a moment, and then smiled and said, "Big sister is here too!"

Da Qiao stood up and smiled, "You guys chat! I have to go see the kids."

She gently squeezed Sun Shangxiang's hand and walked away quickly.

Sun Shangxiang quickly sat down. She was about to speak when she suddenly noticed that Xu Wei's expression was off, so she swallowed her words back.

"Yunqing, what happened?"

“Something happened, it’s about you,” Xu Wei said softly.

"about me?"

A sense of unease flashed through Sun Shangxiang's heart. She bit her lip and asked, "What happened?"

"Cao Cao has asked Jiangdong for a marriage proposal, requesting that you marry his son Cao Zhi."

"What?" Sun Shangxiang was stunned.

Xu Wei held Sun Shangxiang's hand and said softly, "Putting aside the political marriage, didn't you say that Cao Zhi was quite good at Grand Commandant Yang's residence that year? Isn't this your chance?"

"Opportunity?" Sun Shangxiang was somewhat confused. "What opportunity?"

"Find a man you like but who can be your legal wife. You forgot, you just told me that this morning."

"I don't know." Sun Shangxiang lowered her head, her mind in turmoil. Did she like Cao Zhi? What did he look like?
That happened so many years ago, she had long forgotten it, and even forgotten what Cao Zhi looked like.

"Did General Gan say this?" Sun Shangxiang suddenly looked up and asked.

"Yes!"

"What else did he say?"

"My husband also said that your mother may have fallen ill. She sent a message through the Xichu liaison office, telling you to go back as soon as possible."

"My mother is ill?" Sun Shangxiang's eyes widened suddenly, and she felt a sense of panic.

Xu Wei quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, our boat is very fast and will take you home soon. Pack your things tonight! We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Xu Wei went to Sun Shangxiang's room and found her sitting in front of the bed in a daze, not tidying up her things. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked haggard, as if she hadn't slept all night.

"Shangxiang, how are you?"

Sun Shangxiang gently bit her lip and whispered, "Yunqing, before I leave, can I talk to General Gan one more time?"

Xu Wei glanced at her and said, "Sure! He's off today, so come with me."

Sun Shangxiang slowly got up and followed Xu Wei to Gan Ning's study. After a moment, Xu Wei came out and said to Sun Shangxiang, "You can go in now! I'll go back first."

Xu Wei turned and left, and Sun Shangxiang slowly walked in.

Gan Ning rarely gets a day off. Since declaring wartime, he has not had a day off. But if he doesn't rest, his subordinates can't rest either. Now that the war situation has calmed down, Gan Ning announced that everyone should take a day off.

Although it was a day off, Gan Ning still brought official business home.

Sun Shangxiang slowly walked in. Gan Ning put down his pen and gestured for her to sit down, but Sun Shangxiang didn't move. She hesitated for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to ask, "My mother... she... she's really sick?" She shouldn't doubt it; that would be disrespectful to her mother. But she still felt something was wrong. She had thought about it all night. There were some things she had to ask clearly and bring to a conclusion, even if that conclusion brought humiliation.

Gan Ning looked at her gently, and after a long while, he shook his head slightly, "We also have spies in the Wuhou Palace, and your mother is not ill."

Sun Shangxiang felt relieved. "Really?"

Gan Ning nodded. "Your mother wants you to marry Cao Zhi, so she sent you back home under the pretext of illness."

"Can I...can I not go back?" Sun Shangxiang asked in a barely audible voice.

"Why?" Gan Ning stared at her, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

“I…I…”

Sun Shangxiang suddenly looked up at Gan Ning, her eyes shining like stars, and with unprecedented courage, she said, "I will take care of the watermelon seedlings. I promised you, and I will definitely do it."

Gan Ning gazed at her, his eyes gradually softening.

After a long pause, he said softly, "I hope you won't regret your choice."

"I don't regret it. I only regret that I made the wrong choice back then. I will never make the same mistake again."

Gan Ning's gaze softened further. "Go water the watermelon seedlings! I'll let you know any news about your mother."

Sun Shangxiang slowly withdrew from the study, her steps becoming unusually light and firm as she left.

..........
As night fell, Da Qiao brought another cup of tea into the study, with Xu Wei following behind her. Da Qiao put down the teacup and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Husband, what did you say to Shang Xiang? She has decided not to go back again."

“I was just telling her the truth. Her mother wasn’t sick. She just used the excuse of illness to summon her back to Jiangdong and then marry her off to Cao Zhi.”

"But wouldn't it be better to marry Cao Zhi? Cao Zhi is very talented, famous throughout the land, and of similar age. It's much better than marrying that old man Liu Bei!"

Gan Ning shook his head, "Things aren't that simple. Marrying Cao Zhi is just wishful thinking on Jiangdong's part!"

Da Qiao and Xu Wei were both stunned, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Husband, why is it all one-sided?" Xu Wei asked hurriedly.

Gan Ning looked at Xu Wei with a hint of apology in his eyes, "Yun Qing, Jiangdong may be doomed."

Xu Wei's eyes widened suddenly. "Husband, what did you say?"

“Sun Ben is about to attack Jiangdong. He is leading an army of 80,000, half of whom are Cao Cao’s soldiers in disguise. With 90% of the people in Jiangdong surrendering, the army’s resistance alone will not last long.”

"So Shangxiang's marriage to Cao Zhi was just a deception by Cao Cao to mislead Jiangdong?" Da Qiao understood a little.

"Not at all!"

Gan Ning smiled and said, "Since Cao Cao took a fancy to Shang Xiang, it is probably true that he gave her to Cao Zhi, but she would never be his wife. She would only be a concubine. How could a woman from a fallen kingdom be his wife? So I said that Jiangdong's wishful thinking was just like Cao Cao's wish to marry his daughter to Sun Quan. It was also Jiangdong's wishful thinking."

Gan Ning then looked at Xu Wei, who had a worried expression, and gently comforted her, "The Xu family will be fine. Cao Cao will only rely on the Xu family to stabilize Jiangdong."

.........

As night fell, Xu Wei nestled in her husband's arms, a blush still lingering on her face from the passion that had just passed.

"Husband, Shangxiang likes you, do you know that?" Xu Wei drew circles on her husband's chest with her slender fingers.

"Isn't she the one who hates me the most?" Gan Ning smiled slightly.

“That was a long time ago. She didn’t know you then. Now she’s been living with us for months, watching you every day. You command thousands of troops and strategize for the outside world, and you love your wife and children and cherish your family. How could she not be moved by a man like that?”

Gan Ning pondered for a moment, "Jiangdong is quite complicated. It's too early to talk about these things now. Let her stay here for now. I don't want her to be handed over to Cao Cao as a prisoner of war by Sun Ben."

"I don't want Shangxiang to encounter such misfortune either. I will try my best to persuade her to settle down and stay here."

With Sun Shangxiang's matter temporarily put aside, Xu Wei subtly hinted to her husband with her eyes, and Gan Ning immediately understood and took action once again, filling the room with spring.

(End of this chapter)