Tiger Owl

Chapter 295: Ending in vain
Jia Xu truly lived up to his reputation as a top-notch strategist. With a single, insightful explanation and a subtle flattery, he immediately defused the awkwardness brought about by Gan Ning's questioning.

"Military Advisor Jia is very eloquent!"

Gan Ning said calmly, "I am well aware of Prime Minister Cao's intentions. If Prime Minister Cao wants to withdraw his troops and negotiate, that's fine, but the marriage alliance is out of the question."

"Why?" Jia Xu pressed on, unwilling to give up.

"As I just explained, Miss Cao has already been betrothed to Sun Quan."

Jia Xu laughed, "Lord Chu's reason is a bit weak!"

Gan Ning sneered, "Where can't you stand?"

Jia Xu calmly replied, "The sister of the Marquis of Wu has been betrothed to Liu Bei, and Sun Quan has even accepted the betrothal gifts. The marriage is just one step away from being finalized. But where is she now? The Marquis of Chu has not shown any disdain for her status as Liu Bei's fiancée!"

With the fall of Dantu, Cao Cao naturally knew that Sun Shangxiang was hiding in Gan Ning's residence, and he also knew Gan Ning's intentions.

Gan Ning chuckled, “I admit that Wu Hou’s sister is in my household, and I also admit that she is my woman, but she is only my concubine. Does the legitimate daughter of the Cao family also want to be my concubine? If Prime Minister Cao agrees, I can consider this marriage alliance.”

Gan Ning turned the tables on Jia Xu, leaving Jia Xu speechless. The Prime Minister clearly told him that his daughter must be the principal wife, and that the principal wife, Qiao, could not be divorced, but must step down to become a concubine.

After a long silence, Jia Xu hesitated and said, "Let me consult with the Prime Minister again!"

...........
The morning's negotiations ended in discord, and as soon as Gan Ning entered the official residence, Lu Su followed him in.

"Does the Marquis of Chu really not consider a marriage alliance with Cao Cao?" Lu Su asked cautiously.

Gan Ning put down his teacup and looked at him seriously. “This has never been a political issue, but an ethical one. My wife and I have been through thick and thin together since the beginning of the uprising in Chaisang. She has also given me a son. Not to mention Cao Cao’s daughter, even the emperor’s daughter could not replace her position.”

At this point, Gan Ning took a deep breath and said, "I know that the marriage alliance with Cao Cao is very important, so I left them an opening, but it is definitely not as important as the status of the heir apparent and my wife. I hope the strategist will convey to all the high-ranking officials that there is no room for compromise on this matter of principle."

Lu Su nodded silently, "I understand. My lord is right. The position of heir apparent must not be shaken!"

Although Lu Su and the high-ranking officials could not understand Gan Ning's feelings for his wife Da Qiao, they all reached a high degree of consensus on the matter of the crown prince. The crown prince was the foundation of Western Chu, and there could be no thing that could shake the foundation. To shake the position of the crown prince's mother would be to shake the foundation of Western Chu.

That same day, Jia Xu wrote a letter to Cao Cao reporting on the negotiations and his discovery of rice in Jiaozhi, and sent someone to Hefei by fast boat.

While waiting, Jia Xu continued to investigate the details in Chaisang City. The next morning, he arrived at Jichun Pharmacy. Cao Cao never expected that the pharmacy had betrayed him. During this time, the pharmacy manager, Wang Yao, had been sending various important intelligence to Cao Cao's desk.

For example, Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci each led 30,000 troops south to defend Nanchang. Although this intelligence was not very significant and was within Cao Cao's expectations, it successfully dispelled any doubts Cao Cao had about the pharmacy.

Jia Xu didn't go directly into the pharmacy, as that would be too conspicuous and arouse Gan Ning's suspicion. Instead, he went to the restaurant diagonally opposite the pharmacy and had one of his men bring over Manager Wang from the pharmacy.

Before long, the innkeeper, Wang Yao, nervously entered the private room, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Military Advisor Jia!"

Jia Xu cut to the chase and asked, "You previously provided intelligence that Gan Ning and Liu Bei were secretly negotiating an alliance. What's the progress now?"

Wang Yao had, of course, received instructions from Pang Tong, allowing him to reveal which secrets and to what extent. Wang Yao calmly replied, "I have heard that they have reached an alliance agreement, but it is only an alliance in principle, and each specific cooperation will require renegotiation."

"What else do you know?" Jia Xu asked again.

Wang Yao feigned a moment's hesitation, then revealed that Pang Tong had given him some information that could be leaked that morning.

"I heard something these past two days that they are still negotiating, which may be related to Hanzhong."

"Hanzhong?"

Jia Xu was stunned. After a long while, he asked urgently, "Is the information accurate?"

"It's 70% accurate. My intelligence tells me that before negotiating with Sun Qian, Gan Ning specifically asked the Military Advisor's Office for several maps and information about Hanzhong."

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes. He was a top strategist, how could he not understand? Liu Bei was about to send troops to Hanzhong, and Gan Ning was responsible for holding back Cao Cao's main force.

While the accuracy of the intelligence cannot be confirmed, the possibility is indeed very high.

Two days later, Cao Cao replied with a personal letter. The letter contained three points: First, his daughter must be the principal wife after the marriage, and this point was not to be ambiguous. Qiao could be made a secondary wife, second only to Cao. Second, Cao Cao clearly instructed that they should try to obtain some rice seeds from Jiaozhi. Third, if the marriage could not be reached, the negotiations would be temporarily suspended.

Jia Xu was helpless. Prime Minister Cao's attitude was firm, and Gan Ning's attitude was equally tough, so it was impossible to reach a consensus. However, the second task was easy to complete. Jiaozhi rice would definitely be promoted on a large scale. At that time, he could easily spend a lot of money to bribe a few farmers to get the rice seeds.

Gan Ning met with Jia Xu for the second time. This time, both sides formally stated their opinions. There was no mockery or unpleasantness, but rather a respect for each other's attitudes.

“Prime Minister Cao’s idea of ​​a marriage alliance is genuine, without any deception. However, Prime Minister Cao requires that his daughter be the principal wife, while Lady Qiao can be relegated to the status of a secondary wife. This is the Prime Minister’s clear stance!” Jia Xu said sincerely.

Gan Ning nodded and said solemnly, "My wife's position is related to the position of the heir apparent. The heir apparent is the foundation of Western Chu, and the foundation must not be shaken. Therefore, Qiao's position as the principal wife must not be shaken. This is not only my personal opinion, but also the opinion of all the army, officials and people. In addition, I can agree to the marriage alliance, but Cao can only be a concubine. This is beyond question."

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding, which was requested by Jia Xu, who needed to deliver this formal negotiation document to Cao Cao.

In the evening, Gan Ning was reading in his study when his wife, Da Qiao, brought in a cup of tea. She had become very calm during this time. After experiencing extreme panic last time, she had slowly come to understand that if Cao Shi could help her husband establish a greater foundation, then what was wrong with her becoming a concubine?

She deeply loved her husband and was willing to give up everything for his career.

Just as she was about to walk away silently, Gan Ning called out to her, "Azhu, I want to show you something."

"what?"

Gan Ning handed her the negotiation memorandum, saying, "This is the final result of today's negotiations. Take a look!"

As Da Qiao looked at the terms in the memo, her eyes gradually reddened. She looked up at her husband with gratitude.

(End of this chapter)