Tiger Owl

Chapter 73 The Slaughter of Power
Lady Wu fell ill from anger, and Sun Quan knelt outside the house to pay his respects to his mother.

"I don't need your fake greetings. You can even harm your own brothers, so what am I as your mother? If you had just poisoned my medicine earlier, I wouldn't have bothered you!"

Lady Wu hated her son for being so cold-blooded as to send her own brother to Xuchang as a hostage. If Ce'er were here, how could he possibly bow down to Cao Cao? Nor would he allow the enemy to hold his brother's life in his hands.

Madam Wu had seen through her second son; he was hypocritical, selfish, cold-blooded, and ruthless. He would stop at nothing to gain power and position, and he wouldn't even spare his own brothers.

“Mother, this was Cao Cao’s idea, and everyone agreed on it. It was not my idea.”

"Don't try that on me. I thought I didn't understand. You keep saying you'll hand over power to Shao'er in the future, so why don't you make him your heir?"

Sun Quan sighed deeply; his mother had misunderstood him too much.

At this moment, someone gently patted Sun Quan on the shoulder. Sun Quan looked up and saw that it was his second aunt, his mother's younger sister. The two sisters had both married their father, Sun Jian.

Madam Wu said softly, "Your mother is angry. You should leave first. I'll try to persuade her."

Sun Quan kowtowed deeply, saying, "Mother, please take care of yourself. I'll take my leave now!"

"roll!"

Sun Quan quickly got up and withdrew.

Madam Wu the Second pushed open the door and entered, saying softly, "Why is Eldest Sister so angry?"

Madam Wu struggled to sit up, and before she could speak, tears welled up in her eyes.

"I only found out today that the eight great families have joined forces to change the ruler. I... my poor Ce'er!"

The second wife exclaimed in shock, "This must be a rumor! It can't be true!"

“I also hope this is just a rumor, but they insist that it was Xu Gong’s retainers who assassinated him. How absurd is that? Without an inside accomplice, how could Xu Gong’s retainers have killed Ce’er? And how could Xu Gong’s retainers have an inside accomplice?”
The eight great families changed hands, and that beast actually claimed to be unaware of it, even saying he couldn't stop Yi'er from becoming a hostage? He said he dared not offend Cao Cao, but how dare he seize Cao Cao's Guangling Commandery?

After a long pause, the second wife advised, "Anger is bad for your health. Eldest sister, you don't need to get angry over these things. Power struggles have always been cruel; even fathers and sons, brothers, will kill each other."

Mrs. Wu covered her face and cried, "My husband, my son, I just don't want this to happen to me!"

The second wife had no choice but to try to persuade her gently. It took a long time for Madam Wu to calm down. Although she calmed down, the smile on her face never returned.

.........

Sun Quan returned to his official residence, angrily smashing his teacup on the ground and pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.

"That's just a woman's view!" Sun Quan cursed through gritted teeth.

At this moment, a guard outside the door announced, "Military Advisor Dai requests an audience!"

Sun Quan nodded. "Let him in!"

Sun Yi went to Xuchang as a hostage, not alone, but with a team. Dai Yuan was the team's steward and was considered Sun Yi's confidant, but by this time he had already been bribed by Sun Quan.

"This humble servant pays respects to Lord Wu!"

"Tell me! How is he doing in Xuchang?"

"Reporting to Lord Wu, the Third Young Master is quite active in Xuchang. Zhang Hong has taken him to meet many ministers, and he has a schedule almost every day!"

Sun Quan gave a heavy snort and asked again, "Did he go to see Cao Cao?"

When Cao Cao returned to Xuchang midway, he summoned the Third Prince that same day.

Sun Quan walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "Keep a close eye on him, and report every detail to me!"

... The four female guards that Gan Ning sent to Longhu Mountain finally arrived in Nanchang. They were still dressed as female Taoist priests, with their hair tied up like men, each with a wooden hairpin inserted horizontally, and each wearing a gray Taoist robe with a long sword on their back.

All four were sixteen years old, very tall, around 1.75 meters, and quite strong. They showed no feminine grace, only strength and toughness.

They all lived in the Taoist Palace from infancy, began learning martial arts at the age of six, had no contact with the outside world, and were completely blank slates when it came to human relationships and worldly affairs.

They were deliberately trained female warriors, resolutely obedient to their masters. Since the powerful and wealthy had such needs, someone would inevitably provide such products.

They were actually bought by Gan Ning for twenty taels of gold each, and were first-class female warriors, including their indentures.

They were more like female slave guards than female bodyguards.

Seeing the four of them, Gan Ning seemed to see four Qin Yans. Qin Yan only learned a little about human relationships because she stayed in the Xu family for six years.

But these four people didn't understand anything. Standing behind Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, they looked like four robots.

Of course, they are human beings after all, and their intelligence is normal. Rules can be set for them, and after a period of adjustment, they will gradually develop a tacit understanding with their owners.

Like Qin Yan, she seemed to disappear when she was with Xu Wei, but she was always protecting her master.

Of the four female guards, two were surnamed Sang, one named Sangzhi and the other Sangye; the other two were surnamed Tao, one named Taoding and the other Taobing.

After they demonstrated their martial arts skills to Gan Ning, he realized why each of them cost twenty taels of gold. Not only were the four of them incredibly skilled in lightness techniques, able to leap across rooftops and walk on flat ground, but their swordsmanship was also sharp and ruthless, and each of them had their own unique skills.

The Sang sisters are skilled at throwing knives, hitting their target every time within thirty paces. The Tao sisters are equally adept at using and detoxifying poisons.

Sangzhi is the leader of the four and is responsible for arranging their duties.

The four women changed into samurai outfits and stood in a row. Gan Ning said loudly to them, "From now on, I am your master, and these sisters are your mistresses. You have only one task: to protect their safety. I will not mistreat you. I only hope that you will be loyal and dutiful!"

The four knelt on one knee and said, "We obey our master's command!"

…………

As night fell, Gan Ning and Da Qiao were sleeping peacefully in each other's arms on the bed when they suddenly heard a soft 'click' above their heads. Gan Ning was startled awake, drew his sword from a hidden compartment, and shouted, "Who is it?"

"Reporting to Master, Sangye is on duty tonight!" came the female guard's voice from the rooftop.

Gan Ning was both amused and exasperated. He sheathed his sword and said, "Your night duty personnel must remain hidden in the shadows and not be discovered by the assassins!"

"Follow the order!"

The sound from the rooftop disappeared; no one knew where the female guard had gone.

Da Qiao also woke up, hugged her husband's neck and laughed, "I just remembered something. Xiao Qiao told me that the Tao sisters are really amazing. They beat a group of drunkards so badly that they ran away in a panic."

Gan Ning was instantly wide awake, and asked worriedly, "How could she have encountered a drunkard?"

"You can't blame her for this. She went to buy incense for her mother in the afternoon. When she passed by the Chaisang Restaurant, Manager Li ran out in a panic, saying that a group of drunkards were causing trouble in the restaurant. Xiao Qiao asked the Tao sisters to take action. The Tao sisters beat all five drunkards to the ground and threw them into the street."

Chaisang Restaurant is Gan Ning's private property. He also owns two other restaurants and plans to establish a private trading firm.

Gan Ning sighed, "You two sisters, one gentle and quiet, the other quirky and clever, have completely opposite personalities."

Da Qiao covered her mouth and chuckled, "Actually, it's not just that. I'm a bit timid and afraid of trouble, and I always try to keep things quiet. But Xiao Qiao is fiercely opposed to evil and likes to stand up for the weak. My mother scolds her for being a troublemaker, but my second uncle praises her for being chivalrous. If she causes trouble in the future, you must tolerate her."

Gan Ning laughed heartily, "With me backing her up, she can be a chivalrous woman."

(End of this chapter)