Reborn in the Three Kingdoms: Da Qiao Doesn't Want to Be a Widow Anymore

Chapter 383 Standing Together
Cao Yuan looked Sun Shao up and down. Sun Shao's features were inherited from his father Sun Ce, and even though he was still young, one could already see his handsome features in the future.

"Aunt, is this my younger brother?"

Sun Hua peeked out from behind Sun Shao, staring at Sun Tai in Cao Yuan's arms with bright eyes, as if she had seen something interesting.

"Yes, this is your younger brother."

Of the children, Sun Hua loved her younger siblings the most and was the most patient with them. Zhou Yin especially liked to be with Sun Hua.

"Can I play with him?"

Cao Yuan nodded; there was no reason for her to refuse.

So Sun Hua, along with Zhou Yin and Zhou Xun, played with their younger brother on a soft couch, while Qiao Wei kept Cao Yuan and Yuan Langlang company and exchanged pleasantries.

Cao Yuan tried several times to steer the conversation toward Sun Deng, but Qiao Wei subtly changed the subject each time. Cao Yuan couldn't help but feel uneasy, but Qiao Wei's attitude was exactly the same as usual, as if he really treated her as family.

After dinner, Qiao Wei and Yuan Langlang personally escorted her to the door and handed her a betrothal letter, saying, "This is a good thing, and we will have to trouble you, sister-in-law, to work hard for a few more days."

Cao Yuan was naturally flattered and said, "Sister-in-law, you flatter me."

Inside Huanzhang Pavilion in Jingkou.

Yuan Langlang tucked the blanket around the sleeping Sun Shao. The candlelight flickered, casting a gentle glow on Yuan Langlang's face, illuminating one of her eyes. The maid, Lüzhu, entered with a cup of calming tea. "Young lady has already fallen asleep. Before she went to sleep, she was asking when young master Tai would come again!"

The flame in Yuan Langlang's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment, "Huahua is young and pure-hearted, only caring about this little bit of sibling affection."

Green Bamboo seemed to sense something, and the words that were already on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.

Yuan Langlang wasn't stupid; she could easily see that Cao Yuan's attitude today was that he hoped Sun Deng would form a marriage alliance with the Cao family, not Sun Shao. It was disheartening to see the son she had raised being rejected, even though Sun Shao wasn't her biological son.

"If Lord Wu were still here..." Yuan Langlang murmured involuntarily, but then immediately realized what she was doing and stopped talking. She glanced at the green bamboo and saw that it didn't react, so she figured it hadn't heard her words. She breathed a sigh of relief.

She added, "The candlelight is a bit too bright, let's blow out two of them!"

Green Bamboo immediately got up to turn off the light, and only then did she feel relieved.

The wind blowing through the doors and windows at night always produces a rustling sound, which, although not noisy, always seems to disturb one's peace of mind.

After Green Bamboo returned, Yuan Langlang resumed her gentle demeanor in public, saying nothing more, simply letting Green Bamboo serve her before returning to her room to rest.

The next day, just as Qiao Wei was coaxing Sun Jie to get up, You Xuan came to report that Young Master Ji had come to request an audience with the Marquis.

"The Lord was not in the room early this morning. Where is Yourou? Why did he send someone to report the matter to the room instead?"

Sun Jie had just begun to have the desire to climb, but because her legs were too weak, she could only keep backing away. Even so, Sun Deng, Zhou Xun, and Zhou Yin were already able to surround her, taking this small change as proof of her genius, praising Sun Jie to the skies.

The little guy seemed to have been encouraged, and became even more active. Whenever he woke up, he would tirelessly move back and forth on the soft couch.

Youxuan cupped his hands and said, "Youruo said that this is what the Marquis asked the lady to handle." Qiao Wei understood. Sun Quan knew why Sun Kuang had come, and she knew it too. Sun Quan harbored some unspoken resentment towards his younger brother, so he simply gave him the cold shoulder and disappeared.

Fine, if he won't see me, I'll just have to bite the bullet and go see him. Qiao Wei sighed inwardly and got back to work.

She placed Sun Jie on a soft couch, instructed the maids to be careful and safe, and then went to the front hall to meet Sun Kuang.

Sun Kuang held Qiao Wei, his sister-in-law, in high esteem and never beat around the bush. Upon meeting her, he directly presented Sun Shao's birth chart and asked, "Sister-in-law, what is the meaning of this?"

Qiao Wei remained expressionless. "What Brother Ji sees is exactly what I mean."

Last night, after receiving the betrothal letter from Cao Yuan, he was thinking that things were going smoothly and was about to have Cao Yuan reply to the Cao family when he casually opened it and discovered that the betrothal letter did not bear the name of Sun Deng, but rather that of Sun Shao.

When he wanted to arrange a marriage between Cao and Sun, he and his elder brother submitted a memorial explaining the advantages and disadvantages. His second elder brother was a smart man and naturally understood who the Cao family wanted to marry.

But the choice of candidate suddenly changed, and Sun Kuang became uncertain. He came to the mansion today to discuss it with his brother again.

Unexpectedly, Sun Quan declined to see him, citing illness as the reason.

“Sister-in-law, this is no child’s play. Is this your brother’s idea or yours?” Seeing that Qiao Wei seemed calm and unconcerned about the matter, Sun Kuang spoke faster and became more anxious.

"Whether it's your brother or me, we both mean the same thing, there's no difference."

"How can there be no distinction?"

Sun Kuang's brows furrowed, forming a deep "川" character. "Now in the Central Plains, the Yuan family has fallen apart, while the Cao family is at its zenith and unstoppable. Guo Fengxiao is already writing a proclamation for Cao Cao, and once the Wuhuan army understands the situation, they will immediately march south."

The land of Jingzhou fell entirely into Liu Qi's hands, but Liu Qi was indecisive, just like his father, and was certainly powerless to resist Cao Cao's army. Besides, who else was Cao Cao referring to in this proclamation besides his elder brother?
Besides... there's a blood feud between my elder brother and Guo Fengxiao, a thorn in his side. Once my elder brother joins the new Cao Cao, there's no guarantee that Guo Fengxiao won't stir up trouble in Cao Cao's ear..."

Qiao Wei interrupted Sun Kuang, "I know you mean well. You want to facilitate the marriage between the Cao family and Shengao. Having your children's marriages can also protect your brother's and Shengao's lives."

But why are you so certain that he will definitely lower his price?

Upon hearing this, Sun Kuang's anxiety and anger seemed to be instantly doused with a bucket of ice water, and all his anger turned into fear.

After a long pause, she finally spoke hesitantly, "Sister-in-law... what do you mean?"

“I married into the Sun family relatively late, so I was not fortunate enough to witness your father-in-law’s character, but you should have. I only witnessed my eldest brother’s integrity, and I also heard your second brother talk about the past.”

When he and his elder brother went to war with their father and brothers when they were young, their grandmother was reluctant to let them go, but their grandfather only said, "The sons of the Sun family can die in battle, but they must not die in cowardice."

Sun Kuang was startled, but quickly concealed his surprise. Yes, although his second brother was not as famous as his eldest brother in battle, he had been raised by his eldest brother since childhood. How could his conduct and character not be like his proud and unyielding eldest brother?

Sun Kuang fell silent.

“Brother Ji, I should thank you for planning for your brother, but if there were a real chance to survive, he wouldn’t have kept it for himself.”

So he arranged everything. Qiao Wei lowered his eyes, recalling Sun Quan's promise outside Xinye City, "I will repay his kindness and stand with him through thick and thin, no matter life or death."