Tiger Owl

Chapter 195 Taking a Step

Pang Tong and Zhao Yun went home to rest. It has always been a tradition of the Yuzhang Army not to celebrate victory in a grand manner. No matter which time they returned in triumph, they always returned to their posts quietly. This was the case whether they had captured Wuling County, Changsha County, Jiangxia County, or Lujiang County. This time, the capture of the three counties in Jingnan was no exception.

At this moment, Lu Su hurriedly entered and handed Gan Ning a copied pigeon letter. "This was sent back by our Jiangdong liaison officer in Dantu County. There were three pigeon letters in total, which we pieced together. They are about the witchcraft incident."

Gan Ning opened the copy, glanced at it, and asked with a smile, "Why isn't Bu Zhi mentioned?"

"I suspect this matter has been suppressed by the upper echelons in Jiangdong, and no one below knows about it. Therefore, our liaison officers are unaware of it either. Otherwise, such an important matter would definitely be mentioned in the letter."

"should be!"

"Then General, please take your time. I shall take my leave now."

"Zijing!"

Gan Ning called out to Lu Su and said with a smile, "The army that conquered Jingnan last night has returned."

"Understood, sir. Now it's time to go to the military camp to find out the situation."

"Go!"

Lu Su bowed and left in a hurry.

Gan Ning carefully examined the copy of the pigeon letter again, when a sentence caught his eye: 'He Ding's aunt, the sorceress He Xiaoshi, testified against Bu Lianshi for witchcraft at the Wu Hou Palace.'

Gan Ning knew who He Ding was; he was a notorious traitor in history who had ruined most of Eastern Wu.

'Who is Teacher He?' Gan Ning recalled the Teacher Zhuang that Xu Wei had told her about last night.

Gan Ning pondered for a moment, then pulled a rope that connected to a bell outside. Soon after, Lu Xun hurriedly walked in.

"See General!"

Gan Ning smiled and said to Lu Xun, "You're from Wu County, do you know the wizard Zhuang Xiaoshi?"

Lu Xun nodded. "The Taihu Witch is very famous in Wu County. I have heard of her, but I have never seen her."

"So, most people in Wu County know this name?"

"She often performed witchcraft by displaying banners in the county, and almost everyone in the town knew her name."

"Does Lord Wu know this name?"

"Of course I know. Back then, Sun Ce thought this witch was spreading heresy and wanted to kill her, but Sun Quan persuaded him not to, saying that killing her would lose the support of the people."

Gan Ning sneered. Sun Quan was indeed pretending to be stupid. When he saw the name He Xiaoshi, he didn't expect Zhuang Xiaoshi to be so foolish. He did indeed use the witchcraft incident to get rid of Bu Zhi.

"I understand. That's all. You may leave."

Lu Xun bowed and withdrew.

Gan Ning paced back and forth in his office, his hands clasped behind his back. He was beginning to realize the enormous impact Sun Ben's split had had on Jiangdong. He was like a huge bleeding wound, constantly causing Jiangdong to bleed. Famous ministers and generals were being driven away one by one. Taishi Ci, Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, and Cheng Jin and Huang Gai would probably not have an easy time either. They had all been Sun Ben's subordinates and were part of his faction. Given Sun Quan's suspicious nature and ruthlessness, these two would definitely be gradually marginalized, and they could forget about gaining military power.

This period saw a rare period of stability. Cao Cao was focused on eliminating the Yuan brothers and had no time to look south. Cao Ren was stationed in Nan Commandery and had no intention of expanding his gains. After Liu Bei went to Xichuan, all that was known was that Yan Yan, the governor of Ba Commandery, had surrendered to Liu Bei. There was no other news. Jiangdong was still purging Sun Ben's followers, and everyone was on edge. As for Sun Ben, he became unusually low-key and continued to accumulate strength.

As for Gan Ning, he needs to digest the three counties of Jingnan and also prepare for war with all his might.

The period has also become more stable, and Gan Ning's military and political affairs are relatively relaxed. He has more time to spend with his family, especially since Da Qiao is pregnant. Gan Ning cares about her even more and is now able to return home an hour earlier than before, when he would not get home until dark every day.

When Gan Ning returned to his residence, Xu Wei and Xiao Qiao came out to greet him. This was not just a formality, but a rule and etiquette that every household recognized and followed: when a husband returns home, his wife must come out to greet him.

Since Da Qiao was pregnant and had difficulty walking, her two young wives had to help her.

Gan Ning led one of them by the hand and walked towards the inner courtyard. Xiao Qiao was as lively as ever, laughing carefree, while Xu Wei seemed preoccupied, holding her lover's hand tightly as they walked silently.

Gan Ning glanced at her sideways, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

Da Qiao stood in front of the courtyard gate waiting for her husband. Xu Wei and Xiao Qiao were both busy with their own things, one was in charge of arranging dinner, and the other went to the study to light the lamp and brew tea.

"How was your day?"

Gan Ning put his arm around his wife's waist and asked with a smile.

"It's alright! I'm just a little craving something, I keep wanting to eat." Da Qiao snuggled into her husband's arms, acting coquettishly. "What do you want to eat? Sour or sweet?"

"I want both, but I want my husband to be by my side more."

"Then should I move back from the study?"

"No need for that, just spend more time with me during the day."

Gan Ning nodded. "Tomorrow is a ten-day break, I'll accompany you on a carriage ride to go shopping and sightseeing."

"Okay!" Da Qiao happily kissed her husband on the cheek.

The couple went to the study, where Xu Wei was brewing tea.

"Gan Lang, eldest sister, you've arrived." Xu Wei quickly stood up.

"Yunqing, thank you for your hard work."

"Sister, it's my duty."

Gan Ning sat down, and Da Qiao also sat down on the soft couch next to him. Xu Wei brewed two cups of tea, served one to Gan Ning and one to Da Qiao, and said with a smile, "I'm going to help A Yu!"

"Go!"

Watching Xu Wei's figure disappear into the distance, Da Qiao asked with a smile, "How was Yun Qing last night?"

"She's alright! She slept in the small room, and I think she slept very soundly all night."

"You don't have—"

Gan Ning took a sip of tea and shook his head. "Let things take their natural course. I don't want to force her."

Just then, a maid announced from the doorway, "Master, Madam, dinner is ready. Please come in."

Gan Ning stepped forward and helped Da Qiao up. "Let's go!"

"Mmm!" Da Qiao nestled close to her husband, and together they walked toward the dining room.

As night deepened, Xu Wei saw the bucket off at the door, then returned and locked the study door before heading upstairs with a heavy heart. As she entered her room, Gan Ning instructed her, "Close the door!"

Xu Wei closed the door, lowered her head, and slowly walked to Gan Ning, feeling uneasy and gently twisting her fingers.

Gan Ning took her hand and said softly, "Go to sleep! I know you're not ready yet, so don't feel any pressure."

Xu Wei felt a lump in her throat and thought she was about to cry. She held back her emotions and whispered, "I got my period today."

"You seem preoccupied because you're on your period?"

"Yes!"

Gan Ning pulled her into his arms, kissed her, and smiled, "Go to sleep!"

"Then I'm going!"

Xu Wei slowly turned around and went back to her small room.

In the middle of the night, Xu Wei, dressed in a white satin undershirt, slowly walked out of the inner room and came to Gan Ning's bedside. She hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up the courage to lift the quilt and lie down.

Gan Ning felt a warm, soft, and fragrant sensation. He slowly opened his eyes and found a delicate face appearing before him.

"How did you come?"

"I want to stay with you."

Gan Ning pulled her soft, delicate body into his arms. "It's enough that you're here with me. Go to sleep!"

Xu Wei nodded gently, turned around, placed his hand on her chest, hugged her lover's arm tightly, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

(End of this chapter)