Tiger Owl

Chapter 260 Arrival in Chaisang
Gan Ning returned to his residence and sat down in his study. At that moment, Xu Wei brought in a cup of tea, and Gan Ning gestured for her to sit down.

"I remember you told me that you wanted to invite Sun Shangxiang to visit Chaisang. Did you invite her?"

Xu Wei nodded. "I invited her a month ago, and then I received a letter from her telling me not to write back for the time being."

Seemingly sensing something, Xu Wei quickly asked, "Husband, has something happened?"

Gan Ning nodded slightly. "I just received news that Sun Shangxiang has run away from home."

Xu Wei was immediately startled. "Running away from home? What do you mean?"

"Just like you back then, Sun Shangxiang didn't want to marry Liu Bei. Her objections were useless, so she chose to run away."

Xu Wei's mind raced, and she suddenly realized, "Does my husband mean that she's come to Chaisang?"

Gan Ning smiled and said, "I can only say it's possible, I can't be sure. So I wanted to ask you, how did you invite her?"

"I?"

Xu Wei thought for a moment, "I told her that Chaisang has warm sunshine, a quiet courtyard, a life where you don't have to pretend, and sincere friendship. She can stay as long as she wants, and our whole family welcomes her to visit."

"The whole family?" Gan Ning was taken aback.

Xu Wei nodded. "I've already spoken to my older sister, and she's very happy to welcome Shangxiang. Ayu is also very excited, saying that the four of us can play mahjong together now."

Gan Ning chuckled. He was the one who invented mahjong and taught it to his three wives to relieve boredom, but they were always short one player, so they often had to bring Lu Su's wife along to play.

"It seems she's been persuaded by you and should be coming to Chaisang?"

"But... what if he gets intercepted?" Xu Wei asked worriedly. "Once Jiangdong blocks the waterways, even if he gets into the Yangtze River, he won't be able to escape."

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "I estimate that she is heading south, entering Yuzhang County from Damu County. Here's what we'll do: you arrange for Qin Yan to meet them in Yushan County in your own name. Yushan County is a necessary stop for them, and they will likely take a boat from Yushan County to Chaisang."

Xu Wei nodded silently, "I understand. I'll send Qin Yan to Yushan County tomorrow."

Watching Xu Wei leave, Gan Ning's gaze was somewhat complicated. He did indeed have his own selfish motives. In order to prevent Sun Quan and Liu Bei from forming an alliance through marriage, he had to keep Sun Shangxiang under control in Chaisang and prevent her from returning to Jiangdong.

Even if Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed a temporary alliance, without marriage as a bond, such an alliance would be very fragile and could be broken with just a little divisive tactic.

After traveling day and night for half a month, Sun Shangxiang and her two female guards finally arrived at Yushan County. It was not easy for them to enter Chaisang. They racked their brains and used various means to get rid of Sun Quan's encirclement and interception. Only when they passed the boundary marker of Yuzhang County did they breathe a long sigh of relief.

After another seven days of travel, they arrived at Yushan County.

"Miss, shall we rest in the county town for a day, or go directly to find a boat?" the two female guards asked.

Sun Shangxiang thought for a moment and said, "The New Year is almost here, let's not delay any longer and go find a boat! We can rest on the boat."

The three arrived at the dock and were inquiring about boats when they suddenly heard someone call out to her from behind, "Miss Shangxiang!"

Sun Shangxiang was startled. Turning around, she saw a tall female warrior. She paused for a moment, then immediately recognized her. "You're Qin Yan?"

The person who arrived turned out to be Xu Wei's personal female bodyguard. Sun Shangxiang was overjoyed and immediately asked, "What are you doing here? Where is Yun Qing?"

“My young lady is in Chaisang! She was worried about you, so she sent me to pick you up. I’ve been waiting for you in Yushan County for several days now, and I figured you’d come to the dock soon.” Sun Shangxiang was touched and delighted that Xu Wei had actually sent someone to pick her up.

"I'll find a boat, and we'll head to Chaisang right now."

"No need, I have a boat!"

Qin Yan led them to a large passenger ship with a capacity of two thousand kilos. "This is our manor's passenger ship. Please board!"

This is a private boat, one of the five private boats owned by Gan Ning. The decoration is not luxurious, but it is very comfortable. The cabin is covered with thick carpets and is kept spotless. Although it is winter, the cabin is warm and has a faint fragrance of winter plum blossoms. It turns out that there is a sprig of winter plum blossom in a vase on the table.

As soon as Sun Shangxiang entered the cabin, she lay down. It was so comfortable. Half a month of tossing and turning had left her extremely exhausted. She had never felt so comfortable in her life.

"Thank you, Yunqing!"

Sun Shangxiang recited a couple of lines softly, then fell into a deep sleep, exhausted.

The passenger ship was fast, and five days later, it arrived in Chaisang. Instead of docking at the pier, it sailed along the canal into the city and finally came to a slow stop in front of the private pier at the side gate of the Chu Marquis's residence.

Xu Wei had been waiting at the dock for a long time, with the sisters Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao standing behind her.

Sun Shangxiang disembarked and saw Xu Wei. She excitedly ran up to her and hugged her. Xu Wei smiled and comforted her for a few words, and then introduced Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao to her.

Sun Shangxiang knew that this gentle young woman was the Lady of Chu, so she quickly stepped forward to greet her. Da Qiao smiled and helped her up, saying, "No need to be so polite. You are Yun Qing's sister, so you are also my sister. Welcome to our home."

"Thank you, sister!" Sun Shangxiang called out sweetly.

Da Qiao was overjoyed and introduced Xiao Qiao to her. Xiao Qiao and Sun Shangxiang had something in common: they were born on the same day, in the same month and year, so it was impossible to tell who was older or younger. However, Sun Shangxiang still obediently called Xiao Qiao "elder sister".

Xiao Qiao was overjoyed and immediately took Sun Shangxiang's arm, walking towards the mansion. "Today we must give my sister a proper welcome feast!"

Knowing that Sun Shangxiang was tired, Da Qiao told her to rest first. Sun Shangxiang stayed in Xu Wei's courtyard, where Xu Wei had already prepared two comfortable suites for her.

"So, the rumors are true?"

Xu Wei asked, "You want to marry Liu Bei?"

"I would never marry that old man!"

Sun Shangxiang said angrily, "We are almost forty years apart in age. He could be my grandfather. How could I possibly marry him? I would rather die than do that."

At this point, Sun Shangxiang stepped forward and took Xu Wei's hand, saying apologetically, "Yunqing, please forgive me for mocking you before. I never understood why you ran away from your wedding, and why you ran away three times. Now I understand, and I understand myself too."

Xu Wei patted her hand and said softly, "Happiness is something you have to fight for yourself. If you don't even have the courage to do it yourself, then no one else can help you. You dared to run away from your wedding, which means you have courage. I hope you can also find a lover you truly love."

“Yes!” Sun Shangxiang also sighed. “I used to value titles and status too much, and I didn’t understand why you were willing to be a secondary wife. But after this experience, I slowly understand that I only have a few short decades of life. If I can’t taste happiness, the sweetness of love, and marry the lover I love in such a short life, then I have really wasted my life.”

This was Sun Shangxiang's innermost thought. She fled and pondered all the way, and finally figured it out.

Xu Wei smiled and took her hand, saying, "I'm so glad to see that you've finally come to your senses!"

(End of this chapter)