Tiger Owl

Chapter 292 Cao Cao's Regret
A few days later, Sun Shangxiang entered Da Qiao's room. She saw the child who was toddling around, so she squatted down, clapped her hands with a smile, and said, "Baby, come to Auntie!"

The little one didn't see clearly and toddled right into her arms. Sun Shangxiang smiled, picked up the child, and kissed her little face hard. "My baby is so good!"

Unexpectedly, the little one suddenly realized that the person in front of him was not his mother, and immediately burst into tears, desperately turning his head to look for her, leaving Sun Shangxiang somewhat at a loss.

"give it to me!"

Da Qiao stepped forward, smiled, took the child, and gently comforted him in her arms. The child stopped crying and fell into a deep sleep in a short while.

Da Qiao handed the child to the wet nurse, then waved for Sun Shangxiang to sit down and personally poured her a cup of tea.

"Are you still sad?" Da Qiao asked with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Sister Qiao. I'm much better now."

"Really? Or are you just saying that to appease me?" Da Qiao stared at her.

"It's not just a perfunctory response, it's...it's true?"

A blush rose on Sun Shangxiang's pretty face. She was telling the truth. Ever since that night when Gan Ning promised to rescue her mother and opened a door for her, her mindset had changed. She was no longer filled with the grief of losing her country, but was replaced by another kind of feeling, the happiness of being loved and having a home. She was always looking forward to her happy future, and the pain of losing her country and family quietly faded away.

Da Qiao nodded gently, "My husband told me about your situation. He's very busy, focusing all his attention on how to deal with Cao Cao's army, so I'll take care of the rest."

Sun Shangxiang's heart sank suddenly. She realized that there was another door to her happy future: the official wife in front of her. Her marriage was not a political one, so she had to be accepted by the official wife before she could enter the family.

Sun Shangxiang slowly lowered her head, the smile on her face faded, and she became extremely uneasy.

Da Qiao noticed her nervousness, so she smiled and took her hand. "Don't worry, I'm so glad you can be my sister."

Da Qiao's clear statement made Sun Shangxiang's nose tingle and tears almost rolled down her cheeks, but she kept her head down and listened to her continue.

"Actually, I also hope to take more concubines for my husband so that he can have more children. This is a responsibility on my shoulders. But I also have selfish desires. I hope that the women who come into the family are people that I can accept and that I like."

At this point, Da Qiao paused, her gaze softening, and she gripped Sun Shangxiang's hand more firmly. "When you first came here, as soon as you stepped off the ship, I saw your eyes. They were clean and innocent, and although there was a hint of pride, I didn't dislike them. Later, you spent three days saving that dying baby bird, and I discovered another quality in you that I admire most: kindness. Innocence and kindness are my bottom line, and the real reason I can accept you."

Sun Shangxiang finally raised her head, her eyes shining with joy. She was finally certain that Da Qiao truly accepted her, and that she wasn't forced to accept her because of General Gan's influence.

"Thank you, Sister Qiao!" she whispered her thanks.

Da Qiao laughed again, "We have an unwritten rule in our family. Starting with me, and Yun Qing and A Yu, we all hold a small ceremony on New Year's Eve before officially consummating our marriage. You will do the same, so your consummation date will be on New Year's Eve."

Sun Shangxiang's pretty face immediately turned red, even her neck turned red. The words "sharing a room" made her extremely shy. She whispered "Mmm!" and got up to leave. "Sister Da Qiao, I'm leaving first."

Da Qiao laughed, as if she saw herself from a few years ago in Sun Shangxiang.

Back in her room, Sun Shangxiang sat at the table, covering her burning cheeks with her cool hands, trying to calm her pounding heart. Of course, she knew what 'sharing a room' meant. Her body and soul belonged completely to one man.

At that moment, as if sensing something, she turned around and saw Xu Wei leaning against the door with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Yunqing, what are you laughing at?" Sun Shangxiang asked with a hint of reproach.

Xu Wei slowly walked forward and sat down beside her, his smile widening. "I was wondering if you were really looking forward to the New Year?" "You—"

Sun Shangxiang's pretty face flushed again, and she lightly punched her with her fist, saying, "Don't say that again."

Xu Wei stood up, stepped forward, took her hand, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Shangxiang, I have to admit something to you."

"What?" Sun Shangxiang looked at her in confusion.

"Actually, I had already planned to bring you to Chaisang, to make you one of my sisters. I have been trying my best to make you and your husband happy."

“You—” Sun Shangxiang stared at her in shock.

Xu Wei said sincerely, "Shangxiang, I have no ill intentions. We are best friends. I just want you to have my happiness too."

Sun Shangxiang was truly moved. She held Xu Wei's hand and nodded. "How could I be angry with you? I'm so grateful that you're willing to share your happiness with me. If I do anything wrong in the future, please remind me."

"Don't worry! We don't have that many rules in our family. Everything you saw is what happened, however..."

However, she leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "What if one day you sleep in the study?"

Xu Wei's voice was still very low, and Sun Shangxiang's ears turned red, all the way down to her neck.

Sun Ben's plan was formally presented to Cao Cao, who immediately summoned several advisors to discuss it.

"What Sun Ben wants is an army!"

Cheng Yu hit the nail on the head: "He is not willing to be a puppet. He has great ambitions and wants to make a comeback. So he used the attack on Yuzhang County as an excuse to get troops and money from us."

"Zhongde sees things clearly!"

Xun Yu gave an approving look, then frowned and said, "Sun Ben's target should be the southern part of Yuzhang Commandery and Luling Commandery. Those areas are sparsely populated and easy to capture. Perhaps he has a deeper ambition to capture Guiyang Commandery and then use it as a springboard to take over the entire Jiaozhou."

Sun Ben's petty schemes were completely exposed in front of these top strategists. Jia Xu also cautiously said, "Prime Minister, you don't need to worry too much. Sun Ben is nothing but an ant in front of you. He can be crushed with a gentle touch. As for contracts and credibility, those are for the strong. Sun Ben is not worthy of them."

After a long silence, Cao Cao slowly said, "I am prepared to accept Sun Ben's proposal!"

Everyone was taken aback and was about to speak up to persuade him, but Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry. Sun Ben's sons are all in my hands. He's just a kite that can't fly away."

After a pause, Cao Cao said calmly, "If he's willing to cause Gan Ning some trouble, why wouldn't I?"

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on and gave a thumbs up, exclaiming, "The Prime Minister is truly brilliant!"

Everyone rose and withdrew, but Cao Cao said, "Wenzheng, please stay a moment."

Everyone else had left, but Jia Xu remained in the official room, anxiously waiting for Cao Cao to speak.

Cao Cao stood by the window for a long time, then sighed and said, "Actually, the thing I regret most is that when Gan Ning first captured Yuzhang County, I had a thought to marry my daughter to him. Unfortunately, I couldn't stick to that idea, and to this day, I really regret it!"

(End of this chapter)