Tiger Owl

Chapter 312 Mother-daughter rift
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Sun Shangxiang, accompanied by her husband Gan Ning, personally went to the dock to welcome her mother's return.

Inside the carriage, Sun Shangxiang hesitated for a while before whispering, "Husband, I want to discuss with you whether we can temporarily keep our marriage a secret from Mother."

"Are you afraid she'll object?" Gan Ning asked with a smile.

"Yes, she will definitely object strongly. My mother is very conservative. A few years ago, she would rather the alliance between Gan and Sun fail than agree to me marrying you as a concubine."

Gan Ning held her hand and said softly, "That's why you married me before Mother arrived, making it a fait accompli!"

Sun Shangxiang nodded gently. "She just got back and is exhausted. I'm afraid that telling her too suddenly will cause my mother to break down. I want to wait until my mother has calmed down before telling her slowly. Husband, is that alright?"

Gan Ning fully understood Sun Shangxiang's worries and her filial piety, so he smiled and said, "I'm fine, I'm just afraid of making you feel wronged."

Sun Shangxiang gratefully grasped her husband's hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "Husband, thank you. With your support and understanding, I am not wronged."

Fifteen minutes later, the boat carrying Madam Wu finally arrived at Chaisang Wharf and slowly docked.

Madam Wu was already standing at the ship's railing. The former grandeur was gone, and only her personal maid, Xiao Lan, remained by her side. The two of them carried only two personal bags.

When Madam Wu spotted her daughter standing on the shore, she trembled with excitement and shakily stepped off the boat. Sun Shangxiang could no longer contain her emotions and cried out, "Mother!" She rushed over, and the mother and daughter embraced tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

Gan Ning didn't step forward, but stood a short distance away, silently watching the mother and daughter reunite. After a while, the mother and daughter gradually calmed down, and Old Madam Wu also saw Gan Ning. She hesitated for a moment, "And this is..."

Before Sun Shangxiang could introduce him, Gan Ning stepped forward and said with a smile, "Madam, I am Gan Ning!"

Madam Wu said gratefully, "So it was General Gan. Thanks to you, I was able to be released and reunited with my daughter."

"Don't be shy, I've prepared a small house for you, and someone will take care of you."

At this point, Gan Ning said to Sun Shangxiang, "Shangxiang, you stay with your mother first! I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

"Ok!"

After watching her husband drive away, Sun Shangxiang smiled and said to her mother, "Mother, let's get in the carriage."

Madam Wu glanced suspiciously at Gan Ning's departing figure. His casual and intimate way of calling her "Shangxiang" had aroused her suspicion.

But she didn't want to think about that for the time being. She was too tired and just wanted to sit down and rest without worrying or being afraid anymore.

Sun Shangxiang accompanied her mother to the small house that Gan Ning had prepared for her. It was a house covering two acres, not far from the Chu Marquis's residence. It was very quiet and clean, with all kinds of facilities and furniture, and three maids serving her.

Mrs. Wu was very satisfied with the house, but then she suddenly realized something was wrong: there was no trace of her daughter in the house.

"Shangxiang, where do you live?"

“I live in the Chu Marquis’s mansion.”

Looking at her daughter, and recalling how Gan Ning addressed her, Old Madam Wu felt even more uneasy.

She tentatively suggested, "Then you can move in today!"

Sun Shangxiang gently shook her head, "Mother, this place is permitted, I...I have a place to stay." Old Madam Wu's gaze immediately sharpened, "Shangxiang, tell me, have you already..."

Sun Shangxiang knew she couldn't hide it any longer. She took a deep breath and said frankly, "Mother, I have already married the Marquis of Chu."

Old Madam Wu's face changed drastically, her voice trembling, "Gan Ning... Gan Ning has a wife, could it be..."

"Yes, my husband has four wives. His first wife is Qiao Zhu, and the other three are Madam Ping. Yun Qing and I are among them."

"Madam Ping!"

Old Madam Wu's voice rose sharply, "Isn't that a concubine?"

"Mother, I don't care about titles or status. I just want to marry the man I love. I love my husband, I love him from the bottom of my heart."

"enough!"

Old Madam Wu interrupted her daughter sternly, "Are you crazy? You are the sister of the Marquis of Wu, a princess of Jiangdong. How can you become someone else's concubine? How can you face your father?"

Sun Shangxiang also shouted excitedly, "Mother, Jiangdong is gone. I am no longer a princess. It is not I who have wronged Father, but those who destroyed his foundation."

Sun Shangxiang's last words were like a sharp dagger, piercing precisely into Madam Wu's heart. Madam Wu slumped down, her face turning pale. She lowered her head and after a long while, she whispered, "You can choose someone else to be your principal wife, why must you be a concubine?"

Sun Shangxiang took a deep breath; she already had the answer to her mother's question.

“Mother, these are two problems. First, I can’t choose anyone else. My brother and Sun Ben sent more than a dozen Wu sword warriors to capture me and hand me over to Cao Zhi. They almost killed me. Apart from General Gan, no one can protect me. This is the fate of the sister of the Marquis of Wu. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. How can there be any peace and tranquility, or the ability to marry in peace? Even you, Mother, have been captured and taken to Ye City. Will Cao Cao let me go?”

Madam Wu was speechless for a moment, and Sun Shangxiang continued, "The second question is why I want to be General Gan's concubine. He has never forced me. I could have chosen not to marry him. He gave me three chances to consider, but I chose him without hesitation each time because I love him. I don't care about status or title. I just want to marry someone I love."

Old Madam Wu sighed deeply, "But I care! I was a concubine myself, and I deeply understand the sorrow of being one. I swore long ago that I would never let my daughter repeat the same mistake, but... but..."

Madam Wu's voice grew lower and lower, and she could no longer continue.

Sun Shangxiang also knew that her mother's knot in her heart could not be untied in just a few words, and her deeply rooted ideas could not be understood in a day or two. It would take time for her to slowly understand.

Sun Shangxiang sighed, comforted her mother with a few words, and told her to rest well before leaving her mother's room.

When Sun Shangxiang met Xiaolan in the courtyard, she said to her, "Xiaolan, take good care of my mother. I will never mistreat you in the future."

Xiao Lan bowed obediently, "Don't worry, Miss, I will definitely take good care of Madam!"

"Let me know if you need anything!"

Sun Shangxiang glanced at her mother's room one last time before quickly leaving.
As night fell, Sun Shangxiang lay in her arms, recounting her argument with her mother and telling her husband that her mother's lack of understanding made her feel both sad and helpless.

Gan Ning kissed Sun Shangxiang and said softly, "There is never anything perfect in this world. There is always a compromise behind everything. Your mother may never understand, but she will accept it. After all, you are her daughter. Time will heal the rift between you and your mother. What we need to do is live each day to the fullest and wait patiently."

Sun Shangxiang returned her husband's kiss, a smile finally appearing on her melancholy face. "Thank you for your comfort, my husband. I feel much better now!"

(End of this chapter)