With her eldest daughter-in-law by her side, Madam Wu wasn't so anxious even when her eldest son wasn't around.
Madam Wu said to Qiao Jingjing:
"My eyesight is failing, my memory is bad, and my mind isn't sharp anymore."
Madam Wu then pointed to her clever and adorable daughter, who was as tender and bright as a young scallion.
"Your sister, so many people! Tuozibu, Yufan, and even your father, they all came to propose marriage! Da Qiao, you know, I haven't been involved in worldly affairs for years, so I don't know which young man is capable. Sometimes I talk to my eldest and second eldest brothers about it, but they always refuse outright, saying their sister is too young!"
Lady Wu recalled her own past. She wasn't young anymore. When she was fifteen, Sun Jian took a liking to her and snatched her away to the Sun family. From then on, she became Sun Jian's wife and bore him children.
Qiao Jingjing repeated the same statement.
She smiled broadly.
"Ah Xiang's matter is the biggest and most important wedding in the entire Jiangdong region. Of course, we have to be careful! Other families are reluctant to let their daughters go, so why is it different for the mother-in-law?"
"Ah Xiang isn't very old yet, we'll take our time and look around. Once we find someone suitable, we'll definitely invite them over so you, Mother-in-law, can personally approve them. We must make sure you, Ah Xiang, and her brothers are all satisfied. Then I'll prepare the most lavish dowry for Ah Xiang, so she can have a grand wedding and become the most enviable daughter in the world."
Qiao Jingjing was good at talking and made her mother-in-law happy.
Madam Wu said, "This is a good idea."
Then Madam Wu asked about the third son of the Cao family.
"I've heard that this third young master is exceptionally talented in literature and possesses extraordinary literary skills."
Qiao Jingjing suddenly heard her mother-in-law mention Cao Zhi.
She then guessed that her mother-in-law might have taken a fancy to this rich second-generation from the Cao family.
"Because of the construction of the palace for His Majesty, the third son of the Cao family and an advisor named Guo Jia are currently staying in Jiangdong."
Madam Wu immediately said, "Alright, alright, let them stay. Anyway, we have plenty of food and clothing in Jiangdong and it's peaceful. Let them stay a few more days!"
Then Madam Wu quietly took Qiao Jingjing's hand and whispered in her ear that she wanted to see Cao Zhi in person.
Since her mother-in-law had said so, Qiao Jingjing had no choice but to make proper arrangements.
Qiao Jingjing told her mother-in-law to wait patiently for three to five days, and she would definitely make arrangements.
Qiao Jingjing then went to discuss the matter with Sun Quan.
Sun Quan knew what his elderly mother was planning.
He didn't say anything, but he really felt that his mother was getting old and her thinking was quite unconventional.
The Sun family and Cao Cao were about to go to war.
They are like oil and water, incompatible! The old mother actually took a fancy to Cao Cao's son.
Even if this son of the Cao family is rich, handsome, good at fighting, and can write articles, that's still not enough.
Besides, this guy isn't exactly handsome; he can't even compare to the Sun brothers. As for fighting, forget about it. He's just a sour-tongued guy who knows how to make a fuss.
Indeed, both the Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River and the White Horse are well-written.
With a wave of his fan, a couple of ounces of wine in hand, and the air of a talented scholar reciting poetry under the moon, he truly attracted quite a few young wives and maids from Jiangdong.
Sun Quan then said to his sister-in-law:
“Mother wants to see him, but let’s arrange it. If you want my opinion, Cao Zhi is no good. Sister-in-law, if A Xiang goes with him, it’s fine if they can live in Jiangdong for a long time! But if he still wants to go north and wants to go back, no way! Sister-in-law, A Xiang is our only sister. We can’t let her go so far. We can’t bear it. We absolutely can’t bear it.”
Qiao Jingjing looked at Sun Quan's resolute expression.
What kind of logic is this?
Cao Zhi and Sun Shangxiang—this is a red thread that Lady Wu conjured up in her wild imagination, and one end hasn't even reached the other yet.
Look at Sun Quan, he's already turned into a fiercely protective brother.
"It's just arranging a banquet, nothing special. It's just to make Mother happy! Anyway, we have banquets like this at least a hundred times a year. We're not short of food or wine. Besides, Ah Xiang might not even like it."
After Qiao Jingjing arranged the banquet for Madam Wu to choose a son-in-law.
Madam Wu also specially invited her father-in-law Qiao Xuan, the scholarly genius Yu Fan, and Zhang Zhao, the Chief Secretary of Jiangdong, as well as other senior and experienced uncles to support her.
Sun Quan was no slouch either; he even specially summoned his third brother, Sun Yi, from Wucheng County back to attend this family banquet.
That's not all.
Sun Quan also arranged for all the wives of the Sun family—Qiao Jingjing, Xie Shi, Yuan Shiyi, and Xu Shi from the third son's family—to be present at the banquet.
Sun Quan's main strategy was to dazzle Cao Zhi.
Show off all the beautiful wives of the Sun family. Those who are a little mature and already married have a very good charm.
Sun Quan simply didn't believe that someone as passionate as Cao Zhi could remain undetected after a couple of drinks.
If Cao Zhi had shown even the slightest interest in the women of the Sun family, perhaps just a glance or a word of praise, Sun Quan would have been able to seize upon this as evidence that the third son of the Cao family was frivolous and unworthy of his sister, Sun Shangxiang.
Madam Wu was unaware that Sun Lao Er had this plan.
They only praised their daughter-in-law, Qiao Jingjing, for handling the matter well.
Madam Wu and her father-in-law Qiao Xuan sat closest to each other.
She immediately began praising, "It's all thanks to Da Qiao's thoughtfulness and competence. She handled such a big occasion very well, just what I wanted. I was thinking that in a crowded place, everyone should see! Oh, where's my Ah Xiang? Where did Ah Xiang go?"
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