Madam Wu was extremely anxious.
She cried and said, "How could I not know why she did it! Of course I know! But this matter... alas, this matter is not a trivial matter; it requires careful consideration!"
Madam Wu turned around again, grabbed her eldest daughter-in-law Qiao Jingjing's hand tightly, and said:
"Da Qiao, you tell me! You tell me! One is your husband's sister-in-law, and the other is your sworn brother from your own family. Do you really agree to them?"
Qiao Jingjing thought about the question for a while.
“Mother, it’s not a matter of whether I agree or disagree, nor is it a matter of whether the people here agree or disagree. It’s Ah Xiang! She’s just that determined. Zhang Zibu and I have already sent out wave after wave of people.”
However, he couldn't overcome Ah Xiang's stubbornness!
Fearing that Ah Xiang might act impulsively and cause harm, our people dared not take any drastic actions and could only protect her closely.
Madam Wu listened to what Qiao Jingjing said.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment:
"There's a deeper meaning you don't understand! I know. It's not that Liu Ji was so great!"
It's my daughter; she's stubborn. The more I forbid her from doing something, the more she wants to do it.
She's still sulking with her second brother! She's blaming him for sending Liu Ji to Jiaozhou.
Da Qiao, Ah Xiang doesn't understand. She's still young, don't you understand either? The second brother isn't making things difficult for Liu Ji! The second brother is training Liu Ji. Even an old woman like me understands this, but Ah Xiang doesn't. She thinks her second brother is trying to break them up, and that's why she's so angry!
This time, they're not going home at all; they're going to Jiaozhou instead.
"Sigh, how could she, such an innocent and pure young girl, travel so far alone?"
Madam Wu was so anxious that she eventually fell ill.
The old lady's illness came on suddenly and fiercely, leaving her bedridden and unable to get up.
Whenever they went out, several daughters-in-law needed to take turns staying by their side to look after them.
Because of what happened between A Shao and Yuan Shiyi, Xu Jiao always seemed unnatural when she saw Qiao Jingjing, yet she pretended that she was innocent.
Qiao Jingjing's expression remained impeccable, revealing no sign of her displeasure.
Xu, the third wife, is now caught between her eldest and second sisters-in-law, both of whom seem to be powerful and influential. She can neither afford to offend her eldest sister-in-law nor her second sister-in-law for the time being.
We can only secretly observe their expressions.
During that period, because Sun Quan had not yet returned home, the relationship between the sisters-in-law and mother-in-law in the family was very delicate.
Sun Quan withdrew his troops from Hefei and went to Sanjiangkou to inspect the southern part of Jingzhou and other places, where he discussed the subsequent defense arrangements with Zhou Yu.
News arrived from Jingkou to Sun Quan: his elderly mother was ill, his younger sister had run away from home, and his concubine had miscarried.
Sun Quan suddenly felt anxious for no reason.
He could no longer conduct his inspections in peace.
He gave Zhou Yu a few brief instructions: "Once the defenses are in place, we'll return to Jingkou to hold a victory celebration banquet for all the soldiers!"
Sun Quan returned to Jingkou without stopping.
In his letter, Zhang Zhao reported that Sun Quan's younger sister, Sun Shangxiang, had gone to Jiaozhou and was almost at the border of Guilin, where she would soon meet Liu Ji.
Sun Quan's mother was bedridden and missed her youngest daughter every day, weeping constantly.
The three sisters-in-law of the Sun family took turns caring for their mother-in-law.
Sun Quan rushed to Lin Hua's residence without even taking a breath, knelt beside his mother, and greeted her.
Madam Wu forced herself to sit up in bed.
Madam Wu's attendants, Da Qiao and Xu Jiao, along with three Xu wives and three daughters-in-law, were on high alert.
Sun Quan then said to the three women, "You've worked hard!"
Sun Quan then comforted his mother, saying, "Ah Xiang's matter was just her being naughty! Mother, you are old, how can you worry so much? You should quickly cheer up, listen to the doctor's advice, and get better!"
Even though her most capable son had returned, Madam Wu could not bring herself to smile.
With all her sons and daughters-in-law present, Madam Wu decided to bring up her youngest daughter's marriage to discuss it.
Although my elderly mother is physically ill, she is still quite clear-headed:
"I'm just asking you one question now: what are you thinking as the second brother? You sisters-in-law, don't just treat Ah Xiang as your sister-in-law, but as your own sister!"
"Give me a straight answer, what's going to happen to Ah Xiang when she goes back to Jiaozhou?"
The question asked by Madam Wu is quite serious.
Sun Shangxiang's latest act was running away from home in order to find her beloved young man.
Furthermore, due to the long distance, information travels slowly.
While the Sun family on Beigu Mountain were discussing things, Sun Shangxiang might have already found Liu Ji over there.
The two of them could easily have sex at any time.
Or perhaps they didn't cook; it wouldn't be good for these rumors to spread.
If this issue is not discussed and clarified, Madam Wu's illness will not be cured.
Lady Wu stared intently at her son, Sun Quan.
Sun Quan had always disagreed with Sun Shangxiang's relationship with Liu Ji, and the reasons were quite clear.
Liu Ji came from a humble background and could not provide the kind of support that Sun Quan desired.
Liu Ji could have lived like an ordinary scholar, serving as a local official and fulfilling the duties assigned to him by Sun Quan.
However, Liu Ji's influence was insufficient, and he was not worthy of being Sun Quan's in-law.
This is the reason why Sun Quan has always wanted to separate Liu Ji and Sun Shangxiang.
Seeing that Sun Quan did not answer.
Madam Wu turned her hand over and pointed to the three daughters-in-law sitting in a row beside her: "Tell me, is your sister's personal happiness more important, or the future of the Sun family and the stability of Jiangdong?"
Madam Wu, what a question!
Hehe.
The answer is obvious.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
