Chapter 73: Slaughter Of Power
Lady Wu was so angry that she fell ill, and Sun Quan knelt outside the room to pay respects to his mother.
“I don’t want your fake piety! You could even lay hands on your own brother—what am I, your mother, then? If you’d poisoned my medicine earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered you!”
Lady Wu hated her son’s cold-blooded ruthlessness; he had actually sent his own brother to Xuchang as a hostage. If Ce’er were here, how could he have bowed his head to Cao Cao? He certainly wouldn’t have let the enemy hold his brother’s life in their hands.
Lady Wu had seen through her second son: hypocritical and selfish, cold-blooded and ruthless, willing to use any means for his own power, not even sparing his own brother.
“Mother, this was something Cao Cao proposed himself, and everyone agreed unanimously. It wasn’t my idea.”
“Don’t give me that! Do you think I can’t see through you? You keep saying you’ll hand power back to Shao’er someday—why don’t you make him your heir?”
Sun Quan let out a long sigh; his mother misunderstood him too deeply.
At this moment, someone lightly patted Sun Quan’s shoulder. He looked up and saw it was Second Madam, also his second aunt, his mother’s younger sister. The two sisters had both married his father Sun Jian.
Second Lady Wu said softly, “Your mother is angry right now. You should withdraw first! I’ll try to advise your mother.”
Sun Quan kowtowed heavily. “Mother, take care of your health. Your son bids farewell!”
“Get out!”
Sun Quan quickly stood up and withdrew.
Second Lady Wu pushed open the door and went in, saying gently, “Older Sister, why are you so angry?”
Lady Wu struggled to sit up, and before she could speak, tears welled up.
“I only learned today that the Eight Great Noble Families had colluded to change lords. I… my poor Ce’er!”
Second Lady Wu said in shock, “That’s just a rumor, right? It can’t be true.”
“I wish it were just a rumor, but they insist it was Xu Gong’s retainer who did the assassination. How absurd! Without an inside helper, how could Xu Gong’s retainer have killed Ce’er? And how could Xu Gong’s retainer have had an inside helper?
The Eight Great Noble Families changing lords—that beast actually claims he knew nothing about it, and that he couldn’t stop Yi’er from going as a hostage? He says he doesn’t dare offend Cao Cao, but he dared to seize Cao Cao’s Guangling Commandery?
After a while, Second Lady Wu advised, “Anger harms the body. Older Sister, don’t get upset over these things. Power struggles have always been brutal since ancient times—even fathers and sons, brothers, will kill each other.”
Lady Wu covered her face and cried. “My husband, my son—I just don’t want this kind of thing happening to me!”
Second Lady Wu could only comfort her gently. It took a long time for Lady Wu to calm down. Though she calmed down, the smile on her face was gone forever after that.
………
Sun Quan returned to his official residence, so angry that he smashed the teacup on the ground and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
“Womanish views!” Sun Quan gritted his teeth and cursed.
At this moment, the guard outside reported, “Military Advisor Dai Yuan requests an audience!”
Sun Quan nodded. “Let him in!”
Sun Yi had not gone to Xuchang as a hostage alone, but with a team, and Dai Yuan was the butler of that team. He was considered Sun Yi’s trusted aide, but by now he had been bought off by Sun Quan.
“This subordinate pays respects to Marquis of Wu!”
“Speak! How is he doing in Xuchang?”
“Reporting to Marquis of Wu, the third young master is quite active in Xuchang. Zhang Hong has taken him to meet many officials, with arrangements basically every day!”
Sun Quan snorted heavily and asked again, “Has he met Cao Cao?”
“When Cao Cao returned to Xuchang midway, he summoned the third young master that same day.”
Sun Quan paced a few steps with his hands behind his back and said slowly, “Keep a close eye on him. Report every detail to me!”
…………
The four female guards that Gan Ning had sent people to Longhu Mountain to find finally arrived in Nanchang. They were still dressed as female Taoist priests, with their hair in buns like men, a wooden hairpin inserted horizontally, each wearing a gray Taoist robe, and a long sword on their backs.
All four were sixteen years old, very tall at around one meter seventy-five, very sturdy. There was no trace of feminine softness on them, only power and toughness.
They had lived in the Taoist palace since childhood, starting martial arts training at six, with no contact with the outside world. They were complete blanks when it comes to worldly affairs.
They were female warriors deliberately trained for this purpose, absolutely obedient to their master. Where there is demand from the powerful, someone will supply such products.
In reality, Gan Ning had bought them for twenty taels of gold each, first-class female warriors, including their deeds of sale.
Rather than calling them four female guards, they were more like four female slave guards.
Seeing the four of them, Gan Ning seemed to see four Qin Yans. Qin Yan had stayed at the Xu Family for six years before learning a little about worldly affairs.
But these four knew nothing. Standing behind Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, they were just like four robots.
Of course, they were human after all, with normal intelligence. Give them rules, integrate them for a while, and they would gradually develop rapport with their master.
Just like Qin Yan: when with Xu Wei, she seemed nonexistent, yet she protected her master at every moment.
The four female guards: two surnamed Sang, one called Sang Zhi, one Sang Ye; two surnamed Tao, one Tao Ding, one Tao Bing.
After they demonstrated their martial arts in front of Gan Ning, he understood why they cost twenty taels of gold each. Not only were their lightness skills superb, scaling walls and walking eaves like flat ground, but their swordsmanship was sharp and ruthless, and each had special skills.
The Sang sisters excelled at flying knives, hitting targets with every throw within thirty steps. Of the Tao sisters, one was skilled in using poison, the other in antidotes.
Among the four, Sang Zhi was the leader, responsible for arranging their shifts.
The four changed into warrior uniforms and stood in a row. Gan Ning said loudly to them, “From now on, I am your master, and these sisters are your female masters. You have only one task: protect their safety. I won’t mistreat you; I only hope you will be loyal and dutiful!”
The four knelt on one knee and said, “As the master commands!”
…………
At night, Gan Ning and Da Qiao were embracing and sleeping on the bed when suddenly a light ‘crack’ came from above. Gan Ning woke up instantly, drew his sword from the hidden compartment, and shouted, “Who is it?”
“Reporting to master, Sang Ye is on duty tonight!” came the female guard’s voice from the roof.
Gan Ning was amused and sheathed his sword. “When on night duty, you must hide in the shadows so assassins can’t discover you!”
“Understood!”
The sound from the roof disappeared; no one knew where this female guard had hidden.
Da Qiao also woke up, hugged her husband’s neck, and laughed. “This reminds me of something. Xiao Qiao told me the Tao sisters are amazing—they beat a group of drunks so badly they fled pissing themselves.”
Gan Ning instantly lost all sleepiness and worried, “How did she run into drunks?”
“It’s not her fault. This afternoon she went to buy incense for Mother. Passing the Chaisang Restaurant, Shopkeeper Li ran out in a panic asking for help, saying a group of drunks were causing trouble inside. Xiao Qiao had the Tao sisters step in, and they knocked all five drunks down and threw them onto Main Street.”
The Chaisang Restaurant was Gan Ning’s private industry, along with two other restaurants. Gan Ning was also planning to establish a private trading company for trade.
Gan Ning sighed. “You two sisters are complete opposites: one gentle and serene, the other quirky and clever.”
Da Qiao covered her mouth and chuckled softly. “It’s more than that. I’m a bit timid and avoid trouble, always trying to keep the peace. Xiao Qiao hates evil and loves to right wrongs. Mother scolds her as a troublemaker, but Second Uncle praises her chivalrous heart. If she causes trouble in the future, you must tolerate her.”
Gan Ning laughed heartily. “With me backing her, she can be a chivalrous heroine.”
