Chapter 66: A Favor With A Raise Of The Hand
In the afternoon, Gan Ning met with Xu Shu in the official residence. Historically, Xu Shu joined Liu Bei in the sixth year of Jian’an, that is, next year, after Liu Bei came from Runan to Xiangyang. When he fled south in the thirteenth year of Jian’an, his mother was captured by the Cao Army, and only then did he enter Cao Cao’s camp. In the meantime, he followed Liu Bei for a full seven years.
The current Xu Shu is already thirty-two years old, yet he has accomplished nothing, and he is extremely anxious. If Gan Ning had not risen, Xu Shu would still have to wait another year. Now, with Gan Ning’s rise and the recruitment of talents regardless of background, the talented individuals who had been sitting idly in Jingxiang have all come flocking to join him.
Of course, top strategists like Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong cannot be easily recruited. As Zhou Yu said to Lu Su, this is an era of change, where not only does the lord select worthy ministers, but worthy ministers also select their lord.
Xu Shu said to Gan Ning: “Huang Zu is old and cunning. On the surface, he has allied with Liu Biao and obeys Liu Biao, but in reality, he defends so tightly that Liu Biao cannot reach in at all. If General attacks Jiangxia with a strategy of gradual encroachment, Huang Zu will have no fear of extinction and will certainly not easily seek aid from Liu Biao.
On the contrary, if the attack is too hasty and Huang Zu’s survival is threatened, he will surely seek aid from Liu Biao. Liu Biao has been waiting for this and will definitely take the opportunity to send a large army into Jiangxia. This is absolutely not the result that General or Huang Zu wants to see.”
Gan Ning nodded. “Does Mister mean that Huang Zu guards against Liu Biao more than against me?”
“Exactly right. Liu Biao also wants to capture Yuzhang Commandery, but he cannot pass through Jiangxia, so he can only take Changsha Commandery and then attack Yuzhang from Changsha Commandery. This shows how much Huang Zu guards against Liu Biao.”
Gan Ning smiled. “In Mister’s view, how should I gradually encroach on Jiangxia?”
“First seize the south bank of the Yangtze River, then attack Changsha Commandery, and resolve the danger of Yuzhang Commandery being attacked from both front and back in one stroke!”
Gan Ning was overjoyed; Xu Shu’s suggestion aligned exactly with his own thinking.
There are still eight years until Cao Cao launches a major southward campaign. This long period of eight years is enough for him to take all the land south of the Yangtze River west of Yuzhang Commandery.
Gan Ning immediately appointed Xu Shu as deputy strategist, to manage military affairs together with Lu Su.
Xu Wei used the excuse that living in the Recruitment Hall was inconvenient and directly moved into the guest courtyard of Gan Ning’s Mansion. The guest courtyard is on the east side of the central courtyard, separated from the rear residence by only one wall.
Upon hearing that Xu Wei was Gan Ning’s friend and the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Xu Family, Da Qiao enthusiastically settled her in, had the butler prepare new bedding and various daily necessities for Xu Wei, and arranged a maidservant to serve her.
There is a small courtyard house in the guest courtyard, furnished very elegantly, which Xu Wei liked very much, so she settled in comfortably.
Xiao Qiao, however, was extremely clever and quick-witted. Seeing that Xu Wei intended to stay long-term and that her elder sister was entertaining her so warmly, she immediately became anxious and said to Da Qiao: “Elder Sister, you must be careful with this Xu Wei. She has ulterior motives!”
Da Qiao was somewhat displeased. “Miss Xu is a guest; it’s very rude to speak of a guest like that!”
Xiao Qiao grew anxious. “She’s no guest at all. She and Brother-in-law have only met once, yet she has the nerve to move into our home. Can’t you see her intentions?”
“I don’t see any intentions. She’s just here to stay with us for a while. You have too many suspicions.”
Xiao Qiao stomped her feet in frustration. “My dear Elder Sister! How are you so dense like a block of wood? She’s after Brother-in-law; I can feel it. Wait until she steals your husband, then you’ll cry!”
“It won’t happen. She’s a daughter of a prestigious family; her marriage will definitely be decided by her family, not by her.”
“Sigh! If her family decides, why can she run around alone and even move into General Gan’s Mansion? As an unmarried girl, doesn’t she care about rumors?”
Da Qiao still shook her head. “You’re overthinking it!”
At this moment, Xu Wei’s voice came from the courtyard: “Is Older Sister Da Qiao here?”
“Yes! Come in quickly.”
Da Qiao hurriedly went out with a smile to greet her. Xiao Qiao was truly disheartened seeing her elder sister not heed her advice. The key point was that Gan Ning was not only her brother-in-law but also her future husband; she had to defend her own interests and not let her husband be taken away.
Xu Wei held a chess set and smiled. “Younger Sister Xiao Qiao said Older Sister likes to play chess. I happen to have a set. Does Older Sister have interest?”
“Great! I do like playing chess; it’s a way to sit quietly.”
Xu Wei stepped forward, pulled Xiao Qiao, and smiled. “Younger Sister, come join us!”
Xiao Qiao pouted, very reluctantly being pulled into the room by her.
In the afternoon, Gan Ning returned to the mansion and smilingly asked: “Has Miss Xu arrived?”
Da Qiao helped Gan Ning remove his outer robe and said: “She has. I arranged for her to stay in the guest room; she’s very satisfied here.”
“This young lady is quite capable!”
Gan Ning sighed and said: “She told me today that there would be military matters to the north. I just received a carrier pigeon message that this morning Huang Zu sent troops to occupy Xunyang County.”
“Ah! Does General need to go north?”
Gan Ning nodded. “Tomorrow I must set out at the fifth watch, leading the army to Chaisang. I’ll be back in about ten days or half a month.”
“General, please take care!”
Gan Ning cupped her face, gently kissed her, and smiled. “Don’t worry; I won’t have any problems.”
In the evening, Gan Ning invited Xu Wei to join them for dinner, and Xiao Qiao came too. This was her way of defending her interests; in the future, she also wanted to dine with Gan Ning like her sister.
Gan Ning was also pleased; more people made the meal livelier. He said to Da Qiao: “A Zhu, invite your mother to join us too!”
“No need!”
Xiao Qiao shook her head. “My mother is devout and eats vegetarian. She avoids meat and fish. I eat tofu with her all day; I’m almost turning into a bean sprout!”
Gan Ning chuckled helplessly. “Then come over and eat with us in the future!”
Xiao Qiao had been waiting for these words from Gan Ning. She immediately beamed with joy and said: “Elder Sister, see? Brother-in-law definitely welcomes me.”
Xu Wei smiled silently on the side. She already knew their relationship; these sisters had both been taken by Big Brother Gan without formal marriage, so they were naturally concubines.
Xu Wei was perceptive. She had visited Da Qiao’s room and discovered that Da Qiao and General Gan had not shared a room, and Da Qiao even still wore a maiden’s hairstyle, indicating they had not consummated their marriage.
Xu Wei immediately understood the reason: it must be because they were still young and he didn’t want to hurt them. Big Brother Gan was truly good, magnanimous and considerate, far better than that irritable and brutal Sun Yi.
“Miss Xu, are your divinations always so accurate?” Gan Ning asked with a smile.
Xu Wei shook her head. “Not at all; getting three out of ten right is already good.”
Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said: “I just got news that early this morning, Huang Zu captured Xunyang County. Sure enough, trouble came from the north.”
Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were greatly shocked. “How is Second Uncle?”
“Your Second Uncle and his family are fine. Huang Zu doesn’t want to make an enemy of me and let them withdraw from East City. This time, Huang Zu’s attack on Xunyang County is not aimed at me; he wants to capture the entire Lujiang Commandery.”
“Ah!”
Xu Wei exclaimed in shock, her face paling as she anxiously said to Gan Ning: “My father is the Prefect of Lujiang! What will he do? General Gan, please save my father! I beg you.”
Xu Wei hurriedly clasped her hands and pleaded with Gan Ning, her beautiful eyes filled with worry for her father.
Gan Ning hadn’t considered this issue. He thought for a moment and asked: “Is your father in Shu County or Wan County?”
“He’s in Wan County, responsible for building the city at Wankou!”
Gan Ning pondered briefly and said to Xu Wei: “From Xunyang to Wan County takes at least three days, so Huang Zu’s army won’t arrive until the afternoon after tomorrow. Here’s the plan: tomorrow morning, I’ll send a carrier pigeon letter to the scouts in Wan County to notify your father. He’ll know by tomorrow evening at the latest, giving him time to withdraw.”
Xu Wei’s face was full of gratitude. She clasped her hands again and thanked him: “Thank you so much, General!”
Gan Ning smiled and waved it off. “No need to be polite; it’s just a small effort!”
That night, Da Qiao couldn’t sleep. In the afternoon, Xu Wei had divined for her, saying she would have one son and one daughter in the future. This divination completely disrupted Da Qiao’s heart.
She began to long to be a real little wife, to bear her own child. Her sense of being a wife was unwittingly awakened by Xu Wei.
Da Qiao gently bit her lip, finally mustered her courage, quietly put on her shoes, and went to Gan Ning’s room. She removed her undergarments, slipped into Gan Ning’s bedding, nestled in his arms, and tightly hugged her husband.
Gan Ning woke up immediately and found a warm, soft body in his arms. His heart heated up as he gently stroked her beautiful hair and said: “A Zhu, why are you here?”
A Zhu was Da Qiao’s name; she was called Qiao Zhu, and her younger sister Xiao Qiao was called Qiao Yu.
Da Qiao mustered her courage and whispered: “I don’t want to bear the title of fake madam anymore. I… I want to become your real wife.”
Gan Ning held her in his arms and then realized she was only wearing a small undergarment. He nearly spurted a nosebleed.
“You’re still a bit young. How about waiting until next year?”
Gan Ning’s promised timeline began to shorten.
Da Qiao blushed and whispered in Gan Ning’s ear: “Xiao Qiao said I can actually help you.”
Gan Ning was stunned. “How does Xiao Qiao know?”
“She’s small but clever, knows more than me.”
Gan Ning’s heart stirred; this could work too! He whispered a few words in Da Qiao’s ear.
Da Qiao’s face flushed with shame, and she gently nodded before turning and slipping under the covers.
That night, though they did not take the final step, they had skin-to-skin contact and shared the bed, making them husband and wife in fact.
