flstandardbreds Chapter 175 The Regret of a Sister-Supporting Demon
Chapter 175 The Regret of a Sister-Supporting Demon
Today is the day to return to the bride's family home, and theoretically, it would be more appropriate for Guan Xing to call Sun Shangxiang "aunt" like Sun Luyu. However, he still chose his own family's address and called Sun Shangxiang "elder aunt".
The reason is simple: Sun Shangxiang, a woman with a mind smaller than a pinhead, cares most about details. If she is called "aunt," she will think that she is not considered a member of the Liu family, thus imagining a terrifying plot comparable to a long novel, and even doing something irrational because of it.
To allay Sun Shangxiang's concerns and avoid unpredictable trouble, Guan Xing could only try his best to take care of Sun Shangxiang's feelings.
As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened, and the maidservant bowed and said, "Please come in, young master and young lady."
The two entered the room and bowed to Sun Shangxiang, who was sitting behind a bamboo curtain, saying, "Greetings, Aunt (elder aunt)."
Sun Shangxiang looked at the two through the bamboo curtain, her eyes revealing a complex expression, and past scenes floated into her mind.
When she married Liu Bei, Guan Xing was just a child. Now, in the blink of an eye, they're already married.
And then there's Little Tiger, who was following me around with a runny nose begging for candy yesterday, and today he's getting married. Time really flies.
Sun Shangxiang paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Anguo, how is the King of Hanzhong?"
Guan Xing replied, "I'm in good health and have a good appetite. I just miss my aunt very much. Last year when I went back to Chengdu to drink with my uncle, he kept talking about you after he got drunk."
"Don't worry, Auntie. Once we recover Jingzhou and open up the passage between Jiangdong and Bashu, your uncle will definitely come to bring you home."
What else could Guan Xing do besides lie? He couldn't very well say that Liu Bei hated him, or Sun Shangxiang would go berserk.
It's not right to say you don't know, otherwise that would kill the conversation.
So let's just keep lying, it'll make you happy and it'll make me feel better too.
Guan Xing's casual remark caused Sun Shangxiang's heart to tremble, and she murmured to herself, "Really?"
She was married to Liu Bei as a tool for political alliance. She was very unwilling when she married him and naturally had no feelings for Liu Bei, who was old enough to be her father. After the marriage, she always thought about the interests of her own family, but forgot that her own family is not a woman's final destination, but her husband's family is.
Sun Shangxiang originally thought that she was a meritorious member of her maternal family and would definitely receive preferential treatment and respect from them. However, after being tricked by Sun Quan and returned to Jianye, she realized what it meant for a married daughter to be like water spilled from a cup.
Her despicable second brother didn't take her seriously at all, and her status in the Sun family plummeted after her mother passed away.
Over the years, she often thought that if she hadn't returned to Jianye back then, she probably would have had children with Liu Bei by now. Unlike now, she is not only alone, but also unloved by her own family and her husband's family. What was the point of all this?
Having fallen to this state, she harbors some resentment towards her elder brother Sun Quan, and has sworn more than once that if she could do it all over again, she would definitely sell out the Sun family completely, just like her niece Sun Luban. What does it matter to me if the Sun family is not prosperous? My own well-being is the most important thing.
Therefore, she was quite excited when she learned that Guan Yu had entered Jianye. She originally wanted to have a good talk with Guan Yu and do her part to help him stabilize Jianye, but that red-faced scoundrel Guan Yu was too hateful and did not respect her, his sister-in-law, at all.
Since Guan Yu didn't offer her a way out, she naturally couldn't back down and could only endure it.
But what would happen in the future? Would this cause Liu Bei to misunderstand and completely distance himself from her? Sun Shangxiang didn't know, and dared not think about it.
Looking at Guan Xing and Sun Luyu in front of her, Sun Shangxiang's eyes revealed an unprecedented sense of confusion.
Although Sun Shangxiang's voice was soft, Guan Xing still keenly heard the tremor in her voice. His eyes darted around and he said, "Aunt, you and Aunt Qiao haven't seen each other for a long time, have you? Why don't you come to the Guan residence for a visit another day?"
In his past life, he had handled too many fraud cases, including ridiculous ones like marriage fraud or "brother-supporting demons" who drained their husbands' families to subsidize their own.
Those cases all have one thing in common: most of these cases end in divorce. After the divorce, the woman thinks she is a hero to her family and can have a lot of influence and be high and mighty in her family. In reality, her family is the first to kick her out once they see that she has no more use.
After all, no sister-in-law or brother's wife would want an outsider like you to live in their house for an extended period.
The woman who was kicked out of her home and had nowhere to go could only try to reconcile with her ex-husband. But do you think her ex-husband will still take advantage of her?
The woman, forced to live on the streets after being rejected by her husband's family and abandoned by her own, finally came to the realities of life. Her love for her family turned to hatred, which then triggered a series of tragedies.
Guan Xing guessed that Sun Shangxiang was currently in this state of mind. She had completely lost faith in Sun Quan and the Sun family. If Liu Bei did not accept her back, it might force her to do something extreme, such as a rebellion.
Sun Deng and Sun Lü have been released, and Sun Shangxiang herself has a certain influence in Jiangdong. If she uses Sun Deng's name to cause trouble, like Mi Fang betraying her at a crucial moment, then things will get really interesting.
Although Guan Xing did not believe that Sun Shangxiang could succeed, as long as she did it, the subsequent influence would be enough to make Guan Yu look bad. First of all, Sun Quan would definitely take the opportunity to spread rumors that Guan Yu was narrow-minded and had no tolerance for others.
Secondly, Liu Bei's political enemies would also slander him. No matter what, Sun Shangxiang was Liu Bei's first wife. What did Guan Yu want to do by forcing her to death?
Finally, Cao Wei will definitely deliver a fatal blow, claiming that Guan Yu forced Sun Shangxiang to her death in order to break away from Liu Bei and establish independence in Jiangdong.
Under the combined attack of three parties, even Guan Yu, who was made of iron, could not withstand it. Don't forget how he was defeated at Maicheng.
The reason Guan Yu was defeated at Maicheng was because he didn't manage his relationship with Mi Fang and Fu Shiren well, which led to their betrayal at a crucial moment.
Now facing the same situation as before, Guan Xing absolutely cannot allow internal strife to recur and destroy the foundation he has painstakingly built.
Therefore, it is necessary to reconcile the relationship between Guan Yu and Sun Shangxiang; we cannot expect them to cooperate, but we also cannot allow them to become enemies.
Upon hearing Guan Xing's invitation to visit his residence, Sun Luyu hesitated and said, "This..."
Since he wasn't rejected on the spot, there was still hope. Guan Xing continued to persuade her, "Aunt, you know my father. He's the kind of person who won't budge if you try to lead him, and will back down if you try to push him. Don't confront him directly. Just give in for my uncle's sake, and I'll try to persuade him to come and pay his respects to you."
“You are beautiful and kind-hearted. A prime minister can tolerate a boat in his belly. Why bother arguing with an old man like him? Just give him a way out and consider it an act of kindness, okay?”
"Besides, we're family. Family members don't hold grudges overnight, right?"
Sun Shangxiang: "..."
How can you talk about your father like that?
However, what he said makes sense. There's really no need to continue the stalemate with Guan Yu. What will Liu Bei think of her if things continue to escalate?
Sun Shangxiang pondered for a moment before saying, "What you said makes sense. You can arrange it as you see fit. By the way, your aunt hasn't sent a wedding gift yet. Xiao Hong, take that box on my desk to An Guo."
The box was quickly delivered to Guan Xing, who opened it to find that it contained a villa in the city, a manor outside the city, and land deeds for thousands of acres of land surrounding the manor.
This is Sun Shangxiang's dowry for her niece, and it was prepared long ago. The couple will receive it as soon as they come.
Guan Xing handed the box to Sun Luyu, stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Aunt. Please rest, Aunt. I'll take my leave now."
Sun Shangxiang saw the two off at the door, and Guan Xing pulled his wife to the front hall to pay respects to his mother-in-law.
The Sun family was currently filled with women and children, and he had nothing in common with them, so he had no choice but to take his half-brother and brother-in-law, Zhou Xun, to the pavilion to play chess.
Before the chessboard was even set up, Sun Luban ran over, stood behind Zhou Xun, and reached out to Guan Xing with a smile, saying, "Anguo, I'm your matchmaker, shouldn't you give me a small token of your appreciation?"