flstandardbreds Chapter 135 The Most Beautiful Woman in Guan Yu's Heart
Chapter 135 The Most Beautiful Woman in Guan Yu's Heart
Lust is a man's nature, and most sons of noble families have a history of bullying men and women, only to varying degrees.
Zhou Yin was the best among them. His actions were many times worse than Gu Mu's. Even Sun Quan and the officials of Eastern Wu couldn't stand it, and it was even recorded in the history books.
Historically, Zhou Yin relied on his father's merits to become arrogant and indulge in wine and women. He refused to change his ways despite repeated admonitions. As a result, Sun Quan not only stripped him of his title and reduced him to commoner status, but also gave him the reputation of being extremely indulgent in lust and thus inviting punishment. This shows how bad his character was.
When Sun Quan was in charge of Jiangdong, Zhou Yin was naturally not afraid, but now...
Thinking of Guan Yu's righteous indignation and Guan Xing's public trial of the aristocratic youths, Zhou Yin became uneasy and hurriedly said, "What should we do then? Sister-in-law, why don't we skip Jianye and go after the Grand Commander? It might not be too late to catch up now."
Sun Luban said speechlessly, "Can't you be a little more dignified? They don't want you anymore, and you're still chasing after them?"
Zhou Yin asked anxiously, "Then what should we do?"
Sun Luban laughed and said, "Sister-in-law has an idea. Would you like to hear it?"
Zhou Yin nodded hastily.
Sun Luban glanced around a few times, then leaned close to Zhou Yin and explained his idea. Ignoring Zhou Yin's astonishment, he continued, "If this succeeds, you will be Guan Yu's stepson. Even if Guan Yu is a scoundrel, he wouldn't go so far as to harm his own son. For your own sake and for the sake of the Zhou family, think about it."
Zhou Yin was a little angry. What kind of son would encourage his mother to remarry?
How am I supposed to explain this to my father a hundred years from now?
He wouldn't even need to wait a hundred years; his elder brother Zhou Xun could beat him to death when he returns.
But what Sun Luban said was also very tempting; he really needed a powerful backer.
Zhou Yin's face turned pale and then red. After struggling for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "Sister-in-law, what did you say? I can't hear you. I don't think I've seen you today."
A flash of disdain crossed Sun Luban's eyes, but he smiled gently and said, "That's right, I didn't say anything just now. We haven't met today."
After saying that, he patted Zhou Yin on the shoulder and left gracefully, returning to his car to continue pondering a grand plan to benefit the Zhou family.
The Zhou family manor was only a dozen miles away from Jianye City. They arrived safely two hours later. Looking out, the city was deserted, a stark contrast to the scene of Wu's army besieging the city on all sides some time ago.
However, the Han troops on the city walls remained on guard, with sentries every three or five steps, maintaining a strict defense.
Sun Luban ordered his troops to stop outside the range of the arrows and went forward alone to negotiate with the guards.
Xiao Qiao was deeply moved by this scene. At the critical moment, it was Sun Luban who rushed to the front of the family. She had made the right choice in marrying this daughter-in-law.
On the other hand, Zhou Yin, that good-for-nothing, actually hid behind his sister-in-law as a man, which is infuriating to watch.
Sun Luban arrived at the moat, raised her hands and shouted towards the city wall, "I am Sun Luban, daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, and I want to see General Guan."
No sooner had he finished speaking than an old general appeared on the city wall, his red face and long beard making him quite distinctive.
Sun Luban hurriedly called out, "Uncle Guan, it's me, your niece Sun Luban! It's too dangerous outside the city. Please let us into the city!"
Guan Yu looked closely and found that there were only about a hundred people behind Sun Luban, including men and women with their families.
Looking further into the distance, the place was empty and didn't look like there was an ambush. Moreover, even if Lü Meng was despicable, he wouldn't use women to trick the city, especially women from the Sun and Zhou families.
Guan Yu couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you go to Jingzhou with Lü Meng?"
Sun Luban shouted, "Damn Lü Meng didn't call us! He left last night and we only got the news at noon. The roads were chaotic and we dared not pursue him. We have nowhere else to go but to seek refuge with you, Second Uncle. You must take us orphans and widows in!"
Guan Yu nodded and said, "Open the gates and let them in."
The city gate opened and the drawbridge was lowered. Sun Luban signaled the carriage to pass quickly. As soon as the last person entered the gate, the drawbridge was raised again.
As they entered through the gate and passed through the barbican, they found Guan Yu already waiting below the city. Sun Luban quickly helped Xiao Qiao down and obediently followed behind Guan Yu.
Xiao Qiao led her whole family to Guan Yu and bowed, saying, "This humble woman, Qiao, greets General Guan."
Guan Yu had dealt with Zhou Yu during the Battle of Red Cliffs, so he was also acquainted with Xiao Qiao. He stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Madam Zhou, there's no need to be so polite. Now that we've entered the city, let's move to the Sun residence first."
"But the Sun family is currently all women, so it is inconvenient for your son to move in. How about he stays by my side as a clerk?"
To be honest, Zhou Yin didn't really want them. Why did he expel these officials' sons that day? Wasn't it because he was afraid they would use their influence in the city to cause trouble?
Letting Zhou Yin into the city now goes against his original intention, but since the orphan and widow have come to him for help, he can't refuse. So he can only keep Zhou Yin by his side and keep him under his watchful eye.
Zhou Yin's expression changed drastically. He didn't want to be with someone like Guan Yu, so he quickly said, "Mother."
Without turning her head, Xiao Qiao said, "That's very good. My son is unruly, and I hope the general will teach him more."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Guan Yu sent someone to escort the mother and daughter-in-law to the Sun residence. He then ordered someone to take Zhou Yin to rest before saying to Wang Fu, "When Lü Meng retreated, he actually forgot about the Zhou family. Did Lü Ziming have donkey hair in his head?"
Even Guan Yu felt sorry for the Zhou family because of what they did. You, Lü Meng, can forget about anyone but the Zhou family.
Wang Fu was equally speechless, saying, "Who says otherwise? I reckon Lü Meng is too busy to think straight. He'll definitely send someone to pick him up once he realizes what's happening, but right now..."
"It's a good thing that the Zhou family has fallen into our hands. We must treat them well. After all, although Zhou Yu is dead, his prestige in Jiangdong has not diminished. Proper handling will not do us any harm."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "That's right. Lü Meng imprisoned the gentry and abandoned Jiangdong. Now he has also lost the Zhou family. The Sun family has lost all the people's support in Jiangdong that they didn't have much to begin with."
Wang Fu laughed and said, "It's his business if he loses it, but it's our business if we can get it. Since we've decided to restore Jiangdong, we can't completely offend the Jiangdong gentry. We should try to ease the tensions when we have the chance."
"I think now is a good opportunity, my lord. Why don't you sacrifice yourself and marry Xiao Qiao?"
Guan Yu's hand, which was stroking his beard, suddenly stopped. He said unhappily, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think I, Guan, am the kind of shameless villain who would steal another man's wife?"
Wang Fu continued, "What do you mean by 'stealing someone else's wife'? Zhou Yu has been dead for over ten years. Xiao Qiao lost her husband and you lost your wife. You two are a match made in heaven. Besides, I'm advising you to marry him properly, not like Cao Cao who just snatched him away. What are you afraid of?"
"Besides, this is also for the sake of Your Majesty's great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty. You can't just care about your own face and ignore Your Majesty's foundation. One can't be too selfish. I'll go and get busy first. You think about it."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Guan Yu standing there dumbfounded.
To be fair, what Wang Fu said doesn't seem to be unreasonable. I'm marrying her properly, what am I afraid of?
Guan Yu had never thought about matters between men and women before, and his face turned even redder after Wang Fu's words.
He recalled the scene when he first met Xiao Qiao more than ten years ago. At that time, Xiao Qiao was simply as beautiful as an angel. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, even more beautiful than Qin Yilu's wife, Du Shi.
Diao Chan is universally acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in the world, but Guan Yu never saw her. In his heart, Xiao Qiao was the most beautiful. She was as beautiful as a fairy in her youth, and even now, in her forties, she still retains her charm.
or……
Sacrifice for the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty?