flstandardbreds Chapter 134 Sun Luban, a Man of Clear Mind
Chapter 134 Sun Luban, a Man of Clear Mind
Sun Luban became more and more excited as he spoke, his thoughts became clearer and his will became more and more firm.
She suddenly realized that there were too many benefits to clinging to the Guan family. If she maintained a good relationship with the Guan family, she would be fearless no matter which of the three families—Cao, Sun, or Liu—would win.
Even if Sun Quan was angry, would he kill his precious daughter?
Besides, it was Sun Quan's soldiers who abandoned the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law this time. The responsibility lies with Sun Quan. How could he have the nerve to blame himself?
Liu Bei had the Guan family as her backing, and he was also her uncle, so he wouldn't make things too difficult for her. She could still thrive in the Han Dynasty.
Even if Cao Cao wins, she can rely on the protection of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to avoid the initial chaos, and then use Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as a springboard to continue developing the Zhou family's power after the situation stabilizes.
The three parties hedge their bets, ensuring that whoever wins in the end can preserve the Zhou family's status and lives.
As for whether doing so would damage her father Sun Quan's reputation and interests, it didn't matter. A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup; she was now a daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, and everything had to be done with the interests of the Zhou family first.
In this respect, she is far superior to her aunt Sun Shangxiang. At least she would never use her husband's family's benefits to subsidize her own family and become a Voldemort who gets no benefit from either side.
Sun Luban spoke eloquently, but Xiao Qiao was terrified. This daughter-in-law was too righteous, so righteous that she was a little scared.
Xiao Qiao sighed helplessly, "It's up to you to decide."
As the mother-in-law, she didn't want to be so timid. When Sun Luban first married into the family, she also thought about setting some rules for the girl and letting Sun Luban know what family rules were.
However, after numerous open and covert struggles between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, she never won. She eventually accepted reality and gave up, letting Sun Luban make all the decisions in the household. She neither interfered nor objected, becoming completely Buddhist.
Fortunately, Sun Luban was very sensible and always put the Zhou family first in everything he did. Over time, Xiao Qiao became reassured and even addicted to it.
She wasn't one to meddle, and Sun Luban was happy to take over so she could relax.
Sun Luban was speechless at her mother-in-law's laissez-faire attitude. She patted her shoulder and laughed, "But you still need your help, Mother. Marriage is a major event, and it's all about the parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words. You need a matchmaker, don't you?"
“It’s not appropriate for me to talk to my mother about this. My aunt would be suitable, but she has a falling out with Guan Yu. Asking her to be a matchmaker would only add fuel to the fire and backfire. So after thinking it over, it’s the most appropriate thing for you to do it.”
"Why don't you talk to my mother first, sound out her opinion, and try your best to get her consent? Then talk to Guan Yu and test his attitude. What do you think?"
Xiao Qiao hesitated and said, "But you know Guan Yu's temper. It would be so awkward if he explicitly refused us. Our Zhou family also has its pride."
Sun Luban pondered, "But if Guan Yu agrees, we should at least test him."
"In my opinion, Guan Yu's attitude can be one of three things. First, he would agree readily, which is fine, everyone is happy."
"Secondly, it's about verbally refusing but inwardly agreeing, wanting to have it both ways. This requires a roundabout approach, such as asking Wang Fu to mediate or asking Guan Xing to resolve the issue. If you just offer a way out, Guan Yu will readily agree."
"In the end, Guan Yu clearly refused and his attitude was firm, so we had to start with Guan Xing. We directly instigated Guan Xing to elope with Xiao Hu, making it a fait accompli, and then spread rumors that the Guan family had abandoned him after starting a relationship. Guan Yu was a man who cared about his reputation, so once the fait accompli was established, he would have to accept it even if he didn't want to."
"Besides, what's wrong with our Sun family? It's not a disservice for a daughter of the Sun family to marry into the Guan family."
Xiao Qiao was dumbfounded and exclaimed in shock, "Are you going to keep harping on Guan Yu? Aren't you afraid he'll get angry with you?"
Sun Luban advised, "I'm only thinking of our Zhou family. Our Zhou family used to be extremely glorious. Our ancestors produced three high-ranking officials. My grandfather, Zhou Yi, was appointed magistrate of Luoyang, and my father-in-law, Zhou Yu, was a powerful general who conquered all directions and was famous throughout the world. But what about now?"
“My husband is almost thirty and he’s still just a lowly cavalry captain. Not to mention my second uncle, we can’t count on him at all. If we don’t find a way, our Zhou family will really fade into obscurity. Are you willing to watch the Zhou family continue to decline?”
The Zhou family has indeed declined in recent years. There are many reasons for this decline. Firstly, the eldest son, Zhou Xun, is much less capable than his father, Zhou Yu. Secondly, it is also the result of Sun Quan's deliberate suppression. But no matter what, the decline of the Zhou family is an indisputable fact. The fact that Lü Meng left them at home during his retreat is the best proof of this.
Thinking of the Zhou family's decline, Xiao Qiao shuddered involuntarily. She grabbed Sun Luban's hand and said, "I'll do whatever you say. Your husband is still in the Guan family's hands. You must rescue him!"
Zhou Xun is now the Zhou family's only hope; if anything happens to him, the Zhou family is finished.
As for the second son, Zhou Yin, he was a good-for-nothing and completely unreliable.
"Mother, don't worry, I will definitely do my best to make this happen and secure a place for the Zhou family with Liu Bei."
Sun Luban offered a few words of comfort, then his eyes lit up with a mischievous grin. "Actually, I think it's safer to win over Guan Yu than Guan Xing. Mother, you've been a widow for so many years, how about I find someone to act as a matchmaker for you and Guan Yu?"
Xiao Qiao was stunned for a moment, then angrily scolded, "You brat, what nonsense are you talking about? I'm your mother-in-law, and besides, how old am I..."
Sun Luban continued, "So what if you're old? Guan Yu is even older than you. Besides, it's not uncommon for widows to remarry. Emperor Wu's birth mother was a widow. What are we compared to them?"
"Emperor Jing didn't mind that his wife was a widow, so what right does Guan Yu have to mind, right?"
These days, there's no longer the constraint of lifelong fidelity; it's common for widows to remarry.
Especially after Emperor Jing of Han married a widow and had Emperor Wu of Han, the practice of widows remarrying became even more prevalent.
Emperor Jing was not the only one to marry a widow; Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang did too. Wasn't Bo Ji, the mother of Emperor Wen of Han, also taken by Liu Bang?
The Liu family always eats whatever they want, and if the upper beam is crooked, how can you expect the lower beam to be crooked?
So remarriage is no big deal. If they can really help Guan Yu and Xiao Qiao get together, and also win over Guan Xing, then the Zhou family will become Liu Bei's maternal relatives, and their family will be secure for several generations.
Sun Luban continued to persuade him, "Besides, Guan Yu is tall and strong, much better than the short and stocky Cao Cao. I think you should really consider it."
Xiao Qiao blushed and scolded, "Stop talking, or Mother will really get angry."
Sun Luban stuck out his tongue and shut his mouth in time. After thinking for a moment, he got up and got out of the car. Just as he opened the car door, he turned his head and said, "I'm going to relieve myself. Mother, you can think about it."
After saying that, he jumped out of the car and left, leaving Xiao Qiao alone in the car, stunned and unsure of what to do with her hands, her heart pounding like a deer.
Zhou Che, oblivious to the tact, asked, "Mother, why is your face red?"
Startled by the question, Xiao Qiao snapped, as if her secret had been exposed, and snapped, "Shut up!"
Zhou Che was so frightened that he shrank back into the corner, burying his head in his arms and secretly observing Xiao Qiao's expression.
outside the car.
Sun Luban did not go to relieve herself, but quickly caught up with Zhou Yin, who was riding a horse, and patted the horse's rump, saying, "Get down, sister-in-law has something to tell you."
Zhou Yin dared not disobey and obediently dismounted, saying, "Sister-in-law, what do you want me to do?"
Sun Luban carefully considered his words before saying, "Have you thought about how you're going to face Guan Yu after you enter the city? You should have heard of Guan Yu, right? He hates evil like poison."
"And Guan Xing, you attended Gu Mu's funeral, you should know how he died, right? If Guan Xing finds out about your filthy acts of bullying men and women, do you think he'll let you off the hook?"