Convey to Jiangdong: Return Without Dishonor
The afterglow still clung to us like warm mist.
“Haaau~ That was absolutely incredible♥”
“We did it so much… even in the water… I can barely walk now.”
My own legs were trembling too. At one point I’d even suffered a nosebleed and had to force myself to stop. It wasn’t simply releasing my vital energy—it had surged out of me like a flood. In the end the Qiao sisters had to support me to the bed. I pillowed my head on Xiaoqiao’s plump thighs and idly kneaded Daqiao’s breasts while drifting into a nap.
“Mmm.”
When I woke two hours later, the delicious aroma of evening preparations already drifted across the main courtyard of the Qiao estate.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“Let’s take a walk in the garden.”
They dressed me in elegant silk instead of the revealing, airy clothes I’d worn earlier, added a long robe, and even applied light makeup. The effect was breathtaking. Any man who saw them walking through the marketplace would lose his mind; their peerless beauty seemed even more radiant now.
“Truly peerless. The makeup is the final touch that brings the painting to life.”
“Thank you, husband.”
Being called husband by such peerless beauties never grew old no matter how many times I heard it. I strolled the garden with one hand shamelessly kneading Xiaoqiao’s rear and the other roaming across Daqiao’s waist and breasts.
By the time we returned to the main hall, the interior was bustling.
“Aigoo, who do we have here? Is that not my son-in-law?”
When Qiao Gong spotted me and hurried over with a delighted expression, I quickly withdrew my hands from his daughters and greeted him with proper respect.
“Have you been well, father-in-law?”
“Hahaha! Father-in-law—yes, that title sounds very pleasing indeed.”
Qiao Gong treated me with the utmost hospitality, fully accepting me as his son-in-law. We moved into the inner chamber for serious conversation while Daqiao and Xiaoqiao prepared tea and snacks.
“So, when will you be taking my daughters to the capital?”
“Governor Liu will soon launch a southern expedition beyond the Yangtze. We plan to depart after that campaign concludes.”
“I see. I have already decided to trust you and the court rather than the powers in Jiangdong.”
“A truly wise decision.”
“Ziye, my son-in-law.”
“Yes, father-in-law.”
If Lady Jin, Yuan Shu’s wife, had been my first mother-in-law in this life, then Qiao Gong—though he had lost his own wife—had become my first father-in-law.
“My daughters’ happiness matters, of course, but so does the continued prosperity of our family in this region.”
“Are you perhaps thinking of Sun Bofu, who is rapidly expanding his power in Jiangdong, or Inspector Liu who has completely seized Jingzhou? The court will certainly support your family.”
“The question is whether the Cao clan can truly guarantee our safety, not the distant court.”
This Qiao Gong certainly possessed keen political instincts. He understood who held real power and preferred protection from those with actual authority rather than empty titles. That was precisely why he had bet on me and offered his two precious daughters. Thanks to him, I had spent the last several days in absolute bliss.
“Father-in-law, the Grand Tutor is urgently seeking something from the Jiangdong region.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Given his advanced age, he is looking for nourishing foods. In particular, he desires lingzhi mushrooms from Yangzhou—those harvested south of the Huai River.”
“Oho! Lingzhi! I shall procure the finest specimens for him.”
“As for persuading Governor Liu and the local gentry under him…”
“Do not worry! I will naturally do at least that much for my son-in-law. I shall personally inform Governor Liu and every gentry clan I know that the court, not Jiangdong, is the prevailing wind.”
“Thank you, father-in-law.”
Since Qiao Gong had offered to act personally, I made one final request. He flinched at first but soon nodded and agreed to handle that matter as well.
We returned once more to the bridal chamber in the separate courtyard. The moment Daqiao and Xiaoqiao saw me, they licked their lips and stroked their lower bellies. Until dinner, it would be nothing but marital duties.
“Haa… haa…”
“I really… can’t even lift a finger.”
Daqiao and Xiaoqiao lay sprawled naked across the bed. My head was spinning as well, so I simply lay there fondling Daqiao’s breasts and Xiaoqiao’s rear while we waited for dinner.
“The eel rice bowl this morning was delicious.”
“They said dinner would be chicken and abalone soup. Should I tell them to set that aside and prepare more eel instead?”
“No need. That sounds good too.”
Whatever it was, I needed high-protein restorative dishes or my body would truly collapse. As we lay beneath the cool breeze waiting for the meal, our hands began wandering over each other again.
That was when it happened.
“Young mistress, it is this old nanny.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll go see what it is.”
Xiaoqiao threw on a robe and stepped outside. The conversation carried clearly into the room.
“Young mistress, will you and the eldest young mistress and the master all need to dress properly?”
“Why so suddenly?”
“A guest is coming after dinner. A gentleman named Master Lu Zijing.”
So Lu Su was coming. I rose from the bed the moment I heard.
“Let’s wash up.”
“Yes, husband.”
We could hardly greet a guest while reeking of sex and half-naked. Before meeting Lu Su, I had the Lujiang Qiao sisters hide in one of the inner rooms of the main residence.
“Master Zijing, thank you for visiting this old man’s home so late in the evening.”
“Not at all. I am ashamed to only now pay my respects to the head of the illustrious Qiao clan.”
“Hahaha, ashamed? Hardly~”
Qiao Gong called me over and welcomed Lu Su with tea and refreshments. Lu Su already knew I had been winning over the other local clans. The end was truly near.
“In three days Governor Liu will set out to conquer Poyang. With forty thousand troops, it will be a massive campaign.”
“I heard the same. The main army of Lujiang will be leaving the region in the blink of an eye, yes?”
As Qiao Gong nodded, Lu Su glanced subtly in my direction. So the real move was about to begin.
“I intend to remain in Lujiang. Though my force is small, it will be more than enough to defend this city.”
“Even so, simply stationing troops here… and would Governor Liu permit it?”
Only five hundred personal guards, but every one an elite soldier. If the forty thousand troops left Lujiang for the southern expedition, Lu Su was essentially asking whether those five hundred men wouldn’t simply plunder the empty city. But Qiao Gong cut in.
“I suggested that to Governor Liu myself. No matter what, we need at least a minimal security force. They will serve as a deterrent to protect the gentry clans and the people of Lujiang.”
“The gentry, you say? Hmm.”
Presented with such a justification, Lu Su offered a calm smile, took a sip of tea, and spoke.
“Speaking of the gentry, this is somewhat awkward toward Lord Ziye, but there is something Sir Qiao ought to know as well.”
“What is it?”
“The entire Yuan clan from Shuchun has decided to migrate to Jiangdong.”
“!”
“Since Lord Ziye has taken the daughter, that makes him their in-law by necessity, does it not? My condolences.”
It was exactly as Yang Xiu had predicted, yet the scale was still staggering. Lu Su had said the Qiao clan was the most powerful among the Lujiang gentry, yet he had deliberately approached them last. Having already secured all the minor clans, he was informing Qiao Gong at the very end.
“Not only the Yuan clan—the Zheng and Li clans of Lujiang have also applied to migrate to Jiangdong. They plan to depart when the campaign south of the Yangtze begins.”
Lu Su had prepared thoroughly. Before the war even started, he had won over everyone who could become a foothold in Lujiang. Once they were gone, only an empty shell would remain, and the region would be naturally absorbed by Jiangdong.
“I regret this toward Ziye, but it was the conclusion reached through negotiation.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“In this chaotic age filled with warlords, these are gentry who have chosen immediate stability.”
He phrased it elegantly—choosing between the distant court, Liu Biao, and Sun Ce, or else face annihilation.
“Has it already come to this?”
“My final visit to you, Sir Qiao, is to ask that you honor the promise you made to my lord Sun Bofu and my friend Zhou Gongjin.”
“Mm? Promise?”
“You met Lord Bofu and Lord Yu in Moling and told them they were men of great ambition. They respected you in turn and asked whether they might be suitable sons-in-law.”
“Ahem. That did happen.”
I barely held back my laughter. It seemed Lu Su had come to drive the final nail in the coffin by bringing up the marriage alliance with Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. Too bad for him.
“An alliance through marriage between your daughters and Lords Sun and Zhou…”
“I regret to inform you, Lord Ziye.”
Lu Su was saying that since he had already secured everything through pre-war recruitment, victory was his. Time for a decisive counter.
“Pardon me a moment.”
“Hm?”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
When I clapped three times, Lu Su looked at me as if wondering what I was doing. At that moment the door opened and Daqiao and Xiaoqiao appeared.
Both wore the most expensive silk garments in the house. They had bathed with angelica water, leaving their skin as smooth and fair as a baby’s, and their heavy makeup made the two peerless beauties even more enchanting. After greeting their father Qiao Gong and Lu Su, they naturally sat down on either side of me.
“Wh-what?!”
“Zijing, though you have never seen their faces, please convey this to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. Regrettably, these two have become my wives.”
“S-such a thing! Not one but both? You took both sisters as concubines?”
“Which one becomes the official wife will depend on who shows signs of pregnancy first.”
“Ahem!”
Qiao Gong cleared his throat, but the hand covering his mouth could not hide his smile. Lu Su had been perfectly composed until now, but this blow seemed truly fatal; he was at a loss for words.
After all, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had only met Qiao Gong once. Moreover, if I had not appeared, they would have plundered the emptied city and kidnapped Daqiao and Xiaoqiao outright.
“Hah… so Ziye has become Qiao Gong’s son-in-law… this is… something to congratulate, yet…”
“Please convey to Lords Sun and Zhou that since both are outstanding men worthy of the title ‘lang,’ they will surely meet even finer women.”
“…”
“Then I wish you and Governor Liu great success in the campaign south of the Yangtze.”
Lu Su’s face twisted horribly for a moment before he barely regained his composure and offered a farewell bow.
“Then… I shall take my leave with that understanding.”
“Zijing, this was purely a political marriage born of support between gentry clans, with a touch of youthful passion between young men and women. That is all.”
In truth, even if people said Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were handsome and heroic, Daqiao and Xiaoqiao did not even know their faces. What could they do? If they were upset, they should have come sooner.
Three days later, Liu Xun led forty thousand troops out of Lujiang for the southern expedition beyond the Yangtze. Lu Su took with him the last remaining gentry clans, their retainers, and several hundred to several thousand people in total. The once-bustling city of Lujiang suddenly felt hollow.
Inside the now-truly-empty city, the man handling all of Lujiang’s administrative duties in our stead was Liu Ye.
“The Jiangdong army will arrive in Lujiang soon. It will be a major clash.”
“As expected.”
“I merely render judgment. If the Jiangdong army defeats Lord Cao’s forces and invades Lujiang Castle, then Lujiang becomes theirs. If not, we shall follow Lord Cao’s will.”
In short, fight among yourselves; the winner takes the city. Liu Xun had already been won over by our proposal that he surrender to the central government and receive a position among the Three Excellencies. Of course, that would only happen after he handed over the seals of office and all local authority. If Jiangdong occupied the city first, he would be left with nothing and driven out. It was all or nothing.
“Then I shall prepare to defend this empty city well.”
“Will five hundred soldiers be enough?”
“Who knows? We still don’t know the enemy’s exact scale. We won’t know until we try.”
Liu Ye looked intrigued when he saw my confident demeanor. After leaving the government office, I asked Yang Xiu.
“What about Uncle Dezuo?”
“He has already reached the vicinity, but the Jiangdong army is closer and will be waiting nearby. We must hold out here with only a small number of people for a day or two.”
“There are ways to handle that.”
“Have you hidden troops somewhere? Even three thousand would allow us to defend Lujiang Castle.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded at his words. The very next day, while I was spending passionate time with my two wives at the Qiao estate, urgent news arrived. Fortunately I had already finished and was bathing when I heard it.
“The Jiangdong army arrived faster than expected. Dezuo, how large is the enemy force?”
“Nearly fifteen thousand. They will arrive and surround us within two hours.”
Five hundred versus fifteen thousand. Even before considering the advantage of the castle walls, we lacked the basic defensive manpower to do anything meaningful.
“Fortunately, Master Liu Ziyang has gathered a thousand security troops, but they are only for guarding the government offices. Their attitude is essentially ‘fight on your own.’”
“Then at least secure supplies. They wouldn’t have taken every spear and arrow from the armory just because they’re leaving, right?”
“Even so, the Lujiang army swept away almost everything. I’m not sure how many days we can last.”
To anyone looking, the situation was clearly terrifying. But I had prepared everything in advance.
“Shall we begin the defense of Lujiang Castle?”