Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1159 Qiao Xuan's Explanation of the Promotion to Marquis of Wu

The next morning, a group of figures were already standing solemnly in the council hall of the Jiangdong City Lord's Mansion. The prefects, civil officials, and generals who had not been implicated in the recent purge of the aristocratic families were lined up on both sides, with the civil officials on the left and the generals on the right. Their robes and armor gleamed neatly in the morning light, and the atmosphere in the hall was so solemn that even breathing became a little lighter.

Footsteps approached from outside the hall. Everyone looked up and saw Ma Chao, dressed in a black royal robe, carrying a child in a silver-red marquis's robe as he steadily entered. The child was Sun Shao, his little face tense, but he tried his best to straighten his back, his hands tightly gripping Ma Chao's clothes, his eyes showing a hint of timidity, but more so a solemn expression of being entrusted with high hopes.

"Greetings, King Liang!" As the two entered the hall, the civil and military officials on both sides bowed in unison, their voices echoing in the grand hall, filled with awe for this powerful figure who had pacified Jiangdong and intimidated the world.

Ma Chao, without glancing to the side, carried Sun Shao straight to the main seat, gently placing him on a cushioned chair. He then stood to the side, and as his gaze swept over everyone, the hall fell silent instantly.

Cheng Pu stepped forward, his hand on his sword, his beard and hair trembling slightly but his voice strong: "Listen, everyone! Sun Quan murdered his brother to seize power, colluded with powerful families to wreak havoc in Jiangdong, and the evidence against him is irrefutable. He has already fled overseas to escape punishment. Such a traitor is unworthy to be the ruler of Jiangdong!" He paused, then his voice suddenly rose, "After discussion between the King of Liang and the Old Lady Sun, it has been decided that Sun Ce's eldest son, Sun Shao, is intelligent, kind, filial, and courteous. From today onwards, he will inherit the throne of Jiangdong and be enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wu!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Pu bowed first: "Greetings, Lord Wu!"

The civil and military officials on both sides followed closely behind, bowing deeply once more, their shouts even louder than before: "Greetings, Lord Wu!"

Sun Shao sat in the chair, his little hands clenched into fists, looking at the dark mass of people below. Suddenly remembering what his mother had taught him the night before, he straightened his chest and said in a still childish voice, "Everyone...please rise."

Ma Chao watched from the side, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. He raised his hand to signal, "Get up, all of you."

Everyone rose as instructed, their gazes falling on the young Marquis Wu in the main seat. Considering the intimidating presence of the King of Liang beside them, they all understood—although the Marquis of Wu's position was inherited by Sun Shao, it was decided by Ma Chao. Now, the Han Dynasty was merely a name in name only, and the so-called investiture did not need to be requested from Chang'an. As long as the King of Liang nodded, it would be an ironclad rule recognized throughout Jiangdong.

Cheng Pu stepped forward again and unfolded a bamboo scroll: "Another appointment—Zhou Yu will remain as the Grand Commander of Jiangdong, in charge of all military affairs in Jiangdong, dispatching all armies, and reorganizing the border defenses. All important military and political affairs will be coordinated by the Grand Commander. During the period when Wu Hou is young, he will temporarily hold the military command!"

Zhou Yu stepped out from the ranks of military officers, his tall figure accentuated by his blue robe. He bowed to Sun Shao, who sat in the main seat, then turned to Ma Chao and nodded, saying in a deep voice, "Your subject Zhou Yu will certainly not fail the trust placed in him by the King of Liang and the Marquis of Wu, and will swear to protect Jiangdong with his life!"

The hall was filled with voices of agreement, and everyone looked at Zhou Yu with eyes full of trust—this strategist who had helped Sun Ce conquer half of the country was now in command of troops again. With Ma Chao in charge and Zhou Yu assisting him, the stability of Jiangdong seemed to have the most solid guarantee.

Sun Shao sat in the main seat, secretly glancing at Ma Chao beside him. Seeing Ma Chao looking at him, he quickly looked away, but his small hand quietly relaxed a little. Sunlight shone through the window, falling on him and on the faces below, some familiar and some unfamiliar, as if gilding this new beginning in Jiangdong with a solemn golden edge.

The personnel appointments in Jiangdong were chaotic for a long time afterward, as the powerful families had been purged and there were many vacancies that needed to be filled.

The commotion in the council hall finally subsided with the final appointment document being finalized. The sun outside the window had climbed to its zenith, making the ground slightly warm. Sun Shao, sitting in the main seat, felt his back ache. Listening to the adults arguing about who should fill the vacancy, he had long lost the solemnity he had shown in the morning. He secretly shuffled his feet under the brocade stool, his eyes constantly glancing towards the door.

Just as he turned the corner of the corridor, he saw a group of teenagers gathered there. It was Ma Yue, Zhou Yin, and the orphaned members of his former guards who had once fished and climbed trees with him in Wu County. Seeing him running towards them, the little ones immediately swarmed forward, chattering excitedly:

"Lord Wu! You looked so majestic sitting up there just now!"

"Those adults are all bowing to you!"

"From now on, will we be able to accompany you into and out of the council chamber?"

Sun Shao blushed with pride at the praise and was about to raise his chin when he caught a glimpse of Ma Yue standing to the side with his arms crossed, his brows furrowed and a snort escaping his nose. His smugness deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon.

He quickly pushed through the crowd and ran to Ma Yue, mimicking an adult's gesture of bowing. However, he almost tripped because he was moving too fast, and his voice softened as he asked, "Big brother, why aren't you saying anything?"

Ma Yue was half a head taller than him, looking down at him condescendingly: "Now that you're Marquis Wu, you've become arrogant? Just now, you were sitting in the hall, your face was practically pointing to the sky."

The surrounding children immediately fell silent, and Zhou Yin quickly tried to smooth things over: "Brother Yue, don't say that, it's Shao'er's first time too..."

Sun Shao's face flushed with anxiety. He quickly grabbed Ma Yue's sleeve, pulling so hard he almost stumbled. "I didn't! Brother, I really didn't! In my heart, you'll always be my brother, that's never changed!" Afraid Ma Yue wouldn't believe him, he added, "Look, just now during the meeting, I was thinking of bringing the little bow your father gave me. Shall we go archery outside the city this afternoon?"

Seeing him sweating profusely with anxiety, Ma Yue could hardly contain his urge to speak, but he deliberately kept a straight face: "Really? No matter what your status is in the future, if I call you Shao'er, will you dare not answer?"

"No, no!" Sun Shao quickly shook his head, like a chicken pecking at rice. "I'll respond to whatever you call me, even if you call me 'little one'!"

With a "pfft," Zhou Yin laughed first, and the other children followed suit. Ma Yue then relaxed his face, reached out and ruffled Sun Shao's hair, messing up his neatly combed hair: "That's more like it. Remember, we're brothers who grew up together, naked as children, it has nothing to do with whether you're the Marquis of Wu or not."

"Mm!" Sun Shao nodded emphatically, feeling relieved. He grinned, revealing his two recently replaced little tiger teeth.

Sunlight streamed through the carved windows of the corridor, illuminating the figures of a group of children playing. The solemnity and seriousness of the council hall seemed to have been completely swept away by the noise. Sun Shao grabbed Ma Yue's hand and ran towards the training ground, shouting that they wanted to see who could run faster. Ma Chao and Zhou Yu watched from behind and smiled knowingly.

While the Wu Marquis's ascension to the throne was in full swing, let's return to the Old Madam's side. Just as dawn was breaking, the cobblestone path of the Sun residence was still damp with dew. The Old Madam instructed her servants to prepare a carriage, and she and Sun Shangxiang went to Qiao Garden in the suburbs to visit Qiao Xuan. The lanterns under the eaves were still lit, making her white hair at her temples appear as if covered in frost. She repeatedly stroked the handkerchief clutched in her hand until she heard the carriage wheels rolling over the stones, then took a deep breath and boarded the carriage.

Qiao Xuan was tending to his orchids in the garden when he saw the old lady arrive. He quickly had a servant bring over a bamboo chair and said with a smile, "Old sister, you must be having some thoughts on your mind when you come to visit at this time."

When the old lady sat down, her fingertips were still trembling. She took the hot tea handed to her by the boy, but did not drink it. Instead, she stared blankly at the morning mist filling the garden: "Old Qiao, I understand all the principles you mentioned. But... but in my heart, it feels like I have a weight on my shoulders, and I just can't let it go."

"Oh?" Qiao Xuan stroked his beard. "Didn't we reach an agreement a few days ago?"

"I've made sense of it, but things don't always go according to plan." The old lady gave a bitter smile. "I was thinking that if Meng Qi wanted to take over Jiangdong, I would cry and beg him, mentioning the friendship I had with Bo Fu back then, and telling him about the difficulties the Sun family has faced over the years. He would feel some guilt, and then I could ask him to protect Shao'er and preserve the Sun family line. Perhaps that would be more secure than what we're doing now."

She paused, her voice lowering slightly: "But he was quite different. He didn't mention power at all, and went straight to saying that he wanted to make Shao'er the Marquis of Wu, and that he would be returning to Chang'an soon. His frankness made me seem like I had such wicked thoughts, and it made me toss and turn at night, feeling empty inside."

Qiao Xuan smiled upon hearing this, causing the dew on the orchid leaves to roll off: "Jiangdong still belongs to the Sun family. Shao'er has become the Marquis of Wu, and Gongjin is assisting him. Isn't this a good thing? What are you worried about?"

"The problem lies in this 'good thing'," the old lady sighed. "How old is Shao'er? Although Gongjin is capable, there are wolves and tigers all around. Cao Cao in the north, Liu Zhang in the west, aren't they all eyeing this fat piece of meat, Jiangdong? It's good enough if Shao'er can protect the family business, how dare he think about expanding the territory?"

She gazed at the distant outline of the city wall, her eyes filled with worry: "Tell me, what if Mengqi really gains power in the future and confronts Jiangdong? It would be more dignified to submit then than to submit now. But Mengqi hasn't mentioned it, so I can't just rush to give Jiangdong away, can I? How will Shao'er face himself in the future?"

“Furthermore,” she said, her voice even softer, “if Mengqi leaves and no longer protects Jiangdong, who can stop those warlords if they really attack? Even if Gongjin has extraordinary abilities, he can’t fight against so many opponents.”

Hearing this, Qiao Xuan suddenly put down the kettle in his hand and said seriously, "Sister, you're making a simple matter complicated. Meng Qi didn't seize Jiangdong because he cherishes his friendship with Bo Fu, isn't that a good thing?"

The old lady sighed as she looked at Qiao Xuan, her fingers unconsciously twisting her handkerchief: "Mengqi is such an honest child. When Bofu was alive, he always said he was a rough gem, just a bit too straightforward. Now it seems he truly has no ulterior motives. But his lack of greed for power makes me uneasy—affection is something that fades over time if you don't consciously maintain it. Now that Bofu is gone, who knows how long this affection can last?"

Qiao Xuan stroked his beard, feeling a little troubled. At this moment, his gaze swept over Sun Shangxiang, who was standing behind the old lady. This girl had just come of age, and her light pink dress made her figure even more graceful.

Qiao Xuan's eyes lit up, and he slowly said, "Madam, look at Miss Sun, isn't she becoming more and more beautiful?"

The old lady was stunned for a moment, then followed his gaze and nodded: "That's right, this girl has grown up so much in the blink of an eye."

Qiao Xuan changed the subject: "Now that you've grown into such a beautiful young woman, it's time to start thinking about arranging a marriage for you."

The old lady didn't react immediately and frowned, saying, "What are you talking about? We were just talking about Meng Qi, how did we get onto Xiang'er?"

Qiao Xuan smiled mysteriously: "This is precisely to ease your worries. You're always afraid that Meng Qi's relationship with Jiangdong will fade. If we betroth Miss Sun to Meng Qi, he'll become your Sun family's son-in-law. With that connection, how could the relationship possibly weaken?" I've heard the Qiao sisters say that Miss Sun said she wanted to marry Meng Qi when she was young.