When the ship arrived at Niuzhu, Sun Quan had already led his civil and military officials to greet them on the shore. In this battle, Sun Quan overruled many objections and advocated fighting, and finally won a great victory. Both Zhou Yu and Liu Qi were worthy of his personal greeting.
Sun Quan clasped his fists and said, "General, you have defeated the Northern Army in this battle. This will surely make Cao Cao dare not look south of the Yangtze River again!"
Zhou Yu returned the greeting and said, "It is all thanks to you, my lord, for commanding the rear and entrusting me with this important task, and with the help of General Liu, I dare not take credit for it."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "General, why should you be so modest? This battle was all planned by the General. Only when the men of Jiangdong are united can we defeat the enemy. I am just the icing on the cake."
Sun Quan laughed and said, "General, your empty camp to defeat Cao Ren is truly a brilliant move and your contribution is invaluable."
After some business exchanging, they entered the stronghold, where a banquet had already been set up. Sun Quan ordered the soldiers to drink as much as they could and get drunk, and return to Jianye tomorrow.
The lights at Niuzhu were on all night long, with laughter everywhere. Gan Ning led the Jinfan Army to challenge the officers of the Wu Army to a drinking contest. With the help of Du Kang wine, he got them all drunk and took the opportunity to ask them about the secrets of the navy.
The city of Jianye was also decorated with lights and colors at this time. Zhuge Jin personally presided over the welcoming ceremony. All the people in the city were waiting for Zhou Lang to return and to see the stunning "Golden Scale" Liu Qi!
The whole city was filled with joy, except for Zhang Zhao's mansion, which was completely silent. Although the servants wanted to go and see the fun, they did not dare to go out and could only inquire about the news in private.
Everyone knows that Zhang Zhao advocated peace and was scolded by Zhou Yu. He was humiliated by Liu Qi in the camp and slept for three days when he returned to his mansion. This time, when Sun Quan was going to meet the army, he also feigned illness and did not go out. Who would dare to offend him
At dusk, the servants had just finished their meal and were feeling bored, when they suddenly saw Zhang Zhao coming out from the backyard, neatly dressed and looking full of energy.
He glanced at everyone and said unhappily, "Jiangdong won a great victory. The Marquis of Wu went to reward the three armies. The Grand Commander will return to the city tomorrow. The whole country is celebrating. Why don't you go to the streets to have fun, but are sitting here like a bereaved family? What's the meaning of this?"
Everyone was stunned, not knowing why. Zhang Cheng laughed and scolded, "Why don't you go to the street and help those who can!"
The servants looked at each other, but no one dared to move. It was not until Zhang Zhao and his son walked out of the door quickly that they started to talk about something. Then they dispersed and went shopping.
Zhang Zhao went straight to the Marquis's residence and greeted Wu Guotai. After greeting her, he said, "I am sorry to bother you so much in the middle of the night."
Mrs. Wu was in high spirits and said with a smile, "Zhou Lang has won a great victory. My son-in-law will arrive tomorrow. I am very happy and have no desire to sleep. I was just about to go out, but it is only now time to light the lamps. It is still early!"
Zhang Zhaoyan said, "The marriage is not yet decided, but the Queen Mother calls you this, which shows how happy she is. But in my opinion, it is a bit abrupt."
Wu Guotai sighed, "I heard that Mr. Zhang and Liu Qi are unhappy. It's inevitable that young people are hot-tempered! After we meet tomorrow, I will ask him to apologize to you."
Zhang Zhao waved his hand and said, "We are all part of the Jiangdong foundation. A few verbal conflicts are nothing. I don't take them to heart."
Wu Guotai nodded and said, "Mr. Zhang is an elder in Jiangdong. I feel relieved if he has such a broad mind."
Zhang Zhaoyan said, "I am not here for official business, but for the young lady! When choosing a son-in-law, the first thing to consider is the character, and the second is the family background. It is related to Shangxiang's life destiny, so please be careful, Queen Mother."
Sun Shangxiang had been willful and unruly since she was a child. Once, she pulled Zhang Zhao's beard. In order to make amends, Sun Ce asked her to be his adoptive father. If it were not for this reason, she would have become Zhang Zhao's daughter-in-law, so it was reasonable for her to come and show concern for him.
Wu Guotai smiled and said, "Liu Qi is a royal noble, a golden branch and jade leaf, and he is also famous in Jingzhou. Shangxiang is marrying him, which is already a step up. Now he is promoting the Sun-Liu alliance, which is very reasonable both publicly and privately. What objection does Mr. Zhang have?"
Zhang Zhao sighed, "If it's for public affairs, I will naturally agree! But if it's for personal reasons, Shangxiang has been harmed this time. I can't bear to watch the girl jump into the sea of fire. In the future, I will not be able to face the general who is suppressing the rebellion."
Wu Guotai asked in confusion, "Why did Mr. Zhang say that?"
Zhang Zhaoyan said, "Liu Qi was born lustful and was hurt by alcohol and sex in his early years, so Liu Biao disliked him and distanced himself from him. Although he has changed his ways, he is still lustful and has married three women. Does the Queen Mother know about this?"
Wu Guotai frowned and said, "I only heard that he married the daughter of the Xi family, and Shangxiang can be his co-wife. Who are the other two women?"
"Lu Zijing's matchmaker is really unreliable!" Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and smiled coldly, "Before this, Liu Qi had an affair with the maidservant beside him. Later, when he was inspecting Jingnan, he forced the governor Zhao Fan's brother and sister-in-law to marry him in Guiyang. Zhao Fan was angry but dared not say anything. How is his behavior different from that of Cao Cao?"
"Is this true?" Wu Guotai's face changed slightly. As a woman, she hated men flirting the most, especially those who flirted with other women and then abandoned them.
Zhang Zhaoyan said: "Li says: If you want to manage your family, you must first cultivate yourself; if you want to cultivate yourself, you must first correct your heart. People like Liu Qi, whose hearts are not correct, how can they cultivate themselves and manage their families, let alone govern the country and bring peace to the world?"
Wu Guotai's face suddenly darkened: "I never thought that the rumors about Liu Qi being a young hero would turn out to be so shameful behind the scenes."
Zhang Zhao sighed, "Shangxiang married far away in Jingzhou, thousands of miles away, and we rarely see each other for years. If she is ignored and abandoned, she will cry all day long. With Shangxiang's temperament, she might commit suicide, and then the old man will send the young man away..."
"How can this be possible!" Wu Guotai was furious and stood up tremblingly.
Sun Ce and Sun Yi were both killed at a young age. Wu Guotai lost her sons one after another in her old age and had long been unable to bear the pain. Sun Shangxiang was her most beloved youngest daughter and was completely confused by Zhang Zhao's words.
"Please calm down, Queen Mother!" Zhang Zhao hurriedly advised, "But the marriage between the two families is already known to the world. If you cancel the engagement now, everyone will laugh at you, and it will also make the Marquis of Wu look bad. You need to be careful."
Wu Guotai was furious: "You just advised me not to marry Shangxiang, and now you ask me to consider the overall situation. What should I do?"
Zhang Zhaoyan said, "Although the two families have agreed to get married, the betrothal gifts have not been paid and the elders have not met, so there is still room for maneuver! The Queen Mother can make another agreement and say that she wants to meet Liu Qi: if they are compatible, then the marriage will be arranged. If not, then another girl from the clan will be chosen to marry. This will not only be polite, but also protect Shangxiang, killing two birds with one stone."
"How can such a person be compatible with you?" Wu Guotai snorted coldly and asked, "What do you think, Mr. Zhang?"
Zhang Zhaoyan said, "In three days, it will be the anniversary of the death of the anti-rebel general. His spirit tablet is enshrined in Ganlu Temple. Why not set it up in the temple? We can also let Shangxiang meet him with a sword and see how Liu Qi behaves. It won't be too late to make a decision then!"
Wu Guotai nodded and said, "That's fine. When Zhongmou comes back tomorrow, I will discuss with him about a blind date at Ganlu Temple!"
"I will go to the temple to make arrangements tomorrow!" Zhang Zhao took the initiative to ask, comforted Wu Guotai, and then took his leave.
Zhang Cheng was waiting outside the door and asked, "What do you think, Queen Mother?"
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and smiled, "The Queen Mother really didn't know that Liu Qi was a lecher. She was furious when she heard this. This time, she will make Liu Qi embarrassed in public."
Zhang Cheng sneered, "Although Liu Qi has some abilities, his character is extremely bad. How can he be worthy of Shang Xiang, let alone achieve anything great."
When he thought about his beloved woman getting married, he felt mixed emotions. Although he would never have the chance to marry again in this lifetime, he didn't want to be married by someone else.