Chapter 52: For the sake of the overall situation, the military advisor has to be wronged! The wife is generous, but the sister-in-law is jealous?
This Madam Su actually wants to be a matchmaker for him?

Do you want to marry Zou's daughter to him as a concubine?

What does this mean?
Xiao Fang looked puzzled and turned his gaze to Lao Liu.

Looking at the smile on Lao Liu's face, I suddenly understood something.

Since ancient times, it has been common for kings to reward their important officials with money and beauties, and it is nothing surprising.

Didn’t Old Liu send a few maids before? It makes sense for him to send a concubine now.

Wait... Zou's daughter?
Could it be the Madam Zou who is rumored to be a disaster for the country and the people?

Isn’t that Zhang Ji’s widow!
Is Old Liu going to give him a widow?
"May I ask, Madam? I have never met this daughter of the Zou family before. How could you have thought of telling her to me?"

Xiao Fang was full of doubts and asked.

Madam Su smiled and asked:
"Jinglue, do you have a maid in your tent named Zhou Wan?"

Xiao Fang was startled, then nodded and said:
"There is indeed such a person. This girl was sent by Wen Chang, and her origins have also been mentioned to the lord."

Madam Su then asked, "Where is Zhou Wan now?"

Xiao Fang didn't quite understand why Madam Su asked Zhou Wan so many detailed questions.

I was confused, but I couldn't help but answer, so I replied:

"After the lord conquered Wancheng, I allowed her to go back and reunite with her parents, but she has not returned yet."

"I think she is a rich lady, she is ashamed to be a maid serving tea and water, Fang doesn't want to force her, it's up to her to stay or go."

Madam Su and Liu Bei looked at each other, and their eyes seemed to confirm a certain guess.

Liu Bei sighed softly and said with emotion:
"Jinglue, you are a man of great foresight. You know everything about the world and everyone in it, but you don't know the beauty beside you."

The more Xiao Fang listened, the more confused he became. He was completely bewildered by what Old Liu and his wife said.

Mrs. Su stopped beating around the bush and said frankly:
"Jinglue, Zhou Wan's surname is not Zhou, but Zou."

"That girl is the daughter of the Zou family."

Xiao Fang's heart was shocked.

Mrs. Su then explained the whole process one by one.

At first, out of fear, Zou Wan lied and said her surname was Zhou, and did not dare to tell her real name.

Later, after entering Wancheng, Zou Wan returned home to reunite with her father.

Not long ago, Liu Bei held a banquet to entertain the gentry from Wancheng who came to congratulate him. His father Zou Han took the opportunity to propose to Liu Bei that his daughter Zou Wan be given to Xiao Fang as a concubine.

After Liu Bei learned the whole story, he gave the matchmaking job to Mrs. Su.

This is how Mrs. Su’s matchmaking came about.

After hearing this explanation, Xiao Fang suddenly understood.

No wonder she hesitated when she asked Zou Wan's name that day. Later, when they were getting along, he seemed to feel that this girl seemed to be hiding something.

With Xiao Fang's vision, if he really wanted to be serious, he would be able to see through the doubts.

But he was busy with the war at that time and was too lazy to investigate the details. He also thought that she was a girl and any suspicion would not affect the overall situation, so he did not think too much about it.

The truth has come to light today. Now when I think about it carefully, all those clues and doubts seem to fit in.

"I see. I didn't expect she was the daughter of the Zou family."

Xiao Fang had seen all kinds of storms and waves, and his mood soon calmed down.

By this calculation, Zou Wan was kidnapped by Wei Yan on the way to her wedding and did not have time to enter the city to get married. She had no relationship with Zhang Ji, and could not be considered his widow.

What Old Liu wanted to give to himself was not a widow, but a virgin.

But a new confusion emerged in his mind, so he asked:
"I don't quite understand. Although the Zou family is not as wealthy as the Cai Kuai family, it is still a well-known and prestigious family in Wancheng. Why would they let their daughter become a concubine?"

Madam Su coughed a few times and sighed:

"Everyone knows now that the daughter of the Zou family has been missing for so long. She is in your tent, Jinglue. How will those people outside talk about her as a girl..."

Mrs. Su stopped at that point and did not expose the matter out of consideration for the Zou family's reputation.

However, Xiao Fang immediately heard the hidden meaning in the words.

A single man and a single woman have been living in the same tent for such a long time. Even if he did not force Zou Wan to be his sweet girl, what would the world think?
In order to protect their daughter's innocence and to save the family's reputation, the Zou family decided to go with the flow and proposed the marriage even if they would rather lower their status and let Zou become a concubine.

"Jing Lue is my husband's military advisor. He holds a high position. How could the Zou family not know this?"

"The Zou family proposed marriage this time to protect the Zou family's reputation and to show goodwill to the husband through this marriage."

"The Zou family still has some influence in Wancheng, and my husband also intends to promote this marriage to show his respect for the Zou family and the people of Nanyang."

"Jinglue, I'm afraid I'll have to wrong you in this marriage."

Mrs. Su further pointed out the deeper political significance of this marriage.

Zhang Fei couldn't help laughing when he heard this:
"Sister-in-law, what you said is making me laugh to death."

"What do you mean by grievance Jinglue? I heard that the girl from the Zou family is a first-class beauty!"

"Jinglue got such a beautiful concubine for free, he should be so happy, how can this be regarded as an injustice to him?"

Zhang Fei's shouting made everyone laugh.

Xiao Fang thought that what Zhang Fei said seemed to make sense.

It's not too much to rely on Lao Liu to help him appease the people through marriage.

Zou Wan, as Zhang Fei said, is indeed a first-class beauty. It is not a big deal to take such a beauty as a concubine.

If we have to argue and shirk this, wouldn't that be hypocritical?

"Since Madam is the matchmaker, I will naturally agree to this marriage."

"However, regarding the matter of taking a concubine, I would like to go back and inform my wife. I hope Madam will forgive me." Xiao Fang agreed, but he had to discuss it with Zhuge Lan.

However, in this era, it was common for a man of his status to take a concubine, so there was no reason for Zhuge Lan to refuse to discuss it.

But Xiao Fang still has to give enough respect to his wife.

When Mrs. Su saw Xiao Fang nod, she showed some joy on her face and looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei also breathed a sigh of relief, and was naturally even pleased that his military advisor took the overall situation into consideration.

"Jinglue!"

Liu Bei happily raised his glass and looked towards Xiao Fang with gratitude:
"I was so desperate when I lost Xuzhou. If it weren't for your support, how could I have taken Nanyang and gained a foothold here!"

"I don't need to say any more empty words of gratitude, they are all in this glass of wine!"

Liu Bei was full of passion and drank the whole bottle in one gulp.

Xiao Fang smiled, and without saying anything more, he drank the full cup.

The two held up their empty wine glasses and laughed at each other.

This banquet was a very enjoyable one.

It was not until the lights were lit that the half-drunk Xiao returned to his mansion with the help of Zhuge Liang.

"Why did you drink so much?"

Zhuge Lan hurried forward, took Xiao Fang from Zhuge Liang and supported him.

Zhuge Rong followed, holding onto his other arm, and turned back to glare at Zhuge Liang:
"Aliang, why didn't you stop him from drinking so much?"

Zhuge Liang was caught in the crossfire and had to spread his hands with an innocent look on his face:

"My lord is in a very good mood today, and General Yide is a heavy drinker, he keeps asking my brother-in-law to drink a glass of wine, and I can't stop him~~"

Zhuge Rong curled her lips and had no time to blame him anymore. She and her sister supported Xiao Fang and entered the inner room.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Fang's drunkenness wore off a little. When he opened his eyes, he saw Zhuge Rong had left and his wife came in with a basin of water.

She wrung out the wet wipes and was about to wipe his face.

Xiao Fang suddenly grabbed Zhuge Lansu's hand, pulled her into his arms with force.

"Husband~~"

Zhuge Lan was caught off guard, her face flushed immediately, and she let out a coquettish cry.

"Madam, I have something I want to discuss with you..."

Xiao Fang thought for a moment but didn't know how to start.

Zhuge Lan guessed what he wanted to say, so he smiled faintly:
"My husband, are you trying to tell me about Madam Su acting as a matchmaker to marry the daughter of the Zou family as your concubine?"

Xiao Fang was stunned. He didn't expect Zhuge Lan already knew it and said it first.

After a brief thought, she realized that Zhuge Liang had probably told her first when she was outside.

"So Aliang has already told you that it was Madam Su who brought up this matter, and I guess it was the Lord's intention..."

Before Xiao Fang could finish, Zhuge Lan said seriously:

"It was fate that Miss Zou met my husband. It is human nature for her to want to marry my husband in order to protect her reputation."

"Besides, it is natural for a man to take a concubine, let alone your current status and position, my husband."

"Besides, this marriage was arranged by Madam Su. My husband, you should have agreed without hesitation. You even said that you would come back to discuss it with me. This makes me seem like a jealous woman."

Xiao Fang's eyes widened and he looked at his wife in surprise.

He really didn't expect that Zhuge Lan would be so generous and consider the overall situation.

For a moment, Xiao Fang was filled with emotion and didn't know what to say.

"But I also understand that my husband respects me and that's why he wanted to discuss this with me."

"As long as my husband has this heart, I will be satisfied. What else can I ask for~~"

Zhuge Lan was moved instead, her face flushed and she buried her face in Xiao Fang's arms.

Xiao Fang finally came to his senses and let out a long sigh.

With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for...

Looking down, I saw that Zhuge Lan's originally flushed face became even more beautiful under the candlelight.

Xiao Fang's heart began to beat fast, and he flicked his sleeves heavily, and the red candles in the room went out.

At this moment, the moonlight outside the window is bright.

Inside the main hall.

"Lord Xuande is really a fool. Why not give my brother-in-law a concubine instead of a concubine?"

"Why did my brother-in-law agree to this without even asking us first?"

When Zhuge Rong learned that Xiao Fang was going to take a concubine, she frowned and muttered something resentful.

"Mrs. Su is the matchmaker, how can my brother-in-law refuse?"

"Besides, this marriage is related to the lord's appeasement and winning over the people of Wancheng. My brother-in-law is the lord's military advisor, and it is impossible for me to refuse for the sake of the overall situation."

After Zhuge Liang patiently explained the pros and cons, he suddenly realized something was wrong and asked in surprise:

"That's not right, second sister. Even if my brother-in-law wants to discuss it, he should discuss it with my eldest sister. Why should he discuss it with you?"

Zhuge Rong's body trembled, and her pretty face turned red all the way to her ears.

(End of this chapter)