Sun Quan muttered for a long time outside Sun Shangxiang's boudoir.
Probably because he heard Lu Xun's voice, he stood up in a panic——
"Little sister... I'm taking the first step for my brother. You... just have a good rest..."
There was no sound from inside the door, which made Sun Quan a little disappointed.
However, the situation forced him to have no time to think so much.
——
From the beginning to the end, Sun Quan had no idea that Sun Shangxiang was not the only one in the family.
People who had listened to Sun Quan's confession together included Da Qiao, who was sitting quietly by the bed, and Lu Lingqi, who had been closing her eyes to rest.
After confirming that Sun Quan had left, Sun Shangxiang, who was leaning against the door with his back to the room, felt his legs weaken and collapsed to the ground.
Lu Lingqi was a little surprised. She stood up and stepped forward to help Sun Shangxiang. When she got closer, she found that Sun Shangxiang was holding her knees and was already crying.
"Lingqi...and sister...why..."
The sobbing Sun Shangxiang raised her head and softly called to the two women who were older and more mature than her - it seemed...it seemed that she was in a dilemma after experiencing this confession from her brother.
No...it's not actually an opposing dilemma.
What she wanted to oppose was never Sun Quan, but the political marriage that deprived her of her freedom. No matter what...she was determined to leave this land with no future.
But... before leaving, she discovered that... she was not the only one at the center of various conflicts.
Her elder brother, Sun Quan and Sun Zhongmou, as a general, as a son of a hero, the pressure on his shoulders, the hopes placed on his back, and self-imposed restraints, everything pushed him to the edge of annihilating relatives for righteousness.
Although it's not as scary as it sounds - if unrelated people were to evaluate marriage, they might not even think that getting married would cause so many conflicts.
But this conflict that broke out because of the marriage was just a microcosm of the conflict between human rights and hegemony throughout the late Eastern Han Dynasty.
Troubled times force some people who stand at the top to abandon their own fetters, treat others with snobbery, and judge things with reason. It can be said that no one living in this era is truly free.
And what Sun Shangxiang is doing is just showing his meager resistance in the face of such a trend.
The only difference from those failed examples is that...a month ago, she met someone who was willing to do his best to help her. Based on this, facing the cage called "imprisonment", she set off
In this era, there is a completely opposite trend.
The advantage is that if she succeeds, she will really escape from the vortex and can pursue her own future——
And the cost... is obvious... those who go against the tide choose to fight back. If the tide that goes with the trend is overturned, even if the group of people riding on the wave do not end up dead, I am afraid that they will not be able to escape intact——
Glittering tears fell from Sun Shangxiang's cheeks. She didn't wear makeup, so she didn't have to worry about it being smudged.
The mature woman sitting far away had a face full of sadness. Because of her makeup, she couldn't even cry with her.
free?
Isn't this makeup a kind of confinement?
Some women can't even shed tears as they please. They have been really sick for too long in this era.
"Shang Xiang...don't ask why...you...are not wrong."
"That gentleman said...it's the world that's wrong."
"If you still feel confused now, just ask yourself, do you... want freedom?"
The final outcome of the discussion in the room is unknown, but one thing can be confirmed, what is hidden in the quiet night is the dawn of dawn.
——
For Sun Quan——
The night passed quickly.
After a confession, he seemed to be in a much better mood.
Anyone who achieves great things must not be trapped by obstacles.
This is what Sun Jian taught Sun Quan.
He felt that his current state of mind was close to the state that his father mentioned back then.
The next day——
Lu Xun, Lu Su and others, who had arrived early, were already waiting outside the door of Sun Mansion.
Although the wedding procedures of later dynasties were often simplified, Sun Quan was one of the most powerful princes in the world after all. From the wedding ceremony to the procession of welcoming the sedan chair, Sun Quan had stretched his budget to the fullest.
Therefore, the people of Jianye City can easily see the city full of lights and colorful lights today, which may not be possible even during the New Year.
Although Liu Bei came to Jiangdong, Sun Quan would not regard him as his son-in-law.
The Qingluan Pavilion was regarded as the man's family residence. It was just a restaurant, and it already had the aura of half a royal palace, not to mention how much Sun Quan had done in terms of money and silver.
Early in the morning, there were countless children carrying vegetable baskets, who were ordered by Lu Xun to go to the streets along the way and distribute snacks and fruits to people, with the intention of spreading the joy of the wedding to everyone in the city.
However, Lu Su also meant this: taking advantage of this time, the officers and soldiers finally had an excuse to go to various houses along the way to search in advance for any traces of criminals who planned to cause trouble.
The result was obvious. Most of the people watching the theater on the street were local residents of Jianye City. Even after a special person checked the list one by one, the officers and soldiers could not find any suspicious forces. This made Lu Su feel vaguely uneasy.
Feel.
The person who will be the girl's head of family was hastily decided the day before, but there wasn't much wrong with it.
Sun Quan and Wu Guotai attended, which made Liu Bei, who had been waiting in the restaurant early, feel more at ease.
Especially when he saw the Empress Dowager Wu, who was rumored to have broken up with Sun Quan yesterday, Liu Bei put on an old face and went up to quietly call the Empress Dowager mother-in-law, which made the "big shots" from both sides present in the building burst into laughter.
The whole Jianye was immersed in a sea of joy.
When the time comes and the bride enters the sedan chair, the large group of people sending her off will beat gongs and drums and drive towards the restaurant at the end.
Everything - seems to be going in order.
——
Of course, some small accidents were a bit unexpected.
While Sun Quan, Liu Bei and others were still chatting upstairs, someone from outside the building hurried to the court, saying that someone wanted to see Liu Bei.
Generally speaking, Sun Quan doesn't like to be disturbed at such critical moments.
But... when he thought that today was a happy day, when his subordinate was about to drive people away, Sun Quan greeted him with a smile:
"Let that man come up!"
After saying that, Sun Quan turned to Liu Bei and smiled:
"Maybe some unsighted and unscrupulous people are coming to this pavilion to ask for the lottery...but...well, today is a happy day for our two families. No matter who comes to ask for the lottery, today I will..."
Thump thump thump thump—
Suddenly there was an extremely hurried sound coming up the stairs.
Just listening to these footsteps, Sun Quan had a strange feeling - if he were a beggar and his ilk, could his footsteps really be so heavy?
His feeling used to be ridiculously bad, but recently it seems to be ridiculously accurate.
When the other party's rich voice spread throughout the entire pavilion, Sun Quan's joyful momentum was suddenly brought back to the beginning of all events by this voice.
"Lord! Zilong is a step too late!"
"Well! It's Zilong! Not too late, not too late! Just in time!"
Liu Bei smiled and walked up to the figure who appeared at the top of the stairs. He didn't seem to notice that Sun Quan beside him had become as stiff as a stone.