Good Eldest Sister-in-law

"Your second brother would never harm your eldest brother, but your brother Su Ming shouldn’t die either." Da Qiao gently stroked Sun Shangxiang’s head, her voice soft yet tinged with emotion.

"Sister." Beside her, Xiao Qiao looked at her elder sister through tearful eyes, softly calling out.

Da Qiao shook her head toward Xiao Qiao, silently conveying that understanding was enough, there was no need to share this with Shangxiang.

Though Da Qiao was beautiful, she was no mere ornament. The events of the day had stirred suspicion in her heart. She understood now, almost certainly, that her husband had indeed been harmed by Sun Quan, just as Su Ming had claimed. Yet what could knowing change? Sun Ce was dead; no one remained who could rein in the four great families of Jiangdong. With their support, Sun Quan's succession to the Marquis of Wu was now inevitable. At this point, Sun Ce could only be said to have been assassinated by the followers of Xu Gong. Only such an explanation would be best—for Jiangdong, for the Wu family, for her and Sun Shao.

But Su Ming must not die.

When a man passes, the warmth fades. Su Ming was the only soul in all of Jiangdong who cared about the cause of Sun Ce’s death. The entire region owed Sun Ce, but Su Ming did not. Even Da Qiao herself lacked the courage to seek justice for her husband. Only Su Ming, for the sake of fairness, was willing to risk his life.

Da Qiao pondered, searching for a way to save Su Ming. With Sun Quan's men everywhere, it would not be easy. After a moment’s deliberation, she found a solution. Leaning close to Sun Shangxiang, she whispered, "Shangxiang, are you willing to save your brother Su Ming?"

Without hesitation, like a chick pecking at grain, Sun Shangxiang nodded fiercely. "I’m willing, of course I’m willing."

"My eldest brother is gone; I don’t want to lose brother Su Ming as well."

Having received her affirmation, Da Qiao leaned in and whispered instructions to Sun Shangxiang. Then, she turned to her younger sister, Xiao Qiao. "Sister, take some people and find three fine horses. Wait outside the city. And bring some good medicine for wounds, and prepare some funds for the journey."

...

...

"You come to disturb my brother’s funeral—do you think Jiangdong has no one left to defend it?"

"Su Ming, do not be so arrogant!" Sun Shangxiang, for reasons unknown, had donned green armor and charged at Su Ming, brandishing a green spear.

Clang!

Their spears collided, the clash of metal echoing in the air.

...

"Shangxiang, stand aside!" Su Ming was gravely wounded, his body soaked in blood. As they crossed paths on horseback, Sun Shangxiang spoke urgently, "Brother Su, take me hostage and escape—quickly!"

At that moment, Sun Shangxiang was risking her life to save him, and Su Ming was deeply moved.

"Since I have come, I must seek justice for my brother today!" Su Ming’s voice rang with determination.

Sun Shangxiang was just a girl of seventeen or eighteen; she truly didn’t know how to persuade Su Ming to leave. But Da Qiao had already instructed her before she arrived.

"Brother Su Ming, you’re not seeking justice—you’re courting death. If you die, no one will care how my brother died. Only by living is there hope."

...

...

The two exchanged blows atop their steeds, the clash of weapons conveniently masking their conversation. Su Ming realized Sun Shangxiang could never have spoken such words herself.

"Did sister-in-law send you?" Su Ming asked.

Sun Shangxiang nodded, then delivered Da Qiao’s final message. "Sister-in-law told me to tell you: if you live, and if anything befalls her or Shao, you can be their support from outside. If you die, they’ll have no one left to rely on."

Hearing this, Su Ming was deeply affected.

Da Qiao’s worries were not without reason. Sun Quan was ruthless and selfish. If Da Qiao and Sun Ce threatened his position, he would surely eliminate them, leaving no loose ends.

Seeing Su Ming’s hesitation, Sun Shangxiang used the moment of their weapons’ clash to release her grip. Su Ming disarmed her, sending her spear flying. Then, Sun Shangxiang leaped lightly onto Su Ming’s horse, falling into his arms like a swallow.

"Clear the way—move aside!"

"Or I’ll kill her!" With Sun Shangxiang surrendering herself, Su Ming could not let her goodwill go to waste. Moreover, it was clear that killing Sun Quan was now impossible. To die here without achieving his goal would be meaningless.

Today, the seed of suspicion had been planted.

Fratricide for power would forever be a stain upon Sun Quan. Whether true or not, it would always be a weapon others might use against him.

The surrounding soldiers recognized Sun Shangxiang and dared not act rashly, fearful of harming her. They hesitated, uncertain what to do.

...

In that moment, both sides were locked in a standoff.

With Sun Shangxiang in Su Ming’s grasp, the soldiers dared not attack, fearing for her safety. Yet without Sun Quan’s order, they could not let Su Ming go either.

"Wu Marquis, indecision will only bring chaos," Zhang Zhao murmured in Sun Quan’s ear. "If this man escapes, the consequences will be dire."

Sun Quan needed no reminder; he had no intention of letting Su Ming go. Among powerful families, sibling bonds were meaningless. Had Sun Quan ever cared for such ties, history would not record him marrying Sun Shangxiang to Liu Bei, a man older than their father.

Sun Quan knew he must not let Su Ming escape. If he did, he would never sleep soundly again.

Even with Sun Shangxiang captured, Sun Quan hesitated little. He raised his hand to give the order. "Release—"

He meant to command his men to shoot, to kill both Su Ming and Sun Shangxiang. But as he uttered the first syllable, before he could finish, a fierce slap landed on his face.

Smack!

Before the command could be spoken, Da Qiao delivered a stinging slap, her voice nearly hysterical as she shouted, "Sun Zhongmou, would you truly turn brother against sister?"

Her words carried a double meaning: on the surface, she accused Sun Quan of endangering Sun Shangxiang for the sake of killing Su Ming. But beneath, she was hinting at Sun Quan’s collusion with the four families to murder his brother and seize power.

Having struck Sun Quan, Da Qiao stepped in front of Sun Shangxiang and Su Ming, shouting, "If you would loose your arrows, shoot me as well!"

Inserting herself at this critical moment, Da Qiao made things difficult for Sun Quan. He could decide to kill his own sister, Sun Shangxiang, but he dared not order Da Qiao’s death. Not that he could not—but that he would not dare.

Today was Sun Ce’s funeral. To murder Sun Ce’s widow on the very day of his burial would confirm the accusation of fratricide for power. Worse still, it would add the crime of killing his sister-in-law.

Then, the old ministers of Jiangdong would refuse to follow him. The entire region would splinter.

To kill Da Qiao before the eyes of all—no matter how bold Sun Zhongmou might be, he would not dare.