Sun Quan and Liu Bei are now brothers-in-law as the fake wedding becomes real.

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Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 67.

Last time, Zhou Yu and Sun Quan had concocted a scheme to get Jing Province back. They heard that Liu Bei’s wife had just died, so they sent him a marriage proposal, offering him Sun Quan’s younger sister. It was plainly obvious to everyone that this was a trap, and that as soon as Liu Bei showed up in the Southlands for his wedding, he was going to be taken hostage and ransomed for Jing Province. In spite of this, Zhuge Liang told him he should go. So despite his reservations, Liu Bei, accompanied by the general Zhao Yun, 500 soldiers, and three silk pouches containing strategies from Zhuge Liang, went to the city of Nanxu (2,2) to meet Sun Quan.

But when they got there, instead of directly going to see Sun Quan, they first paid State Elder Qiao (2) a visit and told HIM about the pending nuptials. State Elder Qiao then went to congratulate Madame Wu, mother of the bride. Except she knew nothing about this, since Sun Quan concocted this whole scheme without telling her, figuring there was no need since the marriage proposal was just a sham anyway.

So you can imagine Madame Wu’s reaction. She sent someone to fetch Sun Quan. At the same time, she also sent some servants out into the city to see if the gossip on the streets confirmed what she had been told.

Soon, the servants returned from the streets and said, “It’s true. Your future son-in-law is already resting at the guest house. His 500 soldiers are purchasing pigs, goats, and fruits in the city, making preparations for the wedding. The matchmakers are Lü Fan on the bride’s side, and Liu Bei’s adviser Sun Qian on the groom’s side. They are welcoming Liu Bei at the guest house right now.”

 

Madame Wu was startled. Momentarily, Sun Quan came in to see her. As soon as she saw him, she beat her chest and wept loudly.

“Mother, what is troubling you?” an alarmed Sun Quan asked.

“I must be nothing to you! When my sister was dying, what did she tell you?!”

And in case you forgot, Madame Wu’s sister was Sun Quan’s real mother. Both of women married Sun Quan’s father, and when Sun Quan’s mom was dying, she told him to treat her sister, our current Madame Wu, as if she were his mother.

“Mother, if something is bothering you, tell me what it is. There is no need for this!” a stunned Sun Quan said.

“When sons and daughters are grown, it is only right that they should marry. Thus has been the norm since antiquity. But I am your mother, so matters of marriage should be decided by me. Why did you not tell me that you offered your sister’s hand in marriage to Liu Bei? She is MY daugher!”

“Wh … where did you get that idea?”

“If you don’t want something to be known, don’t do it. Every civilian in this city knows about this. Except me!”

And now, State Elder Qiao chimed in and piled on. “I have known about it for days, and I came to offer my congratulations to the queen mother.”

 

Busted like a little kid who just got caught doing something bad, Sun Quan had no choice but to come clean.

“You’re mistaken,” he told his mom. “This is Zhou Yu’s scheme to get Jing Province. We are using the marriage as bait to lure Liu Bei here, hold him hostage,