My Father in Law is Lu Bu

Chapter 718

Qiao Xuan and Liu Mang were both stubborn. They both glared unyieldingly at each other. Fortunately, Zhou Yu and Yang Hong were there to intervene. They persuaded Liu Mang to go to the backyard and then persuaded Qiao Xuan to calm down. They reminded that this was a serious matter that required careful discussion. It was not something that can be decided impulsively. Then only did they manage to separate the two and prevent things from escalating even further.

Liu Mang went to the backyard and was still seething in anger. Qiao Xuan was infuriating.

“Milord. Please calm down!” Yang Hong tried to comfort Liu Mang.

“Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down? I knew that old man was stubborn but I did not expect him to be this stubborn. He is like the stone in the toilet. Smelly and hard.” Liu Mang complained.

“Milord. You cannot blame Qiao Xuan for this. His daughter's reputation must be very important.” Yang Hong spoke for Qiao Xuan. It is hard for rumors to be dispelled. Right now, everyone in Yangzhou is pointing fingers at Qiao Xuan.

When Qiao Xuan lived in seclusion, the Yellow Turbans did not touch Qiao Xuan because Qiao Xuan's reputation was too high. Now for someone of such reputation to be embroiled with such scandal, he was obviously furious.

“Hmph!” Liu Mang snorted coldly.

“Milord. Qiao Xuan's influence is not a joke. If he stirs up trouble, it would be a disaster for Yangzhou!” Another voice advised. This was Xu Shu. If it was a serious matter, Xu Shu would naturally find out about it.

Liu Mang had just used the recent examination in Yangzhou to win over many scholars. If Qiao Xuan causes a stir, all of this effort would be wasted.

Why did Sun Ce and Zhou Yu marry the Qiao sisters in the first place? It was not just because they were beautiful but because of of Qiao Xuan's reputation. By marrying them, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu secured the loyalty of Jiangdong's scholars. Scholars and talents would go to them because of Qiao Xuan's influence. Qiao Xuan's status was like Pang Degong's status in Jingzhou. Even Liu Biao had to give face to Pang Degong.

Now, Qiao Xuan is like a gatekeeper in Jiangdong. If Liu Mang forces him to die, the consequences would be severe.

The scholars from Jiangdong would all rather serve as low ranking officials under Cao Cao than work for Liu Mang.

“So what do I do? Are you telling me to agree to his demands?” Liu Mang was helpless.

“This…” Xu Shu shook his head. If Qiao Xuan was someone that is difficult to deal with, then Lu Bu was even worse. Qiao Xuan could at least be reasoned with. If that fails, Qiao Xuan kills himself to put pressure on Liu Mang. However, Liu Mang's father-in-law was different. Lu Bu would just directly kill Liu Mang.

While Liu Mang was in trouble, a servant came over and knelt down. “Your Highness. The Queen Consort requests to see you.”

Liu Mang felt like crying after hearing this. This matter cannot be kept secret. Liu Mang turned to Xu Shu and Yang Hong hoping that they would follow him. But they quickly said that they have other important matters to deal with and ran away.

“These people are so heartless!” Liu Mang gnashed his teeth.

Liu Mang had no choice but to face the music alone. He began walking to Lady Lu's courtyard.

“Your Highness. The Queen Consort is waiting for you.” Lady Lu's personal maid was already there waiting for Liu Mang when Liu Mang arrived.

“Mm.” Liu Mang nodded. Normally, he would stop to chat but he was not in the mood.

Liu Mang originally thought it was just Lady Lu there but once he walked inside, he saw all of his wives there. Liu Mang subconciously wanted to leave.

“Oh. Our King of Shu is finally here. Where are you going? Come back!” Lady Lu sneered at Liu Mang.

“Hahaha. The weather is nice today!” Liu Mang laughed feeling guilty. All of his wives were there. This made him feel like crying.

“I heard that our King of Shu wants to divorce his wife.” Lady Lu sneered.

“No! Absolutely not! Where did the rumor come from?” Liu Mang jumped immediately. He wanted to quickly distance himself from such rumors.

“I don't care where the rumors come from. I just want to know if it is true!” Lady Lu asked.

“Wife. I won't dare do even if I was ten times braver. Not just because of you but because of my father-in-law. If he hears about this, he will chop me in half!” Liu Mang muttered the last part in fear that Lady Lu would tell on him. ℞äΝ𝐎𝔟ЕṠ

“Hmph! As expected, you would not dare!” Lady Lu huffed but she was pleased.

In truth, Lady Lu was satisfied with Liu Mang. Although Liu Mang was not handsome, not good at martial arts, or even intelligent, Liu Mang was good to his wives. In an era of male supremacy, women were treated as accessories for men. The term henpecked husband exists because people found the idea laughable. How could a man fear his wife?

However, Liu Mang came from the modern era where there were men who learned how to cook for their wives. Being ‘henpecked' was normal. What choice do they have when there were more men than women?

“Husband. My father is…?” Qiao Yu asked. She was worried about her father. According to others, her father wanted to kill himself in her husband's residence. One was her father and the other was her husband. This put her in an awkward position.

“Your father is fine!” Liu Mang said. The old man was still stubborn as ever.

“What about my sister?” Qiao Yu was panicking and no longer had the dignity of an older sister.

“Yue'er! Alas!” Liu Mang sighed. If it as just Qiao Xuan trying to marry off his daughter, Liu Mang would welcome it wholeheartedly. Problem is that Qiao Xuan wants her to be the primary wife.

At that moment, Qiao Yu said something shocking. “Husband! How about you divorce me?”

“Sister! You can't!” The others immediately protested.

Divorce in this era was not the same as in the modern era. If Liu Mang divorced her, her reputation would be ruined forever. She would not be able to show her face in public ever again.

Yes. We can discuss things. We cannot allow you to do this!” They persuaded.

“Absolutely not!” Liu Mang immediately objected. “Where would you go if I divorce you? Besides, aren't you also Qiao Xuan's daughter? If I divorce you, he would actually kill himself in front of my house. Divorce then was also called the “Seven Reasons for Divorce”. According to ancient customs, there are seven conditions that had to be met in order for them to divorce. If the woman in question meets one of the seven conditions, the husband and his family can ask to divorce. This also mainly considers the interest of the husband's family. In other words, it is oppression towards the wife.

The seven conditions are things like being unfilial to the husband's family, unable to bear a child, disrupting family order out of jealousy and others. Most of this cannot apply to Liu Mang since he does not have a family and he has many wives. So the only reason he could use to divorce Qiao Yu is that if Qiao Yu was cheating on her husband.

The moment this is used, Qiao Yu's reputation would forever be ruined. This was why Liu Mang immediately refused.

“Then what should I do?” Qiao Yu asked bitterly.

“I will find a way.” Liu Mang calmed down. “Ling'er, Yu'er, Fang'er, Xiang'er. I am sorry to wrong you but you will have another sister.” Liu Mang gave his wives advance warning.

“It's fine as long as you can appease that Lord Qiao and help Sister Yu'er get rid of her worries. Either way, this is not the first or second time this happened.” Lady Lu snorted in a bad mood.

“Thank you for understanding. I will go and find a way now.” Liu Mang said and hurriedly left his wives.

Liu Mang went back to his study and thought for a long time but he was unable to come up with a solution.

“Milord. If you can't find a solution, how about asking the Prime Minister and the others?” Guan Hai suggested.

“Yes.” Liu Mang nodded. “Guan Hai. Go and call Xu Shu, Tian Feng, Lu Su and the others for me.” Liu Mang did not mention Zhuge Liang.

“Milord. What about Minister Zhuge?” Guan Hai was confused since Liu Mang did not mention Zhuge Liang.

“That villain!” Liu Mang hesitated. If he told Zhuge Liang about this, Zhuge Liang would definitely laugh at him and mock him.

“One day, I will get rid of him.” Liu Mang said viciously but he still instructed Guan Hai to call Zhuge Liang.

It was the year 203 AD. It was a historical moment that is the first cabinet meeting in Yangzhou. All nine members of the cabinet entered the hall. Yet, the first thing being discussed was about how to deal with the old man Qiao Xuan.

“Hahaha!” As expected, Zhuge Liang was pointing at and laughing at Liu Mang. He did not take Liu Mang seriously at all.

“This bastard!” Liu Mang's face darkened with frustration. His urge to punch Zhuge Liang's handsome face was getting stronger.

“Let's begin the meeting.” Liu Mang gritted his teeth.

Lu Su could not help but nudge Zhuge Liang. His close friend excelled in everything but seemed to like antagonizing Liu Mang.

Lu Su's intervention helped Zhuge Liang to restrain himself from laughing. However, Zhuge Liang was unable to stop himself from smirking.

“You should all already be aware. Now, how do we deal with Qiao Xuan?” Liu Mang asked while rubbing his head.

“Milord. Qiao Xuan is highly respected. Using force is not an option.” Xu Shu the Interior Minister was the first to speak. Qiao Xuan was an uncompromising high ranked military officer. While Liu Mang could kill Qiao Xuan, he would be the first to be suspected. At worse, he would be condemned by the public. Yangzhou had only just begun to improve its reputation. Liu Mang really could not afford to be vilified again. In other words, they even have to go as far as ensuring Qiao Xuan's safety to protect Liu Mang's reputation.

“However, this Qiao Xuan does not yield to soft methods!” Liu Mang groaned. If Qiao Xuan was weak to wealth, Liu Mang could offer money. If Qiao Xuan wanted property, Liu Mang could arrange a grand residence in Shouchun for Qiao Xuan. The problem is that Qiao Xuan did not fear threats nor did he hold any of such desires. This kind of people were the hardest to break.

“This is why it is better to only have one wife.” Zhuge Liang commented.

“Zhuge Liang!” Liu Mang gritted his teeth, regretting that he brought Zhuge Liang here. In fact, Zhuge Liang was partially responsible for this by pouring more wine for Liu Mang to drink. If Liu Mang did not get drunk that day, all of this would not have happened.

“Minister Zhuge. Why did your wife come to the Ministry of Revenue to ask for your salary last month? I clearly gave it to you.” Mi Zhu began to help speak for Liu Mang. “Did you fail to hand it to her?”

“Mi Zifang! Brother Zifang! You did not tell her everything did you?” Zhuge Liang's eyes grew wide. Though Liu Mang said he would deduct Zhuge Liang's salary, he did not actually go through with it. However, Zhuge Liang used this as an excuse to hand over less of the salary to his wife. Where did the remaining money go? He spent it in a brothel in Shouchun.

“I told her!” Mi Zhu innocently said to Zhuge Liang.

“It's over!” Zhuge Liang sat back down in defeat. His wife will have his head when he goes home.

Liu Mang took delight in watching Zhuge Liang suffer. He then noticed Mi Zhu winking at him and realized that Mi Zhu was lying. Mi Zhu actually helped Zhuge Liang cover up his misdeeds but did not reveal it to Zhuge Liang.

Whoever said that merchants were not intellgent? Even a cunning strategist like Zhuge Liang was flustered.

“Haha.” Liu Mang felt much better seeing Zhuge Liang suffer.

“Milord. Can you lend me some money?” Zhuge Liang asked looking pitiful.

“Lend you money? How much do you need?” Liu Mang asked.

“Five hundred… No. A thousand gold!” Zhuge Liang's salary was quite high to begin with.

“Why do you need so much money for?” While a thousand gold was not much to Liu Mang, it was quite a sum for Zhuge Liang who did not participate in corruption.

“Don't ask.” Zhuge Liang brushed off the question. He needed to repay his various debts such as withheld household expenses and the debts at the brothel.

“When do you plan to return me the money?” Liu Mang asked.

“Next month… No, the month after that… No…” Zhuge Liang suddenly realized a problem. Ever since he got married, his wife manages his money. With his entire salary taken every month, there was no way for Zhuge Liang to repay the debt.

“Who would be willing to lend you money if you cannot return it?” Liu Mang asked unhappily.

“Everyone?” Zhuge Liang looked to the others hoping for a savior.

Xu Shu shook his head. “Kongming. You know my money is all used to buy books.” Xu Shu used his money to buy books not only for himself but for the poor who wanted to study. He was truly a man of integrity. Aside from the expenses he used to support himself and his mother, the rest of it went to Yangzhou's development.

Tian Feng stretched out his open hands. “I'm new here. I don't have money.”

Lu Su and Mi Zhu who did have money knew that Liu Mang was toying with Zhuge Liang and chose not to lend money with various excuses.

Without any options left, Zhuge Liang turned back to Liu Mang.

“You can borrow money if you want.” Liu Mang said, giving Zhuge Liang a glimmer of hope.

“But I have one condition.” Liu Mang said.

“Nevermind one condition. I will agree even if it is ten!” Zhuge Liang shouted. If Liu Mang's wives were tigresses, then Zhuge Liang's wife was a roaring lion. Regardless of anything else, Liu Mang was someone who practiced martial arts. On the other hand, Zhuge Liang was a scholar. His wife was not only someone as intelligent as him but also studied weapons. She was even interested in gunpowder. Liu Ye was already preparing make her the Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Works.

This showed how fearsome she is. If Liu Mang angered his wives, he will only suffer a beating at most. If Zhuge Liang angered his wife, he may find explosives under his bed.

“Just your advice is enough.” Liu Mang laughed. “Deal with Qiao Xuan for me. If you can't and I suffer, then you will also not be able to explain yourself to your wife!” Liu Mang threatened.

“You are so cruel!” Zhuge Liang gnashed his teeth and began to think.

The others present felt sympathy but also envy towards Zhuge Liang. Only Zhuge Liang can joke around with their Lord this much.

“I got it!” Zhuge Liang suddenly screamed.

“What did you get?” Liu Mang asked.

“This Qiao Xuan cannot be dealt with by force so we use the soft way.” Zhuge Liang said to Liu Mang.

Liu Mang was disappointed and complained. “If I could do that, I would not need you to help me think about it!” Qiao Xuan had no need more wealth, land, power, or women.

“Milord. Your soft tricks are good for people like us but useless on Qiao Xuan.” Zhuge Liang shook his head. Beautiful women and money may be useful on young people but Qiao Xuan was already in his seventies. He barely have enough strength left to bed a women. Giving him women would just anger him.

“Then what soft trick do you suggest?” Liu Mang frowned.

“Milord. Why did Qiao Xuan force you to marry his daughter?” Zhuge Liang asked.

“It is because I got drunk and slept in his daughter's room. After that, rumors spread from somewhere and here we are.” Liu Mang said helplessly.

“In other words, what he wants is fame!” Zhuge Liang explained.

“Fame?” Liu Mang's eyes lit up. Qiao Xuan was only concerned about his reputation. The parent is to blame for the child's failures. In other words, Qiao Yue's scandal meant that Qiao Xuan's family education was not strict enough. What would the world think of Qiao Xuan then? It is precisely because Qiao Xuan cared about his reputation that this problem exists.

“Since Qiao Xuan likes fame, you can just give it to him Milord!” Zhuge Liang said indifferently.

“That is easy to say. How am I supposed to give him fame?” Liu Mang was helpless. Money and women. These were material things. You can naturally get them when you have power. Even if Qiao Xuan wants to become an official, Liu Mang could easily make him a governor. But fame was not something Liu Mang can give.

“Milord. It is actually a simple matter for you.” Zhuge Liang said to Liu Mang with a smile.

“Oh?”

“If you want become famous across the land, you just need to write books.” Zhuge Liang explained.

“Write books?” Liu Mang frowned.

“Milord. This is a difficult matter for others but extremely simple for you!” Zhuge Liang said as he pointed towards Liu Mang's table.

On Liu Mang's table was a copy of the Records of the Grand Historian written by Sima Qian. It was printed, not written. And it was done on paper rather than bamboo.

“That's right! Why did I not think of this?” Liu Mang's eyes shone. No one would be able to withstand the temptation of this method.

“Milord. What about the three thousand gold? Haha.” Zhuge Liang suddenly increased it to three thousand gold.

“Huh?” Liu Mang glared at the increase in price. Though it was a lot of money, Liu Mang could still afford it. “Come. Reward Minister Zhuge with three thousand gold.”

Liu Mang then turned away to prepare for his confrontation with Qiao Xuan. He did not want to deal with the money grubber any longer.

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