"...Sun Ce welcomed him in person, appointed him General of Established Might, and gave him two thousand soldiers and fifty horses. Zhou Yu was twenty-four at the time, and everyone in the Wu Region called him Young Master Zhou. He followed Sun Ce in attacking Wan City, where they took Lord Qiao's two daughters, both beauties without equal. Sun Ce took Da Qiao as his wife, and Zhou Yu took Xiao Qiao.
Sun Ce remarked casually to Zhou Yu, 'Though Lord Qiao's two daughters are radiant...' Radiant here means shimmering with light. Yang Xiong's Rhapsody on the Sweet Springs says, 'Trailing a shimmering stream of crimson splendor, raising winding wisps of emerald air.' What Sun Ce meant was that, though Lord Qiao's daughters were dazzling beauties, 'having the two of us as sons-in-law should give him ample cause for joy.' Old Qiao, you can chuckle to yourself now..."
The Zhou Yu Temple stood on the heights of Great Thunder Bank, facing the mighty river with green peaks at its back. The temple occupied a sizable plot and had an imposing air: blue bricks, dark roof tiles, flying eaves like outstretched wings, and bronze bells hanging from their corners. When the river breeze swept past, the bells chimed, mingling with the roar of the waves in a stirring clash of metal and stone.
Ancient cypresses stood thick in the temple's central courtyard. Several stone statues lined either side, receiving offerings alongside the principal deity. Standing solemnly with hands on their swords, they depicted the generals who had once served under Zhou Yu.
A low, square stone tablet stood at each statue's feet, inscribed with its name. Though scoured by wind and rain, the lettering remained legible: Sun Yu, Huang Gai, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, and others.
Beyond the courtyard lay the