The Prisoner of Beauty

From the very first day that Wei Shao, the Marquis of Yan, became the new ruler of Bingzhou, Yuan Wang, the leader of the Beihe tribe, began to pay close attention to him.

This man not only seized Bingzhou, which had been ruled by the Chen family for decades, but Yuan Wang also knew that the actions of this Han Chinese would inevitably affect the fate of all the Qiang people living along the Huangshui River, including his own tribe.

Yuan Wang had heard some things about the new lord of Bingzhou. Over the past few years, this northern warlord seemed quite different from Chen Xiang, but Yuan Wang had always been skeptical of Han Chinese.

The Protector of the Qiang Commandant, Li Gong, had been an exception decades ago. However, Li Gong was not a true warlord with the power of life and death. Moreover, Li Gong had ultimately died due to the exclusion and suppression by these warlords.

Therefore, last year, although Yuan Wang had learned early on that Wei Shao intended to pacify the Qiang people, he remained cautious and did not believe in it. He neither allied with the Shaodang Qiang nor accepted Wei Shao's offer of pacification.

It was only now that Gongsun Yang, as Wei Shao's envoy, was sent to his territory.

This surprised him somewhat.

Gongsun Yang was a man of great personal charm, refined and eloquent. He spoke with ease, never resorting to coercion, but rather like a gentle stream, his words flowed into the heart, gradually convincing the listener to accept his views and ultimately winning them over.

Gongsun Yang had been here for several days now.

Yuan Wang was gradually being swayed by him.

He had never seen Wei Shao in person, and all his impressions of this renowned northern warlord had previously come from hearsay.

Yuan Wang had heard about one of Wei Shao's deeds.

It was said that in his early years, he had subjected his father's killer, a man he had sworn vengeance against in war, to a slow and torturous death by a thousand cuts. Even after the man had died, Wei Shao was still not satisfied, and he chopped the body into a pulp.

Although rumors were often exaggerated, the fact that such a story existed showed the depth of Wei Shao's cruelty, which was chilling to the bone.

This was actually one of the reasons why Yuan Wang had been wary of Wei Shao's offer of pacification last year.

What difference was there between such a cruel man and the likes of Chen Xiang?

But over these past few days, he had genuinely felt the personal charm of Gongsun Yang. It was as if he had met Li Gong, who had been deeply respected by the Qiang people in the past.

As a result, he gradually began to let go of some of his previous fears regarding Wei Shao.

Especially last night, when he had another long conversation with Gongsun Yang by candlelight. After returning, he discussed the matter with several elders of his tribe.

Although there were still voices of doubt among the elders, Yuan Wang had made up his mind to submit.

However, he had not expected that early in the morning, an envoy from Diao Mo would arrive, bringing news that nearly shattered his heart.

His only grandson, Yuan, who had gone missing half a year ago, had first been captured by Han Chinese and sold into slavery in Jinyang, and then had fallen into the hands of Chen Xiang's son. It was now believed that he had been killed.

The envoy also delivered a letter from Diao Mo. In the letter, Diao Mo claimed that Feng Zhao and Wei Shao were both vicious wolves. Feng Zhao befriended powerful Qiang families to buy and use Qiang soldiers for his own purposes. As for Wei Shao, he was even more ambitious and untrustworthy. Diao Mo strongly urged Yuan Wang not to easily believe the promises of Han Chinese. He stated that although he now had dealings with Feng Zhao, it was only to exploit the conflict between Feng Zhao and Wei Shao in order to reclaim the land of Shangjun, which had once been the ancestral home of the Qiang people but had now been seized by Han Chinese.When Diao Mo was young, his father was forced to send him as a hostage to Bingzhou, where he was confined for several years. Only after a large amount of wealth, silk, cattle, and horses were exchanged was he finally released and allowed to return home. Diao Mo was ambitious, brave, and resolute, and Yuan Wang had always regarded him as a son or nephew. Early that morning, upon hearing the news of his grandson, who had been missing for half a year and whom he had worried about almost daily, Yuan Wang was overwhelmed with grief and anger. The news was so certain that he had no choice but to believe it, and he fainted on the spot.

His only beloved grandson had been abducted by the Han people and died in Han territory!

After regaining consciousness, although Yuan Wang did not go as far as those around him, who were so enraged that they wanted to kill Gongsun Yang and completely sever ties with the Han, he could no longer continue negotiations with him. This was why he turned hostile and demanded his expulsion.

Unexpectedly, the situation took a dramatic turn. That morning, the grandson he thought was dead appeared alive before his very eyes. Upon learning that he had been rescued by Wei Shao's wife and escorted all the way home, Yuan Wang's immense sorrow turned into great joy. After calming down, he remembered something and couldn't help but ask Yuan if Wei Shao's wife had sent him back to persuade them to submit. To his surprise, Yuan knew nothing about it, saying that the Madam had not mentioned a single word about it before sending him off, and he was completely unaware.

Yuan also told his grandfather that after experiencing this life-and-death ordeal, although he had personally witnessed the Han people's contempt and mistreatment of the Qiang, he also knew that among the Han, there were many kind and wise individuals. Just like the Qiang, who were a mixed bunch—some fought to protect their homes and lands, while others raided and plundered counties—one should not generalize.

Surprised and no longer hesitant, Yuan Wang hurriedly turned back and expressed his intention to form an alliance with Gongsun Yang.

Gongsun Yang was still a bit confused about how this had all come about and how it involved the Madam. But since Yuan Wang had changed his mind on his own, Gongsun Yang was more than willing to accept. Yuan Wang stepped out of the tent and announced to the gathered clansmen that their tribe would form an alliance with the Marquis of Yan, and from then on, they would cease hostilities.

Gongsun Yang also proclaimed the Marquis's laws.

Yuan Wang had held the leader's staff for decades, enjoying high prestige and deep affection from his people. Moreover, who wouldn't want to live a stable and peaceful life? Upon hearing his announcement, everyone cheered. The two sides then made a blood oath before the altar, and after the ceremony, they slaughtered sheep and cattle, held a grand celebration, and sang and danced, creating a scene as lively as the Qiang New Year.

Gongsun Yang managed to slip away and found Jia Si to ask for details.

Jia Si immediately said, "I beg the Military Advisor to speak on my behalf before the Marquis! Otherwise, I will have no face to see the Marquis again!"

Gongsun Yang, who was already unclear about the situation, was even more confused by this. He asked, "What exactly happened? How did the Madam come to save the clan leader's grandson? And what do you mean by this?"

Jia Si recounted the events and concluded, "Everything else aside, I am willing to accept the Marquis's punishment, and once punished, it will be over. But due to my negligence, I allowed Chen Rui to return to Jinyang. He used a previously known underwater passage to sneak into the government office at night, intending to abduct the Madam..."

Gongsun Yang's scalp tingled, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Did anything happen to the Madam?"

Jia Si quickly shook his head. "Fortunately, nothing happened. Chen Rui was shot dead on the spot."

Still uneasy, Gongsun Yang pressed for more details. Finally, he learned that although the Madam was unharmed, she had suffered a significant fright and fell ill for a while. Fortunately, by the time Jia Si departed, she had already recovered her spirits, and Gongsun Yang slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

...No one has been more aware of the drastic change in Lord Wei Shao's attitude towards the daughter of the Qiao family he married over the past year than Gongsun Yang.

Gongsun Yang remembered that initially, Lord Wei Shao was unwilling to marry her. It was only after he received Madam Xu's instructions and persuaded Lord Wei Shao with great effort that he finally agreed.

After the wedding night, Lord Wei Shao sent the Qiao girl away, and at that time, he was even reluctant to escort her out of the city. It was only after Gongsun Yang's persistent persuasion that he reluctantly saw her off to Xinyang.

That scene was still fresh in his memory. Who would have thought that just over a year later, Lord Wei Shao had changed so much that it even surprised Gongsun Yang.

It was a genuine surprise.

Not long ago, Lord Wei Shao was injured. Just three days after he could walk again, he was already eager to return to Jinyang.

Given his physical condition at the time, it was naturally not suitable for him to travel long distances. Gongsun Yang, as usual, advised him to abandon the idea.

The first time, Lord Wei Shao was successfully persuaded and eventually gave up the idea. However, Gongsun Yang could tell that he agreed very reluctantly.

Moreover, although Lord Wei Shao did not say it explicitly, Gongsun Yang could clearly sense from his words that the reason he was so eager to return to Jinyang was probably to meet his wife, who had already arrived there.

Gongsun Yang, of course, pretended not to know.

The second time, Lord Wei Shao brought up the idea of returning again, and Gongsun Yang managed to dissuade him once more.

By the third time, when Gongsun Yang tried to persuade him, he could clearly feel that the look Lord Wei Shao gave him was something along the lines of "Why are you meddling so much and being so annoying?"

Gongsun Yang had no choice but to invite Lady Qiao over.

He still remembered clearly to this day that the morning after Lady Qiao arrived at the camp, he yawned as he stepped out of his tent and encountered Li Chong and Zhang Jian outside Lord Wei Shao's tent. The three of them shared an awkward moment of mutual understanding, yet they all tried to act as if nothing had happened.

In the end, the three of them laughed it off and moved on.

It was also his own oversight. He had only wanted Lord Wei Shao to stay and recover peacefully, so he invited Lady Qiao to accompany him. But he forgot that Lord Wei Shao was in the prime of his youth—how could he resist the excitement of "a reunion after a short separation being sweeter than the honeymoon"?

For security reasons, when setting up camp, the commander's tent was always surrounded by at least a ten-zhang square of empty space.

That night, the closest to Lord Wei Shao's tent were himself, Li Chong, and Zhang Jian.

Even though there was a ten-zhang distance between them, because it was late at night and everything was quiet, Gongsun Yang still heard some inappropriate noises coming from Lord Wei Shao.

At first, he thought it would be over soon, so he tried to ignore it. But it kept going on intermittently. Every time he thought it was about to end and he could finally sleep peacefully, those unspeakable noises from Lord Wei Shao would invade his ears again, making him, despite his age, feel restless and unable to sleep.

He didn't know how Li Chong and Zhang Jian managed to sleep through it that night. As for himself, he eventually gave up on sleeping, got up, lit a lamp, and sat down to read the fourteen chapters of The Art of War by Guiguzi.

It wasn't until he reached the seventh chapter that the noises finally stopped completely.

……

Gongsun Yang had served Wei Shao for many years. He thought he had a good grasp of Lord Wei Shao's temperament.

He was hot-tempered, easily angered, and lacked compassion, but he was also quick to admit his mistakes. As he grew older, his self-control became stronger, and he became increasingly reserved.

The military camp was a place of strict discipline, with rules as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Even something as simple as making noise, running around, or looking back could result in punishment.However, these rules were primarily aimed at soldiers and lower-ranking officers. The higher the military rank, the more privileges one enjoyed.

"Military Advisor! Why didn't you tell me at the time?"

Wei Shao abruptly interrupted him, his voice as stiff as his expression.

Gongsun Yang was startled and quickly explained, "My Lord, please do not be angry. At that time, the battle was imminent, and I was afraid it would distract you..."

Wei Shao, who had been sitting behind the desk, did not wait for him to finish. Enraged, he stood up abruptly, ignoring Gongsun Yang's calls from behind, and strode out without a word.