The Prisoner of Beauty

The next day, Xiao Qiao received a visiting card from Su Ehuang. It stated that she was traveling south to Luoyang and passing through Jinyang. Upon learning that Xiao Qiao was also here, she was delighted and specially sent a card to request a meeting.

Chun Niang said, "My lady, you need not pay her any heed."

Xiao Qiao replied, "I have nothing pressing to attend to. Since she has come and sent a formal card, there's no harm in meeting her."

Chun Niang was momentarily taken aback. She glanced discreetly at Xiao Qiao, noting her usual calm demeanor and slight smile, then turned to deliver the reply.

After Chun Niang left, Xiao Qiao discarded the half-written reply from the previous day. Taking up her brush again, she composed a new letter. After briefly mentioning her recent activities, she added in a playful tone: "To hear that my lord dreams of me every night fills Manman with great honor. How could Manman dare to dream of any other gentleman?"

At the end, she appended another line: "I have heard that Madam Su of the Left Fengyi Duke's household will soon arrive in Jinyang. As she has come from afar and given your past acquaintance with the Su family, I dare not neglect her. I shall extend hospitality on your behalf, so my lord may rest assured without worry."

Once the ink dried, she rolled the letter and placed it in a tube, handing it to the messenger who had come the day before to take on his journey.

...

Xiao Qiao received Su Ehuang in a side hall of the rear residence at the government office.

Since leaving Yuyang after last year's Luli Assembly, nearly a year had passed, yet Su Ehuang appeared exactly as Xiao Qiao remembered—adorned in splendid attire, exuding charm, and maintaining impeccable grace.

Upon seeing Xiao Qiao, Su Ehuang immediately praised her for being even more radiant than before. With a smile, she said, "Do you know why I always call you 'little sister'? Aside from my familial ties with Elder Madam and my childhood interactions with Zhonglin, which make me feel close to you, it's also because since childhood, I've seen sisters in other families going out together, sharing handkerchiefs indoors, so intimate and inseparable. I've always yearned for such a bond, but alas, I was the only daughter in my family, which left me with regret. Meeting someone as extraordinary as you, little sister, filled me with admiration. And since I am a few years older, I presumptuously took to calling you so. I hope you won't laugh at me for this?"

Xiao Qiao invited her to sit and replied with a smile, "Madam, there's no need for such modesty. Who in the world hasn't heard of the renowned Jade Tower Lady? I am merely a woman of the inner quarters. Back in Yuyang, my days were spent managing household chores and attending to Elder Madam and my mother-in-law. Here, I only know to serve my husband diligently—I understand nothing beyond that. How could I possibly deserve such lavish praise? As for how you address me, it's a trivial matter—call me as you wish. It's merely a form of address; why would I laugh?"

Su Ehuang gazed at Xiao Qiao, her smile still present but slightly stiffened.

...

Last year, in the Zhongshan Kingdom, she had met the Qiao girl for the first time. Though they had encountered each other several times since, Madam Xu had always been present.

Su Ehuang noticed that the Qiao girl was often silent, exchanging very few words with her.

During these brief encounters, Su Ehuang had privately assessed Wei Shao's wife from the Qiao family of Yanzhou.

Youth, beauty, and Madam Xu's favor—these were the Qiao girl's greatest advantages.

Wei Shao harbored deep-seated hatred for the Qiao family and had married her for ulterior motives. The Qiao girl herself showed no edge, her temperament as bland as plain water. She was like a shadow trailing behind Madam Xu—these were her disadvantages.Youth and beauty, along with Madam Xu's favor, might keep Wei Shao in Qiao Nü's bed for a few extra nights. But Su Ehuang didn’t believe such a woman could truly capture Wei Shao’s heart.

Moreover, compared to Qiao Nü’s shortcomings, how much weight did those advantages really carry in Wei Shao’s eyes?

Thus, Su Ehuang had always been confident about her return.

Years ago, when she began turning her gaze back to Wei Shao—the companion of her youth—she had similarly analyzed her own strengths and weaknesses.

Her past abandonment of him to marry another, and now her advancing age, were her disadvantages.

But she also had advantages, ones that were unique and unattainable by others: No one understood Wei Shao’s temperament, his likes and dislikes, better than she did.

In the eyes of the world, Wei Shao was ruthless toward his enemies, his methods chilling to the bone.

But Su Ehuang knew just how fiercely loyal he was to those who had won his heart—how utterly inseparable his devotion could be.

No one understood better than she the pain his father and brother’s deaths had inflicted upon him. It was precisely because his dearest had been harmed that his hatred for his enemies ran so deep.

So Su Ehuang’s confidence was not without reason.

When Wei Shao was twelve, after the tragedy that took his father and brother and left him severely injured—bedridden for half a year—it was she who had tenderly cared for him and comforted him in every way possible.

With such a bond, ten Qiao Nüs could not compare to her.

What’s more, Su Ehuang still remembered clearly how, before she left to marry in Luoyang, she had sought a chance to bid him farewell.

She had sent him a message, asking him to meet her.

Though Wei Shao had not come, the fifteen-year-old boy had relayed a single sentence through her messenger:

"I can only wish you boundless happiness from afar."

Such a simple phrase, yet Su Ehuang had discerned endless youthful longing within it.

Thus, for today’s meeting with Qiao Nü, Su Ehuang had prepared long and anticipated it eagerly.

As for Madam Xu, having failed once, she was not foolish enough to force another confrontation.

She could take a different approach.

After waiting patiently for so long, she felt the time was finally right—and so she had come here.

This time, she would face Wei Shao directly. This time, it would also be her first encounter with Qiao Nü, Wei Shao’s wife, without Madam Xu present.

This was a battlefield. Like the battlefields of men, the end result would be corpses and bloodshed—but the weapons here were invisible blades.

From the very start, Su Ehuang knew she had hit a wall. Her seemingly warm yet subtly provocative opening remarks, under Qiao Nü’s response, had instead made her seem ridiculous.

What unsettled Su Ehuang even more was that she couldn’t immediately tell whether Qiao Nü’s reply concealed hidden barbs or was simply her natural way of thinking.

For the first time, Su Ehuang felt that addressing Qiao Nü as "little sister" had been a hasty and foolish choice.

But now, she couldn’t take it back.Su Ehuang's mind raced with countless thoughts, yet her expression remained perfectly composed as she continued chatting amiably. After some casual conversation, she suddenly remarked, "In the visiting card I sent you yesterday, I mentioned briefly that I'm traveling south to Luoyang. Passing through this area, I was quite surprised to learn you were here too. It would have been impolite to pass by without paying my respects, hence my intrusion. I heard Zhonglin is currently stationed in Pingxi. From Yuyang to here—a journey of a thousand li—yet you followed all this way to attend to him. Such devotion is truly Zhonglin's good fortune. Though it's a pity he's so occupied with his affairs, leaving you here alone must be rather lonely. But men aren't like us women, whose world revolves around the sky above a single courtyard. Besides, having known Zhonglin since childhood and grown up alongside him, I'm aware his ambitions soar higher than most could imagine. Matters of a woman's heart might naturally escape his notice. Please don't hold it against him."

Chun Niang, standing nearby, smiled and interjected, "Madam is truly considerate. Normally, matters between our Madam and Lord aren't for outsiders' ears. But since you're no stranger, I'll speak out of turn to set your mind at ease. You might not know, our Madam isn't like other women. Others cling to their husbands day and night, fearing some shameless stray might slip through unguarded fences. Our Madam never concerns herself with such things. When the Lord first came to Jinyang earlier this year, Madam was reluctant to accompany him. Even after he'd been on the road for days, he returned one midnight insisting she join him. Only then did she consent. Though busy with military affairs here, the Lord constantly sends messengers. Just yesterday, another letter arrived. It's rather amusing—each messenger waits dutifully for Madam's reply, afraid to return empty-handed lest the Lord reprimand him..."

"Chun Niang! How dare you speak so freely before Madam!" Xiao Qiao frowned slightly, cutting her off.

Chun Niang quickly apologized, "I only spoke out of concern for Madam Liu's worries. I'll say no more," and promptly fell silent.

Xiao Qiao turned to Su Ehuang with an apologetic smile, "My nurse speaks out of turn. Please forgive our impropriety."

Su Ehuang's gaze slowly shifted back from Chun Niang's face as she smiled, "Not at all! The affection between Zhonglin and you is the envy of many..."

...

When Su Ehuang was escorted out of the government office gates and returned to her carriage heading back to the posthouse, her heart pounded erratically.

Her hands felt cold.

Though she had maintained pleasant conversation with Qiao Nü inside, her composure had been shaken.

Chun Niang's words had unsettled her.

This visit had been intended to further probe Qiao Nü's circumstances.

Yet she hadn't anticipated such an outcome.

The "stray dog" in Chun Niang's words unmistakably referred to her.

Without Qiao Nü's backing, no servant—not even her wet nurse—would dare address her so boldly.

This revealed Qiao Nü wasn't merely existing in the Wei household as Madam Xu's shadow, as she'd previously assumed. She must have discerned Su Ehuang's intentions toward Wei Shao.

This mattered little. Su Ehuang didn't mind, knowing her motives couldn't remain concealed indefinitely.What unsettled her was the daily interactions between Wei Shao and Qiao’s daughter, as described by the nursemaid.

Wei Shao might share a room and bed with this Qiao girl, but Su Ehuang refused to believe he could grow so close to the daughter of his enemy.

Surely, the nursemaid had been instructed by her mistress to fabricate such tales in front of her, hoping to discourage her.

On the way back, Su Ehuang repeated this to herself over and over.

By the time the carriage stopped outside the posthouse gates, her previously chaotic emotions had gradually settled.

As long as she could get close to Wei Shao, she was confident she could reawaken the young man in his heart who had once wished her endless blessings.

"Inform the posthouse keeper that I’ve been struck by a headache and must stay to recuperate," Su Ehuang coldly ordered her maid upon entering.

...

Three days earlier, Wei Shao had received Xiao Qiao’s reply.

Reading her letters was always a delightful respite for him amid the relentless bloodshed of battle. So much so that he had even assigned a dedicated courier solely for their private correspondence.

This was the Lord’s secret—one even Gongsun Yang didn’t know about.

Wei Shao always wished her letters were longer. They ended too soon, leaving him reluctant to finish them in one go. He would savor each passage, reflecting on it before moving to the next.

This time was no different.

Alone, he read slowly, passage by passage. When he reached the line— "Since my lord dreams of me nightly, Manman is deeply honored. How could my dreams ever dare to hold another man?" —a smug smile tugged at his lips, as if he could picture her playful expression as she wrote it.

But as he continued, his gaze suddenly froze at the end.

Su Ehuang has come to Jinyang? What does she want? Surely Manman wouldn’t overthink this?

These three thoughts sprang into his mind in quick succession.