The Prisoner of Beauty

Xiao Qiao was taken aback, feeling puzzled.

His question seemed completely unrelated to tonight's events.

After returning in the evening, he first learned from her about Su Xin's dealings with the Marquis' wife, then read Grandmother's letter, immediately turning pale before leaving without a word.

At the time, he hadn't told her where he was going.

But Xiao Qiao naturally knew—he had gone to the posthouse to confront Su Ehuang. Whether for a confrontation or something else.

And now, only at this moment, had he returned.

Given that these two individuals were far from ordinary, both being exceptional in their own ways, and with their shared history from youth, Xiao Qiao dared not draw conclusions. Judging by his expression upon returning, it seemed things hadn't gone smoothly.

Yet regardless of the outcome, upon his return, he hadn't mentioned Su Ehuang at all. Instead, he asked if she was hiding anything from him?

How bizarre.

Instantly, a flood of secrets she kept from him surfaced in Xiao Qiao's mind.

She was a transmigrator.

She knew that in his previous life, he not only became emperor and lived happily with Su Ehuang but also annihilated the Qiao family.

Fearing that in this life, he might one day turn against her family, she had urged her father to strengthen their forces and become self-reliant.

These were things she could never tell him, not even under threat of death.

Xiao Qiao replied, "Husband, why do you suddenly ask me this?"

Wei Shao insisted, "Just answer me," his tone stubborn.

"Of course not," Xiao Qiao said without blinking.

Wei Shao continued to gaze at her. His fingers lightly brushed her cheek before tightening his embrace, pulling her close.

"Manman, remember—never deceive me," he murmured into her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

Xiao Qiao's heartbeat quickened. She let him hold her tightly, so much so that she could barely breathe.

Then he began to kiss her. Like a greedy child savoring candy, his tongue gently and repeatedly licked her cheeks and lips until her face was damp.

Xiao Qiao desperately wanted to know what had happened after he left tonight.

Had Su Ehuang confessed?

And what was the outcome?

But he seemed unwilling to speak of it.

Finally, his tongue pried open her lips, delving deeper with increasing intensity, sucking on her tongue relentlessly. She closed her eyes, abandoning any thought of questioning him.

...

The next morning, they rose and had breakfast. As Wei Shao prepared to leave, Xiao Qiao, as usual, straightened his collar before seeing him off and casually asked, "Husband, what happened last night?"

Wei Shao glanced at her.

"Punished lightly under military law for attempted murder," he replied flatly.

...

Chun Niang soon learned from Jia Si what "lightly punished under military law for attempted murder" entailed.

Despite her various speculations, when she discovered it meant having one's nose cut off, Xiao Qiao shuddered violently.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, an uncomfortable sensation.

She wasn't naive enough to sympathize with Su Ehuang.

No one understood how terrifying this woman was better than her.

In the previous life she had dreamed of, Su, to fulfill her so-called "destiny of unparalleled nobility," had harmed Madam Xu, harmed Da Qiao, her hands stained with blood as she climbed into Wei Shao's imperial bed.Leaving aside that imagined world, in this real and existing life, Madam Xu had already nearly fallen victim to her schemes.

Not to mention the lives of those insignificant figures who became stepping stones on her path forward.

It was imperative that she receive the punishment she deserved.

What unsettled Xiao Qiao was perhaps Wei Shao's manner of dealing with her.

To be honest, Xiao Qiao felt somewhat fearful, her heart uneasy.

...

In her letter to Madam Xu, Xiao Qiao mentioned that Su Ehuang had arrived in Jinyang and settled there. She then inquired whether there had been any developments regarding the poisoning incident from the previous year.

Madam Xu replied in her letter that Zhong Ao had been investigating all along. Although there had been some leads earlier, there was no concrete evidence. Until recently, through Zhu Shi's recollections and after much effort, they finally tracked down a woman.

This woman, surnamed Ma, had previously worked as a spirit medium, claiming the ability to communicate with the dead and often being sought out by people wanting to connect with departed souls.

Zhu Shi, deeply believing in such things, had sought her out to communicate with her deceased husband. Jiang Nao had accompanied her, which was how the Ma woman came to recognize Jiang Nao.

According to the Ma woman, Jiang Nao later secretly sought her out alone, asking her to communicate with her son who had died over a decade ago.

The Ma woman accepted the payment and performed a spiritual act.

Making a living this way, she had honed her skills in reading people and extracting information. Pretending to be possessed by Jiang Nao's son, she convinced Jiang Nao completely, who wept bitterly in sorrow at the time.

Jiang Nao later frequently sought her out in secret, continuing to ask the Ma woman to connect her with her son's spirit.

Gradually, the Ma woman learned the truth about how Jiang Nao's son had died.

On one occasion, someone visited the Ma woman, offering her a large sum of money to pretend, during a spiritual session, that Jiang Nao's son was speaking, claiming he had died unjustly and his restless spirit demanded vengeance.

Greedy for the money, the Ma woman complied. Jiang Nao believed it without question and wept bitterly once more.

There was a pause for some time. Later, when Jiang Nao came again, and the Ma woman "summoned" her son's spirit, Jiang Nao rambled on, saying that a noble person had already helped her by pushing the one who had killed her son into a pond to drown. She told her son to rest in peace and be reborn soon.

The Ma woman knew the person who had killed Jiang Nao's son was Madam Zhu's brother. Out of curiosity, she pretended to speak as the son and asked who this noble person was.

Jiang Nao, completely unsuspecting, told her "son" that the noble person was the wife of the Left General of Fengyi.

After Jiang Nao left, the Ma woman felt extremely frightened.

Making her living this way, she knew how terrifying the dark secrets of powerful families could be—enough to consume a person.

Now she had become entangled in one. Remembering the person who had bribed her to deceive Jiang Nao, she grew increasingly worried about getting into trouble. Since she had no children or family ties, she packed her belongings and fled within days, assuming a new identity elsewhere to continue her trade.

Now, finally tracked down by Zhong Ao, the Ma woman confessed everything she knew under questioning.

From this, the relationship between Su Ehuang and Jiang Nao finally came to light.

It could be concluded that the one who had instructed Jiang Nao to poison her was none other than Su Ehuang.

At the end of the letter, Madam Xu added that Su's mother was, after all, her niece. Though their interactions had dwindled over the years, the bond of kinship remained, and blood ties were hard to sever. Thanks to her granddaughter-in-law's blessings, she had also survived this ordeal.The wheel of heaven turns, and all actions bear their own consequences. Tell Wei Shao not to be fixated on harming her life. If she still refuses to behave, have her sent back to Lunu and handed over to the King of Zhongshan.

...

Because of Madam Xu's instructions, Xiao Qiao had initially thought that if Wei Shao wasn't convinced by Su Ehuang's self-defense, at most she would be imprisoned or detained.

But she never expected that he would actually cut off her nose!

The cruelty of this act frightened Xiao Qiao even more than if he had simply ordered her execution.

For the first time, not through hearsay or rumors, but firsthand, she felt the ruthlessness of the man who shared her bed—her husband.

She remembered clearly how just a few days ago, he had told her that if he hadn’t already married her, he might have taken Su Ehuang as a concubine out of lingering affection from their youth.

Those words still echoed in her ears, yet in the blink of an eye, upon learning of Su Ehuang’s misdeeds, he had her nose severed!

When it came to those he deemed enemies, he was indeed merciless and unhesitating.

She also recalled the strange expression he had given her the previous night when he suddenly, inexplicably asked if she was hiding anything from him.

At the time, she had brushed it off and thought little of it afterward.

But now, looking back, it seemed there might have been more to it?

A faint unease prickled at her heart.

...

That day, this news cast a shadow over Xiao Qiao’s mind.

She was deeply shaken and grateful that she had prepared early, persuading her father to strengthen their military forces—even if Yanzhou’s troops ultimately proved no match for the stronger powers, it was still better than doing nothing as in her past life.

So when Wei Shao returned that evening, Xiao Qiao maintained her usual cheerful demeanor, smiling and chatting as always, though inwardly she felt slightly unsettled.

Eventually, they went to bed.

Naturally, they engaged in their nightly intimacy.

Ever since his return from Xihe Commandery, it had been a nightly routine.

Afterward, he closed his eyes, one hand still lazily kneading the soft flesh of her chest, gradually slowing until his palm simply rested there, as if he had fallen asleep.

Xiao Qiao buried her face against his chest, counting the steady thumps of his heartbeat. When she reached two hundred, she cautiously opened her eyes and stole a glance at him, pondering the hidden meaning behind his question the night before—right after cutting off Su Ehuang’s nose.

Something must have happened, something she didn’t know about.

Suddenly, without warning, Wei Shao opened his eyes and met her gaze.

His eyes were dark and bright, glistening with a peach-blossom-like softness.

They always looked like this after their intimacy.

It was actually quite beautiful.

"Looking at me?" He raised an eyebrow.

Caught off guard, Xiao Qiao’s heart skipped a beat, as if she’d been discovered.

She considered shaking her head but hesitated. Finally, she asked, "Last night, why did you suddenly ask me that question?"

Wei Shao paused, then replied vaguely, "It was nothing. Just a passing thought."

Seeing her still staring, he coughed lightly. "I forgot to tell you—my business in Jinyang is nearly wrapped up. You can start packing soon. We’ll be leaving in a few days."

"We’ll go to Xindu first and stay there for a while. I have some matters to attend to. Once that’s done, we’ll return to Yuyang."

He looked at her as he spoke.Xiao Qiao was momentarily stunned, then gradually felt her mood improve again.

She had stayed in Jinyang for nearly seven or eight months. During that time, first came Chen Rui, then Su Ehuang.

Neither incident was something pleasant to recall.

Now she could finally leave!

Xindu was the city where Xiao Qiao had first been sent after marrying Wei Shao to complete their wedding ceremony.

Though their relationship had been at its worst back then—so much so that Wei Shao had sent her away the very next morning after their wedding—strangely, Xiao Qiao had always retained fond memories of that city.

Perhaps it was because of the Sandalwood Terrace in Xindu Palace, where she could climb high and gaze into the distance during her lonely, anxious days.

Even now, when she closed her eyes, she could vividly recall the scene of ascending the terrace at dusk, watching the sunset over the wilderness beyond the city walls.

The thought of returning to that city brought her a quiet joy.

Moreover, she would soon see Madam Xu again.

"I'll start packing tomorrow!" she said.

Wei Shao nodded with a smile.