The Prisoner of Beauty

In the Taiji Hall of the Southern Palace in Luoyang, Wei Shao faced south to discuss affairs.

Several days had passed since the capture of Luoyang, and all of Xing Xun’s followers had been eliminated.

Though the curfew had not yet been lifted, due to effective pacification efforts and the fact that the army had not once entered the city gates, the atmosphere of panic gradually began to dissipate.

Starting yesterday, the markets that had been closed for days also reopened one after another.

As the people slowly returned to their normal lives, they were all waiting for one thing: Wei Shao’s ascension to the throne.

Not only the people of Luoyang speculated this, but some of Wei Shao’s subordinates were also eagerly anticipating it.

Those court officials who had surrendered to Wei Shao after the city’s fall had been submitting joint petitions these past few days, their letters piling up like snowflakes on his desk.

Though the contents were lengthy and varied, the central message was the same: they believed Wei Shao had earned his rightful place and should face south as emperor.

Gongsun Yang once privately said to Wei Shao, “Those surrendered officials, though they bear grand titles and seniority, first served Liu Tong, then bowed to Xing Xun, and now, seeing you have taken Luoyang, they shift with the wind. My lord should not heed them. To declare yourself emperor now is premature and not the right opportunity.”

Zhu Zeng also advised, “Le Zheng Gong has long harbored ambitions to follow in Xing Xun’s footsteps. I urge my lord to wait a little longer. If I am not mistaken, Le Zheng Gong will secretly plot to proclaim himself emperor upon returning to Hanzhong. Once he dons the imperial robes, then my lord, with the prestige of having taken Luoyang, can ascend to the throne with even greater legitimacy.”

At this moment, in the Taiji Hall, the debate over whether he should seize the moment to declare himself emperor continued.

But Wei Shao’s thoughts had already wandered far away.

Two days ago, he had received news from Yuyang.

Xiao Qiao had safely given birth to a daughter for him.

His grandmother had named the child Fei Fei.

Wei Shao imagined the soft little body of his daughter cradled in his arms, and his gaze unconsciously softened.

The corners of his lips also lifted slightly.

His ministers finally noticed the mysterious smile on their lord’s face.

They stopped speaking and looked at him.

Wei Shao snapped back to reality and met the pairs of eyes fixed on him. He shifted his shoulders and frowned. “Though Xing Xun is dead, Liu Yan has declared himself emperor in Langya, Le Zheng Gong firmly holds Hanzhong, and the south still has Wuyue and Changsha. I have merely taken Luoyang—how can I rest easy and declare myself emperor now? This matter shall not be discussed further!”

The assembly fell silent, then chorused, “Our lord is wise. We shall obey.”

After the meeting, Wei Shao kept Gongsun Yang behind and first inquired about the defense of the three regions: Jingzhao, Zuopingyi, and Youfufeng.

Gongsun Yang was puzzled.

These three regions guarded Luoyang and were strategically vital. On the night Luoyang was taken, troops had been dispatched immediately, securing all three within three days and firmly placing them under control.

All had been personally assigned by Wei Shao himself.

He didn’t know why his lord seemed to have suddenly forgotten and was asking him this now.

Though inwardly confused, he showed no sign of it and only replied, “My lord need not worry. All three regions are firmly under our control and will not be lost.”

Wei Shao nodded. “I have always trusted your work. Since that is the case, there is nothing urgent for me here. I shall return to Yuyang for a while.”

Seeing Gongsun Yang’s questioning look, he added, “It’s nothing major. I received a letter two days ago—the lady has given birth to a daughter.”

His expression was indifferent.

“She… misses me,” he added with a light cough.

Only then did Gongsun Yang understand his lord’s thoughts.Suppressing a smile, he said, "Congratulations, my Lord, on obtaining a precious pearl! Even if Madam had not expressed her longing, after such a long battle and now with this great victory, it is time for you to return and see her. Go with peace of mind, my Lord. I will take care of matters here."

Wei Shao smiled faintly. "I leave it to you, sir."

After delegating the remaining tasks and seeing Gongsun Yang off, he immediately summoned Lei Ze and selected a dozen men to prepare for departure.

Just before setting off, however, he suddenly remembered something else.

Wei Shao hesitated for a long while before finally making up his mind and calling Wei Liang over.

Dismissing the others, leaving only Wei Liang present.

"My Lord, what are your orders?" Wei Liang asked.

Noticing the Lord's unusual silence, as if struggling to voice his next words, Wei Liang added, "Whatever it is, my Lord, you need only command me!"

Finally, Wei Shao spoke. "I want to send you to Dong Commandery."

Wei Liang was taken aback.

"If I recall correctly, the seventh day of this month marks Qiao Ping's fortieth birthday. Go on my behalf—remember, in Madam's name—and deliver birthday gifts to him. Also convey the news that Madam has safely given birth to a daughter, and both mother and child are well."

Wei Liang was surprised but quickly responded, "As you command."

"The reason I'm sending you is because you've been to Dong Commandery before and are acquainted with the Qiao family..." Wei Shao explained.

"Rest assured, my Lord. I will handle this matter flawlessly," Wei Liang said with a smile. "It's been some time since I last saw Young Master Qiao at Luli. Coincidentally, General Li mentioned him to me just a few days ago. This trip will be a good opportunity to meet him again and see how his martial skills have progressed."

"It's been a while since you last returned home, hasn't it? I remember you spent the entire last year in Bingzhou, and now after such a battle, you finally have some respite. After returning from Dong Commandery, I'll grant you leave to visit your aunt and your wife."

Wei Liang hadn't returned to Yuyang in a year and a half.

Overjoyed by the news, he hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Wei Shao nodded with a faint smile. "That's all. I'll have the birthday gifts prepared and sent to you."

...

The next day, at the break of dawn, a group of over a dozen warhorses galloped out of Luoyang's eastern gate, speeding north along the imperial highway, leaving a trail of dust behind.

Wei Shao embarked on his journey north.

The brutality of war had left little room for idle dreams.

But his longing for her and the overwhelming joy of learning he had become a father, from the moment he read that letter, could no longer be contained. These emotions overflowed from the heart of this man, who had once possessed an iron will.

So much so that he felt he could delay no longer.

Le Zheng Gong, Liu Yan, and the matter of proclaiming himself emperor...

These things could wait for now.

He needed to see her—and their daughter—as soon as possible.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to bear it.

As he set off north that morning, Wei Liang also departed with a retinue and gifts, heading toward the imperial highway to Yanzhou.

The birthday gifts for Qiao Ping had been personally and meticulously selected by Wei Shao the previous night.

A pair of jade dragon pendants, a set of tall-footed golden cups, ten bolts of exquisite kesi brocade woven with auspicious cloud and longevity motifs, and two silk paintings by renowned artists.

Even after Wei Liang had already set off for Yanzhou, Wei Shao initially felt uneasy, even ashamed, about what he had done.

It felt like a complete betrayal of his father and brother, making him increasingly reluctant to step into the family shrine.However, Qiao Ping had not directly participated in that battle back then.

He was her father, the grandfather of his own daughter.

Since fate had played its tricks and he had already married Xiao Qiao, and now she had borne him a child, surely the spirits of his father and elder brother in heaven would understand and forgive him.

Moreover, this was likely Grandmother's wish as well.

He knew Grandmother had always hoped he wouldn't remain so entangled in past hatreds.

He needed to learn to be someone with a broad and generous heart, just like Grandmother.

Throughout the journey, Wei Shao kept comforting himself with these thoughts.

Finally, as the distance to Yuyang shortened day by day, the conflict in his heart was completely overshadowed by another emotion—the anticipation of seeing her and their daughter again.

He stopped dwelling on anything else, his heart now filled with nothing but immense joy and expectation.

...

That night, he finally arrived at Renqiu City.

If he pressed on without stopping, Yuyang was only two days away.

Wei Shao felt he could easily continue onward.

But lightning split the night sky, and thunder rumbled ominously overhead.

Rain began to fall.

Lei Ze and the others also showed signs of exhaustion.

Wei Shao ordered them to halt and stay the night at the Renqiu post station.

They had traveled light all the way. Here, he instructed the Station Chief not to disturb the local magistrate—he would only stay one night and resume his journey at dawn.

Lei Ze had someone carry in the chest and place it on the table.

The chest was about a foot tall and wide, its surface adorned with the patterned skin of a python. It had some weight to it, and even Lei Ze didn’t know what was inside.

Wei Shao himself felt weary.

But his spirit was unusually restless.

Lying on the bed in the post station late at night, he closed his eyes and listened to the distant rolls of thunder.

Raindrops pattered against the roof tiles above him.

The scene couldn’t help but remind him of that night last year.

On a stormy night just like this, he had pursued her alone to a post station and finally caught up with her.

He had yielded before her.

And she had rewarded him with equal pleasure.

That night, she had been irresistibly alluring beneath him. Even now, the memory of that intoxicating, ethereal sensation lingered as if it had never faded.

It was as if he had ascended to a celestial paradise, a world of utmost beauty.

The recollection left Wei Shao parched and restless.

Consumed by longing, he found it hard to restrain himself—he almost wished he could get up and set off again immediately.

A bolt of lightning flashed outside the window. For an instant, the blue light illuminated the post station walls, as well as the python-skin chest on the table and Wei Shao’s sword beside it.

A deafening thunderclap followed, shaking the rafters slightly.

A fine layer of dust drifted down from the gaps in the tiled roof.

Suddenly, the door was pounded violently.

After the thunder, the urgent knocking sounded especially jarring.

Wei Shao opened his eyes, leaped from the bed, and swiftly pulled open the door.

"My lord, terrible news! An urgent report just arrived from Luoyang—General Wei Liang and his party were ambushed outside Dongjun’s city gates. The general was severely wounded but managed to fight his way out. All his attendants were killed. Qiao Yue and Qiao Ping then jointly issued a public declaration, pledging Yan Province’s allegiance to Liu Yan!"

Wei Shao froze.

Another flash of lightning lit up his face, now as pale as a vengeful ghost.

He spun around and yanked his sword from its scabbard.A flash of cold steel swept through the air, cleanly slicing the python-patterned chest on the table in two.

Pearls from the Eastern Sea, jade from Kunlun—countless rare treasures scattered across the floor, scattered by the sweep of his blade.

These were the things Wei Shao had gathered when he left the Luoyang treasury the night before his departure.

Whatever caught his eye, he had taken.

At the time, he thought, even if it couldn’t impress Manman, he could bring them back for his daughter to play with.

"My lord!"

Lei Ze called out uneasily, staring at his rigid, sword-wielding back.

Wei Shao slowly turned around.

"Prepare to depart. We return to Luoyang."

His tone had already steadied, but his expression remained dark and cold.