The Prisoner of Beauty

Xiao Qiao slowly opened her eyes.

Wei Shao suddenly took her hand and led her down from the bed.

She was brought to his study.

He entered, lighting the lamps.

Xiao Qiao watched with slight confusion as he retrieved a box from a hidden drawer.

It was the very same one she was extremely familiar with—the one she had seen just a few nights prior.

Wei Shao placed the box on the table, sat behind it, and skillfully opened the lid, gesturing for Xiao Qiao to come closer.

She slowly walked over.

Inside, as expected, was the old banner she had glimpsed through the door that night.

Neatly folded, it lay within the box.

"Manman, didn’t you always want to know what was inside this box? It’s my father’s command banner from back then. The bloodstains on it were left when he died. This relic... I’ve kept it all these years..."

Wei Shao’s gaze lingered on the old banner as he spoke slowly.

Xiao Qiao held her breath and slowly raised her eyes to look at him.

His gaze was distant and hollow, as if lost in memories of the past.

"Back then, my father and your grandfather were ordered by the court to jointly attack Li Su. Li Su was formidable. Before the battle, they swore an alliance, agreeing to attack simultaneously from the east and west. My father, trusting your grandfather completely, deployed his troops accordingly, expecting reinforcements. When the time came, my father launched the attack as planned, still believing your grandfather would honor the agreement..."

His eyes shifted to Xiao Qiao’s face, and his hand slowly clenched into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"My father and brother were killed by Li Su—your Qiao family merely betrayed their word and broke the pact. War is merciless; defeat and death are part of it, and there’s no one to blame. But do you know, if your grandfather had at least sent word that he was withdrawing before the battle, my father could have adjusted his strategy. Even if we still lost, it might not have been as devastating as it was! My father and brother, isolated and outmatched, died in a hail of arrows. Of the fifty thousand Wei family soldiers who followed them, almost all perished. Only a few thousand wounded survivors returned."

He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Manman, put yourself in my place. As a son, if it were you, could you remain indifferent?"

He spoke each word deliberately.

Xiao Qiao slowly walked toward him, knelt beside his seat, and took his hand, murmuring, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry—"

Wei Shao’s tightly clenched fist gradually relaxed.

"It’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize."

He fell silent for a moment.

"Manman, I don’t want to hide it from you. I know your father had nothing to do with what happened back then. But even now, I can’t let go of my hatred for the Qiao name. Even when I sent Wei Liang to Yanzhou with gifts in your name for your father’s celebration, what I thought most about was making you happy..."

"The one truly responsible for what happened—your grandfather—is already dead. I suspect Grandmother saw the resentment festering in my heart, my obsession, and hoped I’d learn to be magnanimous. That’s why she agreed to the marriage when your family proposed it."

"Whether my guess is right or there’s more to it, Manman, my nature craves vengeance and freedom. For you, I can endure. But to let go of this hatred entirely—you must understand, for me, it’s too difficult. In my lifetime, I may never reach the same level of enlightenment as Grandmother."

He removed Xiao Qiao’s hands and stood up.Xiao Qiao’s hands slipped from the back of his, her gaze following his figure as she watched him walk to the window in a daze. He pushed it open and stood with his back to her.

"Manman, I am not a good man. I know you have been compromising since the day you married me. You have done everything perfectly, and in recent days, you have endured great fright and grievances. I also understand that as long as I cannot let go of my hatred, there will never be true harmony between us."

"Give me more time to think it through."

He turned his head and looked at Xiao Qiao, his gaze solemn as he spoke slowly.

...

The next day, Wei Shao left Yuyang.

By the end of July, Wei Shao appointed Li Dian to oversee military affairs in Taishan, stationing troops in Zhangqiu to target Qingzhou. Li Chong and Zhang Jian were put in charge of military operations in Pei, aimed at Xuzhou. Wei Shao personally took command in Qiao Commandery, directing his forces toward Langya. The army was divided into three routes, planning simultaneous attacks to defeat each target separately.

When the news spread, the entire realm was shaken. No one had expected Wei Shao to openly launch an assault on the Han court in Langya so decisively.

The Langya court hastily mobilized troops and strategized for full-scale military defense. Meanwhile, Wang Ba, Dong Cheng, and others issued a continuous stream of proclamations, filled with eloquent rhetoric, denouncing Wei Shao as a traitor who defied heaven, branding him the second coming of Xing Xun after his rebellion. They called upon the regional lords to rally to the emperor’s defense and join forces to suppress him.

By mid-August, as the Langya court’s proclamations spread across the land, Li Dian captured Changyi, swiftly severing the connection between Langya and Qingzhou.

By the end of August, the southern forces under Li Chong and Zhang Jian seized Xuzhou.

In early September, Wei Shao breached Yangdu, his troops advancing directly toward the Langya court.

The final battle was imminent.

...

The conflict unfolding in the ancient lands of Qi and Lu sent shockwaves through the nine provinces.

Defenders of the orthodox order cursed Wei Shao as a treacherous villain, declaring that heaven would surely punish him.

In the south, regional lords such as Gai Zhao of Yuzhou, Song Ling of Lujiang, Liu Quan of Jiangxia, and Wu Fan of Changsha followed the example of Le Zheng in Hanzhong. Within a single month, they seized the opportunity to proclaim themselves emperors and establish their own kingdoms.

The south was still plagued by pestilence, while Huangzhou and Pengze suffered from famine. A single peck of rice cost ten thousand coins, yet still could not be bought, leaving the people in dire straits. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Yangtze River bandit Chen Ying, invoking the teachings of a heretical sect, declared himself the reincarnation of the Heavenly King. Rallying displaced peasants under the banner of divine justice, his forces ravaged every territory they seized like locusts. Those who resisted were accused of defying heavenly law and slaughtered. Worse still, they used human corpses as military rations, chanting, "Storm the city by day, feast on flesh by night." With such brutal incentives, Chen Ying amassed a following of over a hundred thousand in mere months, styling himself the Heavenly King Chen. His forces crossed the Yangtze and pressed toward the wealthy Huaiyang region, advancing with terrifying momentum.

The south descended into chaos.

Yet in Yuyang, life carried on as usual. The people rose with the sun and rested at its setting, occasionally discussing Lord Wei’s campaign against Langya over tea or idle conversation.

The so-called legitimacy of the Han dynasty’s Liu lineage had long since lost its influence in the north.

Common folk cared little for whose surname ruled the realm—all they sought was full bellies and warm clothes.

In the years since Wei Shao unified the north, he had appointed capable officials, abolished harsh laws, and reduced taxes and labor duties. Amidst the chaos of the era, as long as he ensured they had food to eat and a stable life, the people regarded Lord Wei as their heaven.

Such was the simple truth.

...

In Luoyang’s Daming Temple, there resided a renowned monk named Jiatan. Having come from India in his youth, he had lived in Luoyang for decades, translating scriptures and preaching Buddhist teachings.

After Wei Shao took Luoyang the previous year, Madam Xu, hearing of Jiatan’s reputation, sent a special envoy to invite him to Yuyang to spread the Dharma. Jiatan gladly accepted.

On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, coinciding with the annual Dharma assembly at Jinlong Temple, the eminent monk Jiatan opened the altar to preach, drawing an even larger crowd than usual. The event lasted seven days.Madam Xu took Zhu Shi to the Golden Dragon Temple to listen to Buddhist teachings.

Xiao Qiao did not go and stayed at home to take care of Fei Fei.

Fei Fei was now six or seven months old, with baby teeth growing in. Since last month, Xiao Qiao had begun gradually weaning her off breast milk and introducing solid foods.

At first, Fei Fei resisted fiercely, but after a month, she had slowly grown accustomed to the new diet.

That evening, when it was time for Fei Fei’s meal, Chun Niang brought a bowl of minced meat porridge mixed with goat’s milk. After feeding her, Xiao Qiao played with her for a while.

By the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), seeing that Fei Fei was growing drowsy, Xiao Qiao soothed her to sleep. Feeling tired herself, she dismissed the wet nurses and maids, closed the door, and went to bed, leaving only Chun Niang to keep watch through the night.

She slept for a while and woke up in the middle of the night.

The surroundings were silent.

Her daughter slept soundly, and Chun Niang’s steady breathing was clearly audible to Xiao Qiao.

She closed her eyes, trying to fall back asleep, but no matter what, she couldn’t.

Wei Shao’s attack on Langya had initially drawn accusations of rebellion, but as his campaign progressed smoothly and many southern warlords declared themselves emperors, such criticisms gradually faded into obscurity.

If nothing unexpected happened, by the end of this month at the latest, the Langya court would surely fall to Wei Shao’s hands.

By then, of the ten parts of the realm, seven or eight would belong to Wei Shao.

What could possibly hinder his imperial ambitions now?

Compared to her dream of the previous life, where Wei Shao had become emperor near the age of thirty, this lifetime had truly accelerated his rise by many years.

The day he would enfeoff Fei Fei as a princess was surely not far off.

He would no longer move against the Qiao family either. Yanzhou was now even more secure. Even if its gates were left wide open without a single soldier guarding it, no one would dare to invade.

Though her father remained blind, from his last letter, he seemed to have accepted it with remarkable equanimity.

As for her younger brother, now in Bingzhou, everything was going smoothly as well.

Xiao Qiao felt utterly content.

She had won Wei Shao’s love and the tolerance born of that love, shielded her family, and had a lovely daughter. Given the circumstances back then, she couldn’t imagine what more she could ask for.

Yet tonight, waking like this—just as she had on many nights before—she still felt weary.

No matter what, she couldn’t fall back asleep.

Finally, she climbed out of bed, slipped on a pair of soft-soled embroidered shoes, and by the pale moonlight streaming through the window, went to her daughter’s crib. She checked the blanket and adjusted it slightly before silently moving to the window and pushing it open.

A bright moon hung high overhead, casting its silver glow over the world. In the courtyard, flowers and trees swayed gently, their shadows interlacing. From some unseen corner, the occasional chirp of an autumn insect made the night feel even more serene.

Leaning against the windowsill, Xiao Qiao tilted her head to gaze at the luminous moon above. Gradually, her bare arms grew cold, and she realized she had forgotten to drape a robe over herself when she rose. She crossed her arms, rubbing them lightly, then reached out to close the window—when her gaze suddenly froze.

About ten paces southeast from the window stood a sweet osmanthus tree.

Beneath its shadow, there seemed to be a figure standing there.

The corner was dimly lit, and she hadn’t noticed it earlier.

Madam Xu and Zhu Shi were at the Golden Dragon Temple and wouldn’t return for several days. Jia Si, in charge of the household guards, had arranged night patrols meticulously.

But at such a late hour, in the inner quarters of the western residence, it was absolutely impossible for any guard to be present.

This shadowy figure had to be an intruder.Xiao Qiao's hair stood on end as she was about to cry out, but then she saw the dark figure sway slightly and suddenly stride toward her.

In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her.

The moonlight revealed a man's face, half-lit and half-shadowed, with deep-set eyes and sharp features.

Though years had passed, she recognized him instantly.

It was Wei Yan!