The Prisoner of Beauty

Xiao Qiao paused for a moment before swiftly closing the window, but Wei Yan pressed a palm against it. Agile as a monkey, he slipped inside and stood before her.

Moonlight spilled in, outlining his silhouette against the windowsill behind him, while his face remained hidden in shadow—like the dark side of the moon.

Only his eyes gleamed faintly in the dimness.

A startled gasp sounded from behind.

Wei Yan lunged forward, striking down with his palm. Chun Niang, who had just woken and sat up, let out a muffled groan before collapsing back onto the bed.

After knocking Chun Niang unconscious, Wei Yan walked to the candle stand and lit the wick. Slowly, he turned around.

He wore plain blue Han-style clothing. Years had passed, but apart from the short mustache he now sported, his face was much the same as Xiao Qiao remembered.

Yet the aura he exuded from head to toe was entirely different.

From him, she seemed to catch the scent of a bloodthirsty alpha wolf.

As his gleaming eyes fixed on her, her heart pounded, her entire body tensed. She retreated warily, shielding the still-sleeping Fei Fei behind her.

Wei Yan’s gaze swept over the small bed behind her, his expression flickering slightly.

"Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you," he said, his voice low.

In that split second, Xiao Qiao abandoned the thought of calling for help.

This room held only herself, Fei Fei, and Chun Niang—now unconscious from his strike.

Even if she screamed and drew others here, if Wei Yan truly meant harm to her or Fei Fei, stopping him would be effortless for him.

She steadied herself gradually.

"What do you want?" she asked directly.

She didn’t ask how he had entered.

Though Jia Si had arranged patrols, with Wei Yan’s skills and familiarity with the Wei estate, slipping past guards under cover of night to reach the inner quarters was hardly impossible.

Wei Yan remained silent, his gaze lingering on her once more, unwavering.

A cool breeze seeped through the window, making the candle flame flicker. His eyes seemed to shift with the wavering light.

They lingered on her face for a moment before trailing down along her neck.

Xiao Qiao was still dressed only in the thin, moon-white sleeping robe she had worn earlier, its collar slightly open, revealing a stretch of flawless, snow-white skin.

She turned, grabbing a pale purple outer garment from the bedside rack and wrapping it tightly around herself. After fastening the sash, she faced him again.

"What should I call you? Eldest Brother? Or the Xiongnu’s Right Jianjiang King, Hu Tukun?"

Her cold eyes met his.

Beneath the Chanyu’s royal tent, aside from the Left and Right Wise Kings and the Left and Right Rizhu Kings, there were also the Left and Right Jianjiang Kings—six in total, forming a hexagon of power.

During his years among the Xiongnu, Wei Yan had risen to prominence. He aided his grandfather, the old Chanyu, in conquering the Xiongnu’s long-standing enemies, the Donghu people, who had occupied the Congling region for years. After slaying the Donghu King and seizing their people and livestock, his achievements earned the old Chanyu’s favor. Breaking convention, he was named Right Jianjiang King, ruling the former Donghu lands of Congling.

A few months earlier, Xiao Qiao had visited the northern quarters. The maids, accustomed to her presence, didn’t announce her as they would an outsider. As she entered, she overheard Madam Xu and Zhong Ao discussing Wei Yan—specifically this matter.

Madam Xu’s tone had been one of longing, yet tinged with hidden worry.

The corner of Wei Yan’s mouth twitched slightly. Slowly, he approached the small bed, stopping beside it before bending down slightly."Is this your and Second Brother's daughter?"

He studied the sleeping Fei Fei.

"So beautiful... just like you..."

Gazing at Fei Fei, he murmured softly, slowly reaching out as if to touch her cheek.

"Wei Yan!"

Xiao Qiao suddenly raised her voice.

"You barged into the inner courtyard in the dead of night—I'll overlook your rudeness. I know you must have some purpose. What exactly do you want?"

Wei Yan's hand paused, then slowly withdrew. He turned and walked step by step toward Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao did not retreat.

Wei Yan finally stopped before her, the distance between them no more than an arm's length.

So close that he seemed to catch a faint, elusive fragrance emanating from her.

"You're not afraid of me?"

He stared fixedly at her, his gaze gradually growing distant, his expression strange.

Xiao Qiao sneered, "This is my home. Why should I fear you? Though you relied on your familiarity with the layout to evade the sentries Jia Si set up and forced your way here, don’t forget—this is the Lord's residence! If I call out, and you still manage to escape unscathed, the Wei name might as well be written backward from now on!"

Wei Yan fell silent for a moment, his eyes gradually clearing. Suddenly, he said, "You're right. I came here for a reason."

He paused briefly. "Liu Yan has sent envoys to the Khan's tent, offering the Hetao region in exchange for the Khan's cavalry to attack southward and relieve the pressure on Langya. The Khan may not take his words seriously, but he is old and growing frail. His lifelong regret is failing to reclaim the Hetao lands lost under his rule. Thus, he has been persuaded. Soon, he will seize this opportunity to send all 300,000 cavalry southward in a surprise attack on Yunzhong, Baideng, and Shanggu..."

The Hetao region, encompassing the Huangshui, Taoshui, and Sanggan River basins, has been renowned since ancient times for its lush pastures and fertile land. For centuries, since the rise of the northern Xiongnu, Hetao had become their coveted territory.

One of the old Khan's greatest achievements in his life was seizing Hetao from the Han dynasty surnamed Liu in his twenties, shortly after succeeding as Khan, with a swift and bloody campaign, allowing the Xiongnu to pasture their horses and sheep southward for twenty years.

Later, Wei Shao's grandfather guarded the north and, after several major battles, reclaimed the occupied Hetao. Over the past two decades, though the Khan had repeatedly sought to attack Hetao again, he had always been thwarted. Even as his cavalry trampled the Western Regions and the Donghu, his heart remained unsettled.

Xiao Qiao's face paled.

Wei Yan raised his left hand and glanced at the black iron sheath covering his little finger.

"Before I left the Wei family, I swore an oath upon severing my finger: as long as my grandmother lived, I would not kill a single Han person. Though I am a despicable and shameless man, I remember the vows I made. This southern campaign—I will not volunteer."

His gaze settled on her delicate face, now drained of color. "The day I left the Wei family and returned to the Xiongnu, I became one of them. Even if I do not volunteer, I should not have come to deliver this warning today. But my grandmother raised me, and I owe her that debt. So I came to pass on this message, to sever my ties with the Wei family's nurturing grace. From now on, I am no longer Han—as you said earlier, I am the Xiongnu's Hu Tukun."

On the bed, Chun Niang, who had been struck unconscious earlier, was beginning to stir, emitting a few faint moans.

Wei Yan gave Xiao Qiao one last deep look, then turned and strode swiftly toward the window he had climbed through, leaping out into the night.Xiao Qiao snapped out of her daze and hurried after the figure, calling out to the shadow under the moonlight, "Since you left, Grandmother has missed you dearly. Since you came to deliver a message, why not see her in person and report it?"

The figure ahead paused slightly before continuing forward, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Chun Niang finally awoke with a start, sitting up abruptly and looking around. Seeing the lamp lit in the room and Xiao Qiao by the window, seemingly unharmed, she sighed in relief. Rubbing her still-throbbing neck, she groaned, "My lady, were you speaking to someone just now? In my sleep, I thought I saw a dark figure enter the room. I tried to call out, but then I knew nothing... Was it a dream, or did something happen?"

Xiao Qiao turned and hastily wrote a letter.

Shortly after, Jia Si arrived in a hurry. "My lady, you summoned me urgently. What are your orders?"

Xiao Qiao handed him the letter. "Deliver this to Elder Madam at Golden Dragon Temple immediately! Not a moment’s delay!"

...

At the break of dawn, Madam Xu returned from Golden Dragon Temple.

As soon as she arrived, Xiao Qiao followed her inside and recounted the events of Wei Yan’s message the previous night.

Naturally, she omitted the earlier encounter, focusing only on the content of his report.

Madam Xu remained silent, sitting with her eyes closed.

Soon after, Lei Yan, who had been left in charge of Yuyang, arrived hurriedly with two lieutenants and several junior officers.

Apart from the garrisons at the borders, Wei Shao had stationed five thousand troops each in Yanmen and Fanyang.

Madam Xu issued orders for troop deployment. Once finished, she said, "Send swift messengers to the commanders at Yunzhong, Baideng, and Shanggu, instructing them to fortify their defenses. If the Xiongnu attack, they must hold their ground at all costs until reinforcements arrive. The other garrisons must coordinate and report any news to me immediately!"

Lei Yan accepted the orders and departed swiftly with his men.

After they left, Madam Xu pondered for a moment before suddenly breaking into a fit of coughing.

Zhong Ao quickly handed her a handkerchief and gently rubbed her back.

Since the incidents involving Wei Yan and the poisoning years ago, Madam Xu’s health had declined significantly.

Xiao Qiao hurriedly poured a cup of warm water and offered it to Madam Xu once her coughing subsided.

Madam Xu took a sip, set the cup down, and waited for her breathing to steady before smiling at Xiao Qiao. "Do not fear. I’ve already sent word to Shao Er. He will return with his troops soon. Though the Xiongnu cavalry is formidable, our Wei warriors are battle-hardened. They will surely overcome this challenge!"

Zhong Ao’s expression remained grave.

Xiao Qiao asked, "Grandmother, how soon can my husband return with his troops?"

Madam Xu pondered briefly. "With a light, elite force, once the message reaches him—fifteen days."

"That means at least twenty days. Grandmother, with a hundred thousand defenders against three hundred thousand Xiongnu cavalry, even with the garrisons from Yanmen and Fanyang, holding out would likely be a grueling battle."

Madam Xu fixed her single eye on her. "Do you have something to say?"

Xiao Qiao knelt before her.

"Grandmother, if we were to request aid from the Qiang troops near the Huangshui River, how long would it take for them to arrive here?"

"At most ten days..." Madam Xu suddenly looked up. "What are you suggesting?"

"Why not urgently seek reinforcements from the Beihe Qiang? I believe Chief Yuan Wang would send troops if asked. The Qiang are fierce warriors, no less formidable than the Xiongnu. If they come to our aid, even if they cannot repel the Xiongnu, they could at least help our defenders hold out until my husband returns."

Madam Xu knew all too well that with a little over a hundred thousand defenders, holding off three hundred thousand Xiongnu cavalry for more than twenty days would be no small feat.

Her earlier words to Xiao Qiao had been more for comfort than certainty.In Madam Xu's heart, she had already decided to send the mother and daughter away from Yuyang as soon as possible.

Suddenly hearing this suggestion, she felt slightly excited and nodded, saying, "This method is feasible!"