The Prisoner of Beauty

Wei Shao's grandfather had previously moved the provincial capital from Fanyang to Yuyang, which was closer to the border military garrisons, with the original intention of defending against the Xiongnu.

The distance from Shanggu to Yuyang was only a few days' ride on horseback. If Shanggu fell, Yuyang would also be in imminent danger.

Thus, after the messenger set off and met with the magistrate of Yuyang, who arrived shortly after, arrangements were made for the evacuation of civilians from the border regions. Madam Xu then summoned Zhu Shi and Xiao Qiao, instructing them to quickly pack their belongings and take Fei Fei to the safer Fanyang ahead of time.

"If Grandmother isn’t leaving, then I won’t leave either."

Xiao Qiao immediately refused.

Zhu Shi had already heard the news of the Xiongnu’s southern invasion and was uneasy. Upon hearing Madam Xu’s arrangements, she realized Yuyang might also be in danger, and her face instantly turned ashen. After hesitating, she said, "This daughter-in-law won’t leave either..."

Madam Xu suddenly struck her cane against the ground in anger. "I am staying to oversee Yuyang! What use are the two of you remaining here? You would only burden me with worry! My decision is final and will not be changed! Both of you take Fei Fei and leave at once!"

Perhaps due to her heightened emotions, she began coughing again.

After a few coughs, she forcibly suppressed them, though her breathing remained uneven.

Zhu Shi glanced at her, shrank back, and said no more.

Xiao Qiao gazed at Madam Xu’s aged, white-haired face and paused before speaking. "In that case, this granddaughter-in-law will obey Grandmother’s wishes and leave now."

Madam Xu’s expression softened. She looked at Xiao Qiao for a moment before saying slowly, "Yuyang will be fine. I am only sending you away as a precaution—do not overthink it. Go now."

Xiao Qiao’s nose stung, and she suppressed the turmoil in her heart. She stepped forward, knelt before Madam Xu, and kowtowed.

...

With the Xiongnu advancing south, Madam Xu would remain to oversee Yuyang and join the soldiers and civilians in resisting the invasion. Reinforcements would also arrive soon, and civilians were called upon to participate in the defense.

Those willing to fight could report to the Yuyang government office to receive armor and weapons.

This official proclamation was posted at all four city gates of Yuyang.

However, the magistrate of Yuyang also followed Madam Xu’s orders to keep the city gates open for two days, allowing civilians to evacuate voluntarily. They could return once the situation stabilized.

At first, the people of Yuyang refused to leave—or rather, they did not want to believe the danger was real.

The streets and alleys were filled with people discussing the matter.

Gradually, one household after another began carrying their belongings out through the southern gate.

Panic spread, and more and more people departed.

As Xiao Qiao rode in a fast-moving carriage along the imperial road toward Fanyang, she saw countless evacuees left behind by the carriage on both sides of the road, all heading in the same direction. Some traveled with their entire families, some pushed wheelbarrows, and others walked on foot. Mothers carried children on their backs, while sons supported their elderly mothers. From north to south, the two streams of people stretched endlessly like long dragons.

Xiao Qiao and Zhu Shi shared a carriage, while Chun Niang held Fei Fei beside them. The other maids and servants traveled in a separate carriage.

Zhu Shi had not spoken a word since leaving the city, her expression blank. Even Fei Fei seemed to sense the solemn mood among the adults, behaving unusually quiet and obedient in Chun Niang’s arms without fussing.

After two days on the road, the carriage finally arrived in Fanyang on the third day. Welcomed by the magistrate of Fanyang and settled in, Xiao Qiao had just coaxed Fei Fei to sleep on the bed when a servant suddenly rushed in, saying that Madam Zhu had suddenly become emotionally distraught and none of them could calm her down. They begged Xiao Qiao to come and see.Xiao Qiao left Chun Niang to watch over Fei Fei and hurried over, only to find Zhu Shi pacing back and forth in the room, muttering incessantly: "The memorial tablets! The memorial tablets! I actually forgot to bring out my husband’s and Lun’er’s memorial tablets! My sin! My sin!"

Her spirits had been poor these past few days on the road, and now her face was deathly pale, sweat dripping from her forehead, her lips trembling—she looked utterly wretched.

The moment she saw Xiao Qiao, she lunged forward, gripping her arm tightly: "Your father-in-law’s and your elder brother-in-law’s memorial tablets are still inside! What are we to do now?"

Her grip was so strong it hurt Xiao Qiao’s arm.

Xiao Qiao pulled free: "Grandmother said Yuyang will be safe! Mother-in-law should stay here and rest, good news will come soon!"

Zhu Shi glared at her with a cold laugh: "Of course you wouldn’t worry! You never had good intentions when you married into our Wei family! If Yuyang falls, you’ve already escaped—what does it matter to you?"

Xiao Qiao met Zhu Shi’s gaze and said, "Mother-in-law, I was just coming to tell you—I’m going back."

Zhu Shi froze.

"Grandmother is old, and her health is failing now. I can’t let her stay in Yuyang alone. But if I had insisted that day, she would never have agreed, so I brought Fei Fei here first. Now that you’re settled here, I’ll return today."

Zhu Shi’s mouth fell slightly open.

"Mother-in-law has had a hard journey without a moment’s rest. Now that you’re here, take some time to recover and stop these wild thoughts! Don’t worry—Father-in-law and Elder Brother-in-law’s memorial tablets will be safe!"

Xiao Qiao instructed the maids to take good care of Zhu Shi.

She was only seventeen, her face still bearing traces of youthful delicacy.

Yet at this moment, whether in her tone or the determination in her eyes, there was an undeniable force.

Not only the nearby maids but even Zhu Shi found herself unable to utter a single word of refusal.

She could only stare blankly at Xiao Qiao’s retreating figure, her expression ashen and utterly defeated.

...

Wei Yan’s news was accurate.

Within two days, 300,000 Xiongnu cavalry crossed the border river, charging straight toward Yunzhong, Baideng, and Shanggu.

Despite the defenders’ best efforts, Wuwei was determined to succeed, deploying all his elite forces. The cavalry’s momentum was overwhelming, carrying terrifying destructive power. After holding out at multiple points for several days, most of Yunzhong and Baideng’s civilians had already evacuated, and Madam Xu made the decision to abandon Yunzhong and Baideng voluntarily.

She concentrated all forces to defend Shanggu, the last line leading to Yuyang.

Outside Shanggu, a defensive line was set up every twenty li—deep trenches dug and sharp spears planted to block the Xiongnu cavalry’s fierce advance, forcing the battle into close combat, where the Wei family’s soldiers held the advantage.

Three such defensive lines were established in total.

Each line had to hold the Xiongnu back for at least a day.

The Xiongnu, intent on taking Yuyang, focused their initial assault on Shanggu, launching a relentless offensive.

As soon as the battle began, Madam Xu left Yuyang and personally traveled to the front lines to boost the soldiers’ morale.

But her age and the grueling journey—first from Yunzhong to Baideng, then toward Shanggu—took their toll, and she fell ill.

For three consecutive days, despite her illness, Madam Xu insisted on taking the field, personally beating the war drums to inspire the soldiers defending the lines.

Bolstered by her presence, the defenders repelled wave after wave of the Xiongnu’s frenzied attacks.The originally planned three-day defense line held out for a full five days.

It wasn’t until the sixth day that they finally retreated into the city.

That day, facing the Xiongnu’s siege, Madam Xu once again ascended the city walls alongside the soldiers, beating the war drums to boost morale.

But when she descended, she finally collapsed.

Already advanced in years and previously in poor health, the excessive strain of recent days had pushed her to the limits of her endurance. Once she fell, her illness took a severe turn.

Lei Yan, the commander of the defense, tried to keep it hidden, but news of Madam Xu’s collapse spread quickly among the defenders.

The Xiongnu’s 300,000 cavalry attacked ceaselessly, day and night, their assaults coming in relentless waves—a force so vast it could truly be called thunderous.

With Lord Wei Shao’s main army yet to return, their current goal was to hold off the Xiongnu’s advance and await reinforcements.

But the pressure of 300,000 Xiongnu surrounding the city was immense.

The Wei family’s soldiers had held out this long solely on the strength of their conviction.

Madam Xu had been their backbone. Her sudden collapse and absence today inevitably dampened the defenders’ morale.

Then came further news: Wuwei, the Crown Prince of the Left Sage King, had personally arrived at Shanggu to oversee the siege, offering a reward of ten thousand taels of gold to whoever breached Yuyang’s defenses.

The Xiongnu were in high spirits, arrogant and unstoppable. Beyond the northern gates of Shanggu, their wolf banners blotted out the sky. In the lulls between attacks, the weary faces of the Wei family’s soldiers darkened as they heard the rhythmic clanging of Xiongnu armor, carried faintly on the wind into the city.

…

Madam Xu regained consciousness, slowly opening her eyes as if hearing the clamor of battle from the walls. She struggled to rise.

Zhong Ao stopped her.

“How goes the battle? I must go there myself! Do not hinder me!”

“The Lady has arrived!”

Even the usually composed Zhong Ao could not suppress her excitement, her voice trembling slightly.

“Elder Madam, do not worry. The Lady has brought with her the old Lord’s battle standard. She has taken your place, rallying the soldiers and urging them to fight on!”

…

After a brief respite, the Xiongnu launched another assault.

The siege had not ceased since the previous night.

Their goal was to take Yuyang before Wei Shao could return with his forces.

Lei Yan fought until his eyes burned red, having long lost count of how many Xiongnu attacks he and his men had repelled.

Arrows fell like rain, catapults hurled stones, and beneath the walls, corpses piled ever higher. The Xiongnu’s war cries rang in their ears, and as dawn broke, their bloodied, eager faces became clearly visible.

Then, from the high platform behind the walls, the war drums that had fallen silent the day before suddenly roared back to life.

The thunderous drumbeats rolled like storm clouds, resounding in the ears of every soldier.

Amid this heaven-shaking clamor, the Wei family’s soldiers turned their dust-streaked, bloodied faces in astonishment. Where Madam Xu had once stood, another figure now stood.

The Lady had appeared!

Clad in Madam Xu’s armor, she had taken her place, standing with them to defend the city—to defend Yuyang!

Beside her, a fresh black banner fluttered fiercely in the wind.At the center of the banner was embroidered a golden tiger's head, its fangs bared in a fierce glare, as if proclaiming its might and awing all who beheld it.

"Warriors of the Wei family, hear me! Forty years ago, your Lord's grandfather marched under this very tiger banner when he wrested the Hetao region from the Xiongnu chieftain's grasp, driving them back so they never dared to pasture their horses south again! Now the Xiongnu seek to tarnish its glory—will you allow it? Reinforcements will arrive soon, and your Lord himself shall return leading his troops! He needs you to hold fast! I swear to you in the name of the Wei family's Lady that I shall stand firm here with you, fighting until the last Xiongnu is driven back!"

Her voice, rising above the war drums, seemed to drown out the clamor beyond the city walls.

"Never!"

"Never!"

The soldiers, shaking off their shock, roared their defiance, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

Author's Note: La-la-la~ I'm honored that this story can participate in the website's Lantern Festival Poetry Contest. Here are the details—I hope everyone will join enthusiastically, firstly to save me some face (if no one participates, wouldn't that be embarrassing? (⊙﹏⊙)) bows with clasped hands ...

Secondly, there are plenty of JJB rewards for winners~ The author will first make selections, then the website will also choose (both with prizes~~).

Details below.

You can write something related to this story's content, or connect it to the Winter Season event, or blend winter themes with this story—as long as you're willing to wag your little writing brush, you can write however you like.

Note the participation method: After logging in, leave a comment under any of the sixteen selected stories, with the first line stating "Lantern Festival Poetry Contest," followed by your poem.

Bows with clasped hands —please participate generously, dear readers~~

Event details below:

Event Period: 01.23–02.16

Submission Content: Poetry or verse, must relate to the selected story. Additionally, to align with the Winter Season event, entries should also connect to winter themes.

Winter Season Event Requirements:

It can depict warm Spring Festival moments, captivating winter sports scenes, the majestic Great Wall adorned with snow, or the brightest smiles beside candied hawthorn skewers.

As long as it showcases Chinese New Year culture, Great Wall culture, winter culture, the charm of winter sports and the Winter Olympics, or expresses anticipation for Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics.

Click here to enter the Winter Season event >>

Lantern Festival Poetry Contest Participation Method: After logging in, leave a comment under any of the sixteen selected stories, with the first line stating "Lantern Festival Poetry Contest," followed by your poem.

Selection Process: Each story's author will choose 6 winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes) from their own story's entries. The website will select 9 winners from all submissions.

Prizes:

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