The Prisoner of Beauty

The fire at the prefect's residence had not yet been fully extinguished, making it temporarily uninhabitable. All the wounded were being accommodated at the Six Offices of the East City.

Soldiers carried torches to light the way as Wei Shao walked through the streets. Apart from the flickering flames behind him at the prefect's residence, the streets were pitch black at both ends, with the doors and windows of the houses tightly shut, making it seem like a deserted city. As he passed by one house, the cry of a child suddenly rang out, but it was quickly muffled, likely by a frightened adult covering the child's mouth or hiding them under a blanket. At the entrance of the government office, dozens of officials, including the Shoucheng, Changshi, and Duyou of Shiyi, were gathered in front of the fence. The soldiers glared at them with hostility, while the officials were disheveled and pale, some sitting in a daze, others hugging and crying. Suddenly, a soldier shouted, "The Lord has arrived!" and saluted. The officials turned their heads in unison and saw a young man in his twenties, clad in armor and covered in blood, striding up the steps. They knew this was the renowned Wei Shao from the north, and they trembled in fear, not daring to make a sound, only stealing glances at him.

Wei Shao paid no attention to these officials from Shiyi. Once inside, he removed his armor, wiped the blood from his face, and went to console and reward the soldiers who had been injured in the night's siege.

The siege had been brutal. Although the 20,000 defenders of Shiyi had been completely wiped out, Wei Shao's side had also suffered significant losses. Not counting the dead, the place was filled with the wounded, and dozens of doctors were busy treating the injured soldiers.

The soldiers were deeply moved that their lord, instead of celebrating the victory, had come to visit them first after capturing the city.

After consoling and rewarding the soldiers, Wei Shao went to visit Wei Liang alone.

Wei Liang, filled with guilt, had fought recklessly during the siege and had been hit by several fire arrows. Fortunately, none had struck vital areas, and the military doctor had already treated his wounds. He was now lying on a bed with his eyes closed, resting. When he saw Wei Shao coming to visit, he struggled to get up, but Wei Shao pushed him back down.

Wei Liang had been poisoned by the fire arrows, and his injuries were severe. His face was as pale as gold paper, but he still managed to laugh and talk, his spirits seemingly high.

Wei Shao asked him about the detailed events that had occurred that day at Qiu Ji. Wei Liang recounted everything from beginning to end, then gritted his teeth and said, "That despicable Chen Rui, always scheming, actually took advantage of my carelessness to kidnap the lady! That scoundrel deserves to die! When I find him next time, I'll chop him into pieces to vent my hatred!"

Wei Shao asked, "Are you saying that the lady was first kidnapped at the post station, and then someone sent a message saying she had fallen into Chen Rui's hands? Do you know who that person was?"

Wei Liang shook his head in confusion. "I don't know. It must have been someone who happened to see it and came to inform us."

As Wei Shao pondered this, the soldier who had reported earlier hurried in and said that some soldiers had discovered Chen Rui a few miles outside the west gate of the city. He had stolen a military horse and seemed to be heading towards Leping. They were currently in hot pursuit.

Wei Liang was furious and tried to get up from the bed, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to grimace in pain.

Wei Shao's expression remained calm, but a shadow passed through his eyes. He pressed Wei Liang's shoulder, telling him to rest and recover, and ordered the military doctor to treat him with utmost care, ensuring no mistakes were made. Then he got up, mounted his horse, and rode straight out of the west gate.

...Chen Rui scaled the wall of the prefect's outhouse and, taking advantage of the chaos, fled out of the west gate in one breath. Seeing the flickering torches and the shadowy figures of Wei Shao's soldiers behind him, he knew they were searching for him. Panicked like a stray dog, he ran for a while until he saw a patch of thorny bushes in the wilderness. Without caring about the thorns pricking his body, he plunged into the bushes to hide, hoping to evade the pursuit and find a way to escape after dawn. Unfortunately, his luck turned sour as he disturbed a family of wild foxes that had made their home in the thorny bushes. The foxes scattered in all directions, making noise that attracted the soldiers. They began stabbing into the bushes with their spears. Chen Rui initially endured, but when a soldier happened to spear his buttocks, he let out a yelp and suddenly burst out. He fiercely knocked down the soldier, seized a horse, and galloped westward.

He ran desperately for a while, gradually leaving the pursuing soldiers behind. Finally catching his breath, he noticed the horse beneath him was panting heavily and slowing down, likely exhausted. Fearing the horse might collapse and leave him stranded, and being utterly tired himself, he dismounted and sat on the ground to catch his breath. Before he could even take two breaths, he sensed someone approaching from behind.

The night was clear with a bright moon, and the open wilderness allowed him to vaguely make out a group of at least a dozen people. Chen Rui broke into a cold sweat again, scrambled to his feet, and leaped back onto the horse, galloping away once more. In his panic, he ended up running into a vast graveyard. Seeing his pursuers closing in, even hearing the sound of their horses' hooves, Chen Rui knew Wei Shao must hate him to the core. If captured, he would face a fate worse than death. Realizing there was no escape, he decided to take a gamble. He rolled off the horse, gave it a hard kick to keep it running, and crawled into the graveyard. He stumbled upon a wild grave with a dark hole on the shaded side, seemingly large enough to hide in. Without hesitation, he squeezed inside, curled up tightly, and blocked the entrance with a stone.

……

Wei Shao personally led his men in pursuit, chasing dozens of miles beyond the city walls. Passing the graveyard, they soon caught up with the horse, only to find it riderless, with Chen Rui nowhere to be seen. Wei Shao ordered his soldiers to search the nearby area, but they found no trace of him. Recalling the graveyard by the roadside, he commanded his men to search there as well.

One by one, the soldiers returned, reporting that they had searched everywhere but found no sign of Chen Rui.

Wei Shao pondered for a moment, glancing back at the city. He knew his soldiers had been marching hard for days and had fought through the night, leaving them exhausted. Moreover, Shi Yi had just been captured, and the city's affairs were in disarray. Although Gongsun Yang was holding the fort, Wei Shao couldn't afford to stay away for too long. Hesitating, he took one last look at the endless graveyard nearby and ordered his troops to return to the city.

……

Chen Rui huddled in the dark grave, unable to see anything and not daring to move, listening intently for any sounds outside. At first, he heard footsteps nearby, but fortunately, the person didn't notice the anomaly in the shaded area and walked past. After a long while, when no other sounds were heard, Chen Rui deduced that Wei Shao and his men must have left. He finally let out a long sigh of relief, only to be overwhelmed by the stench of decay, nearly making him retch. Muttering "bad luck," he pushed the stone aside to crawl out when suddenly, the hem of his clothes seemed to be firmly grabbed from behind, making it impossible to break free.Chen Rui's eyes immediately flashed with the image of a vengeful ghost. Although he was usually unafraid of gods and spirits, having killed countless people, being in a tomb cave in the dead of night, surrounded by pitch darkness, with his clothes firmly tugged from behind, and a sudden eerie breeze brushing the back of his neck, even he, usually so bold, felt his hair stand on end. He lay on the ground, not daring to move, and kept muttering prayers with his eyes closed. After a while, seeing that there seemed to be no other strange occurrences behind him, he finally mustered the courage to slowly reach back and feel around. He then realized that it was just his clothes caught on a wild thorn that had grown behind him. With a forceful tug, he freed himself and crawled out of the tomb cave on all fours. Sitting on the ground, he gasped for breath. Once his nerves had somewhat settled, he dared not linger long. He got up, looked around at the vast wilderness, and finally managed to discern the direction. He hurriedly fled towards Bingzhou.

……

Wei Shao returned to the city, it was already past the fourth watch.

Chen Pang had previously stored more than a dozen water pumps. The soldiers used the pumps to suppress the fire. The fire was finally extinguished. Although most of the prefect's residence was burned, the granary was only slightly affected, with only a few hundred dan of stored grain lost. The rest remained unharmed, and the fire did not spread to nearby civilian houses.

Gongsun Yang was directing the cleanup near the fire scene when he suddenly saw Wei Shao approaching. He hurriedly went up to report to him.

He had not slept for a day and a night, but his spirits were still high, even excited. After a brief report, he smiled and said, "Congratulations, my lord. Today we successfully captured Shiyi, securing the gateway. Taking Jinyang is within reach."

Wei Shao smiled slightly and said, "You've worked hard all night, sir. The sky is about to brighten. You can delegate the remaining tasks and go rest first."

Gongsun Yang acknowledged, then thought for a moment and added, "The fire at the prefect's residence came at a timely moment, aiding our siege. However, the origin of the fire is somewhat suspicious. Earlier, I took the liberty of accompanying the military doctor to visit the lady. It turns out she set the fire herself to escape."

He recounted the incident and finally praised, "It's unexpected. The lady appears delicate, yet she could endure such pain to harm herself and then use the fire to escape. She remained calm in the face of danger and had a clear plan. I saw that both her wrists were severely burned, covered in blisters, a pitiful sight. Even I felt sorry for her. When the military doctor treated her, she didn't complain at all. Instead, she comforted me, saying she was fine. It truly made me look at her in a new light."

……Although Chen Rui had a feminine appearance, he possessed immense strength. Xiao Qiao had been caught like a helpless chick, her hands bound behind her back and placed on the bed. After he left, she thought about Wei Shao's impending attack on the city. In the chaos of battle, regardless of which side won the fight for the city walls, she knew she would meet a grim fate if she remained trapped here like a piece of meat on a chopping block. In her desperation, she suddenly remembered the two wedding candles burning in the room. She got out of bed and approached the flames, rolling up her sleeves. Turning her back to the fire, she endured the searing pain, burning and stopping intermittently until the ropes binding her wrists finally broke. By the time the ropes were severed, the once flawless skin on her pale wrists was covered in blisters of varying sizes. The pain was so intense that cold sweat poured down her face, her vision blurred, and she nearly fainted. After regaining her composure, she untied the ropes on her feet, used the candle flames to ignite the room's curtains, and then soaked a handkerchief in tea to cover her nose and mouth. She wrapped herself in a quilt and hid behind the door. As the fire grew larger, it alarmed the maids outside, who opened the door. Thick smoke filled the room, making it impossible for the maid to see inside. Panicked, the maid ran off to call for help, giving Xiao Qiao the chance to escape. Fortunately, the battle at the city walls had left the prefect's mansion deserted, and under the cover of darkness, she managed to find a secluded, upwind stable where she hid temporarily.

……

Most of the prefect's mansion had been consumed by the fire, leaving only a few rows of buildings in the upwind area intact. Xiao Qiao was now settled in an inner chamber, furnished with a bed and kept clean. Before leaving, Gongsun Yang had assigned two maids from the prefect's mansion to attend to her and stationed a squad of soldiers to guard the passageways and entrances throughout the night.

Xiao Qiao knew she was finally safe.

For the past few days, she hadn't slept a wink. After being brought here by Chen Rui, she had been on edge, with a lecherous wolf eyeing her drooling by her side. She had to tread carefully, neither provoking him with too much resistance nor letting him think she was easy prey. To keep Chen Rui at bay and prevent him from getting too close, she had exhausted all her wits, her entire body, even her hair, tense with anxiety.

Now that she was safe, the lingering pain in her wrists, still burning as if on fire, tormented her, making it impossible to sleep. She wished she could just peel off the skin on her wrists to relieve the agony.

When Gongsun Yang and the military physician were still present, she had endured the pain, not wanting to show any weakness. But now, with no one around and the surroundings quiet, the pain became unbearable, and tears streamed down her face. She silently wept for a while, unsure whether the medicine applied by the physician had taken effect or if crying had eased her heart, but the pain in her wrists gradually subsided. With tear-stained cheeks, she finally leaned against the head of the bed and drifted into a hazy sleep.