The Prisoner of Beauty

Wei Shao had long harbored ambitions for Shiyi, but this sudden attack was launched without thorough preparation or numerical advantage. The fierce battle atop the city walls was won solely by the combat prowess honed through years of skirmishes by his troops and his own leadership within the army. Barely had the dust settled when he was inundated with urgent matters demanding his attention. Although he had some lingering doubts about the details of Xiao Qiao's abduction that day, his busy schedule left him no time to dwell on it, and thus he set it aside without much thought.

The matter resurfaced today. A group of captives was brought from Shiyi, among whom was a trusted follower of Chen Rui who had narrowly escaped Chen Pang's blade. In a bid to save himself, he revealed everything, recounting how they, under Chen Rui's command, had intercepted Wei Shao's wife from Liu Yan of Langya midway. Upon receiving this report, Wei Shao had someone investigate and immediately learned of Xiao Qiao's previous engagement to Liu Yan, the heir of Langya.

The marriage alliance with the Qiao family had been a mere convenience for him, something he had never taken to heart. He had never entertained thoughts of sharing life or death with the Qiao daughter. During the marriage negotiations, he had not inquired or sent anyone to investigate whether the Qiao daughter was beautiful or ugly, virtuous or skilled. As long as she was a daughter of the Qiao family, it sufficed. Thus, he had been unaware of Xiao Qiao's past entanglement with Liu Yan. The sudden revelation displeased him, and to his further dismay, there was the added twist of Liu Yan of Langya abducting her first before she fell into Chen Rui's hands.

The fact that his newlywed wife had been so brazenly abducted into Shiyi, even if Wei Shao cared little for her life, was something he could not ignore as long as she still breathed. This forced him to hastily launch an attack on Shiyi without adequate preparation. Although he eventually reclaimed her and seized the city, the losses he incurred exceeded his initial estimates and were far from trivial. Coupled with the thought of Xiao Qiao's lingering ties with Liu Yan and the Qiao family's humiliation of him, his usual arrogance made it impossible for him to swallow this insult. He flew into a rage on the spot, abandoning all other matters and storming over to confront her.

Xiao Qiao's self-defense was within his expectations, but what he hadn't anticipated was that he would actually listen to her explanation. As she spoke, the anger that had initially flared within him gradually subsided, and his gaze unconsciously fell upon her.

Xiao Qiao, having just hurriedly emerged from her bath, wore only a white undergarment. Her long hair, still untamed, cascaded over her shoulders, with the ends dripping water. The water stains slowly spread, soaking her shoulders and the front of her garment, clinging to her body. The contours of her slender shoulders and the gentle curves of her figure became faintly visible.Wei Shao's gaze fixed for a moment, and suddenly the scene from earlier in the bathhouse flashed before his eyes. When he had leaned down to question her, he had caught a glimpse, though she had immediately submerged herself underwater. Seeing her now in such an intimate state, so different from her usual demeanor in public, a faint sense of strangeness arose in his heart. He quickly pushed the image from his mind and raised his eyes, only to see her tear-streaked face, delicate as a pear blossom in the rain. He also sensed a hint of resentment in her last words. Realizing that he had indeed frightened her when he barged in, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. Frowning, he said gruffly, "Where did all these wild thoughts come from? Did I ever say I was sending you away?"

Xiao Qiao turned her face away, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks, but remained silent.

The room fell into silence.

Wei Shao, seeing that she no longer turned her face toward him and instead stared fixedly at the candleholder on the table as if it were a flower worth admiring, suddenly felt a bit disheartened. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Dry your hair and get some rest." With that, he turned and left quickly.

Once he was gone, Xiao Qiao's tense shoulders slowly relaxed. She let out a long sigh and leaned weakly against the edge of the table.

...

After the turmoil of that night, everything returned to normal. Two days later, Zhong Ao brought Xiao Qiao some gold and silk, along with two rare delicacies: Qiang peaches and pomegranates, which were tributes from foreign lands. Zhong Ao said it was on the Lord's orders.

Xiao Qiao was slightly surprised. Guessing that this was Wei Shao's way of making amends for the incident that night, she smiled politely and said, "Please convey my gratitude to the Lord."

Chun Niang quickly had the maids take the gifts and repeatedly expressed their thanks.

"My lady, the Elder Madam is advanced in years and requires maids to attend to her. I will depart tomorrow and can no longer serve you. Please stay here peacefully for a while longer, and when you return north with the Lord, you can then pay your respects to the Elder Madam."

Before leaving, Zhong Ao suddenly said this. Her tone was as composed and indifferent as ever, but it was the longest sentence Xiao Qiao had heard her speak in all this time. Xiao Qiao also noticed that Zhong Ao's words made no mention of the other woman in the Wei family in Yuyang—Wei Shao's mother, Madam Zhu.

Xiao Qiao offered a few words of well-wishes for the journey.

Zhong Ao gave a slight bow and then left.

...

Chun Niang, who was no stranger to fine things, couldn't help but show a hint of delight at the gifts Wei Shao had sent. She suggested making a new set of clothes with the silk in a couple of days.

"I already have more than enough clothes and can't wear them all. There's no need to make more," Xiao Qiao said absentmindedly, picking up two Qiang peaches and rolling them in her palm.

"Very well, we can wait a while," Chun Niang instructed the maids to put away the gold and silk. "Let me peel these peaches and pomegranates for you. The Marquis Wei is quite thoughtful. Back in Dongjun, it was rare to see such delightful fruits even in winter..."

"I don't like eating these!"

Xiao Qiao tossed the Qiang peaches back onto the plate.

One of the peaches rolled off the plate and spun around on the table.

"You can share them," she said, clapping her hands lightly and addressing Chun Niang and the maids, who were looking at her in surprise.

...Although they lived in the same place, Wei Shao had not visited Sheyang Residence since that night. Occasionally, when Xiao Qiao strolled in the courtyard and happened to meet him, she noticed he was always in a hurry, and his attitude was naturally cold. If she couldn't avoid him and greeted him, he would merely respond with a casual "Hmm," never engaging in further conversation.

Wei Shao did not restrict Xiao Qiao from going out, but she never ventured outside. Her life remained monotonous, with her only pleasure being the daily dusk when she would climb the Sandalwood Terrace to gaze at the city bathed in the setting sun or the distant lands beyond the city walls.

Sometimes, from the top of the Sandalwood Terrace, Xiao Qiao would catch a glimpse of what seemed to be Wei Shao and his entourage entering or leaving the city.

He seemed truly busy, as busy as a dog, Xiao Qiao thought to herself.

Days slipped through her fingers like sand, and the weather gradually warmed. Although she still couldn't shed her heavy winter clothes in the mornings and evenings, the wind no longer cut like a knife. The frozen rivers began to thaw, and the previously dull and lifeless courtyard of Sheyang Residence started to show hints of tender green.

On the day Xiao Qiao noticed new buds sprouting on the crabapple tree by her window, Wei Shao sent her a message to pack her belongings, as they would be heading north in the next couple of days.

Madam Xu's sixtieth birthday was approaching.

He needed to return to celebrate his grandmother's grand birthday.

...

Three days later, the carriage Xiao Qiao was in rumbled over the cobblestone road, leaving Xindu and heading north towards Yuyang.

The journey was smooth, with no further incidents.

Half a month later, the group arrived in Yuyang County.

To the northwest of Yuyang city stood a mountain called Yushan, and since the city was located to the south of the mountain, it was named Yuyang. In ancient times, it was also known as Wuzhongyi. About a hundred miles to the northeast, there was an ancient city called Wuzhong. Although small, it was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and unlike other places, it was not bitterly cold and dry in winter, making it feel like living in the Jiangnan region. The Wei family had a villa in Wuzhong city where Madam Xu had stayed last winter and had not yet returned to Yuyang.

Yuyang had always been a military stronghold. Hundreds of years ago, when the Yan state built the Great Wall to defend against the Xiongnu, the wall passed by Yuyang.

Starting from the time of Wei Shao's grandfather, to strengthen the northern defenses and deter the Xiongnu, the Wei family moved the provincial capital from Fanyang to the more northern Yuyang. Over generations, the city's defenses were continuously reinforced. By Wei Shao's generation, even the powerful Yixie Mo Chanyu dared not easily engage in direct conflict with Wei Shao's army. Areas like Baitan and Shanggu, which had once suffered greatly from Xiongnu cavalry raids, had not seen major battles for many years, and the population had gradually begun to thrive again.On the day Xiao Qiao arrived, the spring sun was radiant. As the carriage approached the city gate, she curiously leaned out of the window to take a look. In the distance, beneath the clear azure sky, the towering city walls loomed like two colossal black dragons, sprawling east and west as far as the eye could see. As they drew closer, she could see that the entire wall was constructed from massive bluish-black stones, each nearly three feet high, giving it the solid appearance of the Great Wall. The gate tower above the city gate was not the typical archway style she was accustomed to, but rather a massive, square fortress-like structure. Along the wall, such towers were spaced every few dozen feet, slightly smaller than the one above the gate. Flags fluttered at the corners of the towers, and armored soldiers stood guard, their long halberds gleaming with a blinding metallic sheen in the sunlight.

The news of Lord Wei Shao's return had just been brought into the city by scouts. The city gates were immediately thrown open, and a large contingent of armored soldiers poured out, lining both sides of the road. Deputy generals Li Dian, Zhang Jian, and a dozen others who had remained to guard Yuyang rode out of the city to welcome him. After a brief exchange of greetings with his officers, Wei Shao led the group into the city. As they passed, the soldiers saluted in unison, shouting, "The Lord has returned!" Their voices rumbled like thunder, reverberating in the ears. Once inside the city, the citizens, hearing the news, rushed out of their homes to line the streets in welcome. The procession continued until they reached the Lord's residence located in the center of the northern part of the city.

The exact day of Wei Shao's return had not been communicated in advance, so his mother, Madam Zhu, was unaware and happened to be away from home. The steward informed him that Madam Zhu had taken Zheng Shu to the witch temple on Yushan two days ago and was still there. He had already sent someone to notify her, and she would likely return soon.

Madam Zhu was deeply devoted to witchcraft, and in recent years, she had become even more engrossed, frequently associating with the temple's witch priestess. She used to invite the priestess to her home, treating her like a deity. After Wei Shao encountered this twice and expressed his displeasure, she stopped inviting the priestess to their home and instead began visiting the temple herself. Although Wei Shao was annoyed, he found it difficult to intervene as his mother was unyielding to his advice, and he was often away from home due to his military duties. He had no choice but to turn a blind eye to her activities. Upon entering his home and hearing that his mother had gone to the witch temple again, he frowned slightly but then instructed the steward to escort Xiao Qiao to the rear residence for her accommodation.