The Prisoner of Beauty

Xiao Qiao immediately hurried to the side room of the north house to await the audience.

Madam Xu had just returned home, and if she harbored any dislike, she might not see her so soon. However, Xiao Qiao still had to go through the motions. While waiting in the side room, she observed through the window the continuous comings and goings along the corridor leading to the main house, with the sound of footsteps echoing incessantly. Besides the servants, there were also some of the Wei family's stewards and officials from the city.

She waited for some time, and as the sky was about to darken, the footsteps in the corridor gradually thinned out. Finally, a maidservant appeared at the door of the side room, bowing and inviting Xiao Qiao to proceed.

Xiao Qiao suddenly felt a slight nervousness. She steadied herself and followed the maidservant to the main hall.

In her previous life, during the last meeting with her sister Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao had gleaned from her words that the only person in the Wei family who had not troubled her and remembered to send her things during the seasonal festivals was Wei Shao's grandmother. Unfortunately, Madam Xu's life had come to an end, and within a year of Da Qiao marrying into the Wei family, she had passed away due to an accident, after which Da Qiao's situation had become increasingly difficult.

It was precisely because of this that Xiao Qiao placed great importance on this audience with Madam Xu. She did not expect to win her favor, but as long as Madam Xu was different from Wei Shao's mother, it would not be a bad thing for her in the coming year.

The layout of the north house was similar to the west house where Xiao Qiao lived, but the rooms were more spacious. However, the furnishings were very simple, almost to the point of austerity, forming a stark contrast to the east house where Madam Zhu resided. The only thing in the main hall that reflected the status of the Wei family's elder was a rosewood high couch that required ascending three steps to reach, which could be seen immediately upon entering. On either side of the high couch were square tables with utensils, and behind the couch was a long lacquered screen painted with cloud patterns. Wei Shao's grandmother, Madam Xu, was currently seated in the center of this high couch.

When Xiao Qiao entered, there were not many people inside. Only a few maidservants stood scattered about, with Zhong Ao at the side. Madam Zhu and Zheng Shu were not seen. Wei Shao was also there, sitting on the lower side of the elder, with the long sword that rarely left his side placed horizontally by his hand.

Wei Shao's grandmother was thin and wore black clothes, with graying hair. Her forehead was broad, her jaw round, and her cheeks slightly sunken. Her appearance was unremarkable, looking like a very ordinary old woman. What slightly surprised Xiao Qiao was that she had only one eye left. Her left eye was completely clouded, a snowy white color, while her remaining right eye was exceptionally sharp and full of vitality. Sitting on the high couch, when her single eye swept over, it made one somewhat afraid to meet her gaze.

After Xiao Qiao entered, she saw Madam Xu's single eye fall upon her, her expression difficult to discern as either happy or angry. She immediately lowered her eyes, walked to the high couch where several kneeling mats had already been laid on the ground, knelt down on both knees, and kowtowed to Wei Shao's grandmother in greeting, finally presenting a pair of soft-soled embroidered silk shoes.

The room was eerily quiet, with not a sound to be heard.

Zhong Ao came over and took the shoes. Then, a maidservant brought out a red lacquer tray containing a four-spirit mutton-fat jade disc and a string of gold-inlaid jade beads with a fretwork pattern.

The four-spirit jade disc symbolized good fortune, while the jade beads were a gift from an elder to a junior as a meeting present.

"Madam's kind thoughts, please accept them and rise," Zhong Ao said.

Xiao Qiao expressed her thanks, then stood up, lowering her head and standing respectfully behind Wei Shao.A moment later, she felt that Madam Xu on the couch was still looking at her. Unable to resist, she slightly raised her eyes and met her gaze.

……

Some time ago, Zhong Ao returned from Xindu, and Madam Xu inquired about the Qiao girl. Zhong Ao recounted how she had been abducted by Chen Rui of Bingzhou on the way and how the Lord had captured Shiyi. She said that the Qiao girl had a rare beauty, her demeanor was quite proper, and her character was also good.

What a pity.

Finally, she added this sentence.

Zhong Ao had served by Madam Xu's side for most of her life. She was a cautious person who rarely spoke out of turn. It was unusual for her to express her opinion so directly in front of Madam Xu.

Madam Xu then pressed further, asking what she meant by "what a pity." Zhong Ao said that the Elder Madam would understand once she saw her herself.

At the time, Madam Xu was somewhat dismissive. But now, seeing this daughter of the Qiao family with her own eyes, she suddenly seemed to have an epiphany. She hadn't expected the Qiao family to raise such a rare beauty. Indeed, she was radiant. When she first entered, even someone as worldly as Madam Xu felt her eyes brighten.

Beauty was secondary. What truly caught Madam Xu's eye was the Qiao girl's demeanor.

In life, the more one possesses in the first half, the more complex one's experiences become. As one grows older, many thoughts gradually change, and one tends to prefer simpler, quieter things.

This applies to objects as well as people. That's why the older one gets, the more one tends to like children.

As Madam Xu looked at the Qiao girl, she noticed that she suddenly raised her eyes and quickly met her gaze.

Madam Xu's single eye immediately caught her expression. It wasn't timid. Just a slight uncertainty. Beyond that, it was bright and candid.

When Madam Xu looked at people, the first thing she noticed was their eyes. Judging a person by their appearance is not without reason. The spirit in one's eyes is also part of one's appearance.

She instinctively felt a fondness for someone with such a gaze.

On the contrary, there were some people, like her daughter-in-law Zhu Shi, whom Madam Xu had never been able to feel any fondness for. This also started with the first glance at her eyes.

Back then, when her husband wanted to arrange a marriage for their son with Zhu Shi, Madam Xu had reservations due to her background and was somewhat unwilling at the time. However, her husband insisted, and Zhu Shi's father had once saved her husband's life. In the end, Madam Xu reluctantly accepted.

The first time she saw Zhu Shi, although she was dressed appropriately and her every move reflected the grace of a well-educated lady, Madam Xu was not satisfied with this daughter-in-law.

When Zhu Shi looked at her, her eyes revealed a lack of confidence and an eagerness to please her.

No matter how appropriate the attire or how proper the behavior, paired with such a gaze, it inevitably fell short.

So this dissatisfaction had persisted until now.

The only thing that made Madam Xu think slightly better of Zhu Shi was that she had been quite productive, giving the Wei family an exceptionally outstanding grandson. A mother's status is elevated by her son. This was probably the reason Madam Xu had been able to tolerate Zhu Shi all along, turning a blind eye to her actions.

When Madam Xu had arranged for her grandson Wei Shao to marry the Qiao girl, she naturally had her considerations.

Outsiders who knew about it, including her grandson Wei Shao himself, thought it was for the sake of the region of Yanzhou.

In fact, she had her own other considerations. It was just that others didn't know.

……

Madam Xu glanced at Xiao Qiao again and saw that she had once again lowered her eyes, standing behind her grandson Wei Shao. The two of them looked like a perfect pair.She spoke her first words since Xiao Qiao had entered: "Zhonglin, I've met your wife and I like her very much. I'm tired from the day's journey and wish to rest. Take her back with you."

Wei Shao rose from the couch and respectfully said, "Your grandson takes his leave. Grandmother, rest early. I will visit you again tomorrow morning."

Madam Xu nodded with a smile.

Wei Shao stepped down from the couch and walked out. Xiao Qiao bowed to Madam Xu in farewell and turned to follow Wei Shao when suddenly, footsteps echoed from the corridor outside, followed by a voice: "Grandmother has returned, yet I failed to greet her outside the city and arrived late. I truly deserve blame for my unfilial behavior—"

With this voice, which Xiao Qiao felt she had heard somewhere before, a man appeared at the doorway and then strode across the threshold.

Xiao Qiao looked up and was slightly startled.

What a coincidence—it was the man surnamed Wei whom she had encountered at the painting shop earlier that day! However, it seemed as if the man hadn't noticed her at all, his gaze fixed on Wei Shao ahead, his eyes lighting up, and a smile spreading across his face as he quickly approached Wei Shao.

Wei Shao also smiled and strode towards the man. The two seemed very familiar with each other.

Xiao Qiao stopped in her tracks, watching the two men greet each other with continuous laughter, clearly like close brothers.

"Shiyuan, you've finally returned! Grandmother was saying you might take root in Daijun and never come back!" Madam Xu on the couch seemed very pleased to see the man and laughed.

The man, named Wei Yan, upon hearing Madam Xu speak, released Wei Shao and walked to the couch, smiling, "For Grandmother's sixtieth birthday, even if my legs were broken, I would crawl back."

Madam Xu laughed. Wei Yan knelt on the stool where Xiao Qiao had knelt earlier, paid his respects to Madam Xu, and upon rising, his gaze finally seemed to notice Xiao Qiao. He then turned to Wei Shao and smiled, "Second Brother, while I was in Daijun, I heard about your wedding. Could this be..."

He paused, looking at Xiao Qiao.

Wei Shao returned to Xiao Qiao's side and smiled, "Indeed." Then he said to Xiao Qiao, "He is my cousin, who has been leading troops in Daijun. He is slightly older than me, and I have always regarded him as a brother. You may call him Uncle."

Xiao Qiao glanced at Wei Yan, who stood before her with a smile, his gaze resting on her face, showing no signs of anything unusual. Recalling their encounter earlier that day, she felt somewhat uneasy for no apparent reason. However, she showed no sign of it on her face. She simply smiled and, following Wei Shao's words, greeted him with a bow, calling him "Uncle."

Wei Yan returned the gesture slightly and continued talking with Wei Shao. After exchanging a few more words, they both bid farewell to Madam Xu. As they walked out, the two brothers walked side by side ahead, chatting and laughing heartily. Xiao Qiao followed at a distance, neither too close nor too far, until they reached the fork leading to the west wing and stopped. Wei Yan said, "Second Brother, we haven't seen each other for so long. Now that we've finally met, how can we not share a drink? Let's have a cup together, what do you say?"

Wei Shao hesitated slightly, then smiled, "That suits me perfectly."Wei Yan laughed heartily, "You must be reluctant to part with your newly wedded, beautiful wife, aren't you? It's rare to be in such high spirits today, so I won't bother you too much. Let's go and have a good drink first!" After saying this, he turned to Xiao Qiao, "Sister-in-law, it's been a long time since I last saw Zhonglin. I'm going to drag him away for a few drinks. Don't worry, he won't stay out all night. I'll bring him back to you later."

Xiao Qiao felt slightly awkward and glanced at Wei Shao, who was standing there, not looking at her, his expression seemingly a bit stiff.

"Brother-in-law, you jest. Please go ahead," Xiao Qiao responded.

"As long as sister-in-law doesn't mind. Zhonglin, let's go!"

Wei Shao smiled and followed Wei Yan towards the front courtyard. After a few steps, he suddenly turned back and glanced at Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao had already turned and headed towards the west room.

...

It was very late, and Wei Shao still hadn't returned.

Since he hadn't come back, Xiao Qiao naturally couldn't go to sleep alone. She could only sit and wait.

She rested her chin on her hand under the lamp, thinking about the people and events she had encountered during the day.

Wei Yan had indeed left a deep impression on her. Among other things, his surname alone was perplexing.

Since he was Wei Shao's cousin, why did he also have the surname Wei?

...

Xiao Qiao later found out that Wei Yan's background was quite intricate and secretive.

Wei Shao once had a younger aunt named Qingyun, who was Madam Xu's own daughter. Thirty years ago, during an accident at the border city, she was abducted by a high-ranking Xiongnu man. It wasn't until three years later that Wei Shao's father managed to bring his sister back. However, upon her return, they discovered she was already five or six months pregnant. The family urged the aunt to abort the fetus, but she refused, threatening to kill herself. Madam Xu had no choice but to let her be. Unfortunately, she died during childbirth due to a hemorrhage.

Madam Xu dearly loved this youngest daughter, and after losing her, she viewed the child she left behind with special affection.

At that time, people could accept a Han woman who had been abducted by the Xiongnu, but they would never treat a child of mixed Xiongnu blood equally. Naturally, Madam Xu didn't want to send the child to the Xiongnu. After much consideration, she had the child take the mother's surname and raised him herself, telling outsiders that his father had married into the Wei family and had already passed away.

Very few people knew about this past. Madam Xu had never mentioned a word of it to Wei Yan.