The Prisoner of Beauty

The affairs of the inner household were giving Wei Shao a bit of a headache.

The reason for his headache was that, even when faced with his own mother, who had done something like last night's incident, he still couldn't bring himself to deal with her in the decisive and ruthless manner he was accustomed to.

In this world, if he had to name the women he couldn't bring himself to be harsh with, there wouldn't be more than three.

His grandmother was certainly one.

His mother, Zhu Shi, was another.

And then there was...

But she was gone now.

Wei Shao immediately banished the image of that old face from his mind.

Soon, he no longer had the time or energy to dwell on the affairs of the inner household.

The border towns hadn't faced a large-scale attack from the Xiongnu like the one in Shanggu for several years.

A few years ago, the Chanyu suffered several major defeats. In the last of these, Wei Shao led his cavalry deep into Xiongnu territory for a thousand miles, destroying one of the four royal courts, the Western Royal Court, which was forced to relocate. Since then, the Xiongnu had not frequently invaded the south as they once did, and the border of Youzhou had remained peaceful.

From the reports of the scouts, it seemed that the Chanyu, Yixie Mo, was growing weaker, and the struggle for succession had become the biggest conflict within the Xiongnu royal court. The Crown Prince, Left Sage King Wuwei, was Yixie Mo's son and the heir to the Chanyu's throne, but this prince was not well-liked by the Xiongnu people. Instead, his uncle, Rizhu King Wu Zhuqu, was more popular. Within the royal court, many important figures, including the noble council, the Left and Right Guli Kings, the Left and Right Grand Commanders, and the Left and Right Great Households, who were either descendants of the Chanyu or from prominent Xiongnu families, had gradually begun to support Rizhu King, either openly or covertly. This had aroused the vigilance and dissatisfaction of the Left Sage King, and the conflict between him and his uncle had become increasingly intense.

Wei Shao already knew that the Xiongnu cavalry who attacked Shanggu were led by the Left Sage King, Wuwei.

By choosing to launch a surprise attack on Shanggu during Madam Xu's birthday celebration, Wuwei aimed to establish his authority among his people, challenge Wu Zhuqu, and at the same time, seek revenge on Wei Shao for the defeat he suffered in the royal court defense battle many years ago.

It was also because of that defeat that Wuwei's authority was greatly diminished, and Rizhu King's influence began to rise.

The lesson from Shanggu had made Wei Shao vigilant once again.

In recent years, with the border at peace, he had focused most of his efforts on the campaign to unify the north.

While unifying the north was important, defending the border and protecting the territory from the Xiongnu was the foundation of the Wei family's four generations of service and the people's loyalty.

The work that his grandfather and father had dedicated their lives to could not be undone in his hands. Even if it meant delaying, or even indefinitely interrupting, his goal of dominating the Central Plains, he had no other choice.

As soon as Wei Shao left the house in the morning, he became busy. From east to west, military reports from more than ten important border towns used for defense against the Xiongnu, such as Liucheng, Baitan, Baideng, Mayi, and Sanggan, were delivered to the capital. He discussed with his generals and ministers about strengthening defenses, arranging deployments, and dispatching troops. After finishing the paperwork, he went out of the city to inspect the camps. By the time he finished the day's work and returned to the city, it was already night.

Not just night, but late.

In fact, he could have finished earlier and returned sooner.

But he personally inspected all the camps outside the city, until he emerged from the gate of the last and most distant, and also the smallest, camp. Only then did he ride back under the moonlight.

By then, it was very late.Accompanied by Li Dian, Zhang Jian, and others, they all assumed that Lord Wei Shao was personally attending to the matters of Shanggu from the previous days. These tasks could have easily been handled by them.

Indeed, Wei Shao was concerned about the affairs of Shanggu.

But only he knew in his heart that it was also because of her at home.

During the busy day, he hadn't had time to think about last night's events. Now, as he was about to return, he began to feel uneasy, unsure of how to face her again.

Recalling what he had done to her last night... remembering her back drenched in fragrant sweat, her soft panting as he bullied her... the tearful tone in her voice when she complained about why he wouldn't release her sooner, as her arms and hands were already sore...

Wei Shao, still on horseback, suddenly felt a surge of heat in his lower abdomen, similar to the sensation he had last night after taking the elixir his mother had fed him.

So he was even more reluctant to meet her so soon.

What had happened between them last night was too sudden.

It shouldn't have been a problem. She was his wife, he had needs to relieve, and she happened to be there. At the peak of his excitement, he had stopped to treat her that way, and even now, he wasn't sure what he had been thinking at that moment, let alone the repeated processes that followed.

He didn't know how he had managed to hold back from taking her.

All of this aside, what truly made him feel awkward was the extent of his involvement later on, which had completely exceeded his expectations.

He was caught off guard. He was even more uncertain about what attitude he should adopt towards her in the future—a woman from the Qiao family whom he had married purely as a decoration.

...

Finally, Wei Shao entered the Wei residence.

It was nearly Hai hour. Apart from the night watchmen and the swaying lanterns in the night breeze, the entire Wei residence had merged completely with the darkness.

Wei Shao walked into the west wing, passed through the courtyard, and from a distance saw the dim yellow light spilling from the doors and windows of the room at the end of the opposite corridor.

His steps, already slow, became even slower. But eventually, he reached the steps of the corridor. A maidservant leaning against a pillar, drowsy and waiting to close the door, perked up upon hearing his footsteps. She turned her face to see him returning, quickly straightened up, and was about to call out to him when Wei Shao gestured to stop her.

Wei Shao ascended the steps, stopped at the threshold, and slowly pushed open the slightly ajar door before stepping inside.

The affairs between men and women, the natural order of yin and yang, especially between husband and wife.

He thought.

...

Although the night was deep, Xiao Qiao could no longer, as before, wait and wait, and then carelessly fall asleep.

In fact, she wished she could fall asleep, so she wouldn't have to face Wei Shao's face again.

To keep herself occupied, she started copying silk texts again. She copied for more than half a shichen. Her originally unsettled mood gradually calmed down.

But the sound of him opening the door, though not loud, interrupted her thoughts that had just begun to settle.

She finished writing the character she was on, placed the brush back on the brush holder, stood up, and turned around.

Wei Shao had already entered, his figure flickering by the screen before appearing in front of her.

She looked and immediately felt relieved.

He seemed no different than usual.No, it should be said that he was even more indifferent than usual. Normally, when he came in, he would at least glance at her.

Tonight, she stood right in front of him, yet he didn’t even spare her a sidelong glance. He walked straight past her, heading quickly toward the bathhouse—so quickly that she didn’t even have the chance to step forward and say something like, “Husband, you’re back,” as she usually would.

Xiao Qiao watched his retreating figure, and the worry that had plagued her all day—about how to face him after their intimate encounter in bed—was instantly resolved.

It seemed that, to him, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.

This was for the best.

Xiao Qiao let out a sigh of relief, then turned and called in the maids who had already heard the commotion to prepare for her bath.

...

Wei Shao changed his clothes and emerged from the bathhouse, finally raising his eyes to look at Xiao Qiao.

It was the first time he had looked at her tonight.

He noticed that she was exactly the same as usual, just standing there, watching him. When she saw him come out, she put on a clearly forced smile and stepped forward to ask, “Husband, would you like some supper?”

He had thought that after last night’s intimacy, she might lean closer to him or show some shyness in his presence.

But she didn’t… She seemed no different from usual, still so “virtuous.”

It was as if… she had completely forgotten how she had served him in bed last night.

Except for that one place, which he had refrained from taking due to his initial promise, he had seen every inch of her body.

And yet, after just one day, it seemed she had forgotten it all?

Or perhaps, last night’s experience meant nothing to her?

Wei Shao suddenly felt displeased. A kind of displeasure that came from being utterly ignored.

This was quite rare for him.

So, with an expressionless face, he walked past her, went to the bed, and climbed in, saying, “No need. Let’s sleep.”

Xiao Qiao responded with an “Oh,” then went to the door to dismiss the maids and tell them to rest. Finally, she closed the door and returned to the inner chamber.

Wei Shao lay on his back on the bed, his hands crossed behind his head. After a moment, he noticed that she hadn’t followed him to turn off the lights and get into bed. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw her standing at the foot of the bed, looking at him. He frowned slightly and asked, “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Xiao Qiao said, “Husband, there’s something that’s been troubling me all day. I thought I should let you know, but I’m afraid you’ll be upset if I tell you.”

“What is it?”

“When you came back just now, did you go to the west wing to see Mother?”

“No.”

Xiao Qiao’s voice softened. “Mother… was punished by Grandmother today and made to face the wall in the ancestral hall… I’m not sure when she’ll be allowed to return…”

Wei Shao seemed startled and slowly sat up, his eyes fixed on Xiao Qiao. “What happened?”

Xiao Qiao bit her lip. “It’s because of what happened last night…”

Wei Shao’s gaze immediately sharpened. He paused, then asked, “Did you tell Grandmother?”

“Grandmother summoned me to ask about it.”

Wei Shao didn’t respond, but his frown deepened.

Xiao Qiao then recounted the events of the day.

“…At the time, Grandmother asked me if I knew what had happened in the east wing last night. She said she heard you were so furious that you kicked the door down, and she also asked about the ice we took. Grandmother asked, and I didn’t dare not answer. I didn’t know what happened in the east wing, so of course I didn’t say anything about that. I only mentioned the ice we took…”Wei Shao stared at her, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "You said I was under the influence of an aphrodisiac?"

"No," Xiao Qiao quickly shook her head. "I only mentioned that you took an ice bath, were thirsty, and asked me to pour you some water, along with a few things that happened afterward... Grandmother didn’t ask further, and then I came back."

A moment of silence followed.

Xiao Qiao glanced up at him.

His expression was stiff, as if he had been slapped.

Seeing him like this, for some reason, Xiao Qiao didn’t feel the slightest bit of fear. Instead, she felt an urge to laugh.

Considering the consequences of her last inadvertent laugh, she naturally didn’t dare to laugh this time. She forced herself to hold it in and spoke in a sincere tone, "My Lord, the commotion you made last night in the east room was indeed loud. Even if I hadn’t said anything, Grandmother would have found out eventually. Think about it—isn’t that the truth? I know you didn’t want Grandmother to know, and I share the same sentiment. But today’s events were truly beyond my control. Grandmother specifically asked me, and I had no choice. If you blame me for speaking out, then punish me. I’ll accept it without complaint..."

"Enough!"

Wei Shao cut her off, his expression gradually softening as he let out a sigh.

"What’s said is said. Did I say I blamed you?"

He glanced at her and spoke indifferently.

"Thank you, my Lord," Xiao Qiao said softly.

Another moment of silence passed between them.

Wei Shao looked at her again and saw her still standing by the bed, her eyes lowered.

"Let’s sleep," he finally said, lying back down.

Xiao Qiao hummed in acknowledgment, walked over, and blew out the lamp.

The room darkened. Moonlight filtered through the window paper, casting a soft, watery shadow on the floor by the wall.

Wei Shao turned his head slightly, watching her faint silhouette as she stood by the bed, untied her sash, and removed her outer garments.

Xiao Qiao placed the removed clothes on the clothing rack beside his, then climbed into bed and lay down.

Chun Niang had repeatedly taught her that while the Lord could sleep with his back to her, she must never turn her back to him.

She didn’t particularly want to face him, so when she first got into bed, she usually lay on her back.

This was also the most proper sleeping position.

In truth, she wasn’t always so obedient. Sometimes she would wake up in the morning to find herself turned away from him, facing the wall.

...

Xiao Qiao lay on her back, her hands neatly folded over her stomach, her eyes closed, her mind wandering through random thoughts when she felt Wei Shao, lying beside her, turn over.

He faced her and seemed to move closer. Xiao Qiao’s nerves immediately tensed.

"Earlier today, when Grandmother called you over to question you, I gathered from your words that you mentioned what happened after my ice bath. How exactly did you explain it to her?"

His voice suddenly came through the darkness, carrying a tone Xiao Qiao found hard to decipher.

Xiao Qiao hadn’t expected him to bring this up again and was momentarily flustered.

"I really didn’t say anything out of line... Grandmother figured it out herself..." Xiao Qiao mumbled, taking the opportunity to turn over, her back now facing him.

Silence lingered behind her.

Suddenly, Xiao Qiao heard a faint creak from somewhere on the bed as Wei Shao moved closer. Then she felt a warmth by her ear as he leaned in, his lips brushing against it.

"Exactly how did you explain to Grandmother what happened after my ice bath?" he asked slowly."You mean the fact that we haven't consummated our marriage yet, and you only used your hands to serve me?" His tone was somewhat peculiar.

His chest was almost pressing against her back and shoulders. As his warm breath brushed against Xiao Qiao's ear, it sent a shiver down her spine, leaving her feeling both numb and ticklish.

Xiao Qiao quickly ducked her head under the corner of the blanket, avoiding his mouth.

"No, no! How could I say that! Don't worry!"

Wei Shao fell silent. Slowly, he lay back down.

Xiao Qiao breathed a sigh of relief.